Help! Convincing Parents to Start a Rabbitry!

[majorv]

Have you decided which breed you want to start with?
Small breeds take up less room than large breeds. Some breeds are more expensive than others. Some have more health issues than others. There are many things to consider when selecting a breed.

 

[Me and Bun-uccino]

I have a good preference for what I want, yes. I am going to do either Polish or Himalayan. And if both those breeds don't work out for some reason I think I want to do Mini Rexes.

 

[majorv]

I started with Himalayan...one of my does and her kit is in my avatar. I liked Himmies, and they’re popular among youth who show but there aren’t a lot of breeders who do them. Later I switched to Polish, which were my favorite. They’re very popular, and a good breeding doe/buck isn’t too expensive. They make good lap bunnies.

 

[4bunnys]

I got a buck and a doe just over a year ago and by August we end up with about 15 rabbits the first litter in July I came home from school and went to check the buns and I had a cuddle with the buck and found kits I was so excited I told everybody in my house. The August litter I went to feed the buns and found a nest with kits in I new they were new as the older ones weren’t in the nest much and were in another spot. Again I told everybody in the house. We separated the buck from the doe and kits after a few hours. Then we kept one from each litter that we were more kinected with are sold the others to people we knew. Also my rabbits help me with mental as well.

 

[SableSteel]

I've bred Himalayans for a long time; easily my favorite breed. They're such a pleasant breed; wonderful personalities, and simply beautiful rabbits. Here is one of my youngest right now, a junior doe I am very excited about. (her name is Vashti)

 

[Me and Bun-uccino]

I started with Himalayan...one of my does and her kit is in my avatar. I liked Himmies, and they’re popular among youth who show but there aren’t a lot of breeders who do them. Later I switched to Polish, which were my favorite. They’re very popular, and a good breeding doe/buck isn’t too expensive. They make good lap bunnies.

Wow! She's so pretty! It looks like she will turn out well!

 

[Cloverhouse]

My greatest concern would be what do you intend to do with all the rabbits you breed? You must have a viable plan. Meat, fur, sell to others who use them as feed for snakes, cull them yourself? Because there simply isn't a big enough demand in the pet trade to take in all the random bunnies that people breed, and if you cannot sell them to other breeders or as pets, you have to have a back up plan. It can get very expensive to keep a lot of rabbits and very few rabbit breeders actually make money. It's a huge investment of money, time and effort. Totally worth it, but not something to be taken lightly.

I bring this up because in my experience culling and addressing what to do with excess stock is one of the most difficult parts for many young people (unless they have been raised on farms with livestock). Depending on the breed, one litter can have as many as 10 rabbits in it, that is a LOT of bunnies to suddenly need cages, space and feed for.

 

[Me and Bun-uccino]

Yep I have a viable plan. I'm starting to really like the sound of havanas, so I might go with them. I am thinking of taking the ones I don't sell to a raptor rescue, perhaps selling them for snake food and at last resort selling them to a petstore (since they don't pay very well for rabbits). And I would like to eventually be able to cull them myself.

Though before I will be able to cull them myself I need to convince my dad that they were orgignaly rased for meat and that it isn't mean to cull them, etc.

 

[zuppa]

Yep I have a viable plan. I'm starting to really like the sound of havanas, so I might go with them. I am thinking of taking the ones I don't sell to a raptor rescue, perhaps selling them for snake food and at last resort selling them to a petstore (since they don't pay very well for rabbits). And I would like to eventually be able to cull them myself.

Though before I will be able to cull them myself I need to convince my dad that they were orgignaly rased for meat and that it isn't mean to cull them, etc.

Wow, that's cool so you can play with the babies a couple months then you kill them and put in a freezer and so you will feed your family all year round with your babies