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Rabbit Lover02

Rabbit Lover02

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2013
Messages
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Location
South-West Virginia
Hi everybody. I got a bunny. He is a broken black Holland Lop, his name is Digby (Dig-bee). He is so sweet, I got him yesterday. He'll let you stroke him, and he'll eat out of your hand, but he wont let me hold him for very long.

I'll post pics of him soon. I was too excited about him yesterday I didn't get any pics, but today it has been pouring down rain and I don't want to get my camera wet. He is in an outdoor hutch but is doing great. He's 8 weeks old and when he gets old enough I'm gonna get him a little girl and breed Holland Lops. There is a pet store close to me and they specifically said they wish they could find more Holland Lops. So yeah :woohoo and :pray: he does ok.

-RL02
 
I agree with watermelons. There are so many great holland lop breeders out there putting in years of hard work and tears to get the quality of rabbits that we know of today. Pet stores are the perfect place for parents to buy their children a rabbit on a impulse. I have been breeding rabbits for 5 years there is no money to be made in it trust me. It shouldn't be taken lightly. The mom can die from birthing complications and babies can die for no apparent reason. Pet stores do not buy babies for very much and want them taken away and sold earlier than they should.

If you are not going to breed holland lops to better the breed I highly recommend not doing it at all. A pet store is no guarentee that the babies will be taken care of by good pet owners.

BUT Congratulations on your new holland. He sounds cute. He may not like handling right now but with short sessions and a bribe (treat) after he should allow it a little bit more. He just needs time to trust you.
 
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It means not breeding 2 rabbits together, just because you have a boy and a girl. Professional breeders spend years and thousands of dollars to get the perfect rabbit with the perfect confirmation. Ensuring they are not breeding 2 rabbits together that share the same faults. Aiming for that perfect rabbit with ideally no faults. What pet owners typically end up with, are rabbits that do not belong in this category. Even these breeders doing everything they can, still end up with rabbits that don't meet their standards and end up in the pet world.

I suggest you speak with some of the breeders on here about this and whats to be sought after in the Holland world if you seriously are interested (OakRidgeRabbits would be our lop one I would pick out but that's not excluding our others like Sarah here). But do not expect your first 2 rabbits to up to par.

We want to strive for less back yard breeders. There are enough rabbits in rescues all over the world. If somebody at a pet store is truly interested in a rabbit and taking care of it properly, they should go talk to their local rescue.
 
First off, congrats on the new bunny!! It's so much fun getting a new bunny, and personally, I think Hollands are the best. ;) With lots of love, time, attention and some treats, you will be amazed what good friends your bunny and you become! I love the name pick by the way-very cute!



Second, I do have to agree with the others. I don't want this to come off mean or harsh, so please, don't take it the wrong way. It is true and very sad how many bunnies are in shelters looking for new homes. Just go on petfinder.com sometime and you'll get an idea of just a small portion of the buns out there who need homes; people looking in a pet store should be advised to check out a rescue.

Also, it is important to remember that breeding bunnies isn't all fun and games. Sadly, bunnies are periodically born deformed or sick. And, especially with Holland lops and other dwarf breeds, peanuts are born (they have an extra dwarf gene) which do not ever grow up and die. Breeding bunnies get sick and cost a lot, especially the larger your heard grows (which happens quickly).


But, after saying all this, if you do still want to breed Hollands, I highly recommend visiting some rabbit shows and buying quality rabbits. Only breed the best stock and don't breed those with problems or defects. Don't breed more bunnies than you can properly care for, and be sure to sell them to homes that you know will properly care for them. A lot of time, effort and emotion goes into breeding bunnies. It is fun to see them grow and rewarding; but again, I encourage it only if you can truly better the breed and not end up with more bunnies homeless entering the shelter system or less than ideal homes where they may not get the care they deserve (and end up in shelters many times later as well).

One more thing, I'm not sure I would recommend breeding buns for the pet store. Many times pet stores don't know what they are doing when it comes to bunnies, and they end up sick or going to new homes when they are too young. Many people buy bunnies from pet stores spur of the moment because they think they are cute. These owners haven't always planned well enough ahead and I think these are the bunnies most likely to end up in shelters and many euthanized.
 
Rabbit Lover02 said:
What do you mean better the breed? I'm all ears for info, if you give me some I'll totally try to 'better the breed'
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I wanted to post some links for you on breeding hollands and critiquing them.

