I had wanted to raise rabbits for meat years before I actually got to start doing it. when I would mention my desire to raise rabbits for meat, it was most often met with shock or disgust at the thought of me butchering rabbits.

It seems that rabbits are becoming increasingly more popular for pets as well as meat. People are no long disgusted by meat rabbits but instead seemed to be intrigued or even interested in raising rabbits themselves.

I was wondering if this is happening everywhere or just around here.

I think it depends on the circle of people you know. If your friends are among the oblivious "the world is fine, that stuff can't happen in America" type, they will still think you are a heartless bunny eating, tin-foil-hat-wearing-paranoid-lunatic-prepper, but if they are aware of the dire straits we are facing, their attitude is diametrically opposite. If they have been hit hard financially raising rabbits for meat suddenly seems acceptable too, even if they still think the world is safe otherwise.

I already have one family raising rabbits that are expecting their first litters (one Cal doe is crossed with a Rex buck they bought from me!) and at least five other families are interested! I'd say that is a huge surge in interest. Factor in the recent attendance at shows and I'd say rabbits are on the upswing.

As pets, they are much less costly to keep than dogs or cats, so they are a more affordable option for families looking for a new critter.

Living in the suburbs...not to many people accept culling a rabbit for meat or snake food. I had a woman go nuts at the mention of it from a friend that was telling her about a rabbit I recently had to cull because of a malocclusion. She gave me the evil eye and sneer when I came over one day to my friends house and she was there. Never had met the woman. It really depends where you come from. The area I live in people have called this section of Marietta the " East Cobb Snobs". Too many people here are oblivious to where their food comes from, and rather see it loaded with hormones and neatly packaged in front of them. I hoping to buy some rabbit meat from a farmer that raises her silver foxes for meat in the future. Everyone here tells me rabbit meat is delicious! Can't knock it until you try it. Some people accept it though. The rabbits I sell at pets seem to be going mainly to college students or families that truely enjoy rabbits, like mamma said, they want a low cost animal ( for college kids they are perfect who don't want something that barks, but not as reclusive as a cat). I'll have to post a video of my rabbit playing with me. You'd think he's a dog!

We live in a very wealthy, single-entrance neighborhood in the city. (My grandparents bought very well, before the neighborhood became super-expensive and filled with mansions.) Our next-door neighbor is ON THE BOARD of the local animal welfare organization. She pressed me about what we did with the baby rabbits we raised... "Do you sell them as pets?" Finally, backed into a corner, I told her that we raise rabbits for meat. She just about recoiled in surprise. "We don't want to cause any trouble," I said hurriedly, "Meat is becoming so expensive, and we don't make a lot of money. We're just trying to provide food for our family." I saw the idea sinking in, and the initial shock disappearing. Then she did something I did not expect.

She asked what rabbit meat was like.

So I told her. And then mentioned that perhaps we could bring over some rabbit for her to try sometime. And she seemed open to that. I haven't brought it up since, though, concerned that she may decide she really doesn't like having us raising rabbits for meat right next door. There's nothing in the local ordinances, and we have a small rabbitry. I don't know what she could do, but she could make things uncomfortable. We really try to lay low. She wouldn't know about the rabbits at all, actually, if the kids hadn't excitedly pulled her around the back to see them, as we were building the rabbitry. They were in such close, untidy quarters on the patio, that I quickly redirected her to the new rabbitry going up, so she could see the cleaner and much more spacious accommodations they would have soon.

The leader of our 4-H group did mention having me teach a session on meat rabbits, but then the group didn't continue this year.

My supervisor at work raised meat rabbits, she said it was the only thing she could get her daughter to eat and the best meal she ever had was a Silver Marten

Some boaters where my dad works also raise rabbits for meat.

I recently sold one of my does and found a nice NZ/Satin cross buck for a lady in the next town over who is starting out to raise meat rabbits.

Not to mention I've been receiving a huge influx of e-mails from people interested in raising rabbits for meat.

I don't think it's rabbits alone that have become more popular and more accepted as meat rabbits. I think it has to do with the urban homesteading and self sustainability movement that is becoming more and more popular and in urban areas certain by-laws prevent you from having certain meat animals so rabbits become a logical choice because they are considered pets rather than farm animals in most by-laws.