Story by Adam Aiken

Pet shops are coming under increasing pressure to make sure they sell rabbit hutches that are fit for purpose and do not result in animal cruelty.

Although rabbits are now the third most popular pets in the country, widespread ignorance of how to look after them has led a leading charity to brand them as being "the most neglected pets in the UK".

The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF) said the hundreds of pet shops that sold inadequate hutches were adding to this problem, with mystery-shopper checks showing that hutches on sale do not meet the standards even for battery rabbits.

"We recommend that hutches are a minimum of 6ft long, 2ft high and 2ft deep, but in the interests of being realistic we acknowledge that as long as retailers sell nothing smaller than 4ft in length, it will be a big improvement to the market that currently exists," said RWAF chief executive Rae Todd.

"Anything smaller than this is actually smaller than the legal requirement for battery rabbits, and retailers should not be encouraging their customers to keep pets in these conditions."

The message comes as part of the RWAF's attempt to educate owners and retailers about how pet rabbits should be treated.

"Rabbits are often kept alone and confined to hutches for long periods of time," said Mrs Todd.

"Although this is often considered the norm, it is scientifically proven to be animal cruelty, and we all need to be doing more to educate rabbit owners and to make the correct information and products available to them."

Mrs Todd added it was vital that retailers understood the health and welfare implications of the products they sold. The lack of legislation meant shops themselves needed to take on more of the effort to ensure high standards of welfare, she said.

"We know that retailers face pressure from the likes of Ebay, where there are hundreds of small hutches on sale, but we also know that rabbits confined in small hutches on their own face health and behavioural issues, which then cause problems for the owners," said Mrs Todd.

The RWAF is conducting mystery-shopper visits to see how much information retailers give to customers who buy pet rabbits and hutches.

It is using its findings to engage with pet shops and - in cases where there is no co-operation from retailers - local licensing authorities.

Despite the lack of regulation on hutch size, there are conditions attached to pet-shop licences, which include giving suitable advice at the point of sale, and it is these conditions that the RWAF is monitoring.

For more information visit www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk