Just wondering,
where do the rabbits that are for sale in petshops come from? Thinking mainly Pets At Home, just 'cos that's where i have seen them in the past :-( .
I suppose there are 'professional' breeders?
P.S. don't worry, i'm not thinking of getting into it. Quite the opposite.
thing is - who knows.
I know for the likes of hamsters, theres one big breeding plant up around scotland area, and that is where all the hamsters come from to be shipped all over the country to pets at home. or at least, thats what I was told by a former worker. I dread to think of the inbreeding that is happening.
smaller scale petshops may have rabbits from professional breeders, or yes unfortunately BYBs. my friend in america did ask a small scale pet shop if they would be interested in her kits to sell, but they already had a "supplier". its difficult as you have no idea where they come from.
the rabbits in P@H aren't one breed, they're mixed. I'd be surprised if they're siblings, I'm pretty sure they throw random ones in together. some are huge, others are tiny, some have lop ears, others have lion manes. I don't think you would get that variation from breeding two rabbits, maybe I am wrong.
but there isn't any regulation just like with designer mutts in dogs, often those are very poor health bc nobody health tests their parents and theres no regulation to stand up too, so who knows what you're getting. probably the same here, they just pump out rabbits on a huge scale for money, then the babies are all thrown in together from the different breeders.
its sad. I wish they wouldn't sell rabbits sometimes. but then you have the issue of people going to back yard breeders instead. I don't know which is worse.