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Why are breeders rabbits uphappy?

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Rachel89

Mama Doe
Ok it's not really ment to be a big slagging thing I don't want to cause masses of arguements but I see it on alot of threads and wanted to ask but always been to scared to :oops::lol:

I always see people saying breeders rabbits are unhappy, in small hutches and don't get enough excercise.
But I'm sure there are breeders who keep there rabbits in the best conditions and plently of love/fuss/care and non breeders who are worse then what I described.
Just wondering why they always get tarnished with the same brush?



****runs away never to return :oops:****
 
I think cos there are more bad stories about irresponsible breeders that those who are responsible and do care about the mental helath and wellbeing of their rabbits are completely out weighed
 
I think generally as well there will be quite a few unneutered does and buck in fairly close proximity living alone so no companionship and lots of hormones and sexual frustration flying about.

There's a tendency to small hutches just to fit them all in.

Ideally they would need human attention as they would have no bunny companion and I just can't see how you could give them a lot of attention if there's a high number of them.

I guess also the back yard breeders make the 'headlines' a lot more than any responsible breeders would.
 
I agree with the OP. Many breeders get a bad rap when they actually treat their animals quite well.

I got Milo from a breeder (before I found you guys) and he was friendly from the start. It was clear that he was handled very often, and she gave me the heads up that he had mites before, but that she treated it. She also asked for picture updates, and is always grateful when I send them :), and said she would always take him back if I ever had the need.

Now, she did have him on a bad diet, and it took me a bit to wean him off it, but she had the very best intentions and loves all her rabbits to death. I certainly don't think she is a bad person, but she could use to be a bit more informed about buns.
 
the breeder i got bigs from i thought was a bit nutty :lol: i cant really complain now bigs was a runt and is the healthiest bunny i have, she was informative though didnt mention breeding or companion though maybe because she knew hes was at the time to be a single house bun,and did drill my partner with questions, but her buns were all loverly and heathly with lots of room she breeds twice a year so she gave her doe's some rest,
 
I think the main reason that breeders aren't too popular on this forum is because it is linked to a rescue database and is supported by many rescues.

also..personally I have found most breeders who I've come across on the net, tell everyone how well they keep their rabbits..then post pics of their breeder blocks and prove otherwise:(

there are a couple of exceptions on here
 
See I get abit annoyed as not everyones like that and don't want to be jumped on.
We breed but they have one or two litters max a year as they are my pets (more like the family) then a money makeing machine which isn't.

They all go out nearly all the day wether it inside or outside and so well handled. They all have big hutches, two story 5ft odd ones.
But I also have two rescue bunnies too who I love dearly and aren't breeding :love:

I guess it depends on the persobn but sometimes its abit like please don't tarnish me too :D
My step mum has 5 rescue rabbits, my brother and sister have one each too :D
 
I dont doubt that some Breeders do care for their Rabbits well. BUT IMO I cannot see any justification in breeding more Rabbits (yes, even just a couple of litters a year) when there are thousands of Rabbits in Rescue in need of a home.

I have bought from a Breeder but would NEVER do so again. Not because I think all breeders are 'bad' but because I think it morally wrong to support breeding more Rabbits.
 
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Yep for me it is morally wrong to breed when there are so many rabbits in rescues awaiting new homes. A few months back our nearest rescue had 30 bunnies in with 70 awaiting collection when space cleared.

I think if you do rescue work you see the flip side of the coin. For me it is not about there being good and bad breeding it is the morals associated with doing it. I can't justify it at all.
 
SunshineandTwinkle said:
Yep for me it is morally wrong to breed when there are so many rabbits in rescues awaiting new homes. A few months back our nearest rescue had 30 bunnies in with 70 awaiting collection when space cleared.

I think if you do rescue work you see the flip side of the coin. For me it is not about there being good and bad breeding it is the morals associated with doing it. I can't justify it at all.
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Completely agree with you - I can see no justification what so ever for breeding more buns, when there are thousands sat in rescues waiting for their own loving home & probably even more living a miserable existence because rescue centres are so full :cry:

I have never bought from from a breeder & never will do. It's not just buns I wouldn't buy from a breeder, it's any animal due to the sheer numbers of unwanted animals that rescue centres are trying to cope with. :cry:
 
In addition to what has already been said...

If breeders are only breeding from their rabbits once or twice a year to give the buns a good rest - then presumably that means that those rabbits are all living alone for the vast majority of the time. Rabbits are social creatures and studies have shown that bonded rabbits spend most of their time together. Therefore it's not unreasonable to suggest that neutered, paired rabbits are happier because they have a constant companion.

Similarly, neutering removes any sexual frustration that would be felt by single, entire rabbits who live within sniffing distance of sexually mature rabbits of the opposite sex. So breeder rabbits are in effect being 'teased' constantly with the scent of other buns but not able to get to them.

Finally, yes I'm sure there are lots of breeders who keep their buns in good accommodation, and many owners who don't. But where do you suppose these owners got their buns from? There will be some who acquired them from friends, but on the whole it will be from breeders, either directly or via pet shops. Breeder buns may be happy, but are all their offspring, and all their offspring's offspring?
 
Also when I know for a fact that healthy Rabbits (and other animals) are PTS every day just because there is no-where to house them it makes delibertate breeding even more nonsensical.
 
