HOT TOPIC FOR BREEDERS: Breeding for pet rabbits

[TinysMom]

It is with a bit of fear and trepidation that I start this topic. I just know if we're not careful it can explode and I don't want to deal with that.

But I think this is a topic that warrants discussion. So many of you are interested in discussing this.

I was going to go with a question format - and I will throw out some questions - but I want folks to share what they want to say without having to do so in a question/answer format.

There are some things we need to agree on/understand ahead of time.

• This topic is not going to go the route of "if you didn't breed those bunnies...we wouldn't have so many bunnies needing rescue..". We are assuming that people who are breeding for pets are being responsible enough to find owners for those rabbits and we don't know that those owners would or would not go to a rescue. So discussions of breeding vs. rescues - is OUT.
• I also want to open this topic with a brief comment to remind folks that the way things are where you live - are not the way things are where EVERYONE lives. To give an example - I'm going to use my own life - and that of Ali (JadeIcing) who lives in Connecticut.
  • Where I live - if you want to get a rabbit of any kind - you either need to find one at the pet store, at TSC (Tractor Supply), or the flea market - or find a breeder locally. Until I brought lionheads to this area - the only thing I'd ever seen here was Californians, New Zealands and something that might be Havana.
    • If you want anything other than those - or if you want to support/adopt a rescued rabbit - you must drive a MINIMUM of 180 miles to get into San Antonio to get a rabbit.
    • If you want to buy a specific breed - say lops - you need to drive to a petstore or a breeder - again - approximately 180 miles away.
  • Where Alicia lives - she is involved in a rescue that is all the time getting rabbits turned in to them. From what I understand - rabbits are sold in pet stores in her area along with the Craigslist site, etc. Rabbits have also been dumped in parks and residential areas by breeders and/or owners. The rabbit population is much higher in her area than it is here in SW Texas.
• I do not mind if you want to reply to someone's post and discuss with them something they said. I'd like to encourage some discussion. However - as much as you may feel that person is stupid or doing something totally wrong - YOUR COMMENTS are not to state that. (Yeah - there are people on here I feel do idiotic things too - but if I have to bite my tongue..so do you).
  • So if you want to rebut them - start it off with something like, "I disagree with you doing this and I don't think its smart because..." or whatever.
  • Do NOT start out with (or use in any manner) - "You stupid idiot...don't you know that...."?
  • Please remember that not everyone has the knowledge and/or experience that you have - and they may not have done the research.
    • As an example - I was talking to my dad recently about how we had so many baby rabbits when I was a kid and had rabbits and we were laughing cause he was like, "I know I grew up on a farm...but I never thought that brother/sister rabbits would mate or that mother/son rabbits would breed, etc." In a later conversation, he said, " I guess we looked at them from human behavior and not animal behavior since they were pets."
      
• Finally - we know that there are many ways that pet quality rabbits are dealt with by breeders. If you deal with pet-quality animals in a way you know would disturb a forum of potentially young, and mostly pet-rabbit owners - simply say you deal with them in "other" ways and do not go into details. Folks can ask you privately if they "need to know". But let's not go into any discussions about culling, etc. here.

Have the ground rules been understood? I sure hope so.

So here are the general questions/purpose of this thread.....

Do you breed specifically for pet quality rabbits? Why or why not?
What is the pet market like around you? (That might influence your decision).
Do you breed mixed-breed rabbits for pets? What do you go by to decide who/what to breed?

Anything else you want to bring up or discuss about this is fine - as long as it is not directed at another member in a derogatory manner.

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

Do you breed specifically for pet quality rabbits? Why or why not?

I do not specifically breed for pets but I do get pet quality in my litters, most breeders do. I breed to better the breed. I am not against breeding for strickly getting pet rabbits if done responsibly. This includes practicing good cleaning routines and proper care if a healthproblem should arise.


What is the pet market like around you? (That might influence your decision).

