• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Rabbit petition - please sign!!

halon

Warren Scout
right I've started a petition because I think it's important for policy people to start thinking about these things. I think this is far more likely to gain support than trying to get pet shops banned straight out.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Rabbits/


If they introduced this, the reality is that costs would be passed on to the customers deterring people who werent really prepared for the commitment of a rabbit, and meaning less rabbits were sold. It would also encourage pet shops to take on more rabbits from rescue centres who were already neutered.

Yes there would still be backyard breeding - but there wouldnt be cheap bunnies on the high streets at christmas and easter.

I know it's not everything we'd like, but it would be a start just to get people thinking more about these things.
 
That's me signed up too. My goodness what a productive evening this has been, a petition and a stinking letter to Tesco. :lol:
 
Even though I agree, I don't think that for one minute the PM will give a stuff.

no I very much doubt he will! but the petitions are looked at by all departments - the aim is to get enough to get Defra's attention or to be able to go to the pet-shops and say "look how many people want you to do this" or just to raise general awareness.
 
no I very much doubt he will! but the petitions are looked at by all departments - the aim is to get enough to get Defra's attention or to be able to go to the pet-shops and say "look how many people want you to do this" or just to raise general awareness.

Don't get me wrong, I did sign it, but he doesn't really care about the welfare of a lot of us humans so I think rabbits will be way down his agenda.
 
Don't get me wrong, I did sign it, but he doesn't really care about the welfare of a lot of us humans so I think rabbits will be way down his agenda.

You're absolutely right but we've at least got to try? :)

After all if it wasn't for one person starting a petition I reckon we'd still be going round in circles...bit like the Pets at Home adoption thing really ;)
 
right I've started a petition because I think it's important for policy people to start thinking about these things. I think this is far more likely to gain support than trying to get pet shops banned straight out.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Rabbits/


If they introduced this, the reality is that costs would be passed on to the customers deterring people who werent really prepared for the commitment of a rabbit, and meaning less rabbits were sold. It would also encourage pet shops to take on more rabbits from rescue centres who were already neutered.

Yes there would still be backyard breeding - but there wouldnt be cheap bunnies on the high streets at christmas and easter.

I know it's not everything we'd like, but it would be a start just to get people thinking more about these things.

im quite lucky with the breeds i do ppl really do travel very far for them it kind of adds to the factor that they really do want them if thier traveling 2.30hrs to get them!
 
sorry to be a party pooper here but I too wonder if any of these petitions actually come to fruition:?

Halon, your petition states

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to introduce compulsory neutering, vaccination and microchipping of pet rabbits at the point of sale, licensing of breeders and for sellers to provide full information about care and costs.

Now I can see microchipping and neutering being a possibility but vaccinations are a hard one to enforce really. Its not even compulsary with humans and animals like cats and dogs but lets for instance say that it did become law that they were vaccinated upon the point of sale, what if the owner decides not to re-vaccinate? how do you enforce the continuation of vaccinations after the point of sale?

Another question here:oops: On the petition you have written

Rabbits are one of the most abused pets in the UK. Neutering and microchipping would prevent breeding of unwanted rabbits and allow abandoned rabbits to be traced to their source or reunited with their owners. Breeding should only be allowed under license. Vaccination against VHD and myxi would prevent many unnecessary deaths. Sellers frequently provide misleading information about costs, accomodation and feed, if any information is given at all. This would save rescue centres millions of pounds which could be better spent. This should be considered for all other pets also.

Highlighted is a true statement in many cases regarding petshops but then how can feed be misleading when things like the mix is readily on sale, its like us with chocolate, we all know it can give us dental problems at our expense but the governement haven't banned it:lol::lol: Again, yes I agree there is big costs with rabbits but then I have 1 rabbit that has cost me alot in the 2 years I have had him, and my other rabbit that has only cost me vaccination fee's and 1 treatment for ear mites so not alot of cost for me with one of my rabbits. I had a discussion with Jill about it once as to why people who have rabbits stuck outside on their own with no human interaction never seem to be at the vets and live many to be a ripe old age:?: The same goes for neglected buns, why do they survive the exteme conditions they are left in and yet us, we can loose a rabbit within hours due to bloat:(

Accomodation size, yes you can advise on accomodation size but untill the law changes so that retailers cannot sell anything smaller thant the minimum requirement then what a retailer sells is not against the law so advice may go on deaf ears to the buyer;)

