Interesting question re breeding/pet shops

Purely out of curiosity here :wave: but a lot of people seem to be against breeding, and against buying from pet shops.

If those things didn't happen then where would we get our lovely pet rabbits?

Do people only happily keep rabbits because there happen to be rabbits to be rescued, and therefore they are doing a good thing? In doing this though, we are kinda taking advantage of the whole "rabbits are mistreated and end up in rescues" thing I guess!

What do you think is an "ok" way to get a rabbit if there were no need for rescues?

Really not trying to be rude here, I hope no one thinks that I just like pondering these things and think it could make for an interesting discussion!! Some of it might not even make sense :lol:

I would happily never own another pet if all of the rescues were rehomed and no animal ever needed a home again Sadly it wont ever happen though:lol:

Whilst I prefer to rescue all my pets, I will happily get from good breeders. I know very little about rabbit breeders but I assume it's similar to rat breeders - those who breed for good health and good temperament and keep the animals in good conditions and asess potential owners to make sure the babies will be looked after properly. These breeders usually have waiting lists as they don't breed to demand and often only have a few litters a year. That puts off the impulse buyers and 'want a pet now' types.

helen01 said:

I would happily never own another pet if all of the rescues were rehomed and no animal ever needed a home again Sadly it wont ever happen though:lol:

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this

But what would you do when the rescues are empty where would the animals come from then?

I've pondered this. And also that surely by buying hay (from anywhere but a farm), toys, hutches, food and whatnot, we're supporting the pet trade, because if people couldn't easily buy those things they might not bother to buy the bun. But then my brain starts to hurt

cm85 said:

I've pondered this. And also that surely by buying hay (from anywhere but a farm), toys, hutches, food and whatnot, we're supporting the pet trade, because if people couldn't easily buy those things they might not bother to buy the bun. But then my brain starts to hurt

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lol that's what I'm like too! Sometimes some things can be OVERthought I suppose :lol:

helen01 said:

I would happily never own another pet if all of the rescues were rehomed and no animal ever needed a home again Sadly it wont ever happen though:lol:

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Ditto

You just don't have one

Dave81 said:

But what would you do when the rescues are empty where would the animals come from then?

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Sadly in an age of 'I want it' 'I need it' 'I'm going to have it' rescues just wont be empty You've got more chance of the rescues having to shut because they've run out of funds and space than you have being empty

Helen has answered for me! Exactly what she said.

if responsible pet keeping and breeding was what everyone did (ie never any cruelty, or accidental litters, or breeders who breed and breed and breed) then we wouldn't need rescues and it would be acceptable to buy from a breeder because there are no animals in need.

Never going to happen though sadly!

I'd have no problem buying from a good breeder or a good pet shop (of which I'm only aware of one near me). I have done so in the past as I like reptiles and the ones that interest me don't pop up in rescues. I've also bought rats from a breeder who breeds firstly for health and temperament and secondly for colours/patterns.

My most recent animal addition came from a specialist exotics pet shop in Dunfermline. I had registered interest in particular species a good while ago and the owner had only just gotten them in. With my new pet I got 4 weeks worth of food, an emergency contact number for the store owner, a picture of the wee souls mum and dad, a care sheet and contact details for the breeder. The shop breeds most of their own reptiles and amphibians and are happy to let you view their own animals and enclosures but do sometimes buy in other animals from trusted breeders.

The rats I got from a breeder have proved to be far more hardy than any of the rescues I've had though it hasn't stopped me taking on more rescue rats since I got them. Before I was able to buy them I had to wait on a waiting list after filling out a comprehensive questionnaire. When I picked up my ratty babies I received some food with them, a care sheet and the breeders mobile number. She phoned me every week for the first few weeks to see how the babies were getting on and still e-mails me asking for updates.

If the above was bog standard practice with pet shops and breeders I'd have less of a problem with them. However in my experience most are very different to this with many placing too much stock in how an animal looks while disregarding how healthy and well adjusted it might be.