I am from Connecticut and asyou mentioned above, CT is loaded with rabbits. Our shelters are overrun with them. This does not influence my breeding at all. I do not advertise in the local papers. I do not like people coming to my rabbitry. I sell to other breeders and to people who email me first. I do sell pets but mostly at the shows. People that I sell to are specially looking for a Dutch or a Jersey Wooly.



Do you breed mixed-breed rabbits for pets? What do you go by to decide who/what to breed?

I do not breed mixed breed rabbits. I have limited cage space and I only breed to better the breeds I raise. How I decide who I will breed to who is a very lengthy process. I mostly look at the faults of each rabbit and I will not breed two rabbits that the share the same fault. I look at color and what colors I would like to see in my babies. I look at size also because the woolies, being a dwarf gene carrier, can have problems kindling if the buck is too big. I also look at who I haven't gotten babies from yet. I am working on establishing "my line" so I don't want to lose anything by not getting something from a buck or a doe.



Sharon

 

[lelanatty]

I do not breed specifically for pets because I agree with the position of so many house bunny rescuers. When I started out breeding I just did it because I wanted to without thinking about the possible consequences forthe animals, but as I have further researched and really gotten into the world of rabbits, I have seen both sides of the issue.

I do still get pet quality babies in my breeding program and try to ensure that they go to the best homes possible. As I improve my lines and my stock in general, in the future there will be no pet quality rabbits coming out of my rabbitry and they will all be show and brood quality, able to be sold respectably to other breeders.

The market for rabbits in my area is slightly limited for breeders. There are a great many people who breed and show. Our area is not overrun with rabbits, but we do have a lot of them. Sometimes it can be hard to find homes for pet quality babies if there are a lot of people who are advertising at the same time, because all of the cutest bunnies get picked out first. I believe we do experience some "easter bunny syndrome" though.

I would never again even consider breeding rabbits for pets for the reasons that I have already said. I have done my time in pet breeding, and have decided that there are already enough rabbits in my area that I do not need to provide pet rabbits for people any more than I am forced to by my own quality of stock.Plus, the point of breeding purebred[/b] rabbits is to improve the breeds-- not to improve the cuteness or likability of the domestic rabbit as a pet.

As for mixed breeds, especially as pets, I would not breed mixed breeds unless I was a total expert in genetics. What is considered to be cute to the general population is very easy to pick out. People like babieswith flashy colors and patterns that will remain pretty to look at. Bunny shopping, as with so many other facets of shopping in a human life, has become mostly window shopping, based on looks. A broken orange lop would have more chance of being loved and cared for as a pet than an otter bunny with straight ears, or goodness forbid it be a white bunny with red eyes (people are scared of them). Having observed so many high school kids being first-time bunny owners, when given a wide selection of bunnies to choose from housed in several different cages to look through—just as if it were a pet store—it becomes quite obvious. Therefore, unless I were an expert in genetics and knew the entire rabbit genome so that I could cross two bunnies and get the cutest thing since the dwarfing gene, I would never breed mixed breed rabbits for pets.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Do you breed specifically for pet quality rabbits? Why or why not? Yes and no. My mini rex, and some of my mixed breeds are bred for pet purposes. i do get pet quality bunnies in my litters too.

What is the pet market like around you? (That might influence your decision). Tsc tractor supply, one pet shop, family farm and home, a local rabbit club show, and the local livestock auction. tsc only carries theirs in the spring. They buy rabbits from various people that aren't always healthy. Most are mismarked, and non show quality. Same with family farm and home. Though they carry their rabbits year round. The ma and pa shop carries purebred californians. as far as the auction barn goes its an outlet for both breeders and pet owners. There are also breeders and pet owners that buy there. Most are purchased for 'other purposes.'basically its farmers place to sell animals. The nearest rabbit shelter is a good hour to hour and a half away. It depends on where you live in my state if there is a surplus of pet rabbits or not. Other then that if you want to get a pet, you can find a breeder int he area, or go to one the places mentioned above.

Do you breed mixed-breed rabbits for pets? What do you go by to decide who/what to breed? yes and no. some of them are sold as pets. most are used for 'other' purposes.

I have no problem with people selling to pet stores/into the pet market as long as their animals are clean and healthy, and the shop also takes good care of them.

