When I was calling around today to make a reservation at the Bunny hotel I was asked why we only have one rabbit. I told the woman that when we bought our bunny two years ago the man at the pet store didn't tell us that we needed to buy more than one. Today the woman at the Tiergaertli told us that Swiss law requires that you have more than one pet rabbit as they are pack animals. So while we are on holiday our bunny is going to be 'matched' with a castrated male rabbit and when we pick her up from the hotel we need to take this bunny home with us too. She was kind enough to tell me that we will pay for the boarding of our rabbit and take the new bunny home for free. Does anyone know the exact laws regarding owning rabbits in Switzerland?

Thanks, BizzieBeeCH

I Spoke with the federal veterinary office about importing my pet rabbit to Switzerland. They never mentioned anything about needing 2 rabbits.

Here are the regulations for keeping rabbits, from the new Tierschutzgesetz:

http://www.bvet.admin.ch/tsp/02262/index.html?lang=de

"Kaninchen sind gesellige Tiere und sollten wenn immer möglich in Gruppen gehalten werden. " Art. 13, TschV.

Roughly: Rabbits are social animals, and whenever possible should be kept in a group.

Living with others of its kind is should be the goal. Note that whenever possible refers to what is best for the rabbit, not the convenience of the owner. There are some 'loner' rabbits who cannot be kept in a group setting, but these are generally an exception. Most rabbits benefit from the company of their own kind, according to the BVet.

For more information, click on 'Fachinformation' and 'Weitere Information'.

Also note, that the new law specifies the minimum size of the rabbit hutch, as well as addresses other issues.


ETA: When you bought the rabbit two years ago the law was not in force. It is now, though.

Maybe I'm reading your comment wrong (and apologies if I am), but how do you feel about someone to finding your rabbit a friend - i.e., adding a pet to your household - without your imput? Don't you want to be an active participant in the choice? Were it me, I would speak to the BVet (contact number on the website linked) and clarify what your obligations are, and then perhaps speak with these folks:

http://www.nagerstation.ch/

If by chance these are the folks with whom you are already in contact, then you are in good hands.

.

I'm not thrilled with the idea of someone else choosing a partner for our bunny. I was so surprised at what I heard that I accepted her offer. Now that I have had time to think this over and speak to my husband we are not sure what to do. She has lived alone for two years and I don't know if she'll accept another bunny in her life- I could be wrong though. I'll call Nagernation and see what they say. Thanks for the advice.

I meant Nagerstation. I can't figure out how to edit my last post.

After you've been a member for a certain length of time (7 days I think) and have 10 posts, you'll be able to edit your own posts.


With regard to your rabbit:
I certainly sympathize with the desire to pick a companion rabbit! I wouldn't want to bring a strange bunny home myself.

On the other hand, how is your rabbit being kept while being boarded? I wonder if the folks there keep the rabbits in a communal area and will observe if your rabbit seems particularly friendly toward another, or maybe a few others. Talk to them again (after resolving your mind and heart about what is required and what options you have) and see if this may be the case.

IF this is the case, it probably will be a fantastic way to "select" a companion if you MUST have one. I mean, if bunny has to have a friend, it's a good idea to let the choice be hers as it will help ensure they'll get on well.

PegA makes a very good point here - your bunny would have time to choose and bond with her new companion while boarding...

I think it boils down to whether you are comfortable with the folks at the Bunny hotel, and with their guidance - if so, their help could be very valuable. However, it should be made clear that you maintain final choice. Any pet brought into your home should be one who 'clicks' with both your bunny and with you - it's only fair to the new bunny after all.

(There may simply be a communication gap - I'd think that any rescue would require your input, would want everyone to be entirely happy with the situation before sending one of their charges to you.)

Questions you should ask: where does the companion bunny come from? What is his background, health, why is he in need of a home? Is the Bunny Hotel a rescue as well as a boarding establishment? Are they breeders? Make sure their ethos is in line with yours.

But, do speak with the BVet for clarification on the law - if your are not wholly comfortable in German, write to them in English; they are well used to dealing with English speakers.

And, may I ask that you keep us updated? The law is new, and not wholly understood - even it at times seems, by those who enforce it. I'd be very interested in the outcome, as we are all learning about the practicalities of the new law.

