Families will be banned from adopting their own Easter bunny this April as two major pet shop chains halt the sale of rabbits over the long weekend.
Jollyes, which has branches across the UK including in Newcastle and Blyth, confirmed that rabbits will not be on sale between Thursday, April 6 and Tuesday, April 11 to dissuade people from making an "impulsive purchase" over Easter. Pets At Home will also pause the sale of rabbits at all 457 of its stores nationwide over the same period, as it has done in previous years.
Phil Turner-Naylor from Jollyes said: "Rabbits are intelligent animals and lots of fun, but they can live for up to 15 years - and that’s a huge commitment. We're called the Pet People because we're passionate about animals and believe that lifelong responsibility should be considered, researched, and prepared for."
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Meanwhile, Pets At Home is taking the opportunity to educate customers on the responsibilities involved in looking after small animals through a series of free 30-minute workshops. Families will have the chance to get to know rabbits and other pint-sized pets and kids will complete an activity sheet in the My Pet Pals sessions, which will run until April 16.
Vet Karlien Heyrman, the head of pets at Pets at Home, said: "We've paused the sale of rabbits over the Easter weekend for a number of years. It's one important step we take to help play our part in reducing impulse decisions over the festive period and promote responsible pet ownership, along with hosting the My Pet Pals workshops.
"There are many loving homes ready to welcome a pet into their family which is wonderful. But it's also important that owners make an informed decision that is right both for them and their potential pet," the vet added.
"Rabbits in particular can have more complex needs, including specific dietary and environment requirements, and our pet care advisors are trained to help owners understand these. We want to help as many pets into caring families as possible so the more we can do to help owners make the right choice for them, the better."
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