Buying a Rabbit

There are a variety of things to consider when purchasing a rabbit.
  •  why do you want a rabbit - pet, show, breeding, fur, sport animal, meat
  •  how you will house it. - indoors, outdoors, what type of housing
  • where to purchase, what type of rabbitry
  • colour, type, temperament, size, and such like

Much is totally individual preference.

What are you looking for in a rabbit?

As much as people LOVE to look for a certain colour, your first choice should be health and temperament.  If you have one, but not the other.. make a pass.

if you have both go YEAH!!!  and then look at all the other options....size, colour, type etc.   Depending on your purpose for the rabbit determines what order of preference all the rest are in.

If you breed for show, type will be more important.  If you want a nice pet, choose the colour and size that works best for you and such like.  :)

  • Temperament: not all rabbits are sweet and cuddly, just as not all people are sweet and cuddly.  EVERY rabbit has it's own personality, and EVERY rabbit responds to its environment differently.    Did you know that a rabbit that is sweet and kind in one rabbitry can turn into a wild child  when introduced to a new home?       You can help to shape a rabbit's personality by how you treat it, but you are not solely responsible.   Neither is the breeder or the previous owner.   Rabbits are all unique individuals and need to be treated as such.    Keeping that in mind.... if you have a chance to buy from a breeder ask what the personalities of the parents are like.  IF the owner mentions the doe is bossy, or that she needs to wear gloves to handle her.. you may not wish to get one of her kits since temperament is partially hereditary -- unless of course you LIKE dominant rabbits and the unique challenges they bring.   IF the breeder mentions that being bitten by a rabbit is a normal thing... be alert!  IF getting from a rescue and they tell you that you will need to be patient with your new rabbit... decide how patient you want to be.  If the rabbit is highly territorial and you are a new rabbit owner, might not be the best mix.
  • Colour: quite frankly colour really isn't all that important in the long run of things.  BUT if you have the temperament you want then go for the colour you like.  :)
  • Age: Baby bunnies are fun!  You can help shape their temperament by how you handle them.   You can also teach them tricks...some good, some not so good by how you respond to your rabbit.   Remember that like all babies... mistakes happen, that introducing new foods can be problematic so MAKE SURE you get a small bag of the feed they are used to going home with you.    Do NOT discount older rabbits.   Some older rabbits can make EXCELLENT pets.   But note: not all rabbits have the personality to be a pet rabbit, that's just reality.     Just as not all people thrive in a given environment, not all rabbits can thrive in a particular environment.
  • Gender: each gender can have it's own issues.  For instance: girls can become cage protective, boys can spray (so can girls for that matter).  Neutering/Spaying tends to take care of those problems quickly.    Overall I find that bucks can be calmer, does have a bit more spirit.   So it all depends on what you are looking for and there are ALWAYS exceptions to every tendency found.
  • Showability: Matters only if you are looking for an animal that you can show.  :)   Then look your rabbit over carefully.  DO NOT be annoyed with the breeder if your rabbit ends up going bigger than what was expected.  What you are buying is what you see at the time, and if purchasing a young bunny you are buying it PLUS it's potential, but potential is NEVER EVER locked in stone.   Just isn't. 
  • Pet-worthiness: not every rabbit should be a pet for every single rabbit owner.  Different rabbits, different temperaments.  Different owners, different expectations and abilities.    That's just the way it is.   Some rabbits require an owner that is confident in their handling of their pets, other pets could care less as long as you are kind to it (aka don't purposefully hurt it, give it tasty yummies), and then there are pets who are inbetween.  For the most part with rabbits, if you handle them regularly, treat them nicely, and remind them of their manners (hold their head down and say NO when acting poorly) they will respond in kind to you.

Where to Find a Rabbit

Let me make one thing clear:  wherever you go to get a rabbit, make sure that health is your FIRST priority.  No health, no sale.
Look for clean ears, eyes and nose, no matting on front legs.
No diarrhea.  No Snot.  No Sneezing.

