Are you a pet owner looking for a pet rabbit, or a 'newbie' just starting in the wonderful world of rabbit raising and breeding? Maybe you are a known rabbit breeder, but looking to add some new lines or rabbits to your herd? No matter who you are, new or old; pet or breeding/showing, finding a responsible breeder is important. The following are things that I personally think a responsible breeder should be doing. You may not agree with all of them, and that is totally fine and understandable. These are just my interpretations.
Start at the American Rabbit Breeders Association website. They have breeder directories, breed directories, club directories and a fast amount of helpful information. Once you find a breed that you want, check you the breed club's website. Find breeders around where you are and contact them. See if they have a website or Facebook page. Starting at your local clubs website or the national club website for the breed(s) you are interested in is a good start as well. A responsible breeder should be willing to help you find what you are looking for and/or requested. After contacting breeders with what you are looking for, they should tell you what they have available. If you are wanting a certain colour and they don't have said colour available then they should be willing to help direct you in the direction of another breeder who may have what you want available. They should be willing to answer questions and help educate. If you have questions, ask. There are two points to this. One is very important for pet owner and new breeders. A responsible breeder should want to help educate you. This is important. The second part is answering questions, which is important for anyone when buying a rabbit whether you are a pet owner, new or old breeder. If you get the feeling that the person does not want to answer questions about themselves, their rabbits, how they raise or or anything, especially about the rabbit in question, then my suggestion would be to go elsewhere. Yes, people may have busy schedules, but if you have a person (breeder or not) interested in a rabbit then try and find the time to answer their questions. Now, the exception to this is some breeders, including myself, don't sell pets. A simple reply to the email stating this will be fine. Breeder have spent a great deal of time learning about rabbits and have a wealth of information to share. Responsible breeders tend to be eager to share said information with others. Another thing is, unless they just got into a breed, they should be able to confidently and knowledgeably answer questions about their breeds of choice. Find out about where the rabbits are housed. Most breeders have closed rabbitries, meaning they don't let outsiders into their barn. This is completely understandable and should not be pushed. Respect boundaries. However, most breeders should be willing to openly talk about the type of housing they use, the diet they provide and the type of interaction the rabbits receive. It doesn't hurt to ask to see photo's of the inside of their facilities. Notice the way the animals interact and react to the breeder. Rabbits are prey animals and can be easily frightened by new situations or people. However, the animals should still be relatively more relaxed, calm and comfortable with their owner/breeder. Watch carefully at how the breeder holds them and calms them. If they seem harsh with them, then I would walk away. A rabbit that seems scared and inconsolable by it's owner may be unaccompanied to individual handling and attention. Find out information about the parents and ancestors. When buying a pet from a breeder, most won't include a pedigree. Some will give 'birth certificates' but it's important to find out more. Even if you are another breeder buying for show and/or breeding and have a pedigree. It's still important to find out a bit more about the rabbits family than what's on the pedigree. A breeder should be knowledgeable to their best abilities about general temperaments and illnesses along with strengths and weaknesses in the background. I say to the best of their ability because they may not know a lot if the parents were outside animals. Unless you know for a fact that the breeder is reliable, then make sure you are given a pedigree and any legs won at time of sale. Age of rabbit(s). In the United States, most states have a law that no animal under the age of eight weeks can be sold. Shows are the same. No animal under eight weeks of age is allowed to be advertised in anyway for sale. *Note you can take them if you are wanting opinions from other breeders, but cannot have for sale in anyway* Most breeders don't sell until at least ten to twelve weeks of age. There are some exceptions to this like if it's a colour and/or gender that they know they don't want, or if there is a clear fault or DQ. Ask about the age the animal was weaned from it's mother. Personally, anything under six weeks I wouldn't touch. But that's a personal opinion. Some breeders breed at four weeks especially if it's a meat breed (so that'd be an exception). i personally don't see any pro's to weaning this early. Check size of animal too. Does it look too small or big for it's age? Be aware of how many breeds the breeder raises. Most responsible breeders specialize in one or two breeds. This allows them to become experts on the animals they’re working with. A personally opinion of mine is unless you have unlimited money and space, I really don't see how you can solidly improve a breed when you have multiple. That's why a breeder that offers a range of breeds or a large number of rabbits for sale at one time should be seen as a red flag. They may be more of a pet mill or “backyard breeder.” If you notice that the majority of their animals don't look of quality that they are stated for, then it's probably a "backyard breeder" or under knowledge breeder. Get a sense for the health of the rabbit(s). If the animal doesn't seem to be in proper health, then that's a red flag. First of all, NO responsible breeder will knowingly sell a sick animal. If the animal in question seems ill, then try and get a look at the other animals. Do other's seem ill? that's a major red flag! Also, if you are invited into their facilities, what are the cage and sanitation like? Keep in mind most are in barns and rabbits poop and hay is messy. However, if the animals look to not have been cleaned out in a while or there's poop all over the place, and the barn seems unfit or unsanitary then that's a red flag and honestly I'd be a bit inclined to report them. Build a relationship with the breeder. Most breeders will be willing to stay in touch and answer questions at any time. Most should be able to provide you with a way to contact them should there be an emergency. I personally will always stay in contact and be of help whenever I can and feel most responsible breeders will. They should be willing to be of support if needed. Responsible breeders genuinely care about the well-being of each of the animals they raise and will look forward to hearing from you again. BONUS: Most will be willing to send any information or pictures that are requested prior to the sale. A lot of breeders don't do pre-sales. They encourage the buyer to look over the rabbit in person. However, this isn't always a possibility. Most responsible and ethical breeders will be happy for any wins and litters you have. They will be encouraging and helpful.
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