 

[Blaze_Amita]

Do you breed specifically for pet quality rabbits? Why or why not?


I don't specifically breed for pet quality, I, as Sharon stated, do get pet quality. I try to better my breeds and I am trying to keep certain colored dutch to the same color to avoid the non showable colors. I know what happens when I cross colors. the Blue-Gray on the Dutch Rabbit Breeders of America site is mine, Just like the Gold babies I just had recently.


What is the pet market like around you? (That might influence your decision).

Pet market is terrible. Most people around me use their rabbits for meat, so my small pure bred show babies aren't much use. I have sold some as pets since they are small and a lot ofpeople have seemed to like it but there isn't mucharound.


Do you breed mixed-breed rabbits for pets? What do you go by to decide who/what to breed?

I do not breed mixed breed rabbits at all. I go by who I want to get bred for colors when it comes to the Dutch, temperments and color possibilities with the Velveteens. Some of the does I try to get at least one to two litters a year from each doe, does depend on the doe. I will try to get the litters set so that the juniors are ready for several of the shows.

 

[irishbunny]

In Ireland, we don't have rabbit shows or any sort of rabbit club, only in Northern Ireland which is in the UK. So therefore there are very few breeders of pure bred rabbits, I think I can count them on one hand. Most of the animals these breeders have in the UK or USA, they would be considered awful quality and never be used for breeding. Ireland is in two parts the top, Northern Ireland, is in the UK, and the rest, the Republic Of Ireland, is independent. NI is under the BRC (British Rabbit Council) so they have shows and have some decent enough breeders. Still you wouldn't find amazing quality up there either. It's about a 6-7 hour drive to the top where I live so to get to some half decent rabbits I'd have to drive up there.

I very, very rarely find rabbits for sale in my area. There are two sites Gumtree and Done Deal which are active and where you would find animals for sale, I see an ad for rabbits in my county probably every two months or so, they are never pure bred either. There are some breeders in my county, but none sell privately and all sell to the few pet shops we have in town. Except for the odd ad I see every few months.

There is one shelter in a city near me that sometimes have rabbits, particularly since they started opening a chain of pet shops. They rarely re home rabbits though and just keep them in a large outdoor enclosure. So, at the end of the day, the only place to get a rabbit is to go to a pet shop, wait months for an ad of mixed breeds to pop up, wait for that one shelter to let go of a few of the rabbits (they are also super strict about where they go) or travel a few hours to one of the breeders who breed pure breds. Most of those breeders, though, breed pure breeds but at the end of the day it doesn't matter. Very few of them attend any shows and most of the time all the rabbits from litters are sold. Plus, at the end of the day, they are not good quality going by the standards in the US/UK.

So, I have no problem with people breeding mixed breeds here. What I wish they would do though is try not to sell them to pet shops and try and advertise them privately. Plus give good information to knew owners, and keep in contact with the owners in case the owners ever need any advice. Although most people seem to not think there is such thing as rabbit breeders and just goes straight to the pet shop to buy one. I wish there were more people breeding pure breeds though, but even the people that are breeding pure breeds are just breeding them to sell on as pets, since there are no shows to go to.

I'm kind of just rambling away here, I don't know if any of that makes sense or not

 

[Sabine]

I had just started typing a response and then deleted it all as I thought I was rambling:biggrin2:
Grace(irishbunny) really covered most I was going to say. It can be quite frustrating having good show quality stock and no shows to go to to see if you are on the right track with your breeding program.
I would also prefer people put more thought into what they are breeding rather than putting "Snowball" and "Fluffy" together but I'd be slow to go and lecture to people about breeding purebreds as for most Irish people a bunny is a bunny after all.
I have chosen to only breed pure breeds as I am hoping that eventually there will be a rabbit association formed in Ireland and hopefully more committed breeders come together.

 

[TinysMom]

Hey - here in the states they put "Snowball" and "Fluffy" together too - and we HAVE the shows...

 

[TinysMom]

Forgot to add- Sabine - please feel free to ramble.

