If you're going to breed rabbits...

For god sake breed with conviction!

I have been holding onto this post for quite some time and it's coming out NOW because I'm so sick of seeing the market flooded with garbage quality, often under age and even more often incorrectly identified rabbits.

As an example: I just came across a post advertising "Rex" rabbits that would be available in approximately 2 weeks with pictures of kits that are MAYBE 3 weeks old, have the wrong coat type and the seller can't tell gender yet. Everything about this post was wrong and unethical; Rex have a very identifiable coat - even at 3 weeks old, kits should never leave your rabbitry before 8 weeks (12-16 weeks is ideal, but things happen) and if they are too young to sex check... they're too young to even be weaned.

Here at Adventures Into Wonderland Rabbitry we wean our kits into pairs at 4 weeks old, at this age we can confirm gender with 98% accuracy. At 8 weeks old they are separated into individual cages and allowed to grow until 12 weeks when we do our first round of hard evaluations, lower quality rabbits will be available at that time. Our final round of evaluations for our keepers is done at 16 weeks and we decide who stays and who goes, these will be higher quality rabbits.

Another thing we've been seeing with Easter approaching is people advertising Easter bunnies, this is the worst time of year for any ethical breeder. I don't care if you think your child is old enough, responsible enough or red in the face from holding its breath... we will not sell rabbits as gifts, for any holiday or birthday, PERIOD. These are living, breathing beings who deserve more than being crammed into an undersized cage and forgotten once the newness wears off. Often the care ends up getting shoved off onto another family member who begrudgingly cares for the rabbit, the rabbit gets rehomed to another novice owner or even being set free in a park or neighbors yard because "bunnies live outside". Domestic rabbits have delicate digestive systems and sudden diet changes can make them very ill or cause death; they are also prey animals and are easy pickings for both domestic and wild predators and the random plants they have access too may be covered in chemicals, may be poisonous, or not nutritionally balanced for them to survive. Very rarely the rabbit makes it to a knowledgeable owner, a rescue facility or back to a breeder - be it the original breeder or one who scoops up unwanted Easter bunnies every year.

We happily support youth rabbit ownership and breeding HOWEVER we expect you and your child to have put in some study time about rabbits in general before we consider placing a rabbit in your care. Groups on facebook can be very helpful but can also be full of misinformation, so please make sure to take everything you may see with a grain of salt; seek multiple opinions, ask for references or links, research the stand of perfection, go to a show and talk to breeders in person, absorb as much about these animals BEFORE jumping into owning or breeding rabbits. Our inbox is always open for questions regardless if you decide to purchase a rabbit from us or not, we are here to help the entire community do better and produce better rabbits and we are happy to mentor anyone.

This time of year is also when people begin looking for 4H rabbits and unethical breeders love to offer their unshowable, poor quality rabbits to youth and parents who may not know any better. Some things you will see that you should stay far away from include:

•Rare colour.

•Harlequin or magpie anything that isnt actually the Harlequin breed.

•Breeders who dont know how to properly pose their breed.

•Rabbits with normal coats labeled as Rex or Mini Rex.

•Any rabbit with a white blaze, snip or paws that isn't a Dutch.

•Ice blue eyes on a coloured rabbit or marbled eyes on any rabbit.

•"From show lines" doesnt guarantee any kit in the litter will actually be showable.

This isn't a complete list but for now it serves its purpose in helping steer folks away from some of the most commonly seen unshowable rabbits offered to our youth. Ask to see the rabbit posed if in person or for posed photos from the side, from behind and from above (you can also ask for pictures from the front and of their belly/feet) if you aren't; ask the rabbits weight and the strengths and weaknesses of the rabbit. Do not ask if this rabbit will win because no ethical breeder will guarantee that, we can't - we can only give our opinion of how the rabbits meets the standard in our eyes (or pass on the comments a judge has given that rabbit if it has previously been shown) but any rabbit can have an off day, decide to blow its coat right before a show or it could just be that there is a better rabbit on the table. You can have 3 judges examine the same set of rabbits and have 3 different outcomes, it comes down to their discretion and their interpretation of the standard of perfection. Know that quality rabbits are the result of a ton of work and dedication from breeders before you and that time and effort comes at a cost; some breeders offer discounts to youth breeders involved in 4H, FFA or ARBA to help balance this out.

Regardless of your end goal for breeding rabbits, PLEASE HAVE SOME ETHICS! If you dont know exactly what you have? Admit it. If you can't determine if your rabbit is showable or useful in a breeding program, don't sell it as such. Stop doing nestbox sales or allowing them to be posted in your groups. Pedigrees do not mean quality and aren't needed to show but are helpful when making decisions about breeding. Help create a better community than the one we have now and never stop learning new things to help produce better rabbits.