As Ellejo is a new member I think I should point out that whilst people are saying they dont give much commercial pelleted food, they do give unlimited hay for their rabbits to eat. It is important that a rabbit should always have fresh hay available, as if rabbits stop eating for even a few hours their gut can stop, which can be fatal and is considered an emergency.
There are several reasons that getting a rabbit from a reputable rescue is preferable to getting one from a petshop, other than the obvious one that over 33,000 rabbits are in rescue every year through no fault of their own, mainly due to pet shops and bad breeders. In no particular order...
+ What I consider the most important one is that rabbits from a good rescue are kept for a certain amount of time and also health checked by a vet before rehoming, whereas pet shop rabbits are not. This means that the rescue can give you details of any health problems that the rabbits may have, so you can make an informed decision about whether you can cope with them. As pet shop rabbits are badly bred, they can be more prone to a variety of health problems that may not become apparent till later in life.
+ Good rescues will also help you with any questions you may have on the care of your new rabbits, and check your accommodation to check whether it is suitable before rehoming, so you know you are giving them a good life. Some pet shops give good advice, but it is rare, even my local Pets at Home, which I would say give the best advice I've heard for a pet shop, often give really bad advice, and dont know their stuff - it is best to double check all advice from pet shops on online forums.
+ Good rescues will also vaccinate and many neuter (if the rabbit is old enough) before rehoming, which not only saves you money, but it also means you dont have the worry of doing this yourself, and your rabbits are calm and neutered, rather than full of hormones, which often can make them grumpy and aggressive. You also dont have the worry of the first few days when they are unvaccinated until you get them to the vet, and as they are vaccinated there is less risk of them bringing diseases (vhd and myxo) that may affect other rabbits in your house.
+ Rescues will usually have some pairs available, which saves you the hassle of bonding yourself, and reduces the risk of getting two rabbits and finding they are incompatible. Many will also help you find a suitable friend, and help with the bonding, for your existing rabbit if you have one. By pairing two rabbits from a pet shop you are doing so 'blind' as you dont know if they will still get along when older, especially as they arent neutered and problems often occur when they hit hormones. Pet shop rabbits are also often wrongly sexed, which can cause massive problems with fighting and also unplanned litters.
+ And finally, rescues have all breeds, sizes, colours and ages of rabbits available, including babies, as rabbits often come in to them pregnant. And by choosing a rescue rabbit, you are actually helping two: the one you are adopting gets a great new home, and a space and funds are freed up in order to help another rabbit.
The Rabbit Welfare Association gives this advice about pet shops:
The RWAF urges you NOT to buy rabbits from pet shops or garden centres. While we can't speak for every establishment that sells rabbits, since our foundation back in 1996, we've heard hundreds of reports of bad advice having been given in-store, leading to misery for both rabbit and owner. A major problem is that rabbits can be difficult to sex at an early age and many are are mis-sexed by store staff. Do you really want a whole litter of rabbits on your hands? Another common problem is that pet shop staff often miss underlying health problems - for example, maloclusion - and new owners can end up with hefty vet bills.
As much as we want to take home any rabbit that we see looking sad or neglected in a pet shop, we have to remember that we will just be encouraging that level of care by buying from them, and another rabbit will take its place. If you are concerned about the level of care any animal in a pet shop is receiving, it's best to voice your concerns to the owner/manager, perhaps armed with some leaflets from the Rabbit Welfare Association to give them, and hopefully they will listen.