PETCO to stop selling rabbits!

[MooBunnay]

I just saw the news today on bestfriends.org – that Petco has decided to stop selling rabbits *YAY*

 

I just emailed them a nice thank you note.  While it still makes me sad that they sell hamsters and other littler critters, I wanted to make sure to thank them for a step in the right direction.

 

The story is currently the front page on the website http://www.bestfriends.org – though I’m not sure how often that front page story is changed (there is a super cute pic. of three buns sharing a carrot…though its way to MUCH carrot for just three buns…but…I’m being a bit to picky there )

[BinkyBunny]

I heard about this! Such good news!

[BunnyBuns7]

Awesome! Anyone who wants a bunny shouldn’t be afraid to dig in and have to research the best candidates. I did get my bunny from a petstore, but what can I say, it was love at first sight. I did my research, and she had me at hello. I consider her my rescue. Wink. Poor baby was in a 15 gallon tank with her brother and no hay or water. She also had her fur covered in poo. I watched her for weeks to make sure she didn’t get that head tild disease and no one ever took her. I should have taken her brother too, but a few days later he was gone too. There are just some animals that pet stores shouldn’t sell unless they treat them like their own and it’s almost like a foster situation. However, they tent to get too many and just seem to be in it for the money. To be completely honest, I also think that petstores should do what shelters do. The person should prove that they have a suitable home for the animal. We have a petstore here that still sells puppies! The puppies arn’t even in an open area with the other puppies! they’re all alson in a 3×4 cage. I want to save them all!

Kayla

[BunnyLiz]

YAY!!! Such great news! Made my day, ill have to celebrate by having a cupcake later Or maybe a cake or two… lol

[bigsis7]

Yay!!! I forget if it’s petco or petsmart, but one (maybe both!) won’t be selling ferrets anymore either!!

[MimzMum]

We still have one lonesome male agouti at our Petco. I am praying he gets a good home.

No ferrets either huh? Interesting. Must be Petsmart because our Petco still has quite a few.

[BookerTRabbit]

I was in Petco last Thursday and they had a bunny still for sale. What really broke my heart is that he had a CLEARANCE sign on his cage!!!!!! SO SAD. Hopefully that means more people are adopting !

[alicat]

When this new policy was first announced there was a white bunny all by himself at the Petco. Fast forward to mid january when I stopped in to pick up some things, when to my surprise there were 3 new bunnies (no white bunny anymore). They had a sign that they only sold purebred and neutered/spayed rabbits. I stood there stunned for a minute and a salesperson actually asked if I needed help with anything, I said no- I don’t need anything and immediately left the store (there is another pet supply store that I took my business to). I was appalled! I wish I would have asked the salesperson why those buns were there. Poor little guys in their bunny terrrarium.

[Thearina]

I think that it really all up to each petco’s head of management on whether they are going to keep selling rabbits. I live in missouri and I called around 4 petco’s just to see if they are still sale rabbits. Each one said no. But each also said that they are adopting out spayed/neutered rabbits. But those rabbit they are adopting out are either rabbits from a rescue or rabbit(s) an owner didn’t want anymore. The rabbits that their owners didn’t want anymore, petco gets spayed/neutered before they can be adopted. In mid january I got a rabbit from petco in jonesboro, ar. But I didn’t buy him. I adopted him. They had him for at LEAST 7 months that they can remember. They kept reducing his price because they wanted him to get a home. But they still couldn’t sell him. So I went and looked at him, because I figured that since he’s neutered I could bond him with 1 of my 2 females when I get them spayed. The manager did ask me alots of questions about me and my rabbits. After I got done talking to her she said that she would go ahead and allow me to adopt him, but he was free to me since I had experience with rabbits. I think in was good thing that I adopted him, because his very jumpy and high energy. He still barely allows me to touch him. And I think that it had been a long time, if every, since he had his nails trimmed because they were starting to curl on his back feet.

Again I think its really up to the manager of each petco whether they will get their rabbit from the marshall company, which breeds the peter rabbit and ferrets that weere and still is in petco’s. All the petco that I talk to said they the head of all petco’s said they can’t sell but only adopt out rabbits, but there often certain managers of petco’s that will do what they want because they know they probably won’t get in trouble.

You try emailing or calling petco about some store still selling rabbits.

[jerseygirl]

Mmmmm……..I hope this isn’t occuring all over. (Edit: In referance to non-shelter rabbits).   They could sustain some serious bad publicity if this is the case and so they should! I’m not certain but I think they were only starting to faze out the sales of rabbits by early 2009 so we could be seeing the ends of this.

I have been thinking on and off about ways to congratulate them on the policy of pro-adoption and ceasing sales of rabbits (from mills etc). Idea that the positive feedback would have other petstore chains following suit. However, if they are saying one thing and doing another….grr! Maybe it’s something rabbit advocates need to keep on top of a make these companies accountable.

[MimzMum]

So far so good at my PETCO. I do see an upsurge in chinchillas and ferrets, but even these are being phased out it would seem. Makes me happy. It got depressing to go in there and see all those baby bunnies I couldn’t bring home myself.

[BinkyBunny]

Thearina – That was nice of you and I am happy that they asked you lots of questions to make sure you would take care of him and had experience to deal with him. I bet his jumpiness will settle down once he’s finally in calm, safe, loving environment. Living in a petstore for that long has got to have some social affects and though it may take a little timeto turnaround, it’s so great to hear about how wonderful his life is now

Keep us updated on a new thread, and share pictures when you can!

[MarkBun]

Petco is actually very strong in helping to adopt animals from local shelters. The corporate HQ stance is that no rabbits are to be sold, but they can work with local rescues in helping to find good homes. The reason that they probably gave you the bun for free was that they realized that you were a good bun person and not just someone looking for some snake food. I’d ask what shelter they got him from. And if I were you, I’d have a doctor just triple check to make sure he doesn’t have his dangly bits anymore.

[KytKattin]

Markusdark, I think that here in CA we have pet stores that tend to be more progressive because of the state we live in. I too have noticed that I have never seen anything but adoptable rabbits at Petco, and when I go through the store, in front of every animal cage they have they have a little sign that says “Think Adoption First!”. They often have beardie’s, and other reptiles as well for adoption, along with the more common rodents and the aforementioned rabbits. Plus, almost every weekend there seems to be some rescue or another at my local Petco and Petsmarts. On the other hand, I have never really approved of the way Petco takes care if it’s rodents (rabbits are fine). In my opinion, Petsmart does a much better job. Likewise, I have found Petco to take far superior care of it’s fish, especially in the betta department (actually changing their undersized bowls instead of letting the fish rot in their own filth), and I don’t see as many dead or sick fish floating around in their larger tanks compared to Petsmart.

[LilynJestersMama]

I am guilty of buying my Lily at Petco. She was all by herself. As soon as I saw her, I just KNEW that she didn’t belong there- she deserved a real home and lots of love- I knew that I could give that to her. The Petco employee who helped me knew all about rabbits- she had owned rabbits for years. We walked around the entire store, she helped picked out different things that I would need for Lily, she told me what to expect with her, etc. (I was there for a few hours!). Lily makes me smile every single day and I don’t know what I would do without her! I feel in my heart that I rescued her in some way- who knows where she would have ended up? Yay for furry babies!! hehe

[chevybunny]

There are two bunnies at the local Petco here, im so tempted to take them home..but i have no more room They have been there at least 2 months and they are so stressed out. They have them in one of those hexagon tank things…no privacy ever. The cage is never clean when i get there either. Ugh.

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