Breeding

[anawelch]

I'm wondering what your views are on breeding. I have a 1 year old purebred Holland Lop buck who was a show rabbit for FFA before I got him. He is really handsome and he has a really sweet disposition. I havent gotten him neutered yet because its going to cost a lot and Im saving up for it. Everybody keeps telling me I should bred him before I neuter him but Im afraid its not a good idea. I see all these rabbits on craigslist, in rescues and dropped off at the Outdoor Learning Center. Would I be doing more bad than good by breeding him?

 

[agnesthelion]

There will be varying opinions on this. People feel strongly on either side.

I feel proven statistics speak for themselves. PROVEN statistics. Aside from opinion or lifestyle etc no one can argue that there are countless number of animals put to sleep and abandoned every day in this country. Breeding for any other reason except to better the breed is unnecessary.

I think your doubt speaks volumes. You breeding your little guy ( as special as he may seem to you) does nothing but add to an overpopulation. Follow what your gut is saying.....

 

[Ape337]

I think you should decide why you would want to breed your bunny. Breeding should have a purpose or goal, like the betterment of the breed. I would also consider that you will have several bunnies to take care of for a minimum of 8 weeks. Then you will need to find homes for all that you will not keep. Hopefully some of the breeders on the forum will chime in with their experiences, so you can get an idea of the expense involved in raising a litter (vet visits, specialized food?)

This is a rather controversial subject on this forum, but hopefully members will offer opinions in a non-condeming, respectful manner regardless of how they feel about the subject.

Haha Lisa, we were posting at the same time! Funny how similar our posts are!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I don't think people should breed just to breed and have cute babies. The vast majority of pet rabbits should not be bred as there was usually a reason they were sold as a pet (usually not meeting the breed standard in some way). Showing in an ARBA show can be good to help figure out of your rabbit is close to the standard, you can get the judges opinion and even ask other breeders. I do feel that breeding should be done to help improve the breed or with a very specific goal (like improving the wool in angoras or introducing a new colour). There are a lot of homeless rabbits out there as well, so just breeding pets is not really a good idea.

There is risks to breeding, even for a male. He could get a sexually transmitted infection from the doe. If the doe is aggressive, then she could injure him.
Most breeders don't use rabbits they don't own for breeding and if they do they would be pretty picky to make sure the rabbit is healthy and will give them something they want in their breeding program.

If you do not feel comfortable breeding him, then don't. It is your choice and you should not be pressured one way or the other. You do need to know the risks and know what you are doing, even if you only have the buck and not the doe.

 

[anawelch]

One reason why I would breed him would be to make some
extra cash to put towards his neutering and another reason is because around here Hollands are starting to gain a lot of popularity both for show and as a pet. I have quite a few friends who would be willing to buy one of Guinness's babies because theyve gotten to know him and they love how sweet and docile he is. However I have been trying to convince them to look into rescue rabbits. Theres this place I go sometimes to train for my vet tech class and they have over 20 abandoned rabbits and I dont want any of Guinness's offspring to end up like that. I think he would make beautiful babies but...Im afraid to risk it.

 

[agnesthelion]

Breeding, when done correctly, does NOT make you money. The fact that you even mention that as a driving factor indicates you aren't doing it for the right reasons.

 

[anawelch]

Your right Kate. I dont think I know enough about breeding and I think the risks are too high. Also my reasons arent good enough for any of the possible consequences. Ive started to fall in love with the Holland Lop breed and I think instead of breeding him Im going to find another way to get more involved with this breed.

 

[anawelch]

Yeah your right Lisa. Im glad I came here first before making a decision because I was really on the fence about it.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Just to give you some options. Hollands do make great show rabbits and pets. HOWEVER In Texas and especially up your way, the Dallas/ftworth area, there are some really competitive holland breeders (Farrah Chalue and Melissa Mangipano to name some that I know personally). The holland crowd are great people in Texas and lucky for you there are many shows in north Texas.

