Blog Entry 6- The Big, Bad Pet Industry

The pet industry is one of the biggest reasons why we get so many rabbits in the shelter.  Pet stores that sell rabbits do not bother to educate their customers, which encourages impulsive purchases that result in either the rabbit being sent to the shelter, or dying from lack of proper care.  Some people end up releasing their rabbit in a park or garden, not knowing that domesticated rabbits lack the essential instincts to survive on their own.  Thankfully, the number of rabbits being sold in pet stores has gone down dramatically since the late 1990’s.  Big brand pet stores such as Petsmart and Petco no longer sell rabbits, and have started promoting rescues.  People are becoming more aware of the health and safety risks toward animals sold in this type of environment.
Breeders are still a huge problem.  Rabbits, prolific by default, are bred over and over and sold at cheap prices—I once saw a craigslist ad selling baby rabbits for $5 apiece.  Some breeders find their market at small business pet stores, where they can find a steady flow of clientele.  Some are backyard breeders—people who sell rabbits from home.  Often the breeders themselves have little knowledge of what rabbits need to be properly cared for.  The shelter received 53 rabbits from one home last year, when the woman who lived there up and left, leaving behind her failed breeding “business.” It was a struggle for us to keep working without burning ourselves out.  Heaven forbid another breeder wanted to empty their wares on us at the same time.
 Those in the pet industry rarely ever think about what is best for the animals they are selling.  They make it about profit, and the consequences of their greed ends up on the shoulders of the people who truly care.