Heres a couple made by Julie (OakRidgeRabbits) I think she does a great job at explaining breeding and evaluating hollands. Her evaluation article is under construction but it makes a great read!
http://oakridgerabbitry.weebly.com/breeding-do-and-do-not.html
http://oakridgerabbitry.weebly.com/growing-up-holland.html

Heres a good link that shows the distribution of points when judging hollands and explains some common faults, etc
http://www.threelittleladiesrabbitry.com/hollandlopsstandard.php

If you google holland lop standard you can find some good articles made by many great breeders. Heres a video showing ways to pose different hollands for proper evaluation. Hollands dont like to sit very long but the more you work with them the better they will be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeEwtjh2PLs
 
Thank you for posting those links woahlookitsme, but she said on the first link that its ok to breed for pets, so why do all of y'all not want me to? Also that was a neat article about the show rules/points.
 
Playing the devils advocate here, if every breeder bred undesirable traits out of their lines there would be no holland lops, Flemish giants etc. After all you are trying to duplicate a gene that is considered a "defect" until a new breed standard / breed is recognized. I personally do not agree with any breeding as long as there are animals in shelters that need homes. What is the ratio of "show quality" to "pet quality" bunnies that are produced? I would guess that most bunnies produced by professional breeders end up in the "pet market" and could also end up in a shelter further down the road.

Edited to add: professional breeders in many industries compromise health and longevity of the animal in pursuit of physical "perfection". I believe there are some "backyarders" that have more integrity than the "professionals" out there.

IMHO - If you are looking for an animal to raise that has a high return on investment, raise hogs I have heard even raising meat rabbits isn't worth it they are expensive little guys to raise!
 
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Exactly more then enough rabbits in the world. Im not a rescue advocate by any means bu this goes for any species of animal. Do not just breed like this. Sometimes we need to understand that its best left alone. Or to those who have the knowledge and set up in their rabbitrys all ready. Not just 2 cute bunnys to make babys for the pet store or yourself.
 
Rabbit Lover02 said:
Thank you for posting those links woahlookitsme, but she said on the first link that its ok to breed for pets, so why do all of y'all not want me to? Also that was a neat article about the show rules/points.
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Like Julie said in her article if there is a demand for pet rabbits then that is a goal to have for breeding. But I don't think a pet store if the place you want your babies to end up at. Did you get to ask how much the pet store would buy babies off of you for and how much they are going to sell them?

Also another question to ask them is when do they want babies to be sold to them. If it is under 8 weeks I personally would be put off. Babies that are taken from mom at 7weeks and under have a lower survival rate than ones taken at 8 weeks and older

Like said before pet stores are the best place for parents to buy a cute little rabbit on impulse for their children. It really isn't the best place for babies to be
 
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Whew! This thread was quite a read. I don't think this is the time or place to discuss whether the concept of breeding rabbits is justified. But I did want to offer, Rabbit Lover02, that you're welcome to PM me if you have questions about anything.

Breeding rabbits (or any animal) with the goal of selling them as pets is not bad in and of itself. The problem that I, and most breeders, have with it is that this usually means people are breeding inferior animals for the sole purpose of supplying pet stores or trying to make money. The standards our national association has set for each breed are to emphasize overall health and longevity through selectively bred conformation and general husbandry. Just because a rabbit isn't going to see a show table in its lifetime doesn't mean that the way they're constructed doesn't matter.

Even when you're breeding with the goal of high quality animals, a good number still don't turn out to have the traits we're striving for. That's okay because most pet owners don't really mind if their ears are too long or hindquarter is pinched. But those rabbits that don't meet the standards of the breed shouldn't be the ones reproducing. Our goal as breeders should be to continue breeding the highest quality rabbits we can and developing lines to more consistently get those results.

With that all said and done, usually breeding for pets just isn't really in the cards. Rabbits are a huge investment - quality breeding stock starts at $100 (conservative estimate) in many breeds. Until you factor in equipment, feed costs, supplies, and your time, you'll still be hundreds in the red after the $10 a bunny a pet store would offer. Generally if you're investing that much in a project, you'll find yourself less willing to "throw away" all your hard work and money spent by just selling pets.
 
Everybody here has chimed in with some valid resources, information and views on breeding, so if you're really determined to get into it, it's a great place to start.

I wish you all the best with your new boy though :)
 
Azerane said:
Everybody here has chimed in with some valid resources, information and views on breeding, so if you're really determined to get into it, it's a great place to start.
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Yes, and please don't take our recommendations the wrong way. :sunshine:

As fellow rabbit lovers, we're thrilled that you have an interest in raising rabbits. We just want to help you learn about what it is to be a reputable breeder and what to expect.
 
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