Is it ok to buy from a show breeder?

[weeble]

Sorry to be so ignorant but where do the rabbits in rescue come from

Many of them come from people who decide they no longer want or cant afford their pets. Often they get bought as childrens pets and the child gets bored or the bun isnt cuddly enough. Some are from places like Pets At Home where they have wanted to buy two buns of the same sex and ended up with opposites and a lot more buns than they bargained for.

Two of my rescue buns were found as strays and one was from a hobby breeder who decided they had too much stock and handed them in to a rescue. The main issue is that there is more rabbits than there is people wanting to offer them homes

 

[breeze]

do what you feel right not what others say is right.as long as the breeder looks after her rabbits well and they have the right sized hutchs etc i dont see a problem.i would love a rescue but once i told them i had 3 children they werent interested

 

[Sky-O]

Sorry to be so ignorant but where do the rabbits in rescue come from

They might be rabbits that have been neglected, abandoned, who have escaped and found as strays, who the owners feel they can no longer care for (due to children, money, new pets, moving house, illness- I got the most lovely, overloved rabbit from my rescue because her owner was ill and couldn't look after her anymore).

One of mine was the overloved girl I mention up there, Roger was a wildie who was mistakenly captured, Tilly was seized by an RSPCA Officer for neglect, Autumn was abandoned in a box, Rosie was not wanted anymore.

 

[Crunchie]

Sorry if I am just being ignorant, I would not buy from a pet shop or a back yard breeder, but is it acceptable to buy from a show breeder?

Given how many bunnies are in rescues just now I'd be too ashamed to buy from any breeder but as others have said if you're not bothered then just do whatever suits you.

 

[happybun]

matthew and tabitha came from a show breeder who does look after her animals and doesn't sell to the pet trade. the animals she can't show she sells to families for pets, complete with good advice, food and ongoing contact if you want it - and she takes returns if you can't cope. there are many people on here who have had rabbits from pet shops, including the much maligned pets@home, from breeders, from small ads, from neighbours, from accidental breeding...

get the bunnies you can love. don't feel guilty.

 

[Doghouse135]

To be fair too, it's not always easy getting help from rescues. I've been trying to adopt a doe from a rescue but have asked for help with the bonding.

Even after asking on here I've had NO LUCK - so therefore my assumption is that there is not a rescue in Kent or Essex that can help. I've tried phoning several too.

However, I've had 3 breeders offer to bond for me and even re-bond if need be after the spay - not a route I wish to go down but I have to say, they've been more helpful to me than some of the rescues I've contacted.

Horses for courses as they say :?

 

[clutterydrawer]

You need to do whatever feels right for you. Trust your gut instinct and follow it.

^ This.

It is your choice. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will remin a member here and tell us all about your new bunnies (with lots of photos of course!) whichever route you go with.

 

[blue_vix]

If you look on the breeder websites you can get a feel for if they are any good or not- like what size hutches they are recommending. There are breeders who also rehome. I have 3 rescue bunnies (two from breeders who also rescued and rehomed and one through this forum) and one from a breeder, Toby, who is a rare breed I fell in love with. I doubt I would have got one through a rescue. there are littrally hundreds of breeder websites to look at and get an idea. They are often offering rabbits unsuitable for breeding as well. I think so long as you are happy that they are responsible and not breeding for profit then it's up to you and how you feel really

 

[Starlight]

To be fair too, it's not always easy getting help from rescues. I've been trying to adopt a doe from a rescue but have asked for help with the bonding.

Even after asking on here I've had NO LUCK - so therefore my assumption is that there is not a rescue in Kent or Essex that can help. I've tried phoning several too.

However, I've had 3 breeders offer to bond for me and even re-bond if need be after the spay - not a route I wish to go down but I have to say, they've been more helpful to me than some of the rescues I've contacted.

Horses for courses as they say :?

You should have called me

We do bonding, and have plenty of young females for adoption.

 

[bensonlola]

A show breeder does not mean a breeder is reputable.