Sorry, I am not critisizing as trying is better than nothing but if you take a look at the petitions that are on there at the moment for rabbits, I do wonder if anyone is actually going to take any notice:(

here is the list of rabbit petitions many with not many signatures at all:(

http://search.petitions.pm.gov.uk/k...ns/search.lsim?ha=1157&sc=number10&qt=rabbits

However, I do like this petition and will be signing it especially if it means less animals will be tested in laboratories:D:D

It's a petition for testing on criminals rather than the many animals that get testing on:(

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Criminaltesting/

There are a number of paedophiles in our prisons who refuse help of rehabilitation, if they were abused as children and do these acts of sickness because of this then they would welcome any kind of help, and some do. However, there are some who refuse help and cannot wait to get out and continue their obscene offenses - I propose we use these people to test out life saving dugs, they have no more a sacred life than a guinea pig or rabbit and they gave up their rights to be 'human' when they committed their horrible crimes. This research should be carried out on any heinous criminal without a conscience, who show no remorse of what they have done; rapists, murderers, muggers who kill or main - there are plenty of research fodder in our prisons who could actually be useful to us. But please take note - I am not proposing this for all prison inmates, just the ones who are deemed 'evil'.
 
I don't really see the need for making microchipping bunnies compulsary. Also if all rabbits are neutered at point of sale what will the bunnies be doing for the 6 months whilst they're waiting to mature? Fair enough for older rescue bunnies, but what about the unwanted litters that rescues get when they take in a preganant doe? Do they have to hold onto them for 6 months before they can be rehomed.

What you should be campaigning for is vouchers for neutering. So when someone buys or adopts a rabbit too young to be neutered they will be given a voucher which either is prepaid or part paid for neutering so it's not as expensive when the time for neutering comes around. Plus this way if they're already paid out the cost of neutering when they get the bunny then they will more likely carry through because they've paid the money.

The vaccinations, as previously said, yes bunnies can be sold or rehomed with their vaccinations but it will be extremely difficult to enforce people to get the boosters. It's hard enough getting people to vaccinate themselves and their children let alone their animals.
 
yeah i agree with the vouchers - these things could be put into action in lots of different ways. I didnt really have enough space to go into massive detail though!

Yes it would be difficult getting people to get boosters for vaccinations. I'm only suggesting that they're given their first vaccinations before they're sold (or vouchers). But since a lot of disease seems to spread in petshops, it might help that way. one-off is better than nothing (i imagine it would reduce infection rates) and if people knew they had to get their rabbits vaccinated (which I think is part of the problem) they'd be more likely to do it.

On the misleading information - it's one thing selling unhealthy rabbit treats, but at the moment a lot of petshops give totally wrong information. I read a pets at home leaflet which said a rabbit's diet should consist of pellets with a bit of hay to supplement - totally the reverse of the truth. And if we eat chocolate, our teeth dont grow through our skulls or out through our cheeks so it's a slightly different situation.

The microchipping is so rabbits that are dumped can be traced back to their owners who would be prosecuted.

Yes some bunnies to seem to manage for years with little space, etc but just reading through the pages on this forum you hear about the thousands of rabbits who are found in terrible conditions, or abandoned because their owners didnt realise how much effort it actually is to feed and clean the rabbit every week. If the cost was a bit higher it would stop the impulse buying, and the higher cost would only be paying for the things every bunny needs (vaccination and neutering).

And no maybe it wouldnt actually turn into law - but it would be enough just to get it discussed and to get enough media attention to better educate people.

At the end of the day, we can all moan about how evil the world is and blame the petshops or breeders or whoever. But we need to try and find constructive solutions. Would there have been any Animal Welfare legislation at all without public pressure?
 
Last edited:
I've forwarded this to my email address list (with a menacing foreword :lol:) and asked them all to forward it to as many people as poss (already got 3 people to sign... so far *mwahahaha*)

If everyone did this, maybe it could make a difference?
 
dont get me wrong, I am not saying it is not worth trying but, if you go for one item at a time in a petition then you stand a better chance of getting at least one item passed rather than some-one look at it and say the the vaccination side of it would be hard to uphold so they end up throwing the whole petition out even though they might think that neutering and micro chipping was a viable course to go;)

If you did 3 seperate petitions for each, you stand a better chance of one of them getting passed;):D
 
Back
Top