Is this a good deal?

I am in the planning stages of getting rabbits for meat (and would try to sell extras at times if possible).

http://missoula.craigslist.org/grd/5402969227.html

I am not really ready for rabbits, I don't like that cages are 32 in deep, and had not planned on having so many. But the deal would be in the purchase of the whole thing.

Thoughts?

I would ask DBA since he makes those cages himself. He would have a good idea at the overall cost, and if you're going to be paying too much, or getting a good deal.

If you are just getting set up and are only intending to raise meat for yourself, that's a LOT of rabbits. I read somewhere that 3 or 4 does and a buck can produce in a year more meat than a cow. So, unless you're setting up to sell, or have a HUGE family to feed, your costs to keep all those alive would outweigh any benefit from raising the meat. You could cull what you don't need and eat those, but the older meat isn't near as palatable without stewing. Now, if you can resell what you don't need early on, perhaps it would work well for you. But, too many people get the wrong impression of raising their own rabbit meat by starting too big and getting overwhelmed. They end up quitting and giving it all up. I researched this for nearly a year before committing to going through with it. I bought my rabbits this past August, and actually bought more than I had originally intended. I got mine from someone who realized she didn't have the heart to butcher, and I bought all she had. 6 rabbits, 2 adults and 4 of their juvenile offspring. I culled one of the juvenile males, and kept the other one as replacement. That left 2 juvenile females. The adult female is currently raising a litter. And one of the younger females just kindled yesterday.

So, I am working with 3 does and 2 bucks atm. Had I started with as many as you have in that ad, I must confess that it would have been a hurdle for me. What I have can produce more than what I have need for and I may end up culling out a doe. I'm feeding just me with my rabbits. And even on a light breeding schedule I may end up with more than I can use.

Having said all that, I would be remiss if I didn't express the satisfaction I gain from keeping my rabbits. Each one has its own personality, and it's interesting interacting with each. I am careful to not allow them to be thought of as pets, because that would get in my way when the inevitable comes. But, a couple of my breeders come very close to that designation, especially my working buck, he's a real sweetheart.

Just be aware that your rabbits are totally dependent on you for their very lives. Be careful to not allow that dependence to become too heavy of a chore or you will lose the satisfaction to be had, and they may suffer from it as well. Good luck!

Stephanie - I think you make good points. It kind of looks like this person did exactly what you describe...had good intentions and "went all out" and can't give the time and care needed so wants out. i absolutely know I don't want 15 rabbits. If I were to contemplate this I would certainly sell many of them. One issue is this person lives way, way...out in the middle of now where and I think more people have not shown interest (I have been watching this ad for awhile and s/he keeps renewing it so think s/he is not having much luck). I live in an area that is closer to civilization so perhaps could sell the ones I don't need.

I have been reading about how much cages cost and the materials to make them and that is one of the attractiveness of this ad. Again I don't like cages that are so deep, but all the wire s/he purchased to make more cages. I could potentially sell cages with rabbits and make sizes I like from the wire.

I'm just not sure what to do? Buying something with the plan to sell it can be risky. But I also know this is a good time of year if people are thinking about getting into rabbits. I see Rex rabbits in my area going for $20 - $35.

I know I want rabbits, need cages or to make cages, I hope to get a good deal and it seems like a good deal from a financial standpoint.

I agree that the price is decent. I also heartily agree that the 32" depth is a bit much. Reaching in a cage to get a hold of a rabbit that is running from you would be nearly impossible without ripping your arms on the opening and possibly damaging the door at that depth. And your comment about using the available wire to make the sizes you want is also agreeable. And don't forget that the existing cages can be cut down and re-assembled to whatever size you want, saving some labor and wire. The way I would approach the decision would be to ask yourself, "If I cannot resell anything, am I willing to accept the excess and just ignore the potential loss?" In other words, can you afford to not have access to that money for a while, possibly a long while?

Edited to add: One other question you might want to consider is what breed were you planning on getting? And is the breed offered acceptable?

It looks like a good deal to me. I would defiantly quarantine anything and scrub and sanitize everything. If I had the cash and it was close I'd jump on it.

Just saw the sizes of the cage. You can always shrink down the cages or in large them if necessary.

Stephanie -
Good questions for me to ponder...
This is one of the breeds on the top of my list. I know they are good meat animals, I love the coats and the geneticist in me love the colors and patterns. So as far as breed I'm totally fine with Rex.

