Small animal rescue calling for bans of rabbits, guinea pigs, other animals in Winnipeg pet stores

A pet rabbit is seen in this undated stock image. (Shutterstock)

A local rescue for small animals is calling on the city to ban the sale of rabbits, guinea pigs and other small creatures in Winnipeg pet stores.

Popcorns and Binkies Rescue Haven has called the city to change a bylaw that would stop the sale of small animals in pet stores.

"Some pet stores, the conditions are not great," said Jeff Hildebrand, the assistant director of the rescue.

"(People) have reported seeing animals in poor conditions, overcrowding, dirty enclosures or improper bedding."

He noted there are also times when there are items in their enclosures that can injure the animals.

Hildebrand also feels staff don't get the proper training to properly inform people when they are buying a small animal.

"They'll get a lot of training for cat and dog stuff. Those are the bulk of the sales in most of these stores. But for small animals, the training for them is far less…sometimes there's a focus more on what products that store has to sell, rather than what's best for the animal."

With improper training, Hildebrand said this leads to the animals not being given the proper space or enclosure when they are taken home, and they often hear of people dumping the animals once they realize how much work they are to take care of.

"We need to get vocal about this," he said.

While he said people could still buy small animals from breeders, much like people do for dogs and cats, he said banning sales in pet stores would be a step in the right direction.

"Awareness is the first step. We've seen some good responses already to the press release and hopefully, we can build a little momentum from that. Change is always hard, especially when there's laws to be passed."

In an email to CTV News Winnipeg, the city said bylaw changes were approved in 2022 and there are currently no bans for small animals in pet stores.

Hildebrand said they provide several resources for people to know how to properly take care of small animals and what to give them to ensure they live happy lives.