A Hutch is not enough campaign update

For those of you who don't subscribe to Rabbiting On magazine, please see the campaign update pages from the latest issue, reproduced here. http://www.scribd.com/doc/49033092/RO-Campaign-Update-Spring-11

We are delighted that Tesco have signed up to the Retail charter and have therefore committed to selling no hutches smaller than 4ftx2ftx2ft and including 5ft and 6ft in their range too. Notcutts Garden Centres have also signed up, so there is now more weight behind the 'A Hutch is not Enough' campaign and momentum is still growing.

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http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=26

I was encouraged by believing that the RWAF had a campaign that showed a hutch is not enough, can you imagine how disappointed I am to come across this advertisement

http://www.notcutts.co.uk/Notcutts-Double-Decker-Hutch/pid-00243156

It clearly shows that it is RWAF approved, I certainly wouldn't rehome a rabbit to live in that hutch irrespective of whether it had a run attached or not, it simply is not big enough

Thanks for bringing this up, Snowy. If you do see anything like this please do let us know so that we can check it out.

In this case, Notcutts has signed up to the retail charter which means that:

1- They wont sell anything smaller than 4ft x 2ft x 2ft, which removes anything smaller from sale. A hugh number of retailers still sell 3ft hutches unfortunately.
2- They include a 6ft x2ftx2ft hutch in their range, which is our minimum recommendation and by including this, it improves the range on offer, and hopefully the welfare of the rabbits.

Unfortunately, we can not make people buy the 6ft hutches, but actually having them in the range is an improvement, along with removing the very tiny hutches that we often see for sale. We have to be realistic to make the goals achievable and the retail charter is aimed at not only removing the smaller hutches from sale as a start, and offering larger ones, but we have longer term goals also.

If a retailer signs up to the charter (and uses the logo you've seen) they also give their customers one of our 'A Hutch Is Not Enough' leaflets, which explains that we think rabbits need a 6x2x2 hutch and an attached 8ft run. It also explains about pairs, neutering vaccinations etc, so its a general advice leaflet. Overall, we think this is better than not working with retailers at all, as we hope to have an impact on the customers' education as well as their choice of accommodation for their rabbits.

I do take on board your point that it may look as though we are approving the 4ft hutches, so we can ask the retailers to use another logo, along the lines of 'RWAF minimum recommendations' next to the 6ft hutches, to make it more clear. We certainly dont want to make it look as though we recommend 4ft.

Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

I would highly recommend joining RWAF, I really really enjoy my Rabbiting on issues.

Katie

Hmmm the advert certainly does look like the RWAF is "approving" that hutch.

I do understand that you have to make compromises with these retailers though.

I would

This seems like a good place to put forward my query

I was in B&Q the other day and noticed they are selling a 3ft hutch, single storey.

It was tiny, I was really appauled that someone might actually buy that and keep a rabbit or piggie in it. What can I do?

Vince the bunny wrote:This seems like a good place to put forward my query

I was in B&Q the other day and noticed they are selling a 3ft hutch, single storey.

It was tiny, I was really appauled that someone might actually buy that and keep a rabbit or piggie in it. What can I do?

Perhaps we could all write to them?

RWAF - is there a standard template you can recommend? Do you know if the RWAF is in talks with B&Q at all.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate RWAF on the achievements so far, this really is a fantastic step in the right direction.

Vince the bunny wrote:This seems like a good place to put forward my query

I was in B&Q the other day and noticed they are selling a 3ft hutch, single storey.

It was tiny, I was really appauled that someone might actually buy that and keep a rabbit or piggie in it. What can I do?

Where was the store, Vince? I know we've had a complaint before and contacted them and they said the 3ft hutch was only in one store...perhaps that wasn't quite accurate...

I've drafted a letter you might possibly want to adjust to your own needs to write to them. I presume you'll do it by email, but if you're going to see somebody in person, it would probably be a good idea to get some leaflets from RWAF HQ to give them. Just mail Anne at hq@rabbitwelfare.co.uk and she'll send you what you need.

Anyway, this was what I thought might be okay to write to them

>>On a recent visit to your branch at ......... I was shocked to see that you are selling tiny rabbit hutches.

I wonder whether you're aware that rabbits, as active, intelligent animals, need at least a 6ft hutch.

Are you familiar with the Animal Welfare Act? It states that animals should be housed in conditions that allow them space to move around freely. Although it doesn't specify the amount of space a rabbit should have in its hutch, the Rabbit Welfare Association recommends a minimum of 6ft x 2ft x 2ft, and with an 8ft exercise run attached. Perhaps you aren't familiar with their A Hutch Is Not Enough campaign which has been running for some time now? Let me provide you with a link to the appropriate part of the website. http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/ahutchisnotenough.htm This gives excellent advice for rabbit owners and for retailers. They have a retailers' charter too to which some businesses have already signed up...what a great thing it would be if B&Q led the way with larger retailers and stopped selling anything smaller than a 4ft hutch.<<

RWAF wrote:Thanks for bringing this up, Snowy. If you do see anything like this please do let us know so that we can check it out.

