The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF) has issued a petition to the government, urging it to ban the sale of small rabbit hutches.
The RWAF are calling on the government to introduce new legislation to establish national minimum sizes for rabbit housing. Although there is a legal housing size requirement for meat and laboratory rabbits, there is no current law for keeping pet rabbits.
This has resulted in over one fifth of pet rabbits being kept in conditions smaller than those of their meat and lab counterparts and according to the PDSA PAW Report 2019, 225,000 (25%) of rabbits are currently living in inadequate conditions.
The accessibility and mass availability of unsuitable rabbit houses from retailers needs addressing to improve living conditions for rabbits.
An independent analysis conducted by the RWAF examined 48 single-story hutches for sale from eight popular online retailers and found that 60% of these hutches don’t even meet the legal requirement provided by Defra for housing laboratory or meat rabbits, and only 9% meet the minimum size recommended by the RWAF.
Small hutches are directly linked to a number of rabbit health problems, such as spinal deformities, various fatal diseases and mental problems, such as stress and depression.
All of these contribute to a lifetime of mental and physical suffering, eventually leading to premature death. The petition has received over 26,000 signatures to date.
The RWAF are calling on all pet retailers to take responsibility and only stock adequately sixed hutches, and for all rabbit owners and animal lovers alike to sign the petition and prevent this form of ‘accepted’ animal cruelty.
Dr Emma Milne BVSc MRCVS, RWAF Patron and Welfare Campaigner said: “Rabbits are one of the most misunderstood and neglected of our pet animals. Far too many are kept alone and in totally inadequate hutches. Can you imagine never being able to stand up or stretch out your whole life? This is nothing short of imprisonment and unnecessary suffering.
“It’s high time shops take the responsibility for that suffering and stop selling anything that isn’t the minimum size. If people don’t have the money or the space to provide for the genuine needs of rabbits, then I’m afraid they aren’t the right pet for them.”
The RWAF’s minimum housing recommendation for two average-sized rabbits, which it wants establishing as a national minimum size, is an area of 3m x 2m, and 1m high.
Part of this should be safe, covered space and housing should always be attached to a run – an additional area where rabbits can exercise.
Small rabbit hutches are greater exposed to poor weather conditions and can become extremely cold and wet. Dry space then becomes sparse, forcing rabbits to eat, sleep and go to the toilet in the same area, making living conditions dirty and leaving rabbits more prone to painful and deadly diseases, such as chronic urinary tract disease and flystrike.
Richard Saunders, BSc (Hons) BVSc MSB CBiol DZooMed (mammalian) MRCVS said: ‘We here at the RWAF see many rabbits that have been kept in too small hutches which restrict their movement. Sometimes they are able to adapt and thrive in a new, more spacious environment, and to see them making their first ventures into a larger area to explore, run, jump and play is amazing.
“On occasions, problems caused as a result of small hutches, such as sore hocks, permanent mobility problems, urine scalding, and chronic urinary tract disease mean that the outcome is sadly not so bright.”
The rabbit welfare charity and its veterinary associates are urging rabbit owners and passionate animal welfare campaigners to sign and share the petition to raise awareness of one of the biggest issues negatively impacting the lives of pet rabbits throughout the UK.
You can sign the petition here.
