Petco, the San Diego-based animal goods and services brand, announced this week it will shift from selling rabbits to putting them up for adoption.

Petco was not selling rabbits on a wide scale, but it had launched a pilot in which it put “fewer than 50 rabbits” up for sale at certain of its stores across the U.S. This move brings the company’s practices in closer alignment with animal rights groups, which have long pushed for an end to rabbit sales.

“The decision was made in line with the company’s longstanding Think Adoption First philosophy — which encourages prospective pet parents to consider adopting a homeless pet rather than purchasing one, whenever possible — and feedback received in partnership with animal rescue and welfare organizations nationwide,” the company said in a news release.

As a result, the miniature rabbits in stock at certain Petco stores as part of the pilot are now available for adoption.

Beyond making the pilot animals adoptable, Petco will also focus on “helping find homes for the thousands of rabbits already looking for loving families across the country,” said Benjamin Thiele-Long, who oversees communications, and environmental, social and governance for Petco, in a statement.

The decision comes after Petco met with animal rights groups including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

“We’re cheering on Petco’s return to its adoption-only policy and reminding everyone that ‘adopt-don’t shop’ is always the right choice when it comes to dogs, rabbits or any other animal,” PETA’s Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman wrote in a statement.

Animal welfare group Rabbit.org Foundation also congratulated Petco. “This decision by Petco is a pivotal milestone in our efforts to protect rabbits from neglect, abandonment, and exploitation,” Paige Parsons, the president of the Rabbit.org Foundation, said on its website.

Animal rights groups had asked Petco to stop selling rabbits in its stores because cute, fluffy bunnies can be an impulse buy, putting the animals at risk for being neglected or abandoned.

While adoption and sales can both involve an exchange of money for a pet — in the form of a price tag or an adoption fee — adoption typically involves a screening process of the potential pet owner, stewarded by animal rescue organizations, while pet sales do not. One more difference is how animals are sourced: adoption targets pets that are already alive and potentially discarded or abandoned, while there is a risk that animals for sale are sourced from breeding mills.

To encourage rabbit adoptions, Petco has launched a temporary promotion for new rabbit owners: though the end of October, anyone who adopts a rabbit through an “established rabbit rescue or adoption group” can receive a 20 percent discount — useful for pet ownership startup costs.

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