In this case, Notcutts has signed up to the retail charter which means that:

1- They wont sell anything smaller than 4ft x 2ft x 2ft, which removes anything smaller from sale. A hugh number of retailers still sell 3ft hutches unfortunately.
2- They include a 6ft x2ftx2ft hutch in their range, which is our minimum recommendation and by including this, it improves the range on offer, and hopefully the welfare of the rabbits.

Unfortunately, we can not make people buy the 6ft hutches, but actually having them in the range is an improvement, along with removing the very tiny hutches that we often see for sale. We have to be realistic to make the goals achievable and the retail charter is aimed at not only removing the smaller hutches from sale as a start, and offering larger ones, but we have longer term goals also.

If a retailer signs up to the charter (and uses the logo you've seen) they also give their customers one of our 'A Hutch Is Not Enough' leaflets, which explains that we think rabbits need a 6x2x2 hutch and an attached 8ft run. It also explains about pairs, neutering vaccinations etc, so its a general advice leaflet. Overall, we think this is better than not working with retailers at all, as we hope to have an impact on the customers' education as well as their choice of accommodation for their rabbits.

I do take on board your point that it may look as though we are approving the 4ft hutches, so we can ask the retailers to use another logo, along the lines of 'RWAF minimum recommendations' next to the 6ft hutches, to make it more clear. We certainly dont want to make it look as though we recommend 4ft.

Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

I understand what you are saying but it appears to be a contradiction, that hutch is clearly far too small for a rabbit and yet you have approved it and a member of the public would go in to the shop and think that it was fine to put a rabbit in there and leave it because the RWAF have approved it, it completely undermines everything that rescues are trying to achieve, as I have already said I certainly wouldn't rehome a rabbit to live in that, so what happens then?

Katieb wrote:I would highly recommend joining RWAF, I really really enjoy my Rabbiting on issues.

Katie

Hmmm the advert certainly does look like the RWAF is "approving" that hutch.

I do understand that you have to make compromises with these retailers though.

I would

I wouldn't, it is giving out the wrong impression about rabbit welfare, NO rabbit should live in a four foot hutch and for the RWAF to approve it is totally wrong.

I completely agree Theo, NO rabbit should have to live that way, and they certainly shouldnt be using the RWAF logo on anything that is too small, but progress of any kind is progress, and these major stores don't have to listen at all, and its only through building relationships with them that we can change their attitudes, one step at a time.

It would be amazing to stop them selling these hutches altogether but commercially they are not going to, so we have to do it by negotiation, step by step, and I think that making any progress at all, however small is an achievement and a step in the right direction. The more people that join and therefore contribute to the fund, the more work can be done.

Katie........that is not progress, the RWAF supporting a shop by approving a 4 foot hutch for a rabbit or two to live in is not progress

I think it's worth noting that while there is no law to prevent small hutches being made or sold, the campaign has so far stopped Argos from selling a 77cm hutch, stopped Tesco selling small hutches, and now only selling big ones -with RWAF information, and encouraged some suppliers to only sell 6'2'2' hutches.

I agree that the RWAF logo shouldn't be on that hutch, but in just a few months, they have forced some changes, and this campaign is still in its infancy - I hope the momentum carries on. Ultimately its down to consumer power and education, entwined.

Yes Jay, I agree with what you are saying in part but Tesco's are still selling small hutches although they don't have the approved label on which is good

http://direct.tesco.com/browse/?Ntt=rabbit+hutch&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nr=99&Ntk=PRIMARY&N=1998907+4294962007+4294966119

I am just so frustrated and wish that we could stop these places from selling hutches that are totally inadequate

Thanks for your comments, Snowy and Katie.

I can only say that we do not endorse nor approve any hutch at all. The retailer is entitled to have the logo on site because of having signed up to the charter.

It is indeed a case of taking small steps towards a goal, and can be very frustrating for all of us when that goal still seems so far away, but by working together, there is a lot we can achieve. Any of us as individuals is entitled to discuss with retailers the goods they are selling .... I would strongly recommend always be polite and constructive in doing so, so as to gain co-operation rather than getting their backs up .... and as a collective voice channelled through RWAF and organisations we work with closely.

We can speak to retailers, write to them, give them leaflets, but they are in business to make a profit and our best course is to educate the public to realise that a tiny hutch with a single, often ignored rabbit inside it 24/7 is the very worst scenario, and instead show them via campaigns such as A Hutch Is Not Enough, and the Rabbit Vows mentioned in another thread and by our own examples that rabbits do deserve better.