 

[irishbunny]

I am wanting to get into breeding and was picking up Mini Lops when I was in Dublin, from two different breeders but unfortunately the doe I was relying on from one breeder to kindle didn't, so I couldn't get them in the end. They weren't the best quality, but it was a start. Now I don't know when I will be back in Dublin. The fact I can't drive myself is really frustrating cause my parents wouldn't be willing to drive me anywhere far. I don't want to breed mixed breeds either, like Sabine I'm hoping there will be a club soon. Sometimes I wished I lived in the US where everything is already there. The nearest pure bred breeder is Sabine as far as I can see. Plus by breeding pure bred rabbits, you might be able to encourage more people into the hobby. I hope to get there, eventually, with either Mini Lops or Netherland Dwarves.

I've seen first hand that a lot of the people here breeding mixed breed rabbits actually don't know any better. They don't know that there are different breeds of rabbit, and don't care either most of time. They have a pair, their cute, they can sell the babies on to pet shops and it's fun. My friend who I got Misty off did that, though she was breeding Netherland Dwarves (although bad quality ones) she didn't know the breed and even though I pointed out what they were, she really didn't care and couldn't tell you now if you asked her. I think having a club and shows would help bring people interested in breeding rabbits together, or people who are there and breeding pure breds, but we just don't know they are there. You sometimes do see nice rabbits in pet shops and have to wonder who bred them and where did they get such good quality rabbits from.

Major ramble again lol!

 

[TinysMom]

Rambles are welcome...

 

[Erins Rabbits]

Do you breed specifically for pet quality rabbits?

No. Absolutely not.

Why or why not?

Okay... I know this might be against the rules of the post, and if it is, feel free to edit it out.

I don't even SELL pets. Period. I have a long list of reasons, the major ones being- Pet people are more likely to put it in the shelter, while a show person would be more likely to find a new show home for it, and that rabbit I sold that person.... could have easily condemned a shelter pet. I would rather my rabbits go to show homes anyway. I UNDERSTAND it, selling for pets, that is. I just... can't bring myself to do it. I have a very high esteem for my rabbits. I don't get pet quality rabbits that often. That sounds cocky, but I really don't. If it's not show worthy it's brood quality. I feel like it's such a waste to send a possible champion to a pet home.:expressionless

On top of that, I feel like breeding pet quality rabbits on purpose is exactly the opposite of what one should be doing. People who breed just for pets... doesn't that set of some alarms in your brain?


What is the pet market like around you?

It's great. Nough said. I could sell all my culls EASY if I wanted to. But I won't. Makes me feel guilty. Makes me feel like the BYB everyone imagines when they think of breeders.


Do you breed mixed-breed rabbits for pets?

NO. NO NO NO. If you're going to breed pets, at least make them purebred, for pete's sake xD.

What do you go by to decide who/what to breed?

Quality. Temperment counts a little too. That's it.

I understand it in the case of our foreign(irish) members inthosesituations.

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

Do you breed specifically for pet quality rabbits

I do not breed for pets but they are inevitable in any breeding program. I strive forall show quality rabbits per litter but there are pets. I don't see how anyone could not have pets. Brood quality generally equals pets in my barn. Unless an oversized doe is superior she is a pet. If they have any DQs they are pets. If they aren't as good or better than their parents they are pets. Too many pet quality rabbits are sold as brood stock. I have seen the ugliest rabbits sold to youth and to open breeders just starting out who don't know better as brood stock or even show quality. It is one of my pet peeves. I won't sell a rabbit as show quality unless I would put it on the show table myself and the only broodstock I sell is rabbits that I have used in my own breeding program.

.
Why or why not?

I have contemplated breeding some plush lops because I think they would be fun and I have had several people asking for them. I have done it yet because they would take up alot of room in my barn not because I am breeding pets.


What is the pet market like around you?

The pet market around my area is strong. There are not alot of rabbits in shelters. The shelters around here bring in animals from other areas of the country and charge a hefty adoption fee. I think sometimes they are more of a business than a shelter for unwanted animals.


Do you breed mixed-breed rabbits for pets?

