'Free' rabbit available for collection-your opinions please

Hello Happy Hoppers
Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season...

I would like to run something past you and would value your opinions from a British perspective.

I live in the Netherlands and we have something called 'Marktplaats' - it's an online classified advert site (recently I believe bought by Ebay) though it doesn't have the same rigorous buyer/seller responsibilities.
There are always lots of rabbits available to buy (approx 3,000+ nationwide at present) often advertised by registered breeders/ hobby breeders (and sometimes for slaughter!!) but also people wanting to get rid of their pets because of no time, allergies etc..etc.. As well as those for sale there are a substantial number offered free to collect ('gratis').
I have been noticing over time that these 'free' rabbits seem to get a lot of hits/views, many many more it seems than those being offered for sale even for a minimal amount (eg. 5 to 10 euros).
Do I smell a rat here, indeed a very smelly rat??

Is this interest in the free animals not just from people who want to get a new pet free of charge but indeed those who want them to simply fill the bellies of their pet snakes??
Does this ring bells to you Hoppers?
If this is the case I would like to start writing to owners asking them not to offer their pet free and set a charge however small - preferably to bring their pet to a rescue. (Unfortunately I know the new one fairly close by in The Hague is now full to overflowing, probably others are too! ) I am sure there are pet owners out there that would be appalled to think their small creature could become snake food once it left their care. Writing then would make them aware of this practise if it occurs widely.
I may also call the local animal protection agency to ask about the prevalence of this and write to Markplaats.

Are any of you aware of the scale of this in the UK? Is it talked about? What does the RSPCA do about it if they are able? Any laws involving cruelty etc.. Is there a public awareness of this when getting rid of unwanted pets?
Feedback appreciated.
Thanks a lot.

Hi! We have this a lot in the U.K..in terms of people giving their pets away in the free ads, rabbits, dogs, cats, hamsters...most things really. I don't really know what can be done about it, apart from stricter monitoring by the owners of the websites. There's a website called "Gumtree" and they always have pets advertised on there, so a facebook campaign has been set up so people can report the ads and get them taken down off the site. Perhaps something like that would work?

I don't like it one little bit. IMO, people should NEVER give any animal away as free. The danger of them landing in the wrong hands is waaaay too high.

I also don't agree with pets being advertised in free adds in papers, on the Internet, anywhere.

I don't believe there are any laws against it here in the UK and I also don't think the RSPCA/SSPCA would intervene.

I find it all so sad. In an ideal world, people would stop buying animals if they can't commit to caring for them, breeders wouldn't be allowed to keep breeding when there are so many animals in need already and rescues would have unlimited space and resources.

I personally would like to see a licence introduced to animal owners here, maybe then people would take their responsibilities more serious and those who can't care for animals wouldn't have them.

Hopefully now eBay have taken over the site you mention, they will stop them advertising animals. But there's always somewhere else they can go to advertise.

Sorry for the rant, I hope I've answered some of your questions.

As others have said there is a lot of this that goes on in this country. I think emailing the seller may well be a good idea - I wonder how many people really think about where their ex-pets are going. If I could bear to look at the sites I would contact the people.

These sort of adds advertising free rabbits attract the wrong sort, some of those rabbits will end up as snake food, target practice ( yes this does happen, I have seen bunnies with air rifle pellets stuck in parts of their body) and even a free human meal. As awful and as sad as it sounds it 'does' happen

It makes me so very sad and b....y angry

Tuckerbunnies wrote:These sort of adds advertising free rabbits attract the wrong sort, some of those rabbits will end up as snake food, target practice ( yes this does happen, I have seen bunnies with air rifle pellets stuck in parts of their body) and even a free human meal. As awful and as sad as it sounds it 'does' happen

It makes me so very sad and b....y angry

Really? Don't answer that, I just never thought that would actually happen.