Options for buying a rabbit

  • Breeder: Let me be VERY clear here.   There are a WHOLE variety of breeders out there.   AND there are good and bad breeders of EVERY variety out there.   Know this.  Go in with open eyes and ears.
  • 1. the show rabbit breeder.   Their focus is SOLELY on producing rabbits that fit what a showable rabbit should be.  They breed for type first and foremost.   They may or may not wish to sell pet rabbits.   They may wish you to sign a non-breeding contract.  Just so you know... those contracts are worthless.  Once you own the rabbit it is YOURS.

  • 2. The breeder without a health guarantee.   They have 1-10 does usually, normally in the popular breeds of rabbit to own.   They want to sell their rabbits young and quickly.  Some will start to sell them before they are properly weaned, some don't worry about health, some merely just want to sell the babies cheap and get them out of their house.   Don't always know.     

  • 3.  The strictly for pets, rabbit breeders.   These folks make a small living (one does NOT get rich or make a good living off rabbits).   But ones who breed rabbits to make a profit.    These folks have it in their OWN best interests to sell good quality rabbits, that are healthy and sound temperamentally.    They tend to offer health guarantees, handle their babies a lot, and give you a rabbit care sheet.      

  • 4. Those that float between the worlds of all that is rabbity.    Nothing wrong with floating between worlds.  They have their show stock, they may breed a variety of rabbits, may have rabbits that are for playing around with, and such like.  They don't really fit into one world or the other as they belong in both.   

  • Pet stores.  pet stores are always a bit of a gamble, you are counting on the honesty of the person selling the rabbits AND on the knowledge of the pet store employees.

  • Rescues.  These places take the cast offs of society.   Often there is reason....rabbits aren't temperamentally sound, have a health issues, and such like.  Many rabbits at rescues can be good sound animals, but some can also NOT be.   Remember that the rabbit you see is what you are buying and choose wisely.   IF you go to a rescue and the rabbits are kept in unfit conditions.. DO NOT adopt a rabbit from them.  Simply do NOT do it.    Rabbits should be clean, kept in sanitary conditions, and be bright eyed checking you out.   Most will be mixed breeds.

  • It's all good folks.  :)   What you need to do is be alert to whom you are buying from, and know that what you are buying is the rabbit IN FRONT OF YOU.  Not their parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, the rabbit you had that looked just like it.  you are buying THAT rabbit.   So make sure it's healthy and find a good pet. :)

    • Open/Closed Rabbitries

    Closed rabbitries:  Just what is a closed rabbitry?   A closed rabbitry is one where NO ONE is allowed into the rabbitry that is not intimately connected with it.   Generally they have a very good isolation protocol set up.    The reasons for doing so vary from having illness carried in once and they don't want to go through that again, or their neighbour had animal control called unjustly on them and ergo they don't want to give any cause to anyone to do the same to them, sometimes it's to protect new does who can be highly protective of their kits, sometimes it's to prevent theft, and so on and so forth.  There are a mirade of reasons to keep a closed rabbitry.JUST AS.. there are mirade of reasons to have an open rabbitry.    

    Open Rabbitries:   In an open rabbitry you are able to show people how breeding rabbits can be safely kept.  You can teach, explain, show, and such like.   Are there risks involved?  Yes.. people can scope your place out and steal a rabbit (been there, had that happen), Illness can be brought it (been there, dealt with it), people can poke your rabbits and be cruel to them (been there, instituted rules about what people can and cannot do with my rabbits), and through it all I taught others what to do.  I showed off my pride and joys.  I saw wonder in a small child's eyes when they saw a brand new baby bunny for the first time.     I showed moms/dads how to handle a dominant doe and that dominance doesn't mean being mean...it means it's a smart rabbit who will make you think.  I've also shown them how to approach a shy doe and cause her to want to come to you.  :)     Does it mean I let EVERYONE into my rabbitry?   By no means.   And it is all at my discretion.