# Helping Rehome Some Bunnies, Need Advice



## Thlayli_Rah (Dec 29, 2010)

Hello,

I am helpinga friendrehome a couple of rabbits. They've asked for an adoption fee to ward off the unethical people and whatnot. An e-mail was recieved from someone quickly and they sound like a very good home. But I'm not experienced with these things, so I wanted some other opinions just in case because I want these bunnies to go to a good home. Here is the e-mail that was recieved:


Hello

We are glad to read back from you. just a little information about my family, my name is(removed) and my husband's name is(removed), and we both live in Lincoln Nebraska we have lived here all our lives, we are blessed with 2 kids the youngest is(removed)and she cherish pet a lot she virtually spent most of her time with our neighbor's pet i and my husband have promised her a loving and adorable pet on her 10th year birthday that is coming up next week Wednesday, therefor myself and my husband have been looking for a lovely pet since last week to adopt for her as a special gift, we were so glad to came across your advert yesterday and we decided to write you today to make an inquiry about the pet, it's our greatest pleasure that you responded back to us, so i want you to consider my family for the adoption. my husband said he's capable of paying any price you name and would also pay some kind of donation and compensation to you for the up bringing of the pet. we really would love to have your pet to be part of my loving family because we don't have any pet that we are rearing for right now except our neighbor's pet and thay will be moving to a new home with their pet in couple of days , also to let you know our house is wood fence about 11.95ft high, we have a very large yard where pet can play and roam around comfortably if necessary. I can assure you a %100 safety and caring home for your pet and i can as well assure you that i will be sending you the pictures of the pet to you after he/she gets down to our family so that you will know how much attention we're giving to the pet, so after paying the adoption fee. concerning how to get the pet down to us, my husband will handle that,

As regard the shipping of the pet, my hubby will definitely take care of that because he knew of a reliable and competent pet shipping company that his had met in person before, they will come to your door step for the pick up of the pet after you might have
receive the payment, so you don't have to bother about the shipping and the cost we'll be responsible for that, the shipping company will handle it with care, my husband will be sending you a cashier's check for your adoption fee including the shipping payment , below are the payment info we need from you to proceed with the payment asap.. your pet will be a special guest of honor on my daughter's birthday. and the shipping company will contact you tomorrow. payment information such as:

1- Your full name to be written on the cashier check,
2- Mailing address,
3- Your area zip code
4- Your Phone numbers for smooth communication

N:B. Just to let you know that i am a deaf hearing but i can read and write very well. looking forward to hearing back from you as soon as possible.

Best Regards.

(removed)and family


Some details not significant to the topichave been removed for the sake of privacy. Your opinions would be very much appreciated. SO does this look legitimate?


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Dec 29, 2010)

I have serious doubts about this. 

First of all, I see that you are from Ontario. They say they are from Nebraska. I would wonder why someone is looking that far away for a pet that is not a specific breed. 
Second, no where in the e-mail does it actually mention a rabbit. It only refers to them wanting a pet. The care for a dog and a rabbit are very different. If I were responding to an ad, I would be more specific about it being a rabbit (or whatever) and go into some details about caring for it like I have a cage and give the dimensions, I feed a certain feed and belong to a rabbit forum. 
They have only been looking for a pet for a week and want it as a birthday present. This means they probably haven't done any research and are unprepared for the pet. Also, pets are not presents. 
The grammar is not quite right for someone who says they can read and write well. I do realize that people whos first language is not English can have some issues, but many scammers don't use good English. 
I would be worried about shipping a rabbit. I do know that the person doing the shipping usually arranges things not the person receiving the pet. 

Personally, I would run, not walk, way from this person. They will probably send you a check that is too much (and fake), then ask you to send back the extra. You are then left with a fake cheque you have to cover and are out more money. 
This whole e-mail just screams fake to me. 

I do hope you can find a suitable home for the rabbits. You do need to be careful. Always meet the person in person. Only accept cash as you do not know them and don't want to be stuck with a cheque. You can ask to see their house, even if it is pictures or with a webcam. Don't do shipping, you can find someone local. If the person lives out of your city but does seem legit, you can arrange to meet them or have them come to you if possible. If you have any concerns, get a second opinion.


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## Sweetie (Dec 29, 2010)

I agree with the above. That email sounds/screams like a scam. NEVER ship any animal overseas or state to state. Their english is not that good, I see a lot of errors and grammer issues with the email. That is one indicator that it is scammers.

Always deal with locals who can meet you in person and always do a home check. If the potential adoptee doesn't allow a home check then don't give them the rabbit or any other animal.

I got both my rabbits locally and I met in person, Sweetie came from a lady in the Port Orchard/Gig Harbor and we met at the Port Orchard Ferry. Prince came from a lady in the Bonney Lake area and we met at her place in Bonney Lake.

I agree that it is best to find these rabbits homes locally, meet in person, and do home checks. NEVER EVER ship a rabbit anywhere, overseas or state to state.


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## maxysmummy (Dec 29, 2010)

seems suss... why a pet so far away?

why are they willing to pay "whatever the cost"

? maybe ask to call her... or her husband if she is deaf


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## GoneToTheBuns (Dec 29, 2010)

Scam. Dog breeders and rescues get ones exactly like this all the time. It's a variation on the cashiers check scams. It actually probably originates somewhere in Africa and has been hidden.


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## Yield (Dec 29, 2010)

[align=center]DON'T DO IT.

I'd have to agree with the others on this being a scam. 