I could afford the $ and would not be in a financial bind of I could not sell the excess rabbits. The hardest part would probably be butchering perfectly good breeding rabbits. Not that I can't kill a critter (the is my husband, he is such a soft heart), I would just hate butchering a rabbit that could easily be a breeder for someone.

My ideal was 3 does and a buck. That would mean selling 11 rabbits (they are advertising 11 does and 4 bucks). So even if I had to butcher some because I could not sell them...is the rest of what I got worth the $?

I sometimes bite off more than I can chew so I am hesitant. My husband is a stay and home dad so he could take care of them while I work.

Spring is a better time but they are available now.

I'm just not sure...

Looks good to me you could always use them for awhile see if the size is actually a good size then just cut them down if you find them too big.

wamplercathy":qjzhrv7x said:

It looks like a good deal to me. I would defiantly quarantine anything and scrub and sanitize everything. If I had the cash and it was close I'd jump on it.

Just saw the sizes of the cage. You can always shrink down the cages or in large them if necessary.

Click to expand...

I don't have any rabbits right now so would not be bringing anything in to infect anything.

If it was my decision .... I'd skip this deal.

Its more than you want , the cages don't suit you and you'll spend a lot of time and probably money retrofitting things to get it how you want.

The fact that you can easily get Rex for a reasonable price in your area is another reason .... if that's what you choose to go with and I don't think you can go wrong with the breed as they are a multi-purpose breed , pretty much do it all - meat , fur , pet , show .... as long as you are willing to keep them a few weeks longer than other more single purpose meat breeds.
If they were harder to find , it might make the deal more attractive.

I'd start with new equipment and build everything to my needs / wants rather than trying to retrofit someone else's stuff , I'd never be happy with it otherwise.

Ramjet -
Very good points. I checked with Bass and to order 4 cages in the size I want (18 H x 24 D x 36 W) with upgrades for baby saver wire, better floors and swing out doors including shipping it is about $200.

I would probably spend around $100 getting a buck and 2-3 does of the Rex breed (to include gas to go get them).

The water system with heated cable is attractive but I could probably find that too. I have several new jay feeders. I do think his/her wire is probably a good deal.

Perhaps I will consider just the purchase of a few of his/her rabbits as from the photos they look fairly good (although I know you can't really tell until you handle them).

If I had more room and knew I had an out for the young (raw feeders, snake owners, people wanting to purchase breeders, etc.) it would probably be a good deal.

Thanks for the thoughts.

list the pros and cons.

some pros:
decent price, persons been trying to sell for a while so may be willing to deal to get them gone
instant freezer food
rabbit wire isn't cheap
rabbits look well cared for

Some cons
need to retrofit cages
sooner than you planned
more rabbits than you immediately need - so you want to butcher or try to sell
query how they are suspended and if taking them down will cause damage to the cages
the kits look scared so query how much they have been handled

You may be able to add to both lists.

I'd pass personally, but only because I got a similar deal with cage sizes I COULD use for $100 (and even then I hummed and hawwed for several days). If it isn't an insanely and I mean insanely good deal I'm not interested and @ $700, I'm just not really seeing it. I could get brand new KW cages in sizes I want @ $87 ea. (less than 500$ for 5 3-hole cages - the ones pictured are single hole!) and just wait until they do a deal at a local show so that shipping is free. Then maybe $20 a head @$300 total ($20 is being generous as there's no pedigree and at least one of those is defo not pure rex, it has a lop face?). then the feeders and waterer setup. Basically, yes it adds up but it sounds like not enough to make up for all the effort we are talking as you'd also have to have it in you to build 5 cages to make up for the difference and still sell the ones you have + them. Then selling the rabbits too.


With the $100 deal; I got an automatic watering system with float, pvc tubing, and everything just needing hooked up to a water source. Feeders, 3 3-hole cages (so 9 individual compartments), 3 nzw (1 buck & 2 doe, all proven breeders), 5 minirex (2 buck & 3 doe), and 6 minilop and rex mix (2 buck and 4 doe) for a total of 14 rabbits. I cooked a lot of rabbits and still have a couple more left to go.

Ramjet":dhd2xtqd said:

If it was my decision .... I'd skip this deal.

Its more than you want , the cages don't suit you and you'll spend a lot of time and probably money retrofitting things to get it how you want.

The fact that you can easily get Rex for a reasonable price in your area is another reason .... if that's what you choose to go with and I don't think you can go wrong with the breed as they are a multi-purpose breed , pretty much do it all - meat , fur , pet , show .... as long as you are willing to keep them a few weeks longer than other more single purpose meat breeds.
If they were harder to find , it might make the deal more attractive.

I'd start with new equipment and build everything to my needs / wants rather than trying to retrofit someone else's stuff , I'd never be happy with it otherwise.

Click to expand...

I would have to disagree. I found and pieced together my cages from salvaged wire and old cages.
post253473.html#p253473
I would look at how much time you want to spend and how much money you want to spend. Because the two normally don't go hand in hand. To save money I spent a great deal of time scraping the wire and rebuilding. But for the most part the 6 cages I have were almost completely free. Where as these are not free they look, from the pictures, to be in great shape. It took me about a day per cage to make and about 2 to disassemble. But that was last February when the days are shorter and colder. :lol: :lol:

Also if this is your first trip down the rabbit hole then the best advice you can get is: "Start Small" with the lowest start up cost you can. I've seen people spend over $700 to start and have less to show for it. And still others spending thousands, and lasting only a few months.

Best of luck no matter what you choice to do.
Cathy

There are deals to be found! My start up cost was $80 - I walked away with 3 rabbits and 2 hutches... I forget how much added to the cost for the feeders and waterers. I kind of wish I kept it that small and simple - with just one litter I sold to the local feed store DH's friend owns, I made back my full start up cost. I expanded and just 2 days after I spent $275 on 6 new hanging cages, I stumbled on a deal on CL - four 4-hole hutches, 5 rabbits, a bunch of feeders, nest boxes, and so much more (she just kept adding stuff in! real sweet lady) - all for $250. Doh!

I now have 2 bucks and 5 does (plus 4 grow outs I was holding for DH's coworker, and 5 more soon to be processed... oh, and 15 babies born last week... the kids have been helping more with rabbit chores and in just 1 day I lost 3 b/c they got out before I made it outside It is what it is I guess). I got those 15 babies from just two does. I like to breed them two at a time so that (in theory) I can have a back up if one has issues. Not a total guarantee, but it's a nice option and works out more times than not. I also started playing around with possibly breeding different breeds and/or colors b/c REW is so... boring, but it adds so much more temptation to just add more to the breeder group. Keep it simple.

Oh, and after spending all that money on hanging cages? I found I am one of the rare ones that prefers hutches. Double Doh! :roll: :lol:

All of this input has really got me thinking.

If I was wanting everything this person had, then it probably is a good deal in that I am sure s/he paid much more for all that stuff than s/he is selling for. And I agree that the cages look pretty new so most of the stuff is probably in good shape.

I don't want that many rabbits and could probably sell some pairs or trios in this area. Especially as spring is coming and people that are thinking about rabbits are probably in the planning stages (like me). But it is dangerous to plan on that as it may not pan out and then I would look at butchering the ones I don't want.

i could rework the cages, or have my husband (that is a stay at home dad and used to be an iron worker) "create" exactly what I want. Buying the wire from this person is probably cheaper than purchasing the same thing and having it shipped to me from one of the rabbit cage companies.

As mentioned and as I checked out I can buy cages from one of the cage companies for fairly reasonable (about $50 for 36x24x18 including shipping) . But even with that I am still putting them together and have to buy clip pliers, so it is not without some work.

The rabbits probably don't have pedigrees so that minimizes the pool of people that may be interested in them.

I think I will wait but pay attention to the ad. If s/he drops the price I may contact. I would say I'm not super interested in the used cages because they are too deep to be very practical (which I bet the person has figured out by now). And ask for pedigrees which s/he may not have. Those 2 things may reduce the price even more.

I am also going to contact a local "mom & pop" pet store in the area and ask if there is a market for reptile food or raw dog/cat food in the area. If so that would be a nice outlet as well.

Thanks again for the differing opinions, it really help me to process!

if I were you though, I'd still keep my eyes peeled for such deals, just better priced than that. You can get a LOT second hand for $700 and there are a lot of people who get completely overwhelmed with it very fast. In my case it was an elderly gentleman who'd been doing it his whole life and refused to give up until his family pressured them to due to desperate finances. :roll: I regret not grabbing the Quail he also had but I ran out of room on my SUV.

Deer Heart -
I am forever perusing Craigslist as well as other advertising outlets in my area so I will pay attention to other potential deals that may come up. And it still is winter here in Montana and that is usually when I see people wanting to "get rid" of critters because the care is not as fun when it is so cold.

Thanks!