Household pets, rabbit sales banned over Easter weekend

Pets at Home has banned the sale of rabbits over the Easter weekend to prevent “impulse buying”.

From the crazy March Hare to the Easter Bunny, rabbits have been synonymous with spring since ancient times. However, the popular pet retailer warned that animals have “complex needs” and customers should think “carefully” before making the leap to purchase.

From March 29th to April 1st, rabbit sales and pick-ups will be temporarily suspended at 457 stores nationwide.

“For several years now, we have made the decision to temporarily suspend rabbit sales over the Easter weekend,” said Pets at Home Director Kathryn Patel. “This is a deliberate decision to prevent people from making impulsive choices during this festive period and to encourage people to be responsible pet owners.

Portrait of a gray pet house rabbit looking out through the open door of the hutch

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“Rabbits have complex needs, including special dietary requirements and environments, so we always want to educate and encourage them to think carefully about how these needs are met before bringing them home. .

“We want all pets to be adopted into loving homes. We don't want our customers to rush into adopting a rabbit.”

The RSPCA says irresponsible breeders are contributing to the surge in unwanted rabbits flooding animal centers in recent years. In 2022, a whopping 48% of rabbits were abandoned, 1,090 rabbits arrived at animal centers and 1,942 were rescued by RSPCA branches.

The Pets at Home initiative wants to encourage healthy pet ownership and help people buy animals for the right reasons.

This follows in the footsteps of the famous Dog's Trust campaign, 'Dogs are for life, not just for Christmas', which emphasizes that owning a dog is a long-term commitment and should not be seen as a seasonal gift. It's something to follow.