I would like to give RaspberrySwirl andthe others (you know who you are) my deepest gratitude for not namingnames... and openly posting your opinions and point of views.I deeply respect you and your opinions.
Please bare with me... this one's going to be long :?...
I am aware of the thread that was mentioned inthe opening post. One thing I would like to point out firstoff is I do belong to a WIDE variety of Rabbit forums, mainly for thepurpose of self education... I love and enjoy each and every one ofthem. Granted, each is driven to a particular genre, be itmore oriented to Pets, Breeding, Showing, Rescue, and other "versatile"uses. Thethings I have learnedin each ofthese forums I consider invaluable - priceless.
I was not the one who started the thread, andnever will I ever "take sides as breeder vs. pet owner" as I amBOTH. Aside from my breeding / show stock ofMini Rex, I have aMixed breed pet rabbit named Panda - she'sa Dutch Lop... and gets the extra special attention - she has a Hutchoutside as well as being the ONLY ONE who gets to come inside and justchill / be a rabbit / get free roam of the house. We wouldn'ttrade her for the world (and sorry bunny nappers...lol... she'sMINE!)
However I was the one who posted that I do notsell rabbits as pets ---- BEFORE anyone starts jumping all over me onthis,please give me a chance to explain... Firstoff,I'll copy the postfor everyone else toread,I would like everyone to notice that I HAVE DONE MYRESEARCH... there is an over population ofrabbits in my area,the shelters here are overcrowded with them and the pet stores areoverflowing with even more.... on average you'll find 20 rabbits perpet store waiting for homes. Yes, I breedrabbitsfor showing purposes, however not all rabbits producedare show quality, or evenbreedingquality within myherd. I post rabbits that I don't "need" for sale on mywebsite... I give the opportunity for whoever may need that rabbit intheir breeding / show program to purchase those rabbits before theyhead out. I personally feel that I won't be helping the petstores and shelters if I send the rabbits there... so instead, I donatethem to my local Wildlife rehab centers. In my post, when Imention Wildlife or Raptor Rehab and Research... it's not Research likewhat's done in labs and such... OH NO, Never!!!... it's therehab and research of endangered species... conservationresearch. It is a well known fact that these conservationprograms and rehab centers are severely under funded and are barelyable to make ends meet... they rely on every donation they can possiblyget.
I'm deeply sorry if my opinions differ greatlythan yours, but in my situation and in my honest opinion, I personallyfeel like I'm helping out the best way I know how in two worlds -Wildlife rehabilitation as well as not increasing the over abundanceofrabbits in my local pet stores and shelters.
With that said, this was my response to someoneelse's post - again, I deeply apologize if it offendsanyone.
There are other outlets for rabbits besides Pet Homes.... Even for the smallest ND.
Pretty much everyone knows where I stand on this, but for those thatdon't - I refuse to sell any rabbits from my barn as "pets". Why?Because in my general area, there are at least 4 other breeders thatI'm aware of who are selling to Pet Stores and I've been noticing (overthe last 10 yrs especially) an increase in Rabbits at the 2 Localshelters. (I frequent the shelters just to take a look - I had lost adog a few years back, though I don't want her there, sometimes I hopeto find her.) So, the main reason I don't sell pet rabbits is in casefor some unforeseen reason the rabbit ends up in the shelter -Ultimately I'm responsible because I bred and sold the rabbit as a pet.
So instead - I sell to other breeders, and the one's that don't getbought (and that I don't need to keep) get donated to my local NatureCenter, Raptor Rescue & Research, Zoo, Wild Animal Park, andWildlife Rehab centers. I feel that my unneeded rabbits can at leastcontribute to a good cause. When I weigh the factors of what's a goodcause, contributing to Wildlife rehab and research out weighs a pethome.
I'm with*Name edited for privacy*and many others on this one.
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Sunshine S. Patron
SunnieBunnie Rabbitry
Mini Rex rabbits in Lynx, Chocolate, REW, and Lilac.