Good breeders have purebred pedigreed rabbits that they don’t use for crossbreeding, they value their animals and have few litters from their does each year. They will happily show you pictures of the sire and dam and the living conditions of the rabbits. Many breeders don’t allow people to visit their rabbitries since the majority of breeders have their rabbitry at home. Don’t be alarmed if a breeder wants to meet you elsewhere when buying a rabbit, I personally don’t feel comfortable inviting strangers in my home. The health and well being is the breeders top priority, second being producing show quality animals free of faults and health problems.
They will have a good relationship with an exotic vet and encourage rabbit owners to spay or neuter their rabbits to prevent unplanned litters and grumpy bunnies. Some breeders are able to buy medication and other supplies directly from their exotic vet making them able to treat common illnesses at home such as snuffles or wry neck. It’s good to ask a breeder what exotic vets they recommend before you buy, it can be hard finding people experienced with rabbits. When talking about health problems in rabbits sometimes the word “cull” will be used, cull means something different now. 100 years ago it meant kill but now it just means “quarantine and don’t use in a breeding program”. From there the rabbit will be treated and sold as a pet or euthanized if treatment isn’t an option.
Breeders are pro-shelter and anti-pet store, we would much rather see people adopt than support pet stores as most rabbits end up in shelters after one year of being bought. Also chain pet stores buy rabbits from “suppliers”, large scale breeding operations that care about nothing other than keeping up with demand and making profit, they are commonly referred to as mills. It’s very common for breeders to donate rabbit supplies to shelters, foster rabbits or become rabbit rescues themselves. They will often volunteer at adoption events or help raise money. It’s better to adopt a rabbit if you don’t care about health history, breed or colour.
If adopting doesn’t work for you then you can begin looking for breeders in your area, some breeds are more common in certain areas than others so it may take a lot of research. When buying a rabbit you can ask what the quality of the rabbit is, all breeders break up their litters into three categories based on how they conform to the standard of perfection. They will be pet, brood or show quality, the cheapest being pet and the most expensive being show quality. If you don’t mind what the quality is and just are looking for a pet that is a specific breed you don’t have to ask. Some breeders will give you a pedigree when you pick up the rabbit, others reserve pedigrees for brood and show rabbits. Lastly a good breeder will give you all the care information you’ll need and won’t get upset if you ask plenty of questions when you inquire about a rabbit, we want to make sure you are educated on the species before you buy.
