Pets at Home pauses sale of rabbits over Easter
It comes after Jollyes completed the removal of small animals from all 100-plus stores as it accelerated the roll out of raw frozen food across its stores
Pets at Home has announced that it will be pausing the sale and adoption of rabbits at 460 stores nationwide over the Easter weekend.
The company stated that the decision has been taken to help prevent impulse purchases and adoptions driven by the celebrations, as part of the brand’s commitment to encouraging responsible pet ownership.
A Pets at Home spokesperson said: “Every year, we make the decision to temporarily halt rabbit sales over the Easter weekend. This is a deliberate action to discourage any impulsive choices about owning a rabbit, given their close association with this time of year.
“Rabbits make wonderful pets, however, they are not the ‘easy’ pet that they can often be thought of as. Rabbits have complex needs, including specialised dietary requirements and environments, and we always want to educate and encourage careful reflection on how those needs will be met before homing.”
It comes after Jollyes completed the removal of small animals from all 100-plus stores as it accelerated the roll out of raw frozen food across its stores.
The move, which has involved the phased removal of all live rabbits, guinea pigs and birds, has been completed over a 12-month period giving breeders ample notice of the change.
CEO Joe Wykes said: “We know the sale of live animals at pet stores has provoked a strong reaction from many over the years. And of course, we know how much our colleagues loved to look after them.
“But while we will, of course, continue to sell everything a responsible rabbit, guinea pig or bird owner needs for their pets, their removal from our stores has opened up an opportunity for us to expand the frozen raw category that’s significantly growing in popularity amongst dog owners.”
