For anyone considering breeding a rabbit.
I thought id do a thread for anyone considering breeding.
As a breeder i want to get across the message of breeding.
1) do you know the last 4 generations of the rabbit? if you do not know then dont breed as you could breed in all sorts of genetic problems, just because your bun dont show these problems dont mean there not lurking waiting to come out!
2) Are they cross breed or are you considering cross breeding? if so DONT! there are so many cross bred bunnys in rescue's longing for that special home!
3) Money? do you have the money to feed a litter until theyre approx 8-12 weeks? believe it or not you will NEVER make money on selling a litter of rabbits, i sell my french lops at approx £40 yet still make NO money as i have to upkeep the hutches, buy food, hay, straw, wood shavings, get jabs done, pay for paper and printing for birth certificates etc the list is never ending and thats without any vet care thats needed!
4) Time? It takes alot of time looking after rabbits and kits, i spend more time in my rabbitry than i do indoors LOL i have to go in the morning to top up water and give hay then in the evening to feed and every 2nd day clean litter trays and weekly clean the whole lot out which can take me a few hours to do all of them. more time needs to be taken with babies as the does hutch needs cleaning everyday.
5) Can you handle heartbreak? If the doe was to turn on the litter or abandon them could you handle it? or if just 1 wasnt to survive? its hard and heartbreaking!! could you raise a litter if mum couldnt? or if mum was to die? you have to feed that litter every 2 hours with formula and this has to be done with care or you can drown them!
There are so many reason's NOT to breed and im sure others will offer more of these reason's but i thought i would just add some of them incase your thinking "oh it would be nice to see what rabbit X and rabbit Y's babies would look like".
Leave it to people like myself to do the research and raise healthy strong rabbits.
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Exhibitor and breeder of blue eye white french lops
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