The Bunny Chat Thread - For Bunny Owners

[ChocolateMouse]

Did you feed them with the beaks and everything on?

I want a snake again but my DH won’t let me I don’t think. My bearded dragon is pretty big right now, but she loves her roaches. Our leopard gecko is a feisty monster, he’s 8 years old.

We did. They were small chicks, not yet feathered out so under 8 weeks. No way an aggressive 6' boa was gonna have trouble with them though we did watch him to make sure eating went smoothly every time. I'm sure some of us have seen the horror stories of snakes getting into a bantam coop or a brooder and having a snack - snakes eat birds in the wild and a varied diet can be good for them. The poops were WAY grosser on chickens than on rabbits or rats tho - I think 'cause of the feathers.

I agree, snakes need food too. I just meant if you wanted to sell them as pets you would want to be careful that they were to be well taken care of.
I love snakes, they're so cute. Little noodles
And oh my gosh, accepting questions and answering them is so important. Ice seen people that just dont take the time to answer questions then they go to someone that doesn't care who they go to and they end up having health issues, or the people dont know how to care for them.

It is, but like you say not everyone will put up with being questioned. So I try to keep my questions short and to the point. I try to get as much thinking and information into a customer as possible without spooking them away. If I feel like THEY are asking questions I will go whole ham on giving them whatever information they want any time. But if they are reluctant it's like a guessing game and I worry they'll just go somewhere else rather than answering only a few simple questions.

 

[Fishychix]

I love all this feedback! I wanted to do a lot of this, asking questions, high price, etc. I even thought of asking them to take a picture of their setup to show me. I just thought that would be too anal and wouldn’t get any customers. I guess I shouldn’t second guess myself too much. They only thing though is if I don’t sell all of them, I don’t have much room to keep the extras. They would be hard to sell as snake food at 8 weeks. I’d be too attached. I don’t have an issue with snake food. As long as the animal is used and not wasted, it’s good. I had a friend who fed her culls to her dogs. Best fed dogs in the neighborhood! She raised both for show.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I would suggest you go easy on it, don't ask unnecessary questions, but ask 100% some. My top two are, why do you want it and what sort of setup are you considering. This tells me a LOT about the person who is buying and also tells me a lot about which rabbit would be best for them.

For example, a larger proven doe rabbit with a feisty personality might not be good for someone looking for showing a pet rabbit in 4H but could do well for an adult homesteader. Someone looking to show or breed for meat won't want the sweet but mediocre rabbit from a litter of 3 but someone buying their first animal after moving into their own home might. If they're contacting me for a rex/NZW rabbit as a pet, I get the feeling they might not know what they're getting into since purchasing a huge commercial rabbit as a pet. If they contact me about it for meat breeding, I know they're trying to learn as much as they can so they can be successful at producing a product.

It also lets me tell them whether my rabbits are suitable, like "I've got an 18"x30" cage in my living room that I plan on leaving open except at night" is not going to work for an 11lb NZW but might work for a mini rex. If they're asking for a NZW with that setup it tells me their education level about rabbit care. You can get a lot of information from just a couple of questions so DEFINITELY ask.

I know some people who ask for pictures of the cage. That's not too weird. But every barrier you put between you and a customer you have to ask how many people you will lose along the way. Like, I refuse to go through dog adoption agencies any more. I ended up getting my third dog through a direct rescue from their old owners because of how wack rescues requirements were. So just make your choices with care.

 

[FortCluck]

I would suggest you go easy on it, don't ask unnecessary questions, but ask 100% some. My top two are, why do you want it and what sort of setup are you considering. This tells me a LOT about the person who is buying and also tells me a lot about which rabbit would be best for them.

For example, a larger proven doe rabbit with a feisty personality might not be good for someone looking for showing a pet rabbit in 4H but could do well for an adult homesteader. Someone looking to show or breed for meat won't want the sweet but mediocre rabbit from a litter of 3 but someone buying their first animal after moving into their own home might. If they're contacting me for a rex/NZW rabbit as a pet, I get the feeling they might not know what they're getting into since purchasing a huge commercial rabbit as a pet. If they contact me about it for meat breeding, I know they're trying to learn as much as they can so they can be successful at producing a product.

