Is it irresponsible to breed rabbits?

[MROO]

You've gotten lots of good advice and solid opinions from both sides of the breeding issue, here. What it all boils down to is one question. Are you willing to make the hard decisions about letting go? That means thinking beyond simply re-homing extra rabbits. It means being responsible and fully aware of where they're headed before you even introduce a doe and a buck ... and then letting it happen.

Think of it like starting a new business venture, which, if you've never bred rabbits for show or profit, is truly what you are doing. Businesses that start without a plan cannot hope to remain solvent ... or their proprietors sane ... for long. Weigh your options with your eyes open and think it through with your head and your wallet, as well as your heart.

What I've told my daughter is to choose one doe, the best she can afford. Raise it, show it and see how well it does. If she does well in the show ring for the first two seasons, she can start looking around for the best suitable buck for her. Don't buy him, pay the fee for his "services" and see what she ends up with. Rabbit gestation and growth is not all that lengthy, so she'll know pretty quickly if the match was a good one and if her doe is worth breeding. If the results are good, she can try again. If not, she can chalk it up to experience and enjoy her pets.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[Bunnylady]

What I've told my daughter is to choose one doe, the best she can afford. Raise it, show it and see how well it does. If she does well in the show ring for the first two seasons, she can start looking around for the best suitable buck for her.

Just curious - what kind of rabbits is she thinking of breeding? Dwarf breeds are notoriously tough to breed if you don't start relatively young (a year or less) - most likely because the doe gets a bit flabby and out of condition, and the extra body fat messes up her hormones to the point that she won't breed. It is also said that, if you give a producing doe a break for a few months, you have to be prepared for the possibility that she will never breed again. 2 years old is a pretty late start for a small breed. I have bought experienced 2-year-old small breed does, but by then, the price is often going down because breeders know that a doe that age hasn't got the potential to produce many more litters.

 

[MROO]

Just curious - what kind of rabbits is she thinking of breeding?

Not two years - two show seasons. Around here, that means Spring for Breeders' Fair and the summer County/State fairs. If she starts with a Junior doe, she'll be okay. And if she does rabbits at all, they won't be dwarf. I bred and showed Polish and Netherlands as a kid. As rewarding as it was, it's not happenin' again!

Aside from the Easter market, there isn't much call for them, so if she does do rabbits, she'll likely go with a larger meat or pelt rabbit, probably one off of the Livestock Conservancy's Priority List. She likes the Lilacs and the Harlequins. She may opt for an angora, as a very good friend of hers has offered her a kit from their next litter in exchange for her help with vacation pet-sitting. There is a small, but steadily growing natural fiber market in our area - which the vacationing friend is solidly tapped into - but I know how much work angoras are, so let's just say that I'm not overly enthusiastic about that particular option!

 

[Bunnylady]

OK, gotcha. A show season here is generally early Spring - it's just too hot from May to September, to say nothing of the fact that the rabbits will probably be molting, anyway.

A word of warning about Harlequins - I often got 1 -count 'em - 1 showable bunny per litter, and I was considered lucky. Sometimes, you can have half a dozen litters growing out, and not a showable bunny in the lot. I call the Harlequin "the gambler's rabbit;" you have to keep believing that the next roll of the dice is gonna be the jackpot . . . . An awful lot of Harlies are scarecrows under that fancy paint job, because a lot of breeders concentrate on the markings and ignore the rest (which isn't really surprising, since the majority of points are awarded for the markings). The perfect Harlie hasn't been born (sure as shootin', the one on the ARBA website breeds page is photoshopped), and sometimes, your best animals give you nothing but pets. On the other hand, some of my best rabbits were born to parents with DQ's.

 

[mike1970]

if u got a plan I say go for it just be careful u don't end up with a load of bunnies and no homes and you yourself contribute to the shelter numbers

 

[AltonaAcres]

Hey! I think breeding rabbits is fine, especially if you have a market. I've never had trouble selling rabbits.

 

[cassie]

One thing about rabbits is that if you end up with too many you can always eat them. Those cute furry bunnies are delicious.

 

[ellend]

I'm 65 years old. I've known ONE person who has kept their pet rabbit for years and not just stuck it away in a small hutch or cage and ignore it except food and water. Or just given it away or let it loose. Young rabbits are adorable, but the shine wears off and most people aren't even good to their dogs and cats.

 

[cassie]

I'm 65 years old. I've known ONE person who has kept their pet rabbit for years and not just stuck it away in a small hutch or cage and ignore it except food and water. Or just given it away or let it loose. Young rabbits are adorable, but the shine wears off and most people aren't even good to their dogs and cats.

I agree with you. I bred both rabbits and dairy goats for years. I refused to sell either one for pets for the very reasons you mentioned.