Snowy wrote:I am just so frustrated and wish that we could stop these places from selling hutches that are totally inadequate

But you, as an individual can do little to change anything, frustrating as that is, and I know we all share that. A campaign such as this needs time to flourish and for the rabbit acquiring public to be completely re-educated. For over 100 years, rabbits have been kept in small hutches, the Victorians started it, using hutches to store them before they became dinner. Just because we now know, through the work of people like Anne McB, that this is woefully inadequate for a rabbit, or two, you can't change things overnight - nothing in life works like that.... for e.g. The law on homosexuality was changed in 1967, and to this day I cannot walk around in physical closeness with Paul - over 40 years later - society needs time to absorb change. Most of us who had rabbits as children kept them in small hutches, because we didn't know any better, and childhood is where our impressions for life are formed. Buzz on my neighbours balcony is a really good example of that, because his 'mum' had buns as a kid, in a small hutch, she thinks that's ok, and no-one at the pet supermarket told her anyting different, so why would she know

I think this campaign needs our support, not our withdrawal - the intention is a good one, and step by step, we will see things improve. The article we did on hutches for Hopping Mad is again, something that we can do, it's being pro-active, and you can get as frustrated as you like, but that won't change anything, if you see what I mean? x

This is something that always gets me when I'm in pet shops, but I can't not go in! Swallow aquatics in east harling near me are selling TINY hutches. I'm not a good judge of size but it was single story a foot or under high, bun wouldn't be able to stand in it at all, also 3ft long at the most. It wouldn't be able to be attached to a run either as it's high standing.
Just thought I'd share, congrats on all the fantastic work you are doing so far!

So glad this campaign is going! Just out of interest does it include the cages sold for indoor rabbits? We had one when we first got Luna and she out grew it so quickly, looking at it now I see how ridiculously small it was and it's not high enough either. I would never recommend someone to get one, I always tell them about how we have a large dog crate for the buns with a trixie run attached.

Dotdot wrote:This is something that always gets me when I'm in pet shops, but I can't not go in! Swallow aquatics in east harling near me are selling TINY hutches. I'm not a good judge of size but it was single story a foot or under high, bun wouldn't be able to stand in it at all, also 3ft long at the most. It wouldn't be able to be attached to a run either as it's high standing.
Just thought I'd share, congrats on all the fantastic work you are doing so far!

Dot, could you get us exact dimensions and contact details of the shop, and we'll complain to them.

It does help if you'll say something to them first, so that they can't come back to us with something like 'Well, none of our customers has complained.'

If we at RWAF are going to make a complaint, without seeing it for ourselves, then we need exact dimensions, so we know exactly what we are complaining about, and its also helpful because we can then work out the floor area and compare it to the DEFRA guidelines for lab/meat rabbits. Retailers are often shocked to learn that the hutch is too small for lab or meat rabbits.

LilyGrace wrote:So glad this campaign is going! Just out of interest does it include the cages sold for indoor rabbits? We had one when we first got Luna and she out grew it so quickly, looking at it now I see how ridiculously small it was and it's not high enough either. I would never recommend someone to get one, I always tell them about how we have a large dog crate for the buns with a trixie run attached.

Indoor cages are something we have yet to address fully. We've issued advice to retailers who sell them, ie they should be a base for litter tray and food etc, not to permanently confine a bunny.

We will address houserabbit welfare issues too, but still have a lot to work on with the current campaign.

Okey! Was just curious as to whether it was all included or just hutches. Im sure what people learn about hutches though will hopefully spread to the people who want/have house buns that they need the same space etc.

Update re: B&Q 3ft hutch complaint

This was the response

>
> Thank you for taking the time and trouble to bring this matter to our
> attention
>
> Without feedback from our customers we cannot improve the services and
> products we offer to all our customers
>
> With regard to the specific issue you have raised regarding the hutches
> I can advise the following;
>
> We have been in close contact with the buyers who in turn have been in
> touch with the suppliers of the product
>
> In reality the hutches should have been called animal hutches as they
> are suitable for different sized pets and not just rabbits
>
> The exercise runs can be bought in multiples and used to enlarge their
> exercise area.
>
> Whilst we cannot make amendments to the brochure that is already printed
> we are going to amend the descriptions and usage on the web site
>
> Again, may I say thank you for taking the time and trouble to bring this
> matter to our attention
>
Hmmmmmmmmmm, why do I feel fobbed off?

I saw this earlier on FB - but the more people who write to them the better.

I have also been on and left a "review" of the hutch. It says it takes 72 hours for reviews to appear so lets see.

I didn't even get a reply

Perhaps I should send them pictures of our new boy and explain tha he has lived an 8 year nightmare in a hutch like theirs

That would be exactly the right thing to do. Seriously. That photo you posted haunts me. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after I first saw it. Even my DH said OMG.

Katie, what was it you saw on FB?

I responded to B&Q asking them what sort of small animal could be kept in that hutch and that I do not know anyone who keeps rats, degu, hamsters etc in a hutch

It was via a post on fb from rwaf it was the same reply you got. I think we should all write, and keep writing to them.