CLEMONT, Fla. – Petco is selling Teddy Bear and other miniature rabbit breeds at a small number of stores across the country— including one local store in Clermont.
“What I would like to say to Petco is, rabbits should not be impulse purchases. You should not be able to bt going into Staples picking up some paper, go to Ulta Beauty and then 10 minutes later be bringing a rabbit home,” said Carlie Sciogren, a foster and volunteer with Orlando Rabbit Care & Adoption.
This comes after several areas like Orange County placed bans on selling rabbits at pet stores due to colonies of pet rabbits popping up in Florida neighborhoods breeding, digging up lawns, chewing wires and more.
“People just get blinded by ‘oh they’re so cute’ and they don’t realize the work it’s gonna be or the cost it’s gonna be,” said Kathy Harter, another volunteer with Orlando Rabbit Care & Adoption.
Harter and Sciogren say their rescue received more than a 100 inquiries to help over 350 rabbits during the first six months of 2024. They fear several of those rabbits will be abandoned due to their several health problems, which can cost owners thousands of dollars to treat.
“I would say $500 to $1000 is not uncommon. If it’s anything beyond a typical issue, you’re talking multiple thousands of dollars. They’re not easy pets, they’re not starter pets and they live 8 to 12 years,” Sciogren said.
Harter said there are around 10 to 15 rabbit shelters across the state, and most are at capacity.
“When they can’t care for the rabbits, they’re either gonna reach out to your rescue who may be full or they’ll set them outside. And then we deal with it. Once they’re outside, they’re gonna have medical issues. The work is gonna fall back onto us,” Harter said.
In a statement to News 6, Petco says they’re only selling neutered males o limit unintentional breeding.
“Everything we do at Petco revolves around the human-animal bond, celebrating our powerful relationships with pets, and helping families live better lives together. Rabbits make wonderful house pets, especially for busy families; to help prospective pet parents find an ideal match, we are offering specific miniature rabbit breeds at a limited number of Petco locations. Our team of veterinarians and animal experts put great care and thought into this decision. In an effort to operate responsibly and prevent unintentional breeding, we are only offering neutered males and empowering our knowledgeable partners to educate and guide pet parents through this important decision. We will closely evaluate and adjust our rabbit program as needed to ensure we are doing this responsibly at every step of the way.”
The company also said they will closely evaluate and adjust their rabbit program as needed.
Petco is also selling rabbits in Davie, Florida as well as 25 other locations across the southeast region.
A bill that would have banned the sale of rabbits in pet stores during March and April, around the Easter holiday, failed to pass during this year’s legislative session. Volunteers like Harter and Sciogren remain hopeful that the bill will gain traction in the next session.