We have a rabbit and a dog and are moving to Basel. Whilst I've heard that Swiss landlords are pet friendly, I've also heard that they're picky. I'm worried that having a rabbit will reduce the odds of getting an apartment. The creature is fairly well behaved and doesn't eat walls or anything like that (although he does get randy around premenstrual women, which is both astonishing and disturbing). Can anyone comment on whether the rabbit will be a problem for getting a place to live?
Thanks!
NOOOO! Seriously??
Feckitt is naughty enough as it is.
An exception can be made to allow a rabbit to be kept singly when an individual has shown behavior such that the individual animal cannot safely or happily live with conspecifics. But even then it is recommended that when possible sight or sound contact with others be maintained whilst living in separate enclosures.
Additionally there are accommodation requirements to be considered. The size and type of enclosure needs to meet strict guidelines.
You can read all about the requirements for keeping rabbits here:
www.meinheimtier.ch/de/kaninchen
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Just a note to all prospective pet owners:
Questions about the legalities of keeping animals in Switzerland come up frequently. Most of the information can now be found on the Mein Heimtier website, which was put together as a 'user friendly' guide to animal welfare law by the Bvet. Links to the text of the relevant laws are given in each section.
The Mein Heimtier site should be your first stop when researching pet animal issues.
Yes, the Swiss are much more strict on animal welfare than anywhere else I know. Where possible they like you to have at least two of a species - dogs, cats, rabbits, etc, for companionship when you’re not around. It’s not always possible of course, but the Swiss encourage you to consider having two when adopting or buying.
Whether an animal must be kept in pairs/groups or singly depends on the species. ( And even then exceptions can be made for individual animals based on behavior and temperament.) Some pet animal species are not considered 'social species' and so should only be kept singly, while others fall into the social category and thus must under law be kept in pairs or groups.
The law follows what is natural for the species.
In the case of dogs, whilst daily social contact is encouraged and socialization required (i.e., the SKN classes) there is a recognition that within the structure of Swiss society it is difficult to accommodate multiple dog ownership, and so dogs are allowed - actually encouraged - to be kept singly, with the onus on the owner to provide social contact outside the household.
Again, pet owners should first check the Mein Heimtierbedarf or Bvet websites to learn if a particular species is considered social, or not.
/end pedant mode
She was 8 at the time and it would have been much more stressful for her to have another rabbit sharing her hutch than it was to continue alone. She wasn't short of attention though and got on very well with the cat.
If your rabbit is adult and been alone all it's life you will have no issues bringing him here and keeping him as a single rabbit.
When one of our two guinea pigs died we were told that it was fine to keep the other one alone but because he was still relatively young ( 2 years old) that it would be possible to add a second one. As he was a castrated male they said a female would be the only possibility though as ours would almost certainly attack another male. ( the one who died was also castrated male but they had always been together).
Oh I agree Meloncollie. It also depends on the particular animal too. Looking at the website for the SPA in Fribourg you’ll see some cats that they advise aren’t happy to be with other cats and prefer being the only one. In which case there’s no point in them encouraging you to take a second cat.
Each animal is different, has been raised in different circumstances and that all has to be taken into consideration when they move to a new country or into a new home.
A dog needs to have a supply of fresh water during the day, and the dog is supposed to drink the water. How long do you think a dog can hold its bladder?
To the OP, whether you like it or not, you will get to thousands for a dog walker if you cannot be there yourself. Keep in mind that many landlords are very reluctant to rent to someone who leaves their dog alone all day.
As for the rabbit, I have also found many landlords do not want rabbits (or guinea pigs) kept indoors.