Best wishes to you and your bunny.

Hi,

Matching up bunnies is best to be done when both are at young age, once they are older, its harder to do so.

back in Ireland we bought our male bunny (joske) when he was small, Josie,the female one arrived from the Dspca after about 8 months as it was advised having a second one, Josie at that stage was about one year and a half year older.

Bunnies are social animals and when left alone during the day while you are at work, they need a a friend to talk or play with.

One problem.. they are territorial so be careful matching up a rabbit.
If need to be, one rabbit will kill the other to make his or her point clear.
They are cute and cuddly but can wound both animal and human with their sharp teeth and claws.

Joske was snipped before he met Josie but for the first 2-3 months they would not get along.

Josie would attack Jos on any chance she had, even just in the house as the two bunnies roam around..poor fella didn't even try anything,he just got attacked when coming near her.

Josie was according to the Dspca an outside bunny, kept alone in a cage outdoors as the owners got sick of the poor thing so she wasn't use to being handled or in contact with other bunnies.

After allot of patience, about 3 months later, giving them the space they needed ( they reside each in their own cage) , both got along with each other.

That good that they play around and groom each other now

I can leave them running around in the room or house ( they are potty trained) but not have them together in one cage.

Josie is nice and sweet as long as he doesn't go near her cage, other then that, they get along nicely.

So be careful,they are territorial and when the second bunny is added at a later stage, have allot of patience and keep an eye on them when they are running free in the same room.

Don't keep them locked in the cage as they do need exercise.

Importing them from Ireland was no problem, i just needed a letter from the Vet saying both had a good bill of health and their vaccination cards for myxomatosis were up to date.

It is important to get your rabbit, and certainly in Switzerland, vaccinated for myxomatosis every 6 months.

That way they get a general check up and are safe for the deadly disease.

Shouldn't be a problem to imort to CH, but there might be limits on RPM*

*Rabbit Per Month

Interesting (legal) principle, but where does it stop? We have a Gris de Gabon, British-hatched and banded, and we're about to get a CITES import-export permit for him. Still, it is argued often enough that in nature African Greys are social animals who live in flocks, and to cage them is unnatural and not nice.

But the real difference is as between birds hatched at home and hand-raised and those raised by their parents in the wild or in huge aviaries. So what good is a do-gooder law that would condemn us? In the USA people go to prison for less, of course: the Lacey Act is arbitrarily enforced, with draconian penalties for those targeted. McNab and Blandford got long prison terms when the US courts redefined -- contrary to what the Honduras courts said -- what Honduras law was regarding lobster fisheries. And that's just one example. And, hey, a 16-y.o. boy got 4 months in a young offender institution for microwaving his sister's hamster http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...microwave.html Is cruelty to animals a moving target? Do we need to stun our lobsters before cooking?

Birds are social animals. We also have a parrot, just one. She is a rescue, from Japan, where we were living before we returned to Switzerland in 2006, before the new law came into effect, which states that birds must also be kept in pairs.

Our bird stays in Zürich at a "Vogelpension" when we are on holiday. They are not a rescue, just a bird hotel, though occasionally they take in birds who need rehoming. On their entrance they have a note about the new law. But never once have they told us that they will try to find our bird a companion while we are away. Most of the birds who stay there seem to be alone. I have spoken to the Tierschutz about our situation. The response is as follows:
"parrots as highly social animals should be able to live with a conspecific or at least with a partner of their choice, even if not of the same species:"

So basically we cannot choose a partner for our parrot, who is 8 years old, and has lived alone. She must choose. At the parrot shelter in Zürich, where many unwanted birds have ended up, they have managed re-socialisation with most of their birds, most of them have successfully been integrated into a group, sometimes with a social partner of a different species. But none of these birds are returned to their owners. They have been given up.

I would not one someone choosing a companion parrot for ours on my behalf and I think I would feel the same way if it were a rabbit owner. I would want to be involved as an owner because I will be responsible for this second animal.

You are correct; rabbits are a sociable animal and if possible kept in at least pairs.
However, I was at the pet shop the other day looking at buying myself one of those huge rabbits (as a house rabbit) and assumed I should buy two. The pet shop told me one was only necessary because in fact they had a customer that bought a second rabbit to keep company with their first. They discovered that the affection the rabbit had for them went as it now had a rabbit friend.

