Scary wading in on a controversial thread but firstly - Spartacus is gorgeous. Hope he settles in soon and gets over his fears with lots and time and patience (and probably treats)
I got Waffles and DP from a local breeder, 'cos I didn't want to support pet shops and didn't feel experienced enough to take on a rescue bunny with potential behavioural issues from a previous bad situation, or unexpected genetic problems from not knowing their history.
The breeder was a mum, she wasn't in it for profit, she'd just grown up loving animals. She had a lot of pets and a lot of space and the adult bunnies and guinea pigs got to free range under supervision, and got lots of attention from her and her daughter. I think she breeds 'cos she enjoys it - which is selfish - but I wouldn't say she was evil or perfect, just human. She did tell us about their ancestors and confirmed that she's not had any sore hock issues with any of their parents or grandparents. (they're mini rexes)
My bunnies are inquisitive, confident, affectionate and wonderful, happy to be picked up and stroked and (3 months in) I have no regrets about that decision. We are so so lucky to have them. I also massively appreciate the advice and support I've had from more experienced people on the forums, and have a much greater awareness of the bunny world as a result. I also appreicated all the support and advice over neutering, housing etc - has been a weird few months but you got me through it. I also read all the forum posts about bonding issues and medical issues and stasis issues and biting and don't yet feel ready to handle this. OH and I are not going to get any more bunnies until we've had Waffles and DP for a year - so we feel a tiny bit more qualfied to handle anything a bit more complicated. We also wouldn't want to get another bunny if it impacted the time and care we have for our current bunnies. However, we do now have a spare hutch, and a lot of empathy for the plight of the rescue bunny and so I think the future will result in us fostering or adopting from a rescue. And in the meantime we will do our best to help support rescues.
So although maybe we didn't start our bunny family in the most ethical or virtuous place, Waffles and DP are totally the right bunnies for us, and rescues and future rescue bunnies have one more supporter as a result, and two more humans who understand that a hutch is not enough.