ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg City Council will consider a proposed ordinance that would ban the retail sale of rabbits by pet stores.
The city already prohibits the retail sale of dogs and cats within city limits.
The City Council is expected to discuss and vote on the proposed ordinance at a meeting on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
"When community advocates brought the unwanted pet rabbit issue to our attention earlier this year, the most immediate solution was to add rabbits to our existing retail sales ban, which currently includes dogs and cats," said councilmember Lisset Hanewicz in a statement to ABC Action News.
"By banning the sale of pet rabbits, we hope to decrease the influx of abandoned rabbits, which burdens animal shelters and rescue organizations."
SPCA Tampa Bay in Largo has about 30 rabbits for adoption this week and sees about 300 rabbits yearly. Pet owners surrender their animals for a variety of reasons.
"I think sometimes people think because they're in a cage, they're not the same amount of work as a cat or dog, but indeed they are," said Tara Yurkshat, chief operations officer at SPCA Tampa Bay.
"The things that we hear the most often are I'm moving, or my landlord won't allow it. We do see a lot of people with allergies," said Yurkshat.
The proposed ordinance would exempt home breeding and people who sell dogs, cats, or rabbits from their homes.
If the ordinance passes, a public hearing will be held on Sept. 28.