I have thought about breeding some plush lops but have not done it yet.


What do you go by to decide who/what to breed?

I breed for show quality rabbits that win consistently and produce well. I plan every breeding very carefully matching the parents good points and faults. Usually breeding are planned out at least one generation ahead. Most breeding are line breeding with an occasional outcross.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Do you breed specifically for pet quality rabbits? Why or why not?

I do not breed specifically for pet quality rabbits. I get pet qualities in my litters, but I woud never breed specifically for pets because of all the pet rabbits that are already out there. I breed to better the breed, so breeding for pet quality would just be a step back, and I don't think it's responsible.


What is the pet market like around you? (That might influence your decision).

The pet market around me....hmm, well I'm not sure if it's good or bad. I'm gonna say that it's good, but for me it's slightly bad because of the breed I raise. Mini Rex are popular, but REW Mini Rex aren't. The market really depends on what you raise - whether there is a big demand for that type of rabbit as a pet or not.


Do you breed mixed-breed rabbits for pets? What do you go by to decide who/what to breed?

I have breed mixed breds in the past, when I first got started. I just simply had two rabbits, and they got together. I ended up taking every litter to the pet stores/auctions because back then I had no good ways of advertising, I didn't use Craigslist (don't think it was around back then). Now, I would never breed rabbits on purpose for mix breeds. I can understand accidents, but even then, one should do their very best to prevent it.

Emily

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Do you breed specifically for pet quality rabbits? Why or why not?

No. I breed with a goal of showing, so I plan my litters to hopefully improve upon the less than admirable qualities of the parents and strengthen their strong qualities. In the end, my goal is to produce consistently better quality with each generation.

Through this process, I do end up with pet quality rabbits, or even show/brood quality that I am happy to sell as pets who will have loving homes. But I do not breed specifically for pet quality rabbits just because it is not my goal and would take up extra cage space and resources that I don't really have for them.

As far as breeding for pets specifically, I don't necessarily have a problem with that. But I still think that the breeder needs to choose quality, pedigreed stock who are healthy and sound and work to improve temperament. Everyone needs a goal. Throwing rabbits together just to do it or just for pets without a goal is a waste.


What is the pet market like around you? (That might influence your decision).

Great! I've never had to cull (as in euthanize) a rabbit for lack of a pet demand. All my "culls" have just been rabbits removed from the herd and placed into pet or retirement homes.


Do you breed mixed-breed rabbits for pets? What do you go by to decide who/what to breed?

NO. Just like when someone is looking for a pet dog, you'd never go to someone who advertises Chidoodles or Poxers or Goldenlabs. This just SCREAMS backyard breeder and often indicates that the person is in the hobby for money and/or lacks the knowledge to breed purebred, healthy dogs. So for the same reasons, I would never buy from someone who breeds Hollanddutch or Polishlops or Lionlops or any other strange lop mix.

There are already enough pet rabbits indiscriminantly bred to fuel pet stores or make a buck or two at a local auction or are "accidents", it doesn't matter what area you live in. Even if rabbits are not overpopulating shelters, there are enough mixed breeds out there. It's irresponsible to bring more into the world. Working with purebred rabbits gives a breeder a different name- an overall more respected name, by other breeders and the community around them.

 

[CoolWaterRabbitry]

Do you breed specifically for pet quality rabbits? Why or why not?

No I do not. But with the Dwarf Hotots and Rhinelanders, their are plenty out of litters that can be nonshowable. However, if they are not showable, they can always have great type for breeding. If not, then they would have to be sold as pets.



What is the pet market like around you? (That might influence your decision).

The pet market around here is not the greatest. Mostbreeders in the area that have pet culls, send them to our local pet stores(I believe there are around 4 stores in the surrounding areas, and TSC - but theyonly have rabbits in the spring I believe. So there is a market, but I wouldn't count on it for sales really.



Do you breed mixed-breed rabbits for pets? What do you go by to decide who/what to breed?

