tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
A few things that I would like to say (and I will be brief because although I'm a mod I'm also involved in rescuing bunnies so my opinion will differ from most people in the Rabbitry) on what makes a breeder a "responsible" breeder:
Occasionally, there will be difficulties with delivering the babies. It may require an emergency trip to the vet to save the kits and/or the mother's life. This would be like an emergency c-section in humans. It is expensive, and may still lead to you losing the mom. For this reason we really don't recommend that anyone breeds a bunny they are attached to on a pet owner level. Breeding a pet is considered "irresponsible."
Occasionally, there will be difficulties with the mother's milk coming in. There are very few reliable supplements you can feed the babies to allow them to develop normally. Most milk replacers aren't proper for rabbits. For this reason, most responsible breeders will breed at least two does at once so that if one's milk does not come in properly, her babies can be fostered to another doe.
Depending on the breed, deformed kits can occur. Some rabbit genes can be lethal if the rabbit gets two copies of them. Lionheads, I believe are one of the breeds that carries some of these potentially lethal genes. The kits that are born deformed can suffer greatly and should be humanely euthanized. It can be heartbreaking. Responsible breeders have a plan for this.
Kits are more susceptible to some illnesses that require emergency vet care. They can literally die in hours if vet care is not received. Emergency vet care is expensive. Responsible breeders either have vet supplies on hand and know how to use them, or have money set aside for vet care.
Finally, there are thousands of bunnies that are in shelters and already need homes. Many look just like your two and have wonderful personalities. Every year, rabbits are euthanized because there aren't enough homes for them. A lot of the bunnies that come into the shelter I help at were from a backyard breeder's litter, where the breeder stopped having room for the bunnies, or the people they sold/gave the bunnies to stopped being interested in them. A responsible breeder commits to taking care of all of their rabbits for their natural lifespan, and if someone buys a rabbit from them and no longer wants it, they will take it back. This means 10+ years of commitment for every single rabbit. I don't even know what region of the country I'll be living in 10 years from now.
Finally, a responsible breeder does not breed to make good pets. There are plenty of rabbits already out there that need homes that will make wonderful pets, as I mentioned above. They breed to create animals that take their breeds to a new standard of beauty. Along this process, animals that are not show-quality will be made, and they make fine pets. However, the purpose is not to produce these pets.
People who breed without fitting these characteristics are not considered responsible, and thus we call them "backyard breeders."
Occasionally, there will be difficulties with delivering the babies. It may require an emergency trip to the vet to save the kits and/or the mother's life. This would be like an emergency c-section in humans. It is expensive, and may still lead to you losing the mom. For this reason we really don't recommend that anyone breeds a bunny they are attached to on a pet owner level. Breeding a pet is considered "irresponsible."
Occasionally, there will be difficulties with the mother's milk coming in. There are very few reliable supplements you can feed the babies to allow them to develop normally. Most milk replacers aren't proper for rabbits. For this reason, most responsible breeders will breed at least two does at once so that if one's milk does not come in properly, her babies can be fostered to another doe.
Depending on the breed, deformed kits can occur. Some rabbit genes can be lethal if the rabbit gets two copies of them. Lionheads, I believe are one of the breeds that carries some of these potentially lethal genes. The kits that are born deformed can suffer greatly and should be humanely euthanized. It can be heartbreaking. Responsible breeders have a plan for this.
Kits are more susceptible to some illnesses that require emergency vet care. They can literally die in hours if vet care is not received. Emergency vet care is expensive. Responsible breeders either have vet supplies on hand and know how to use them, or have money set aside for vet care.
Finally, there are thousands of bunnies that are in shelters and already need homes. Many look just like your two and have wonderful personalities. Every year, rabbits are euthanized because there aren't enough homes for them. A lot of the bunnies that come into the shelter I help at were from a backyard breeder's litter, where the breeder stopped having room for the bunnies, or the people they sold/gave the bunnies to stopped being interested in them. A responsible breeder commits to taking care of all of their rabbits for their natural lifespan, and if someone buys a rabbit from them and no longer wants it, they will take it back. This means 10+ years of commitment for every single rabbit. I don't even know what region of the country I'll be living in 10 years from now.
Finally, a responsible breeder does not breed to make good pets. There are plenty of rabbits already out there that need homes that will make wonderful pets, as I mentioned above. They breed to create animals that take their breeds to a new standard of beauty. Along this process, animals that are not show-quality will be made, and they make fine pets. However, the purpose is not to produce these pets.
People who breed without fitting these characteristics are not considered responsible, and thus we call them "backyard breeders."
She is a mini rex mix, if even that. To me, she looks like a typical mixed breed rabbit you find in every pet shop and shelter. Not to sound mean, I'm sure she will make a wonderful pet, she just should not be bred. Mixed bred rabbits ARE very hard to find homes for. Believe me, I know. Unless your going to let them go for meat or very cheaply, which means they could possibly go on to breed more mixed breeds, end up as snake food etc.
