We were recently informed about a grooming experience that went horribly wrong: The owner sent her healthy rabbit to a pet shop in Sembawang. During the grooming session, the rabbit suddenly screamed and kicked. Right after, he rabbit was paralyzed from the waist down.

The following day, she brought the rabbit to a vet for a health check. Through the X-ray, the vet confirmed that the rabbit’s spine was severely fractured. As a new owner, she was unsure about his subsequent care. With his quality of life compromised, she decided to put him down.

According to the owner, the groomer explained that he did not mishandle the rabbit and the episode was an accident. They paid her a small sum to defray her cost but did not take responsibility. Heartbroken, the owner confided in us and allow us to share her experience as a lesson learned.

The owner is now mourning for the loss of her first rabbit. She still doesn’t know what happened and as a first time caregiver, she is traumatized and still in shock. This has left a huge scar in her heart but she has bravely shared her experience so no one will go through what she just did.

We hope her story will remind owners to be vigilant in selecting groomers. The lack of regulatory measures has resulted in varying standards which directly affects our pets. Do exercise caution and look for reputable groomers. Remember, not every groomer is good with rabbits, even if they breed and sell them in their shop.

At Bunny Wonderland, we will only trust experienced caregivers to groom our rabbits. Here is a list of our recommendations who is tried and tested. We hope you can consider them and choose to be safe, not sorry: https://bunnywonderlandsg.com/bunny-101-2/our-rabbit-care-guide/grooming/.