What breed is this?

[Jaken]

Hi everyone, I'm new here. This looks like a great site.

About a mont ago I bought 2 rabbits from a farmer. He said they were semi dwarf but I don't think they are. They were pretty young when I bout them, so I don't think they're fully grown yet. I don't know what type of information you need so I'll post some pictures and hopefully I can tell you what you need to know.

This is Max

And this is Ruby

 

[pinksalamander]

I'm by no means an expert (i'm sure one of the breeders will step in here) but Ruby looks like a dutch, although i don't know what colour. Not much help really hey!

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[polly]

They both look like mismarked dutch to me. Fully grown they should reach around 4.5 lbs. They are very cute though.

I have moved this to the rabbitry section for you

 

[BlueGiants]

They look like Dutch to me too! Very pretty!!!!

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

They both look like they could be Dutch. Ruby is Tortoise in color. I wouldn't rule out a mix with something else though.

Sharon

 

[LadyBug]

dutch mix! they're really cute!

 

[Alexah]

I'm going to take a ride on the dutch bandwagon .

They're both adorable!

Ruby looks very much like my Potter. That's him in my avatar to the left. They could be twins!

 

[Jaken]

Thank you very much.

Sorry for posting in the wrong forum.

I fell in love with Ruby the moment I saw her. Max was added at a discount, but I don't regret getting him for a second. He is by far the tamer of the 2.

 

[kathy5]

hello glad you found us

 

[gentle giants]

Your bunnies are very pretty! How old did you say they are? YOu have to be very careful when you have a buck and a doe. If they are three months old or over, they can get pregnant at any time. It only takes a few seconds for it to happen, too, you might not even see it. So until they are psayed/neutered, it's best not to let them play together.

 

[Jaken]

I don't think they are mature yet, but they are probably close to 3 months.

I was hoping to breed them. A friend of mine wants a pair and I was going to givehim a pair of little ones.

 

[clevername]

I wouldn't breed them just because they look like pet quality as opposed to brood quality rabbits. I'll admit I'm not up on my dutch genetics but neither look like they have the right markings and thus may not produce the best offspring. Did they even come with pedigrees?

Don't get me wrong, they look like lovely bunnies though. Just keep them as pets and enjoy them!

 

[polly]

DOn't worry abotu the forum thing thats what we are hear for

As for breeding i personally wouldn't breed as a middle sized breed they will have more than 2 babies you have to think what would you do with the others? have you got teh sapce to keep them. Also breeding because they are cute is not always the best idea. They are only pet quality and there are so many unwanted rabbits out there could yoru friend not get 2 from the same place you did or have a look in some rescues?

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

I just wanted to add that you sound like you are bonded to Max and Ruby. Are you willing to sacrifice the life of Ruby or Max just so your friend can have a pair?

Also, Dutch can mature at 10 weeks so keep them separate until you can spay her.

Sharon

 

[ThatsMySimi]

"I was hoping to breed them. A friend of mine wants a pair and I was going to givehim a pair of little ones."

You were hoping to breed the two you've shown here? If you got them both from the same place, are you sure they're not from the same litter? And as far as I'm concerned, it's not advisable to breed sister to brother. Then, if your friend wants a pair, is he going to breed them? Also, not advisable, espically if the situation I talk about below is how it is..

Are you sure the parents to your rabbits wern't related? Did the farmer you got them from breed rabbits, or just have a litter? Lets say the parents of your Max and Ruby are in fact brother and sister. That's first generation breeding, then you breed your 2, and you're breeding brother and sister out of brother and sister, then, lets say you do breed, and your friend breeds his two, then you're getting into it even wrose with having kits out of brother and sister, out of brother and sister, out of brother and sister. You could be doubling up bad genes from each rabbit, which can cause many health problems...

Sorry if they're not from the same litter, but even so, the information above is good information if you intend to breed at all.



*Correct me if I'm wrong here, breeders, but that's what I was tought.

 

[gentle giants]

As someone who does bunny rescue, I have to add my two cents to this too.

