Breeder knowledge

Hi all

I have had a bit of a raw time just recently my 2 year old bunny 'Poppy Magic' was diagnosed with abcess in her mouth which was so bad it has resulted in her eye being removed - she has been in bunny hospital for nearly two weeks but she is well enough to come home for a couple of days over xmas. yay!!

Anyway, whilst Poppy was in hospital my baby bunny Rocki became poorly also, was taken straight to the vets where he was diagnosed with a respiratory infection which developed into pnemonia overnight and unfortunately my little white angel died whilst spending the night at the bunny hospital.

I am so gutted and have not stopped crying as the house is so empty without the pair of them. One month ago I was happy and I would not believe anybody if they told me that four weeks later i would be in this position. Both bunnies are or were well looked after as they were house bunnies and were a total part of the family. It's so unfair.....

I am looking to get another bun, dwarf lop, once Poppy has totally recovered as she enjoyed the company of Rocki. This time i am looking to get new bun from a breeder as the vet has been telling me that pet shop bunnies are vulnerable due to bad breeding and genetics etc.

Can anybody recommend a breeder that I can contact?

You could start by contacting the British Rabbit Council: www.thebrc.org - what you need is a recommendation though as breeder doesn't mean good health. Breeders supply pet shops too :?

My advise would be to try an adult from a rescue. That way any health issues are usually apparent - most rescues do heath checks.

Keep in mind though that this is only helpful against genetic problems - mainly teeth. Even rabbits from healthy lines can have health problems

If you get an adult rabbit from a rescue, they'll be sure to know what shape they are in health wise.
For a pet bunny, I'd say a breeder would be second choice. Also they will most likely be already neutered.

With a rescue you also get the bonus of the rabbit already being neutered which means one less vet trip for you to go through.

House rabbits (ready litter trained) turn up in rescues all the time and health & behavioural issues are usually more apparent in an adult.

That said many breeders will have adult ex-breeding stock for sale. These have usually not been neutered yet.

You often get breeders rabbits turning up in rescues too, sometimes because they've been taken away by the RSPCA or because they've been rejected for some reason.

Sid in the picci below is my foster and he was rejected because he was too big (he's a giant nethie...about small dwarf lop size) and my new bun Rosie was from the same breeder and she decided she didn't fancy any rumpy pumpy so was also rejected. Rather than let them be abandoned to the wild which was threatened, they were rescued.

Ps. Sid is fully litter trained and currently living as a house bun.

Awww sorry you have lost one of your babies My bunny Maa had an abscess in her head and her eye removed well over a year ago and she's been fine since - a weeks course of metronidazole knocked out the bacteria, and she manages fine with one eye

As for a new bunny, you will find good breeders and bad breeders - bad breeders supply the pet shops in the first place, and it's hard to know what the genetics of a baby rabbit will produce. There are a few rescues on this forum which are run, near to you, and they may have the perfect bunny for you if you look on the 'rabbits in need' pages - they will even pair them up for you in many cases, as this has to be done very carefully on neutral territory, which can be tricky with a house rabbit who 'owns' your entire house The other good thing about rescue bunnies is they are already vet checked, and if adult, neutered, often vaccinated too. Rescues sadly have many abandoned baby rabbits in too, if you were wanting a baby one in particular.

ecudc said:

You often get breeders rabbits turning up in rescues too, sometimes because they've been taken away by the RSPCA or because they've been rejected for some reason.

Sid in the picci below is my foster and he was rejected because he was too big (he's a giant nethie...about small dwarf lop size) and my new bun Rosie was from the same breeder and she decided she didn't fancy any rumpy pumpy so was also rejected. Rather than let them be abandoned to the wild which was threatened, they were rescued.

Ps. Sid is fully litter trained and currently living as a house bun.

Click to expand...

looks like rabbit rescue is the way to go then - I would love to have Sid but I need to concentrate on getting Poppy Magic back to full health -she is visiting for xmas then hopefully when she goes back after boxing day they will give her a fit bill of health which will enable them to stitch her eye for good.

I also have a one eyed house bunny and she gets about just fine. Most people dont even realise she has one missing!

Sooz22 said:

I also have a one eyed house bunny and she gets about just fine. Most people dont even realise she has one missing!

Click to expand...

Well thats good to hear!!! How did your bunny lose her eye? Was it to do with an abcess?

helenmemu said:

Well thats good to hear!!! How did your bunny lose her eye? Was it to do with an abcess?

Click to expand...

Yes she had a retrobulbar abcess, she was with her previous owner at the time. She had to have a drain in for a while after the eye was removed.

It gives her a little trouble judging distance, as she tends to run into us when she runs towards us, and we have to be careful not to approach her on her blind side as she jumps.