Tim McLoughlin
New Kit
Hi everyone, my first post but please I am really keen to canvas opinion. I used to breed and show rabbits many years ago in less enlightened times in the 1970s for about 20 years. Back then I kept English Lops and later Dwarf Lops. I have plenty of space and was thinking about keeping and possibly breeding rabbits again, but...
Looking at all the excellent research that has been done about welfare standards I am now questioning as to whether it is even ethical to start such an endevour. I was planning on having a small number and selling any offspring to pet homes with the proviso that if needed the rabbits can be returned to me if needed. I see lots of adverts of people selling very young animals because 'the kids have lost interest' type reasons and so am wondering if perhaps I should go a different route?
Perhaps starting by creating a spacious and stimulating environment for a pair of rescues and seeing how it goes for a few years and take it from there? Given that the major animal welfare organisations seem to talk alot about the need for rabbits to be kept in social groups, how then can anyone keep unneutered animals at all?
I know there are lots of super rabbit breeders out there and I would hear your views/ideas so that I might take the right steps forward and not repeat mistakes made in the past. Many thanks, Tim.
Looking at all the excellent research that has been done about welfare standards I am now questioning as to whether it is even ethical to start such an endevour. I was planning on having a small number and selling any offspring to pet homes with the proviso that if needed the rabbits can be returned to me if needed. I see lots of adverts of people selling very young animals because 'the kids have lost interest' type reasons and so am wondering if perhaps I should go a different route?
Perhaps starting by creating a spacious and stimulating environment for a pair of rescues and seeing how it goes for a few years and take it from there? Given that the major animal welfare organisations seem to talk alot about the need for rabbits to be kept in social groups, how then can anyone keep unneutered animals at all?
I know there are lots of super rabbit breeders out there and I would hear your views/ideas so that I might take the right steps forward and not repeat mistakes made in the past. Many thanks, Tim.