Hi Cashboy,

That is correct indeed, some breed of bunnies are very social.

If you had a bunbun for a while on its own, i wouldn't recommend adding a second one.
As long as the owner of the pet spends enough time with it, playing and messing about, then there is no point taking a second.

What the bunny never had, he or she won't miss. Except when you have a bunny sitting in a cage, being seen once a day to give food and thats it.. then get a friend for it.

I just took a second one as we wanted Jos to have a friend and it is very funny to see the both of them playing around..

Still, both are very cuddly with me and each other.

The other night i had them running around in the place ( cages open so they could go to toilet when needed) , i fell asleep on the sofa and woke up at 3 am with one bunny on top of my belly and the other one at my feet.. so i guess it depends on the breed and how much you interact with your fluffy bunnyfriend

A rabbit can be house trained quite easily.
I personally couldn't leave a pet in a cage all day.
They live longer because they get exercise (rabbits usually die in cages due to back problems) if free to roam around.
However, they have a thing about electric cables (chewing through them) and they seem to be able to detect and prefer the cables with current running through it (don't know how).
My rabbit (Bonking Barney) would be in the kitchen like a shot in the morning when it heard the toaster pop up expecting and begging on its two rear legs for its piece of toast with honey.

Doesnt seem to be a problem. You're getting the new bunny for free, so if it doesn't work out (i.e. your pet doesn't bond with the new one), sell it, give it away, or eat it.

Even the Tierschutz get it wrong sometimes....

http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/zuerich/...story/19768527

Today's Tagi tells the story of a donkey and a lama that lived happily together for 8 years. An anonymous tip to the Tierschutz that the lama was being kept alone resulted in an inspection. The owner appealed to the cantonal veterinary stating the the two animals had bonded over the eight years and that they should be allowed to maintain the status quo. The veterinary refused. The donkey was rehomed and the lama was slaughtered. Great result....

There seem to be several things in the new law where a utopian view collides with common sense - sometimes to the detriment of the animals the law is meant to protect.

hahha i had to make the place bunny proof, hide all cables away in little gutters.
Now both of them look puzzled at it in how to open the freaking thing

Jos had a go at 3 cables in the passed and still lives to tell it,not sure how as he didn't have his wellingtons on him at the time

Both roam around the house when i'm home, when out of the house they have to be in their cages as they team up together and get into all sorts of trouble,trying to get in or onto places they shouldn't

Even before Josie came in the house, Jos was a free bunny , acts more like a cat as he jumps into the sofa and watches tv with me.

It just seems so weird that the Swiss bunny hotel want to force another bunny onto someone, certainly when the other bunny is 2 years old and happy out with his owner.

But to give it a chance, upset both bunnies by each-others presence, then to separate them again,is just unnecessary grief for both bunnies and the owner.

Hi,

This is just FYI..regarding the myxomatosis vaccination.

I have dropped in by our local vet this morning, who to my surprise, speaks fluent English, in order to register Josie..

When my girlfriend asked, " do you speak English " his reply was " why, does the bunny only understand English ?"

She had small issue that needs to be resolved, so i dropped her in to have a check.

Upon reviewing her history, he said that myxomatosis shots in Switzerland are not done.

This disease is not common in Switzerland and its actually illegal to get them vaccinated for it.

Just for the reason that if it ever breaks out, they won't know due to the vaccinated animals.

So forget what i said about vaccinating them, its not needed here.

He did say that if we wanted to do it, we could go to Germany but it's money down the drain as in his 25 years of being a vet, he didn't see a single case of it.

So long story short, the law actually forbids vaccinating them for myxomatosis in Switzerland.

The Swiss authorities seem not to care about temporary imports. I've spent hours this past week researching Swiss and UK law (Defra [the UK authority] only knew that prior Swiss rules were withdrawn, and had no notion of what documents are now needed for parrots). But as far as I can tell, so long as I have a CITES certificate (I applied for it today), that's all I need: http://www.bvet.admin.ch/themen/hand...x.html?lang=fr

Our parrot and our cat get along famously, and they will stay with us and our daughter in Switzerland for the next six months or so while our London place is renovated.

I suppose if we are denounced we'll have to borrow or rent a companion for our Figaro.