I fully understand the temptation of having your own litter of baby bunnies. When I started out in rabbits, I was breeding. But when I got to looking around, seeing how incredibly many rabbits there are in shelters, and then found out that there really is no shelter for rabbits within a hundred miles of me, I stopped breeding and started rescuing.

Here is what you are looking at if you breed.

1. Besides the two your friend wants, what are you going to do with the babies? There will probably be six, anyway, quite possibly more. You would have to interview potential owners, and you would be taking the chance one of your babies might end up like one of my rescues, Buster. http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=36281&forum_id=6He wasn't even "actively" abused-the owners just got bored with him and didn't do anything with him anymore. And I have many more stories like that, just from my rescue.

2. If you let your doe get pregnant, especially if they are too young or are brother and sister, you are risking not only your doe's health but taking the chance of having babies with serious health issues.

The bottom line is, shelters all over the US, and I'm sure probably in Canada too, are overflowing with pet rabbits. Many are put to sleep every day. And if someone is getting a pet rabbit from you.... They aren't getting one from a shelter. I'm sorry if this came across as harsh, it wasn't meant to be. But breeding any kind of animal, especially one that is capable of having another litter every four weeks, is very serious business! It is not something to be done for fun.

 

[Jaken]

I spent the first 7 years of my life on a farm so I can deal with the loss of an animal, but I don't want to. They are siblings, and I wouldn't doubt that the parents are as well. I thoughtin breedingwas rather common amoung rabbits.

I just bought a house and I don't have the most spending money in the world right now. About how much does it cost to have a rabbit spayed?

A friend gave me their cage, and I do not have money to get another one right now.

You gave me enough good reasons for me to not do it though.

I appreciate it a lot. I don't want to be part of the problem.

thank you.

 

[clevername]

Jaken wrote:

I spent the first 7 years of my life on a farm so I can deal with the loss of an animal, but I don't want to. They are siblings, and I wouldn't doubt that the parents are as well. I thoughtin breedingwas rather common amoung rabbits.

Line breeding is common. Inbreeding is done *sometimes*. This is never done haphazardly and there is always a good reason. Breeding siblings can isolate recessive traits and bring out faults in your line (so they can be dealt with). All this must be done with a good understanding of the rabbits' ancestry, otherwise you can end up with a real mess--which is why I asked about the pedigrees earlier.
Personally I don't like the idea of breeding siblings. But that's just me.

Jaken wrote: "I just bought a house and I don't have the most spending money in the world right now. About how much does it cost to have a rabbit spayed? "

I had a cull neutered recently for about $200 total (blood testing, surgery, antibiotics, everything). He was a pet for my niece and I didn't want her to have to deal with him spraying everywhere. I took the cheap route and shopped around for the best price in my area. You might also want to try calling your local SPCA. They may be able to point you in the direction of a vet who does it cheap.

Jaken wrote: "A friend gave me their cage, and I do not have money to get another one right now. "

Honestly, an additional cage is cheaper than a neuter(unless you're buying something fancy). However, you are running the risk that your rabbits don't pull a fast one and escape--which would multiply your expenses real fast. Trust me, rabbit breeding is far from profitable. My husband and I keep full-time jobs to fund this hobby.

Jaken wrote :"You gave me enough good reasons for me to not do it though. "

I'm glad we could help. Your rabbits really do look very sweet. You should post more pictures.

 

[FallingStar]

I'm not sure what breeds they are but, they sure are adorable! :inlove:

You should upload more pics of these cuties!

 

[Spring]

You could probably pick up a pack of grids used for shelving (come in stacks of square grid things) for $20 at Wal-mart, super store, extra foods etc. They make great rabbit cages. You'd just need the grids (if possible, maybe even two packs, but I'm sure a pack of 17 could build a decent temp/perm cage), zip ties (optional, butrecommended for astronger cage),a tablecloth if you want to protect the floor, and a fleece or other material over top of the table cloth so they can't chew the tablecloth. This has worked great for me as a quick/emergency set up for less than $40 .

Great examples of "NIC" cages.. although they come in different names other than NIC cubes.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=15348&forum_id=21&highlight=NIC