I just wanted to clarify that I think some breeders are well-intentioned, but that does not mean I support breeding. They should more carefully research the precious lives in their care, but that just means that they are careless, not necessarily cruel.

I think one should need a license to breed rabbits, and in order to get the license, you need to complete a certain amount of hours of rabbit care classes. That way, you wouldn't have all these backyard breeders. :? But I haven't thought this well enough through, so it might be a terrible idea too.
 
I've heard a lot from so-called "good breeders". Then I've been to their houses & seen their stacks of hutches, & the 2 runs that 30 rabbits alternate in. I've heard how they "love" their animals, & how the buns are perfectly happy hormonal & alone in a 2ft cage. I've NEVER seen what I would class as a good breeder.

Maybe I'm cynical to assume that all breeders are like the 15 I've seen. Maybe I'm right.:lol:
 
there are bad breeders out there like the one i got Lilli from she was so antisocial and the first few times i placed her in the run/free range in the garden she just sat in the corner like she didnt know what to do with all the space because she'd been confined to 2ft hutch for 3 years before i got her.

but i do know there are good breeders out there without breeders pet rabbts wuld pretty much becme extinct and i do feel that breeders get a hard time on here before they can even prove themselves to be good and responsible.

what i dont like is :censored: people who think '1' litter will be ok when in reality.... 2 rabbits produce babies those babies get sold those babies have babies then their babies have babies and so on so that 1 litter actually produce 100's of rabbits maybe 1000's!
 
sidereus7 said:
I think one should need a license to breed rabbits, and in order to get the license, you need to complete a certain amount of hours of rabbit care classes. That way, you wouldn't have all these backyard breeders. :? But I haven't thought this well enough through, so it might be a terrible idea too.
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This. I agree with this.

If you needed a license to breed and then sell, and that was only granted to responsible breeders then the rabbit problem in rescues would ease because you wouldn't get impulse buys at pet shops, and you wouldn't get backyard breeders breeding their rabbits like machines to make money.

They could limit rabbitry sizes and amounts of kits bred, etc (although most responsible breeders do this anyway).

I'm not against responsible breeding because I don't think they are the ones causing the problems (note I said responsible), although I do agree that any breeding is adding to the overpopulation problem. I think its the irresponsible and the back yard breeders who cause the problem and make it so much worse than it already is because often they pump out the unhealthy buns, sheer volume, get rid of them too young, etc.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Also when I know for a fact that healthy Rabbits (and other animals) are PTS every day just because there is no-where to house them it makes delibertate breeding even more nonsensical.
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Absolutely agree Jane - sorry it's beyond my comprehension why anyone would want to deliberately breed any animal, when there are thousands that are just waiting for their 2nd chance :cry:

I don't care how well any breeder loves, cares or houses their animals - I'm sorry but in my view, it's just plain selfish for bringing more animals into the world just to meet our own selfish needs or whims :evil:
 
Some show breeders are especially bad. Certan breeds, such as Dutches and Lionheads, need to be produced in large quantities in order for the owner to be able to show successfully...i.e. Dutches tend to have less than perfect markings and Lionheads can only be shown until their first moult, when their mane tends to become more sparse.

This means that some breeders have large numbers of rabbits to 'dispose' of. Many claim to have waiting lists for their rabbits, but the reality is that most babies are sold to pet shops, given away in the free-ads, sent to auction, or killed by necking, drowning, hammer to the back of the head, etc, etc (basically by any means that doesn't cost money) :cry:

The more conscientious breeders tend to breed types of rabbit that can be shown for a long period of time and don't require huge numbers of litters just to get show quality markings
 
I see plently of other people with ponies on here, who also must be against rabbit breeding then? yeap? How many bought there ponies and didn't go to a sanctuary? Same with other animals.
Ours have 3 litters then they are spayed and paired. Our Bucks are kept seperate from our Does.

I know alot about showing too and the breeders that do, and believe me I have been told every horror story going and given advice on what to do which I have clearly run a mile from. Being described down to detail on how to "get rid" of your excess stock wasn't my idea of an afternoon chat.

All our babies we know how and were they are and when one lady couldn't keep her rabbit anylonger due to illness we had him back and would do with any of the others. He was paird with one of our spayed does.
 
Rachel89 said:
I see plently of other people with ponies on here, who also must be against rabbit breeding then? yeap? How many bought there ponies and didn't go to a sanctuary? Same with other animals.
Ours have 3 litters then they are spayed and paired. Our Bucks are kept seperate from our Does.

I know alot about showing too and the breeders that do, and believe me I have been told every horror story going and given advice on what to do which I have clearly run a mile from. Being described down to detail on how to "get rid" of your excess stock wasn't my idea of an afternoon chat.

All our babies we know how and were they are and when one lady couldn't keep her rabbit anylonger due to illness we had him back and would do with any of the others. He was paird with one of our spayed does.
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But why do you feel it necessary to breed :?
I am not trying to start (another:roll:) argument, I genuinely cannot understand your mindset :?

I notice you appear to like Dutches and 'Rabbit Show Jumping'. There are HUNDREDS of Dutches in Rescue (some come in with BRC rings :evil:). So you could obtain a group of Rescue Dutchies and still participate in the Rabbit Show Jumping (if the Rabbits were suited to it).
 
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