The Animal Welfare Act and Rabbits Owners
The new Animal Welfare Act is a new piece of animal legislation that places a 'duty of care' on owners and guardians of all pets. This means that it is still against the law to be cruel to an animal, but now owners must also ensure that all the welfare needs of their animals are met. The law came into effect on the 6th April in England, and the animal welfare law is being improved as of the 27th March in Wales.
The new law makes owners and guardians responsible for ensuring that the welfare needs of their animals are met, including ensuring:
A suitable environment for all animals
A suitable diet for all animals
Animals exhibit normal behavior patterns
Animals are housed with, or apart from, other animals if necessary
Animals are protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease
The new Animal Welfare Act increases the minimum age at which a person can buy an animal to 16, and prohibits giving animals as prizes to unaccompanied children under this age.
Anyone failing to adhere to these stipulations may be banned from owning animals, fined up to £20,000 and/or sent to prison.
What rabbit owners should keep in mind...
Environment:
It's not acceptable to keep a rabbit alone in a small hutch, without the ability to exercise.
Hutches should be a minimum of 6 x 2 x 2" - ideally with an attached run to allow the rabbits to exercise.
Runs should be a minimum of 6 x 4 x 4".
Diet:
Fresh food and water should be available at all times.
Feed as natural a diet as possible, ie mainly hay or grass, with a small proportion of greens and rabbit pellets.
Changes to the diet should be made gradually to avoid gastrointestinal problems.
Behavior:
Allow normal behavior, including digging, running, playing, hiding, etc.
Allow daily exercise.
Provide toys that allow the display of natural behavior.
Companionship:
Rabbits are sociable animals and should not be kept alone, unless a houserabbit has adequate human company.
A male/female couple usually get on better together, but will both need to be neutered and introduced to each other carefully.
The companionship of another species, eg guinea pig, is not generally successful.
Healthcare:
Yearly myxomatosis and VHD vaccinations are necessary.
Regular heath checks are also advisable, this is when nails can be cut, teeth can be trimmed and general health can be monitored.
Regular checks at home are also advisable to check teeth and nails are not overly long, monitor weight and check for any parasite infestations, eg mites, flystrike. Flystrike is particularly common in the summer and rabbits should be checked at least once or twice a day.
For further information about the Animal Welfare Act visit:
DEFRA -
www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/act/affect.htm
The Office of Public Sector Information -
www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2006/20060045.htm