Some things that really stood out to me was the amount of errors and issues with their writing, though they say they can read and write very well. I believe that that is a complete giveaway.

That, and the fact with the not specifying they're adopting a rabbit. 
"11.95ft high, we have a very large yard where pet can play and roam around comfortably if necessary"... 
Usually that would be specified for a dog adoption. 
I feel that is an necessary thing they needed to say while adopting a rabbit...

"they will come to your door step for the pick up"... 
That actually scares me- the thought of that.

"1- Your full name to be written on the cashier check, 
2- Mailing address, 
3- Your area zip code 
4- Your Phone numbers for smooth communication"
That also screams scam. 
When inquiring about a pet, most people do not ask for this information right away. 
They would ask about the pet, comment on their experience... stuff like that. 
I know if I was emailing someone about adopting their pet or whatever, I would be exchanging a couple at least before asking for that kind of information. 
That kind of stuff usually comes later...

"%100 safety and caring home for your pet"... Your pet.

Seriously. 
Where's the "rabbit" in this whole thing?

I would, as Kate said, run from this situation. 
Sounds very suspicious, and creepy in my opinion, and I would not trust them.


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## Nancy McClelland (Dec 29, 2010)

All of ours are rescues and potentially available for adoption. I always meet and talk to the people face to face, no exception. If they wanted a pet for their young child I'd usually say no as bunnies are not a good fit--they can be injured easily and require more care than a cat or dog. I'd also go to their home to see how and where they would be placed. IN eight years time, we only let 7 of our babies go to someone else. We love our bunnies and wanted to make sure they would have a great forever home as they already have a good one with us anyway. Reading that E gave me a lot of misgivings just on grammar and spelling--either a very poor education or someone not being entirely honest. Also, would never ship one of our fur babies anywhere--if we can't do it by driving, not interested.


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## jujub793 (Dec 29, 2010)

the shipping alone would be very stressful for any rabbit. I'm sure you should be able to find somebody locally who would love to have a rabbit. The grammer was the very first thing i noticed and the thing that came to my mind is that it was someone foreign. "willing to pay anything" for the rabbit, also was suspicious, anyone not familiar with rabbits would not be willing to pay "anything" because most people just dismiss bunny's as a "disposable" pet. Besides that, it seems to me that they included an awful lot of personal detail that i don't think somebody inquiring would give out initially at first contact. Keep looking.....would be my advice.


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## DebsBuns (Dec 29, 2010)

My question is the same as everyone else's. Why do they not look in Nebraska. Why go to Canada. Always saying the pet. That first thing just screamed at me. And going on about how high the fence was. Why with a rabbit? Run don't walk.


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## Thlayli_Rah (Dec 29, 2010)

Thanks for all the information everyone. The more I think about it the more I realize how dodgy the whole situation is, and I probably should have known right away that this was no good. But I'm still working on that whole "trust your instincts" thing. At least I trusted them enough to go ask people. And now it's here for others who might be fooled to see.

I think the best option might be a shelter or rescue. The local shelter told us they wouldn't take them until they adopted out their current rabbits though. I'm going to search around, maybe there are some local rescues.


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## TreasuredFriend (Jan 2, 2011)

Agreeing with all the input above re: a scam. People can talk a good game and have ulterior motives. YIKES. Got that scam vibe within the first few minutes of reading their lines.


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## slavetoabunny (Jan 2, 2011)

What they probably would have done is send you a counterfeit cashiers check, which would include funds for the shipping. They would then ask you to send the "shipping company" funds by Western Union. A few weeks later you would find out the cashier's check was fake and be out the entire amount.


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## naturestee (Jan 2, 2011)

Definitely a scam! Notice how it feels like a form letter. They never use your name, the pet's name, or even the species name. Like others said, this is one of those counterfeit check scams. Hopefully you and your friends can find good, real homes for those bunnies!


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## Blaze_Amita (Feb 2, 2011)

*DebsBuns wrote: *


> My question is the same as everyone else's. Why do they not look in Nebraska. Why go to Canada. Always saying the pet. That first thing just screamed at me. And going on about how high the fence was. Why with a rabbit? Run don't walk.


Other than the poor grammer and english, that was also a red flag to me calling it the pet. Then goingon about how tall the fence was? Well I personally don't know anybody that could put up "11.95ft high" fence. I'd say run away as well.


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## golfdiva (Feb 5, 2011)

You did realize it was a scam when you read it. That's why to posted it here, to validate your misgivings! Nice catch!

If anything looks too good to be true, it probably is.


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## Purple Mountain Rabbitry (Feb 5, 2011)

NEVER EVER EXCEPT A CASHIERS CHECK. THEY ARE ONLY USED BY SCAMMERS. 

If you have to do the check always verify they have the funds (your bank can do this for you) and don't let the rabbit leave until you have cash in hand, heck don't even consider it sold.

I always talk with the people and give advice, give them my feed suppliers card, DO A CONTRACT stating that if they no longer want or can no longer care for the rabbit that you have first choice to get the rabbit back and have them sign by that statement, get their name, email, phone so you can check on the rabbit, ALWAYS HAVE A WITNESS. 

This email screams FAKE. don't ship overseas(almost always fake), NEVER ship anywhere unless you have cash in hand. If you are shipping to another state have them send you a money transfer through walmart so You get your money

I have rescued horses for many years and we got emails like this from scammers and meat buyers all the time. You just have to learn how to weed out the FAKES and keep the good ones. Try to keep it local but if you can't be cautious.

Crystal


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