Kyle@theWintertime
Well-known member
LOL, and it's why nobody should breed 'em. It's being passed around some rabbit-breeder-themed FB groups for a chuckle...but really, the sobering thought is that the AR people actually believe this.
Here's the article: http://www.rabbit.org/adoption/why-not-to-breed.html
Here's my thoughts on some specifics within the article:
Oddly enough, NONE of the breeders I know seem to have this problem. I'm pretty sure we're all well aware of our rabbits' instincts as a prey animal and act/treat them accordingly.
..........except MANY mammals are induced ovulators. True, they are not the MAJORITY, but there are other mammals out there!!! A quick google search, and I'm swamped with 'em. Did you know CAMELS are induced ovulators too????
Uhm. Okay it's technically possible but even when I had a colony setup where the buck and does lived together at all times, there was usually a few weeks delay between delivering a litter and being pregnant. That, or if they DID get pregnant right after birth, they were carrying the new litter for like 55 days.
My answer is this smiley: :dinner:
LOL nope. I might occasionally "pet out" a rabbit but not often, I honestly would rather eat my culls. And heck no I am not spaying and neutering my breeding stock or my show string!!!
This is a pure fallacy. It's a lie. NO rabbit I breed will take a home away from a shelter rabbit because 99% of the rabbits I breed won't be sold as pets. And if someone buys a show or brood rabbit from me, like heck are they "taking away" a shelter rabbit's home...sorry, but those spayed/neutered mixes common in shelters won't cut it on the judge's table (though thanks to the AR nuts, more and more show rabbits are ending up in shelters, but that's another story).
My next dog? I plan to buy from a breeder. I want to KNOW what I'm getting into. Honestly, I've had rescues and shelters lie to me so much I don't know who to trust any more, and I'm honestly getting two dogs for SPECIFIC PURPOSES which may not be able to be met by shelter dogs: I want a herding-type farm dog who is raised around livestock, so I can more easily manage my future hobby farm (lookin' at YOU there MSD) and I want an Afghan Hound that I can show. I seriously doubt I can find a show-quality, intact Afghan in a shelter...and while a lot of herding dogs DO end up in shelters, I want a dog with specific upbringing from known working parents. Claiming that by buying these dogs I'm killing shelter dogs is a LIE, because if I can't buy those dogs I want, I'M NOT GOING TO COMPENSATE BY RUNNING TO A SHELTER AND ADOPTING A PAIR OF RESCUES. I've rescued a LOT of animals. I've "paid my dues" so to speak. I'm DONE WITH IT.
I hate that argument because it makes logical sense to the AR people and they push it on the average Joe who doesn't really have an opinion. I see it all the time: "don't shop, ADOPT!!!" or "Don't buy while shelter pets die!!!"
A friend of a friend is going through this right now. She wants a purebred Australian Cattle Dog with specific bloodlines. My friend is getting sick of being her only supportive pal on this because all her other friends are lambasting her for not getting a mutt from the shelter. Uhm, she wants to SHOW. She wants a WORKING DOG. Her goal is to see how many titles she can get on an ACD. That means buying from breeders who have multi-talented show-quality dogs. That is HER CHOICE, and they need to respect that!!! But the AR people are training us as a society to be anti-breeder and "always think adoption first!"
This is being applied to rabbits. I've only had one person accuse me of "flooding the pet market with unwanted rabbits" or something (I forget how it was worded, it was a while ago) but they shut up quick when I told 'em I don't sell what I produce. Hard to contribute to shelter populations or "steal" homes from needy bunnies when THEY DON'T LEAVE MY PROPERTY. :roll:
And moreover...if someone DOES breed rabbits to sell as pets....SO??????????? LOL, last I checked this is a free country. :roll: You can DO that here. If there's a market for your buns, breed away!!! I'd rather people buy a healthy young rabbit from a breeder than a questionable and likely diseased animal from a shelter!!