No. All my breeds, not counting that Havanas since they are going to be leaving our rabbitry; are somewhat "rare" in our area. Thus they are harder to comeby then most so mix breeding them would offer me and other breeders nothing but mixed breeds. The hotots have a tight standard, and the same with the rhinelanders; so mix breeding would bring nothing to the breed.

I decide who to breed to by: Type first and Color second. The hotots I look a lot more towards type and then hope for eye bands and no sports. The Rhinelanders (though we haven't started to breed them) will need to have type glanced at (but all are looking quite wonderfully) but a lot to do with the coloration. First, a balanced tri coloration on the face, sides, and spine stripes; and the a good even number of spots on either side of the rabbit...so that will be fun

 

[TinysMom]

This has been an awesome topic for me - and I'm so glad now that we started it.

For me - it really helped with making decisions. Here are some of the decisions I've made because of the thread...

1. I was toying with breeding lionlops because I get requests for them (or did - when people saw Billy and his sister). I have decided against it.

2. I have decided to cut back on my flemish giant breeding. I'm going to stick with the light grays and not work with the whites/blacks and steels like I'd thought I might.

3. I realized I really REALLY miss my lionheads. I now have three breeders I'm going to be buying from later this fall - and I'm going to get shadeds (probably tort and siamese sable or sable point) from two breeders and then a broken (or two) and a harlequin (out of Miss Bea's lines even) - or two - to work with those colors. (I'm going to take the tort to harlequin if I can get a well-marked harlequin).

I know that harlequin lionheads will never be showable...but that's ok. So many people wanted Miss Bea or babies from her lines...that it will be ok and it isn't like it will be that many litters.

And just to show - here was Miss Bea

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[Nela]

I hope it is okay if I participate, if not, please let me know.

I'm not a breeder. I've never bred anything. I'll be downright honest and state that I have considered it for a really long time and I still am. To be honest, I don't know that I ever will get into breeding myself BUT I still research and learn about it because if I ever do, I would want to know as much of it as I can before starting. See, the thing for me is I would love to breed but then again I have also run my own 'rescue and rehome' thing for a bit so I also know the other side of the story.

Now, to complicate things, I have moved to an entirely different country where things are a bit different. There ARE shelters around but they aren't the easiest to come by and it's pretty hard to find real breeders (not just hobby ones - meaning those that actually know what they are doing).

You know, if I bred, I would breed for pet rabbits. Why? Simply because I think rabbits should be pets. I respect others who show and breed, please don't get me wrong. I just simply wouldn't show myself. It's not my thing, it's not something I would do with my own rabbits. If I bred, it would be to offer rabbits with some kind of background and history. Isn't it nice to get a rabbit and know exactly when it was born, know its parents, etc.? Of course, I would want to breed good quality rabbits. I would want to do it in a way that minimizes the risk of illnesses or genetic conditions. I would want a family to adopt a rabbit and know that everything was done to minimize the risk of that family having a bad experience. That's why I would. That's my personal feeling on it.

Why am I not breeding now? I don't know enough of what I would be doing. I still have so much to learn. How could I possibly help rabbits or anyone if I don't know what I am doing myself. I want to get a proper feel for things here as well. Are there waaaay too many rabbits here? Is there a need for better rabbits? Is there a need for more breeders knowing more about rabbits? Can I provide proper care? Can my health deal with it? Would it be the right thing to do? Are my reasons for wanting to do it right? I would want to have the proper space for it. A good setup, good finances... I would want to know that I can keep all the rabbits easily until I have good homes for them. I would only breed a small amount of rabbits. Maybe only 2-3 litters a year. I still have too many questions though. Until the day when I can say I know where I am headed, I will not breed. However, I still haven't totally ruled out the idea.

As for breeding mixed breeds, would I do it? I'm not sure quite frankly. I don't mind mixed breeds personally, but it is easier to provide better quality with purebreds? I don't know to be honest. I'm not quite sure how that works. It is nice to have a good model to strive for though I think. I'd probably not mix breeds right away. I can't say I wouldn't, but I think I'd probably end up working on a particular breed or 2 and stick to it.

