The Pet Producing Industry is both archaic and cruel. I am sure others can think of other terms to add but none will be complimentary I am sure. After reading the posts on AAS I am ashamed at how complacent I have been. I have walked through pet stores, passed by the cages of guinea pigs and rabbits and because of conditioning not even reacted. My children do the same.

Unfortunately, education of how to maintain small animals by societies like the BC SPCA is also archaic. Small animals should not be being bred and kept in small cages and the Charter of the BC SPCA includes these small animals. The much touted five freedoms should also be extended to these "pocket pets".
From the BC SPCA Charter:
"We pledge our energies to inspire and mobilize society to create a world in which all animals, who depend on humans for their well-being, experience, as a minimum, five essential freedoms:

freedom from hunger and thirst
freedom from pain, injury, and disease
freedom from distress
freedom from discomfort
freedom to express behaviours that promote well-being. "

My family's acceptance of these conditions for small animals has changed after asking my son to look up Rabbit Breeders of British Columbia on the internet and he found :

http://www.tsukiyo.org/BreederDir/State/britishcolumbia.html

Reading through many of the sites was extremely upsetting but one that caught my son's eye had the following to say:

"My rabbitry consists of 45 hanging cages. Eight doe cages, 12 show stock/buck cages, and 25 grower cages.

The doe, show stock, and buck cages are in the main barn. I also keep the feed in the main barn for easy access. The walls are hung with plastic behind the cages to keep the urine off the walls. I find one major cleaning once a year works well, and more than that isn't needed.

The grower cages are outside along the barn and are about 13 " by 24". I have found this size and shape cage helps my to achieve a well conditioned young rabbit. The cages are on automatic watering, and the rabbits go here from the time they are weaned until they are 4 months. At four months I go through and pick out a maximum of 5 rabbits to keep, the rest we butcher. This has worked very well for me and my rabbits have improved quickly. Selling rabbit meat pays for my rabbitry and gives me some spending money as well.

I have manure pits under all the cages and I frequently dig the manure out to prevent wetness, flies, and smell. For fly control I also have a bug zapper in the main barn. Weather here is very mild year-round. The barn has vents along the top of two walls, and dutch doors to help with air movement in the summer. Shade cloth is stapled over the windows. In the winter the body heat from the rabbits keeps the water above freezing inside the main barn. "

"The body heat of the rabbits keeps the water above freezing inside the main barn" is the quote that made my children both gasp. They were horrified that somone would be proud of this fact and put it on the internet. I must thank all of those featured on the Rabbit Breeders of British Columbia Website. My childrenand I are complacent no longer.