# Survey by RSPCA



## pla725 (Jan 19, 2008)

http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.1976977.0.rabbits_kept_in_shocking_conditions.php

Edit: Added full article

Rabbits kept in shocking conditions
_By Morwenna Blake_
SEVENTY per cent of more than 300 surveyed rabbits seen by the RSPCA in the South and South West between May and November last year spetn 24 hours a day kept in a hutch with no access to a run.

The society has revealed the shocking results of a survey into the quality of life of the animals to coincide with National Rabbit Week and is urging people to think it through before they commit themselves to caring for what is not the easiest of pets to look after.

RSPCA regional manager, Jonathan Silk, said: "This survey, now in its third year, gives us a very disturbing insight into how many of these animals have a poor quality of life and how often people acquire them as pets only to quickly lose interest.

"For the last two years we have discovered that the average amount of time that a rabbit was owned before being unwanted was as little as three months. Rabbits are becoming throwaway pets, bought for as little as Â£10, given very little quality of life and wanted for a very short period of time."

As well as details provided by RSPCA workers in the region, anonymous rabbit awareness questionnaires' were completed by members of the public.

Anyone who owned a rabbit which was the subject of a cruelty or neglect complaint, or a rabbit they wanted the society to rehome, was also asked to complete a questionnaire.

Rabbits are sociable animals and should ideally be neutered and kept in pairs or groups.

They need to be fed on hay and grass as well as pellets so that their teeth are kept ground down and healthy. They also need a roomy rest area and an enclosure, for daily exercise, with fencing sunk into the ground to prevent them from burrowing out. They are suitable for keeping indoors and can be housetrained.

RSPCA Regional Superintendent John Tresidder: "Sadly, many rabbits are kept in unsuitable back yard hutches out of sight where they all too easily become forgotten pets. As a result they lead a miserable life on their own at the bottom of the garden after the novelty of keeping them wears off.

"While there are many caring and responsible rabbit owners in the region, there are too many people who do not understand the time, space, commitment and money required to provide proper care. Since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, people have a duty to ensure their animal's needs are met."

In a bid to improve the quality of bunnies lives and encourage would-be owners to ensure they are informed, the RSPCA has produced a new leaflet to accompany the campaign, entitled A Life Worth Rabbiting About'. These are available from local RSPCA branches or animal centres.

Mr Tresidder said: "It is extremely worrying to hear that over half those buying a rabbit received no advice on how to care for it. We have had numerous incidents where people have bought rabbits from pet shops which have been wrongly sexed.

In many cases the shops offer no help and even put up signs saying they will not be held responsible for sexing the animals they sell - and then the RSPCA is left to pick up the pieces."

As part of the campaign, the RSPCA is also urging responsible people who genuinely want to care for a rabbit for its life to consider adopting one from a rehoming centre.

For details of your local RSPCA branch or animal centre look in your local phone directory of visit www.rspca.org.uk - where you will also find pet care advice.

Of the 323 surveyed rabbits seen by the RSPCA in the South and South West region between May and November 2007: 

1. 88% had no company and were kept in solitary confinement.

2. 70% did not have access to a run and spent 24 hours a day locked in a hutch.

3. 55% did not have an adequate hutch.

4. 50% did not have clean bedding.

5. 42% of hutches were in full sunlight without adequate shade.

6. 45% did not have any water available.

7. 30% did not have any food available.

The survey also highlighted that: 

1. 57% of owners who bought their rabbit from a shop or garden centre said they received no advice or literature on how to care for it.

2. 42% of rabbits were taken on as pets for children.

3. 32% of rabbits were living in old, often unsuitable hutches, which came free from their friend or neighbour.

4. 11% of rabbits were the result of unwanted or unplanned breeding.



9:35amSaturday19thJanuary2008


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## timetowaste (Jan 20, 2008)

this article is the exact reason why we have this forum...to help educate about the entire lagomorph population and to create the best possible environment for both the bunny slave and the bunny themself.

i am going to see if pipp will make this a permanent announcement on the top of the newswire board just we all remember why we are here on this forum 

thank you for posting this!

tracy

edit: wait, i was able to do this. pipp, are you cool with me leaving it at the top with the MYXI cases?


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## monklover (Jan 20, 2008)

Wow. I can't believe how many people treat rabbits so unfairly. People definetly need to become more aware of what a rabbit needs to be happy and live a good life. Once I got a rabbit, all of my friends wanted one and I was really hoping none of them got one because I know that none of my friends like rabbits enough to be a really good owner.

After reading this, I am going to try and get more people to come to this site! 

Thanks for posting this!

Megan


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## maisy126 (Jan 20, 2008)

I keep (or kept actually) my rabbits in hutches/cages all the time, I still go(went) out to pet and hold them though. And, surprisingly they have not gotton sick (believe it or not, since their outside). They were within eyeight of both me and each other. And I would say that they were kept outside 24 hours a day (minus a few times we bring them in). So I think it depends on how much knowledge the owner of the bunny(s) has if the conditions would be considered neglect.

5. 42% of hutches were in full sunlight without adequate shade.

6. 45% did not have any water available.

7. 30% did not have any food available.

Poor buns


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## Nadezhda (Feb 1, 2008)

Neglect is neglect
Ignorance is no excuse.

You wouldn't randomly get pregnant, without educating yourself on what to expect in the pregnancy, when to expect giving birth, how to care for the baby, basic nutritional needs for the baby...

It's like keeping a child in a small play pen 24/7.
Just because you occasionally will pick the child up and cuddle it for a few minutes, or occasionally put the child in a normal living area before putting it back in it's playpen, just because you didn't know any better, is an an argument that will get you laughed at in court when they take your child away, fine or likely imprison you, because it's still neglect and abuse.

Poor buns indeed.

People need to think a little and do some research instead of treating bunnies like a hamster or something...


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## BlueFrog (Mar 22, 2008)

As awful as those survey results are, I have to wonder how heavily biased both the sample and the intepretation of the results are. Going by the information in the article, the survey is based on anything but a random sample, and tipped heavily toward people who were not good rabbit parents. Also, I'm wondering who determined what constituted an "adequate" hutch size, etc. 

According to this survey, _my_ rabbit is apparently being neglected, because she lives "in solitary," and in an older, free cage without a run that I freely admit would be too small if she lived in it 24/7. Given that Cassidy is growing like a weed, strong as a bull, sports a beautiful shiny coat & bright eyes, and is clearly very happy, I'm just not feeling too worried that I'm not providing for her needs! 

Just sayin', as bad as it is out there for rabbits - and I should hope by now my rescue credentials are well-polished and in order - I'm not sure how much I'd trust these particular numbers. 
*


Nadezhda wrote: *


> You wouldn't randomly get pregnant, without educating yourself on what to expect in the pregnancy, when to expect giving birth, how to care for the baby, basic nutritional needs for the baby...


<looks at location line>

<OK, the poster is Canadian. Got it> 

Sorry, couldn't help myself. People in the U.S. do this _all the time_, which is part of why we have a shockingly high infant mortality rate for an industrialized country.


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## timetowaste (Mar 25, 2008)

[email protected]!!!

So true!!! I love that you pointed out she is in Canada, and we are in the USA. Unfortunately, in the USA, most teenagers and young adults (and even some of the middle aged crowd) are not careful enough with their "escapades" and there are a TON of unwanted pregnancies.

A lot of schools here don't educate their students early enough or educate ENOUGH and give enough options to them to prevent these from surfacing.

Tracy


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