It also lets me tell them whether my rabbits are suitable, like "I've got an 18"x30" cage in my living room that I plan on leaving open except at night" is not going to work for an 11lb NZW but might work for a mini rex. If they're asking for a NZW with that setup it tells me their education level about rabbit care. You can get a lot of information from just a couple of questions so DEFINITELY ask.

I know some people who ask for pictures of the cage. That's not too weird. But every barrier you put between you and a customer you have to ask how many people you will lose along the way. Like, I refuse to go through dog adoption agencies any more. I ended up getting my third dog through a direct rescue from their old owners because of how wack rescues requirements were. So just make your choices with care.

Good advice!

 

[Fishychix]

Any one have an opinion on “purchase” vs “adopt”? Just curious.
I started writing out some pointers and a refund policy and called it a Purchase Agreement. It’ll definitely need work. Due to certain factors, I’m not allowed to run a business out of my house. I really don’t understand the details of it. I wonder if having Purchase Agreement and charging taxes makes it too official. Another reason to move!

 

[FortCluck]

Any one have an opinion on “purchase” vs “adopt”? Just curious.
I started writing out some pointers and a refund policy and called it a Purchase Agreement. It’ll definitely need work. Due to certain factors, I’m not allowed to run a business out of my house. I really don’t understand the details of it. I wonder if having Purchase Agreement and charging taxes makes it too official. Another reason to move!

Why can’t you sell bunnies? That wouldn’t be a business... you have to make so much a year to be considered a business, I forgot the amount.

Adoption to me is for animals that have been abandoned or turned in by their owners.

Purchase to me is buying an animal that has been born on the property and weened.

 

[Fishychix]

Why can’t you sell bunnies? That wouldn’t be a business... you have to make so much a year to be considered a business, I forgot the amount.

Adoption to me is for animals that have been abandoned or turned in by their owners.

Purchase to me is buying an animal that has been born on the property and weened.

It’s not that I can’t sell them, it’s that I can’t run a business out of my house. The “example” given to me when we purchased is that I can’t run a daycare center, etc. You know know because I’m a woman and running daycare center, even though the knew I worked full time at an Insurance company, would be the only business I’d be interested in. I can only imagine the look on my face as I bit my tongue, hard.

Regarding adoption vs purchase: that was my thinking as well, but I have seen a few breeders online that specify you are adopting and Not buying. They also had lots of strict rules, that I really don’t know how they think they’re going to enforce. At least one also had the words Legal Action in their adoption policy. Needless to say I didn’t stick around their site after that.

 

[FortCluck]

It’s not that I can’t sell them, it’s that I can’t run a business out of my house. The “example” given to me when we purchased is that I can’t run a daycare center, etc. You know know because I’m a woman and running daycare center, even though the knew I worked full time at an Insurance company, would be the only business I’d be interested in. I can only imagine the look on my face as I bit my tongue, hard.

Regarding adoption vs purchase: that was my thinking as well, but I have seen a few breeders online that specify you are adopting and Not buying. They also had lots of strict rules, that I really don’t know how they think they’re going to enforce. At least one also had the words Legal Action in their adoption policy. Needless to say I didn’t stick around their site after that.

Are you renting?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Any one have an opinion on “purchase” vs “adopt”? Just curious.
I started writing out some pointers and a refund policy and called it a Purchase Agreement. It’ll definitely need work. Due to certain factors, I’m not allowed to run a business out of my house. I really don’t understand the details of it. I wonder if having Purchase Agreement and charging taxes makes it too official. Another reason to move!

I always get antsy around people who are selling using the term adopt because A) it feels deceptive (these aren't an oops litter or an unwanted pet being rehomed) and B) it usually indicates these people have some sort of crazy high standards I won't meet. But I don't think it's inherently wrong, just my feels on it.

Also, a business usually means something registered and on the books. Personally I deal in cash only and make a small enough amount from my transactions that they wouldn't be taxable so I never charge or file taxes in regards to my "business". Plus we're not registered as a business anywhere. This is more like me just selling Stuff out of my home. Like a garage sale.

 

[Compost King]

I do not trust people who have adoption fees on an animal. like someone said before, it sounds deceptive. Not sure why people came up with such a term but if I am paying money for a product (like a rabbit) its being sold to me and thats not an adoption, its a sale. I feel that it dehumanizes human children who need adoption. To use such terms for pets and or livestock just does sit well with me.