Certainly with dogs, cats and rabbits the rescue situation is so dire there'd be no way buying from a shop or breeder could be justified for me personally. While perfectly "good" animals of a particular species are being put to sleep then no one should really be breeding them in my opinion. Talk of "no pets for anyone" is just pure fantasy so there's no point in even entertaining the idea. Pets will always be around but at the moment it's far too easy to both buy a pet and breed from it.

This:

helen01 said:

I would happily never own another pet if all of the rescues were rehomed and no animal ever needed a home again Sadly it wont ever happen though:lol:

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and this:

helen01 said:

Sadly in an age of 'I want it' 'I need it' 'I'm going to have it' rescues just wont be empty You've got more chance of the rescues having to shut because they've run out of funds and space than you have being empty .:

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I don't mind responsible breeding, sadly its a bit too easy to breed pets of any kind
Breeding should be about getting a good-natured pet of perfect health, rather than focusing entirely on appearance or show-results. I don't mind if people focus on looks...but if you're going to then the animal should be perfect in all areas: health (most important) temper and looks. Aggressive parents breed aggressive kits, and unhealthy parents breed unhealthy kits:/

As for pet shops I'm against selling any kind of animal in shops, and prefer to buy food and hay from stores that don't sell animals.
Cats and dogs aren't sold in pet shops (at least not in Norway), doesn't mean people can't get them. None of my rabbits are from pet shops, I got the first from a friend, the second from an agriculture school, third from a breeder, two litters of kits from number two and three (never again) and one was given to me by my neighbor since their kids had gotten bored with it.
Only pets I've bought from pet shops have been rats and one hamster, because there aren't many breeders/rescues of those pets where I live:/

with the pet situation as it is at present there is no responsible breeding of cats, dogs and rabbits.
Anyone with any sense and compassion would not add to the numbers of these animals at this time

and anyone with any compassion and sense, and being aware of the rescue situation, would not buy from a shop or breeder at this time .
I, and all other rescue workers, get told we should not thrust our views onto others.
Well sorry but each time we see a thread which says something along the lines of " look at my new bunny/guinea I just had to buy him from the pet shop" we are offended.
We are fighting daily to clear up other people's mess, and when others, who know the problems, buy pets it is a kick in the teeth, whatever excuse they post for buying the animal.

when rescue numbers have fallen dramatically, then responsible breeding with registers and checks of standards will be acceptable

helen01 said:

Sadly in an age of 'I want it' 'I need it' 'I'm going to have it' rescues just wont be empty You've got more chance of the rescues having to shut because they've run out of funds and space than you have being empty

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this ...eaxctly ...

I don't have a local rescue but I would always try to rehome rather than buy any kind of pet. To be honest I am really only interested in rabbits and I can't see it ever being necessary to by a rabbit when so many are up for rehoming. I avoid going into shops where rabbits are sold as I am a bit of a soft touch and couldn't guarantee I wouldn't fall for one.

In my mind if we ever got to the point of not needing to have rescues, then the 'rescues' would be suplied by certified breeders who would only be able to have a certain number of rabbits breed a year as it is with decent dog breeders.

Every rabbit adopted would be neutered so there would be no need for accidental litters thus insuring that the only ones around would have to come from the breeders so again numbers would be kept a check on.

Petshops/ garden centers definitely don't need to sell animals there's enough around without them being sold in these places.

Don't think I've written that very well but I know what I mean.

Had too many phone calls about unwanted animals already this year.

rngpwelfare said:

In my mind if we ever got to the point of not needing to have rescues, then the 'rescues' would be suplied by certified breeders who would only be able to have a certain number of rabbits breed a year as it is with decent dog breeders.

Every rabbit adopted would be neutered so there would be no need for accidental litters thus insuring that the only ones around would have to come from the breeders so again numbers would be kept a check on.

Petshops/ garden centers definitely don't need to sell animals there's enough around without them being sold in these places.

Don't think I've written that very well but I know what I mean.

Had too many phone calls about unwanted animals already this year.

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