If you are going to buy from a breeder then ideally s/he needs to be reputable. You need to see their premises, meet their bunnies (i.e. do they look healthy, bright, interested, etc), be given a care info pack if you want to buy from them, be given two weeks worth of food. You need to find out about any genetic problems and meet the relatives of the rabbit you want to buy.

Have you thought of maybe adopting from a rescue?

This is what I did, but if I were to do it all again, I would rescue. Although mine were destined for the pet shop so I still think I did rescue them. Even though all of the above was satisfied - even the best breeder keeps their rabbits alone and in cages that are too small. When rescues are full to bursting I'd love to rescue a couple more but I don't have the room or time or money for any more animals!! The breeder I got mine from is still happy to be at the other end of the phone for me and does give good advice about feeding etc but are his rabbits happy?? I'm not so sure, even though they are well bred, for temperment and health as well as looks etc.

 

[KoShiatar]

I had my Mango from a breeder since I could find no suitable rescue males in my area and all went well, he's an adorable bunny who loves everybody.
I only suggest to buy from a breeder if it's a good breeder, one that will look after their animals with love. Don't buy from someone who neglects their rabbits because you will only make space for more to be bred.
To be a good breeder one must, in my opinion, take care to see where his buns will go live, not breed more animals than he can cope with, and so on.
I don't think it's totally bad to buy from one such breeder if you don't have many other choices. I would feel an hypocrite to tell you "No, you MUST go to a rescue!" because that's not what I did, the first time out of simple ignorance though.

 

[pigsforlife]

They might be rabbits that have been neglected, abandoned, who have escaped and found as strays, who the owners feel they can no longer care for (due to children, money, new pets, moving house, illness- I got the most lovely, overloved rabbit from my rescue because her owner was ill and couldn't look after her anymore).

Also many get the impression that rabbits in rescues are old - that there are no young ones. This is not the case. Frequently rescues get in pregnant does who give birth at the rescue, or like Noah are surrendered at a young age (he was only 8 wks old )

 

[Doghouse135]

You should have called me

We do bonding, and have plenty of young females for adoption.

I might still need to :lol:

I am determined to find him a wife

 

[clutterydrawer]

Also many get the impression that rabbits in rescues are old - that there are no young ones. This is not the case. Frequently rescues get in pregnant does who give birth at the rescue, or like Noah are surrendered at a young age (he was only 8 wks old )

Very true - and another misconception is that rescue rabbits are all ill, or have bad temperaments....not the case at all.


I'm sure the OP already knows that but it never hurts to mention it again for anyone else who's reading :lol:

 

[pigsforlife]

Very true - and another misconception is that rescue rabbits are all ill, or have bad temperaments....not the case at all.

:thumb:Rescue animals are often healthier - they are usually fully health checked (by a vet), spay/nuetered and vaccinated. You dont often get that sort of service from a breeder, plus breeders often charge an arm and a leg. I am so glad we got Noah through the rescue, she was a great help and very supportive especially when I was trying to bond them.

 

[georgie_f]

I was going to jump into this and say don't buy from a breeder, but as six out of seven of my buns came from pet shops, I don't think I can.

My pet shop buns are all around five years old now - bought back when I had no concept of the situation in rescue. Brian came from a pet shop and isn't a year old yet - he was bought for me as a birthday present. :roll: Cloud has been my most recent bunny and she came from the RSPCA. I've also had other RSPCA buns in the past and a lot that have been 'dumped' on me when friends and family have got bored of them. And a stray... I've had a lot of bunnies! :lol:

I think every bun, regardless of where they came from, deserves a good home. If you have your heart set on the breeders rabbits now, then go and get them.

I will say though, show breeders are notorious for just breeding for looks - what is the breed you are looking into buying? Different breeds can suffer different health issues. For example, show standard nethies and mini lops etc have very short faces and often end up with dental problems. Giant buns are bred for size and often die before their third birthday due to the strain on their hearts. Also check the babies you take haven't been inbred.

I'm not saying all show breeders breed sick animals - but it is far more likely that their babies will develop more problems than a simple cross breed from a rescue.