I lurk here a lot, in the breeder section. It's where I can see breeders discuss. It's where I can see others arguments for and/or against breeding as well. Some topics, though very difficult to read through, show the reality of breeding. I know sometimes people get very touchy about it, and the mods have an especially difficult time sometimes but I want to say, I have loved every moment. I have learned (learnt?) something from every single thread here... For someone like me, these topics are particularly interesting and I sure am glad that they are being brought up. Especially by a highly respected breeder like Peg who has always always been very down to earth and downright honest. It's terribly difficult to find someone like that. She's been a role model to me from day one, even if she doesn't know it.

I don't think anyone should tell me if I should breed or not. I don't think people should judge me. But I will say one thing, if I ever do get into breeding, I want to be a good breeder. I want to do right by any bunny I currently own or will own in the future. I wouldn't want to cause more harm than good. For that, I would need to know what I am doing. Where else can I learn? It's nice to know that you can have support from breeders on this forum, breeders who will actually teach you, and help guide you. I have seen a lot of members here grow and learn. I think that is why i keep coming back to this forum.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Nala, not everyone that breeds rabbits has to like showing. Its not everyones thing. And that's ok.

Those are some good questions to ask yourself if you consider breeding your rabbits. If you don't have an outlet of some sort, or people to buy them, etc, you may end up getting stuck with a lot of rabbits you may not be able to care for.

However, if you do decide to breed, IMHO thebest way to learn is from show breeders, even if you don't show. Sometimes good breeders are also those that offer good quality, healthy pet rabbits too. All good breeders have their rabbit sbest interest at heart no matter what they are breeding them for.

You know I raise pigeons too, and get people that want to impulse buy them. When they don't realize there is a lot more care to them then just keeping them like house birds. You have to have the space, since they have a lot of babies. Kind of like rabbits. You have to keep them confined and safe from predators since they are an outdoor bird.

One thing you have to learn when it comes to breeding any animal is treating them yourself.A vet isn't always going to be there to help you, and in my experience vets have very little experience with rabbits, and even birds(good avian vets are very expensive and very hard to find). There will come a time where you are going to end doing something you might not liking doing either, like euthanizing. It happens when you start breeding animals.

 

[CiaraPatricia]

I have to agree with everything irishbunny said.

I am starting to breed rabbits. I'm breeding pet quality lionhead rabbits, because they are going to be pets, and you can't get good quality rabbits here. Some people have given out to me because "there are thousands of homeless rabbits in shelters", well here in Ireland there aren't! Maybe there are more in shelters in Dublin, but not where I am in the south. And even so, people want cute baby rabbits, and they want a specific breed possibly, or a small rabbit, so if they don't buy from a breeder they'll buy from a pet shop. I don't like most pet shops selling animals, so would prefer to take some business away from them, while also having a nice hobby and learning more about animals.

I'm going to be a vet nurse and also am interested in breeding pedigree dogs and cats one day, so I am learning lots about rabbits and about breeding.

I make sure my rabbits are healthy (as far as I can), they live in housing that meets RSPCA welfare standards (a 6'X2' hutch and time in a 6'X4' run is what the RSPCA recommend I think?), and most importantly are loved pets and the babies will be friendly. I think this is important for pet rabbits.

I had someone buy a rabbit from me, and she said that she was going to go to a pet shop (that I know is bad) but someone said the rabbit would be sick and not tame possibly, so she looked for a breeder, and I'm so glad that she didn't buy from a pet shop, and got a lovely friendly rabbit instead. And she paid less than she would in a pet shop, and also got a lot of advice from me, the advice from the pet shop would probably have been wrong.

There is a demand for them, and I have people looking for rabbits a lot. And it's hard enough to find them for sale.

I'm not sure how I feel about people breeding mixed breed rabbits. I guess it's fine here, because there is not a huge overpopulation of mixed breed rabbits, but in the UK or US, it might be different. I don't disagree with people in the UK or US breeding purebred rabbits either, if there is a demand for them, and if they look after them well.

I have no interest in showing really, it's just not my thing.

I'm just breeding them for my own enjoyment and to provide nice healthy pets to people.