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Pet Shop

without_halo

Alpha Buck
I went into a a local pet shop today to see if they sold the small corner litter trays (they didn't) BUT they did have rabbits for sale.

There was 4 white lops (can't tell you much more than that) and they looked so tiny and really young :( . I was just wondering what age should rabbits be sold at.

I just wanted to know before I actually phoned up the shop and asked what breed/how old they were?

This pet shop also sells puppies as well
 
i dont know what age they are allowed to be sold by law but i am sure 8 weeks would be the limit!
its all to much stress for one so young just think away from mum to pet shop stress lots of new people stress and then sold on stress will it still be alive now? doubt it or getting sick i should think! then new kids pulling it around only the lucky ones will make it!
i think breed is unimportent as all will suffer the same stress level!
all mine get moved about all over the place while they are with me put in and out of boxes allowed run time in and outdoors so i like to think my rabbits can deal with a fair bit while they are still with me!
pet shop buns often have such a sad fate when sold so young no good breeder would allow his/hers stock go so soon after all it could be the winner right?
 
Defera and the RSPCA.

Between them they have got the knowledge of animal care/welfare and they have the power to enforce guidelines.

Louise
 
If you are concerned, call your local Environmental Health Office as these are the people who licence and inspect pet shops.

Other than that, there is little you can do - according to my local EHO, the laws on selling small animals in pet shops date from 1951, and the law specifies "weaning age plus one week".

Most pet shops abide by the Pet Care Trust guidelines which can be found online - as far as I recall, these suggest 6 weeks as a minimum age for young rabbits, but there are a few knowledgeable shops who refuse to take them until 8 weeks, and one local to me, which specialises in rabbits, prefers them at 10 weeks.

However the Pet Care Trust guidelines are only guidelines, not law, therefore in theory it would be perfectly legal to sell baby rabbits from 4 weeks of age, if you counted weaning as eating solid food, which they begin to do at 3 weeks.
 
Just an idea but if you find a pet shop selling babys too young could you organise a local petition or contact the local paper no pet shop would like that. Also get as many people as you can to go in to the pet shop [ at different times daye etc] and complain that there rabbits are to young to sell ? . val
 
just to let you know..... I actually rang the RSPCA and that they were going to send someone. According to their guidelines.... a rabbit can be taken away from its mother from about 42 days old. But as they were only just younger than that and already in the shop they can do something about it.
 
pet shop

what 42 days in weeks?!?!? (real rubbish in maths here)....

working in a pet shop, i know that has far as guidelines go and rabbits alot of it is based on the experience of the head of the department (not me :() we take rabbits from 6-8 weeks and no older.....which i dont understand...the other week we had some dutch rabbits that i swear we're too young...they we're sooooo small...

the enivormental health is a good place to go to, we were visted from them about 8 weeks ago concerning are macaw we've got, they found his cage was too small for him (something that we've been told buy customers for ages now) its amazing what a business will do to please the environmental health :?
 
Re: pet shop

masked_firefly said:
...we take rabbits from 6-8 weeks and no older.....which i dont understand...the other week we had some dutch rabbits that i swear we're too young...they we're sooooo small...

Dutch do look small when young... I've just been to weigh my baby Dutch who are 6 weeks and they weigh about 1-and-a-quarter pounds [about 600g] with the smallest at 500g. These are well-raised, healthy babies in good plump condition - I guess they may weigh less if not cared for quite so well.

They aren't a very big breed though - about 4-5 pounds when fully grown [about the 2kg mark], and they are fully grown at 4 months.

It would be good to encourage your shop to take them at 8 weeks and above, though... they are much stronger and stress resistant than at 6 weeks, and are even better at adapting to new homes after 10 weeks.
 
Six weeks in my eyes is too young, they need a couple of weeks to come to terms with being removed from there mum. It is very stressfull for rabbits and they can often have tummy upsets at six weeks if they get stressed and i dont think theres anything more stressfull than being put in a pet shop. When looking at rabbits in the pet shops you must bear in mind their breed as to how big they should be at 8 wks. I would certainly comment on any i thought were to young. val
 
pet shop

i understand myself as to why it is more benifital for rabbits to be sold older than 8 weeks, but both the head of the department and manager do not....

ive often gone into other shops and although their rabbits are obviously older, do look so much happier. We had a spat doing the summer hoildays and just before where we constantly had rabbits dying on us. Dispite what i said about it being too stressful for them nobody listened to me and insisted it was because they were faultly from breeding....

in the end i concentrated on when it was my turn to feed/clean/water the rabbits that they we're as well cared for as possible i am forever telling both children and adult not to bang on the cages, poke and prod and just generally be cruel to the bunnies.
 
Re: pet shop

masked_firefly said:
i understand myself as to why it is more benifital for rabbits to be sold older than 8 weeks, but both the head of the department and manager do not....

ive often gone into other shops and although their rabbits are obviously older, do look so much happier. We had a spat doing the summer hoildays and just before where we constantly had rabbits dying on us

Pet shops appeal to what makes them money. That is what they are tasked to do. what we have to do and/or needs to be done is to change that business model (Cute pet 6/8 week old, sell pet may £X then sell stater packs then hook them into food. It is a very clever and very succsesful marketing ploy.

The ONLY way to stop this is stop people wanting it. Anything else is good money after bad.

Hear lots of comment about stoppng all sorts of things but if you really sit back and think about this - this really is the ONLY way you are going to effect a change.
 
I bought Dandi, from Posh Paws (http://www.poshpawsonline.co.uk/), when she was 18 weeks. they were really good and gave me a starter pack and some tips on how to look after my new bunny!
I have been to places like Pets at Home to buy accessories, but often I think that the smaller pet shops are better!
 
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