If you do not want to breed for the right reasons then please don't. Breeding makes you no money (unless you rip people off) and ends up going back into buying more stock or feed/cages. If you do look into shows I highly recommend getting in with the two people mentioned above (tell them Sarah sent you) and enjoy the rabbit habbit! It is really a great experience. Hollands have become the most popular with the youth crowd. They can be very pricey and hard to compete with unless you learn them. But who doesn't like a challenge

 

[majorv]

You say he was shown in FFA. Rather than breed him you might find some ARBArabbit shows in your area and visit, maybeshow him. I assume he is tattoo'd. You could meet other Holland Lop breeders and also get a better idea of theshow quality of your bun. The only thing is, while you're showing himyou can't neuter him...but then again, it would give you time to save up the money.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Another thing to consider if people are wanting babies from him, is that the owner of the doe is the one who really gets to make any decisions on the babies. They are the one taking the majority of the risk in breeding as well as the costs (feed and cages once the babies are weaned). A breeder might let you have one baby in exchange for using your rabbit as a stud, but they rest are theirs. Anyone interested in the litter would have to go through the breeder. If the breeder wanted to keep some of the babies or they were good show prospects, then they might not want to sell them as pets.
Since a pet might only sell for $20-50, you would not get more than that as a stud fee. That really isn't a lot when you are looking at the cost of neutering.

 

[Hyatt101]

Keep your options open because I disagree that you can't make money. You ABSOLUTELY can, but I have never bred for money. With a show holland lop, you can breed for money.
Just a thought

 

[woahlookitsme]

Most likely you wont make money. Especially since the only rabbit she has is a buck and she would only possibly get one baby if her buck did cover a doe for someone. If she did buy a doe, they dont have many babies and can get pricey for nice quality. Like I said in Texas the Hollands are COMPETITIVE and people usually know what they are looking for. Someone will call you out and give you a bad rep if you try to sell subpar hollands for high prices. There are plenty of other places to get granded and proven show lines in north texas.

Plus just to name a few things you usually put back in the hobby is money for feed, new rabbits, nestboxes, cages, advertisement (because unless you win people wont know your name), tattoo kit, grooming tables, pedigree software, and im sure much more but I cant think of things. The only lady that I know that makes money at it has over 1000 rabbits and a HUGE clientele

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Hyatt101 wrote:

Keep your options open because I disagree that you can't make money. You ABSOLUTELY can, but I have never bred for money. With a show holland lop, you can breed for money.
Just a thought

If you know how to make money raising Hollands, PLEASE share! You can certainly make a profit with rabbits, but that would typically be with a very large commercial facility. Holland Lops are very inefficient producers.

anawelch- Raising animals is not a bad thing. Agriculture is a strong, strong industry in all parts of the world and animals are obviously a huge part of that. But like the others said, it's not responsible to breed animals just for the sake of breeding them.

If you are interested in breeding rabbits, I'd recommend researching more about what you can do with them. Some people raise rabbits strictly for consumption. This isn't the place to discuss that topic because most of the rabbit owners on this forum are pet owners, but it is something you could research from other sources. Other people raise rabbits for fur or fiber purposes. If they're fiber animals, you harvest the wool simply by "plucking" when the coat is loose. So for those who knit or crochet, that would be a great source of fiber. Others breed for show. This is typically what you hear about when people talk about "bettering the breed." These are usually just fancy exhibition breeds that aren't used for agricultural purposes, but are mostly just kept as companions. In some cases, people may choose to raise a heritage breed- one that is considered endangered or rare- to help not only increase the population but also improve the health and longevity of the breed.

The type of rabbits you raise would depend on your purpose and what interests you.

If you're not really interested in raising rabbits or aren't set on a specific goal, you could also consider just showing your rabbit. That's a great way to be involved in the hobby and do something with your bunny.

In any case, I would not recommend breeding your current rabbit at this time. If you're interested in breeding, develop a plan first and then look for rabbits that will help you accomplish your goals.

