(Please note, we have based our observations and experiences on the majority of pet stores, garden centres and certain pet store chains.  There ARE exceptions and there are a few very good pet shops, usually the independent stores run by a family team, who will spend the time with customers to ensure that a bunny will be suitable pet.  However, sadly the majority seem to be driven by profit objectives.  In writing the following, we do not wish to offend the owners of the highly reputable and responsible pet stores who will not identify with any of the following.)

Just as you would not buy a puppy or kitten from a pet shop, for the sake of your bunny's health, please avoid  pet shops when choosing a pet rabbit.  Adopting any pet is making a life-time commitment to the animal so please take the time to choose your bunny/ies carefully as he/she/they will be sharing your lives for the next 6-10 years!  

In our experience, when buying from the majority of  pet shops, the staff don't ask questions nor do they particularly care whether you have the time, space, ability or even the inclination to look after a bunny, or any animal.  Their objective is to sell it as quickly as possible and make a profit.  Very often, the staff may be relatively untrained 16-17 year old 'Saturday Staff' working casually to boost their pocket money.

They won't tell you where the bunnies came from, the conditions in which they were reared, whether they have previously had any human contact (but often this shows) or even the foods they've been reared on.  You're taking chances - change the diet slightly from a diet which is unknown and your bunny could rapidly succumb to a fatal tummy upset. 

Similarly, the staff won't tell you that the previous bunny in that particular sale-cage had pasteurella so it's more than likely the bunny you're now holding will also carry the condition.  Nor will they tell you about any genetic problems in the line - usually because they have no knowledge of the bunny's ancestors or the vet bills you'll be forced to pay and the heartache you'll endure whilst treating these illnesses or other hereditary problems.

Of course, some irresponsible people simply won't want to be bothered paying for veterinary care and may dump the bunny on a rehoming centre and then return to the pet shop for a new bunny.  Again, in many cases, the staff won't care that the customer won't offer a lifelong commitment to the animal.  This is none of their concern - they are there to sell rabbits, nothing more - and not to pick up the pieces when it all goes wrong.  

Responsible and ethical breeders seethe with anger at these scenarios - the lack of background information available for any animal, the lack of care advice, the lack of customer screening and the lack of back-up support following purchase.  If they don't feel rabbits would be suitable pets for you, they are unlikely to tell you and so the customer adopts a pet which might not suit their lifestyle and once the novelty wears off then the bunny can be seen as a burden and usually it is the innocent bunny (or other animal) which suffers or becomes neglected.

Of course, there are 'good' and 'bad' breeders - the latter mass-breeding rabbits with similar attitudes, often for the pet trade itself.  These rabbits can be housed in large sheds crammed with rabbits housed in small cages with automatic feeding and watering systems who never see daylight, have no human contact and have never even experienced a loving cuddle.  From here they are taken to a holding depot before being sent to pet shop branches to fulfil orders for, say, "30 bucks and 50 does required on Friday to sell at the school half-term weekend", with order quantities increasing at Christmas and Easter.  

This is not the start in life we feel that any rabbit (or indeed any other animal) should have to endure.  These rabbits are unsocialised, not used to being handled or cuddled, have been bred simply to be sold - and it's hardly a surprise that they have nervous dispositions and do not make particularly good pets.  They simply haven't been bred to be.

Any responsible and ethical breeder will breed only from the best rabbits where their previous generations and ancestry is known.  These rabbits will be free of genetic defects, have superb characters and temperaments, be fully socialised from a very young age - just as their own litters will be, and they will be much happier pets and rewarding to own.  These are not usually the rabbits dumped at rehoming centres for kind-hearted staff to work with, socialise and then strive to offer a new lease of life.   

These rabbits will not be mass-produced.   Their mothers will be limited to a few litters per year to maintain their condition and ensure they are in peak physical condition before mating to ensure they produce top quality offspring.  A caring breeder will be dedicated to both the breeding rabbits and their offspring and, more than likely, will be choosy regarding who adopts them and will need to be sure the new owners will offer a permanent, loving home and will often offer lifetime support and advice for the bunnies adopted.

Rather than buy animals from most typical pet shops, we strongly urge you to adopt from a caring, reputable, knowledgeable and ethical breeder - and use pet stores for your routine supplies instead.  

Please go to the CHOOSING YOUR BUNNY page for a comparison table comparing bunnies adopted from Pet Shops or Commercial Breeders, Back Yard Breeders and responsible, caring Breeders.  See also BREEDING ETHICS page.

Admittedly not all, but many pet shops keep rabbits in unsuitable conditions - small cages which do not permit exercise or normal grooming, central heating, no daily grooming of longer-haired breeds, inadequate feed and sometimes no hay (vital for all rabbits)  and no attention on Sundays or other days when the store is closed.  

Some even house their rabbits with animals of other species or even birds perched overhead - so the poor bunny beneath is dive-bombed by their droppings.  

Some store staff often fail to describe the care needed by rabbits and are only too keen to boost their commission by making a quick sale.

DIY stores can be a most stressful environment for a bunny - heavily-laden trolleys rumble by, young children try to climb into their pens, some throw their sweet wrappers etc into pens and often there is music blasting through speakers and many are over-heated.   Further, some of these rabbits are 'mass-bred' specifically for the pet trade in sheds devoted purely for breeding and the bunnies have never seen daylight, been handled or fussed.  No wonder they are timid.  Some scurry away from human contact.  Those that don't are more likely to be surplus stock from a reputable breeder or ...... mass-bred bunnies on their best behaviour to escape their unsuitable living environment!

Sadly, many pet shop bunnies have been commercially bred for profit rather than lovingly reared by a devoted owner who has the time to spend lavishing them with fuss and affection.  

Extensive experience in breeding and handling pet rabbits can ensure many of the above are identified prior to purchasing new stock.  However, for the average person choosing  a new pet bunny, a thorough examination of the rabbit's eyes, nose, teeth, ears, coat, droppings, palpation of the the abdomen and listening to the abdomen and lungs with a stethoscope is not a practical (or popular!) option in a crowded pet shop - especially when staff are getting impatient and a crowd gathers to watch the examination!