The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive Industry
Conditions of pet rabbit breeding colonies and breeder practices are undocumented and very little is known about the pet rabbit sales market. Here, multiple methods were employed to investigate this sector of the UK pet industry. A freedom of information request sent to 10% of councils revealed conf...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-11-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/8/11/199 |
| _version_ | 1828774619152121856 |
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| author | Emma M. Gosling Jorge A. Vázquez-Diosdado Naomi D. Harvey |
| author_facet | Emma M. Gosling Jorge A. Vázquez-Diosdado Naomi D. Harvey |
| author_sort | Emma M. Gosling |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Conditions of pet rabbit breeding colonies and breeder practices are undocumented and very little is known about the pet rabbit sales market. Here, multiple methods were employed to investigate this sector of the UK pet industry. A freedom of information request sent to 10% of councils revealed confusion and inconsistency in licensing conditions. Data from 1-month of online sale adverts (3446) identified 646 self-declared breeders, of which 1.08% were licensed. Further, despite veterinary advice to vaccinate rabbits from five weeks, only 16.7% rabbits were vaccinated and 9.2% of adult rabbits were neutered. Thirty-three breeders completed a questionnaire of which 51.5% provided smaller housing than recommended, the majority housed rabbits singly and bucks were identified as most at risk of compromised welfare. However, most breeders provided enrichment and gave a diet compliant with recommended guidelines. Mini-lops and Netherland dwarfs were the most commonly sold breeds, both of which are brachycephalic, which can compromise their health and wellbeing. From sales data extrapolation, we estimate that 254,804 rabbits are purposefully bred for the UK online pet sales market each year. This data is the first of its kind and highlights welfare concerns within the pet rabbit breeding sector, which is unregulated and difficult to access. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T15:25:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-07a334583a1a48f19af51f3729e88e89 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T15:25:29Z |
| publishDate | 2018-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-07a334583a1a48f19af51f3729e88e892022-12-22T01:00:14ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152018-11-0181119910.3390/ani8110199ani8110199The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive IndustryEmma M. Gosling0Jorge A. Vázquez-Diosdado1Naomi D. Harvey2Politics and Society, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Winchester, Sparkford Road, Winchester SO22 4NR, Hampshire, UKSchool of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham LE12 5RD, Leicestershire, UKSchool of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham LE12 5RD, Leicestershire, UKConditions of pet rabbit breeding colonies and breeder practices are undocumented and very little is known about the pet rabbit sales market. Here, multiple methods were employed to investigate this sector of the UK pet industry. A freedom of information request sent to 10% of councils revealed confusion and inconsistency in licensing conditions. Data from 1-month of online sale adverts (3446) identified 646 self-declared breeders, of which 1.08% were licensed. Further, despite veterinary advice to vaccinate rabbits from five weeks, only 16.7% rabbits were vaccinated and 9.2% of adult rabbits were neutered. Thirty-three breeders completed a questionnaire of which 51.5% provided smaller housing than recommended, the majority housed rabbits singly and bucks were identified as most at risk of compromised welfare. However, most breeders provided enrichment and gave a diet compliant with recommended guidelines. Mini-lops and Netherland dwarfs were the most commonly sold breeds, both of which are brachycephalic, which can compromise their health and wellbeing. From sales data extrapolation, we estimate that 254,804 rabbits are purposefully bred for the UK online pet sales market each year. This data is the first of its kind and highlights welfare concerns within the pet rabbit breeding sector, which is unregulated and difficult to access.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/8/11/199rabbitwelfarebreedinghousinghusbandrylicencelegislation |
| spellingShingle | Emma M. Gosling Jorge A. Vázquez-Diosdado Naomi D. Harvey The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive Industry Animals rabbit welfare breeding housing husbandry licence legislation |
| title | The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive Industry |
| title_full | The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive Industry |
| title_fullStr | The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive Industry |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive Industry |
| title_short | The Status of Pet Rabbit Breeding and Online Sales in the UK: A Glimpse into an Otherwise Elusive Industry |
| title_sort | status of pet rabbit breeding and online sales in the uk a glimpse into an otherwise elusive industry |
| topic | rabbit welfare breeding housing husbandry licence legislation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/8/11/199 |
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