 

[anawelch]

You all have given me some really good information. Thank you and I can't show him for FFA. I'm in FFA but in my section/division you can only raise livestock (cattle, goat, sheep, pig). Showing rabbits is more for younger FFA members and you can't show a rabbit over a year old I believe (not sure but I know there is a lot of requirements which he doesn't meet anymore which is why his previous owners sold him to me). I do want to look into ARBA which I think he still qualifies for. I really want to get more involved with my rabbit and the rabbit community. And I think my rabbit is too handsome not share with the world XD

Thank you again for everybody's advice I'm glad I joined this site.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Oh this just came to mind. The show season in Texas is coming up! Here is a link to all the shows and I would be happy to show you around if you go to one! They start in November
https://www.bunnyrabbit.com/brcom.html

The rabbits for FFA are probably meat pens. Those are a great way to raise money and actually were my way of paying for my first semester at a university!

 

[sugarbunnies]

I'm probably going to get a little hate for this, but I strongly, strongly dislike breeders, especially because (I know this has been repeated thousands of times, but) there are so many homeless and unwanted bunnies in shelters, there is really no reason to breed more. Why breed more bunnies when people need to look towards adopting?

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

sugarbunnies wrote:

I'm probably going to get a little hate for this, but I strongly, strongly dislike breeders, especially because (I know this has been repeated thousands of times, but) there are so many homeless and unwanted bunnies in shelters, there is really no reason to breed more. Why breed more bunnies when people need to look towards adopting?

No hate. I can definitely understand where you're coming from. As a pet owner, the number of animals without homes seems endless.

If it makes you feel better though, I can assure you that breeders aren't the catalyst for overpopulation in rabbits. Irresponsible rabbit owners are the challenge- they're the individuals who are dropping animals off at shelters, ending up with "accidental" litters or maybe even breeding rabbits on purpose with no goal or outlet for the offspring. Those people can hardly be called "breeders" and they're the kind of person that BOTH responsible pet owners and breeders are trying to help.

Of course, pet owners do the best they can to take in unwanted bunnies and offer them homes. Or to volunteer at shelters or rescues and make sure the rabbits are taken care of before they find their new homes.

Reputable breeders are also trying to help. Many, many breeders refuse to even sell rabbits as pets. On one hand, it's to make sure their rabbits don't end up neglected or in the wrong hands. On the other hand, it's to encourage those who want pets to adopt or help animals who need it.

Other breeders do sell pets, but if they're reputable, the process is similar to an adoption. I sell pets, but offer help and information to anyone new to rabbit owning. Whether the person is new or experienced, I offer a lifetime guarantee to bring the rabbit back if things don't work out, and the person is always welcome to contact me by email or phone with questions or concerns- at any time- tomorrow or 5 years down the road.

Your concerns are valid concerns, just know that we're trying to help too! That's why having a goal and a specific plan for the breeding program are really pushed to those considering it. None of us want to see homeless animals, and promoting education and responsible ownership is the best way we can change how people view rabbits as companion animals.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Very well said Julie and I agree with everything! I do know breeders who won't ever sell a pet rabbit and many breeders have other outlets for rabbits not suitable for breeding. I'd say 95% if not 98% of my tans go to people wanting to start or continue showing and exhibiting the breed. I rarely sell tans as pets and with the little amount of litters I have all show inquiries take preference over pet ones. So I might sell one animal as a pet and actually I haven't had to do that for a year. Like Julie said responsible breeders are most likely not adding to the pet population and every breeder I know has a lifetime policy of if the owner is no longer able to care for the rabbit then it is brought back to them. I also understand where you are coming from and agree that no one wants to see animals in shelters. Both my dog and cat came from a rescue and shelter.

 

[dungeonbunnies]

what about non-show quality animals? I know some people put down their non-showables, while others "cull" by selling them as pet quality.

I know my doe is one of those sale culls, she has a tear in her ear, making her useless on a showtable, but aside from that, she's very typey. She was sold to me as "broodstock".