And lastly...the "a rabbit at an animal shelter will die" part? I know locations vary but around here the small animal shelter that deals with rabbits is NO-KILL. So no, the thus far ONE rabbit I sold as a pet? A shelter rabbit did NOT die because of that. Plus since I sold that bun for $10, far undercutting the shelter adoption fee of like $75, I bet if I had NOT sold them the rabbit they'd have just gone to another breeder, because who the heck pays $75 for a sickly mixed-breed shelter rabbit when you can have a guaranteed healthy purebred for $10?!
LOL no thanks. The local rabbit-shelter is a cesspool of disease. Pasturella rules that joint. I won't go NEAR that whole PROPERTY because gods forbid I bring home a horrid virus that kills my whole herd. :roll:
Funny, I would have said "Feed and water them daily" was the best thing, lol.
Also...........mmmmmno. I like my rabbits just the way they are, thanks.
Except because of limited cage space, eventually my older brood does will be either sold or culled. So I doubt anyone is going to hang around long enough to get cancer, unless they get it young.
This implies I use litterboxes. LOL nope. And I won't keep an agressive rabbit, sorry...someone gets nasty, they get to go away. :roll: I'd also like to know how they think I'm going to have unwanted litters, due to the majority of my cages having solid steel divider walls...and the few that DON'T have solid dividers, have does-next-to-does only, to avoid any OOPS breedings. Do they think we're stupid and don't know how mating takes place??? And if we DO have an oops litter (hey, it happens to the best of us!!!) guess what!!! :dinner:
Done and done!!!! I've spread it to the masses. For a good chuckle. :lol:
Here's the article: http://www.rabbit.org/adoption/why-not-to-breed.html
Here's my thoughts on some specifics within the article:
People who get rabbits as companions tend to forget that nature created rabbits as a prey species
Oddly enough, NONE of the breeders I know seem to have this problem. I'm pretty sure we're all well aware of our rabbits' instincts as a prey animal and act/treat them accordingly.
A rabbit differs from other mammals in that the female ovulates after being mounted by a male. This is called induced ovulation.
..........except MANY mammals are induced ovulators. True, they are not the MAJORITY, but there are other mammals out there!!! A quick google search, and I'm swamped with 'em. Did you know CAMELS are induced ovulators too????
This also means that after a rabbit has given birth, if the male is still present, she can and most likely will become pregnant within 24 hours of giving birth. Just imagine how you would feel if you had a baby and within 24 hours you were pregnant again!
Uhm. Okay it's technically possible but even when I had a colony setup where the buck and does lived together at all times, there was usually a few weeks delay between delivering a litter and being pregnant. That, or if they DID get pregnant right after birth, they were carrying the new litter for like 55 days.
If you choose to allow your rabbit to breed anyway, what do you do with the surviving 4 to 12 babies that she had?
My answer is this smiley: :dinner:
Are you prepared to find good, loving homes for all of them. and if you don't, are you willing to care for them Including spay and neuter them) for the next 8-10 years?
LOL nope. I might occasionally "pet out" a rabbit but not often, I honestly would rather eat my culls. And heck no I am not spaying and neutering my breeding stock or my show string!!!
For every rabbit that is born either by mistake or through planning, a rabbit at an animal shelter will die, because the baby rabbit that you brought into the world will take a home away from a rabbit at the shelter.
This is a pure fallacy. It's a lie. NO rabbit I breed will take a home away from a shelter rabbit because 99% of the rabbits I breed won't be sold as pets. And if someone buys a show or brood rabbit from me, like heck are they "taking away" a shelter rabbit's home...sorry, but those spayed/neutered mixes common in shelters won't cut it on the judge's table (though thanks to the AR nuts, more and more show rabbits are ending up in shelters, but that's another story).
