The Council of Agriculture should establish guidance and regulations governing the ownership of small pets, as ignorance of proper care results in thousands of preventable cases of abuse every year, animal advocates and legislators said on Wednesday.
Rabbits, hedgehogs and hamsters are easy to acquire, but many owners are unaware of how to properly care for them, resulting in abuse and sometimes abandonment, advocates told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Rodents Care said that over the past five years, it has received 1,401 reports of abuse involving pet hamsters and other small rodents.
Photo: Tien Su-hua, Taipei Times
The group has rescued 4,562 animals, with the numbers increasing every year, it said.
The Taiwan Hedgehog Care Association said it receives at least three reports every month of improper treatment of hedgehogs at the hands of sellers.
In 2019 and 2020 alone, it rescued more than 500 hedgehogs from breeders and those abandoned by owners, it said, estimating that about 2 percent of hedgehog owners abandon their pet.
Since the Taiwan Rabbit Saving Association was founded in 2009, it has rescued 260 rabbits every year on average, and more than 2,700 in total, the group said.
Especially as next year is the Year of the Rabbit, the association fears a dramatic increase in purchases and subsequent abandonment of rabbits, it said, calling on the government to prepare in advance.
To better educate the public on small animal care, the groups put together guidelines for owners and sellers.
They also called on the council to no longer neglect small pets, and draft regulations governing their ownership and trade.
Doing so would promote correct rearing and welfare standards to pet stores, leisure farm venues and owners, as well as improve oversight, they said.
Due to unrealistic depictions of animals in cartoons, many people mistakenly believe that dogs must eat bones, cats must eat fish and rabbits must eat carrots, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said.
The organizations therefore drafted guidelines to teach owners about proper care, he said.
For instance, carrots are only a treat for rabbits and should be fed sparingly as they are high in sugar, with hay comprising the majority of the advised diet for rabbits, the groups said.
Some also mistakenly believe that rabbits do not drink water, but just like all animals, they need water to survive and should have some available at all times, they added.
There are already guidebooks for rabbits, hedgehogs and hamsters, Hung said, but urged the council to work with private organizations to create official guidelines.
Through advocacy and education, people can learn proper care techniques and form a correct mindset, Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Tsai Pi-ru (蔡壁如) said.
The call came shortly after bird advocates at the end of last month called on the council to publish official guidelines for pet bird owners.
Sung Nien-chieh (宋念潔), director of the council’s Pet Management Division, said that since the division was established in April, it has been taking stock of what needs to be done and what regulations need revision.
A first meeting with experts and associations had been held, with more to come, she said.
The division would eventually publish guidelines for all animals approved as pets, she said, urging the public not to worry.
Local governments have been instructed to survey pet owners to identify the top 10 animals kept as pets, after which guidelines would be drafted and issued for each, Sung said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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