My next dog? I plan to buy from a breeder. I want to KNOW what I'm getting into. Honestly, I've had rescues and shelters lie to me so much I don't know who to trust any more, and I'm honestly getting two dogs for SPECIFIC PURPOSES which may not be able to be met by shelter dogs: I want a herding-type farm dog who is raised around livestock, so I can more easily manage my future hobby farm (lookin' at YOU there MSD) and I want an Afghan Hound that I can show. I seriously doubt I can find a show-quality, intact Afghan in a shelter...and while a lot of herding dogs DO end up in shelters, I want a dog with specific upbringing from known working parents. Claiming that by buying these dogs I'm killing shelter dogs is a LIE, because if I can't buy those dogs I want, I'M NOT GOING TO COMPENSATE BY RUNNING TO A SHELTER AND ADOPTING A PAIR OF RESCUES. I've rescued a LOT of animals. I've "paid my dues" so to speak. I'm DONE WITH IT.
I hate that argument because it makes logical sense to the AR people and they push it on the average Joe who doesn't really have an opinion. I see it all the time: "don't shop, ADOPT!!!" or "Don't buy while shelter pets die!!!"
A friend of a friend is going through this right now. She wants a purebred Australian Cattle Dog with specific bloodlines. My friend is getting sick of being her only supportive pal on this because all her other friends are lambasting her for not getting a mutt from the shelter. Uhm, she wants to SHOW. She wants a WORKING DOG. Her goal is to see how many titles she can get on an ACD. That means buying from breeders who have multi-talented show-quality dogs. That is HER CHOICE, and they need to respect that!!! But the AR people are training us as a society to be anti-breeder and "always think adoption first!"
This is being applied to rabbits. I've only had one person accuse me of "flooding the pet market with unwanted rabbits" or something (I forget how it was worded, it was a while ago) but they shut up quick when I told 'em I don't sell what I produce. Hard to contribute to shelter populations or "steal" homes from needy bunnies when THEY DON'T LEAVE MY PROPERTY. :roll:
And moreover...if someone DOES breed rabbits to sell as pets....SO??????????? LOL, last I checked this is a free country. :roll: You can DO that here. If there's a market for your buns, breed away!!! I'd rather people buy a healthy young rabbit from a breeder than a questionable and likely diseased animal from a shelter!!
And lastly...the "a rabbit at an animal shelter will die" part? I know locations vary but around here the small animal shelter that deals with rabbits is NO-KILL. So no, the thus far ONE rabbit I sold as a pet? A shelter rabbit did NOT die because of that. Plus since I sold that bun for $10, far undercutting the shelter adoption fee of like $75, I bet if I had NOT sold them the rabbit they'd have just gone to another breeder, because who the heck pays $75 for a sickly mixed-breed shelter rabbit when you can have a guaranteed healthy purebred for $10?!
So before you breed your rabbit, go down to the shelter in your area to see all the other rabbits who desperately need homes.
LOL no thanks. The local rabbit-shelter is a cesspool of disease. Pasturella rules that joint. I won't go NEAR that whole PROPERTY because gods forbid I bring home a horrid virus that kills my whole herd. :roll:
The best thing that you can do for you bunny, and all rabbits, is spay or neuter.
Funny, I would have said "Feed and water them daily" was the best thing, lol.
Also...........mmmmmno. I like my rabbits just the way they are, thanks.
Female rabbits will live longer because you eliminate the possibility of ovarian, uterine, or mammary tumors.
Except because of limited cage space, eventually my older brood does will be either sold or culled. So I doubt anyone is going to hang around long enough to get cancer, unless they get it young.
Your rabbit will be less aggressive, his or her litterbox habits will be more reliable, and most importantly, it will prevent any unwanted litters.
This implies I use litterboxes. LOL nope. And I won't keep an agressive rabbit, sorry...someone gets nasty, they get to go away. :roll: I'd also like to know how they think I'm going to have unwanted litters, due to the majority of my cages having solid steel divider walls...and the few that DON'T have solid dividers, have does-next-to-does only, to avoid any OOPS breedings. Do they think we're stupid and don't know how mating takes place??? And if we DO have an oops litter (hey, it happens to the best of us!!!) guess what!!! :dinner:
Please, for all rabbits, spread this message.
Done and done!!!! I've spread it to the masses. For a good chuckle. :lol: