Question about breeder husbandry

[wallice]

Hi
I was recently in a pet store, and I was very unhappy with the way the rabbits were being housed. When I confronted the store owner about this, she claimed to be a rabbit breeder for 20 years, and that this was the manner in which all rabbit breeders kept their animals. I didn't believe this isn't true, but I could be wrong.

The rabbits were in small cages less than 2feet by 2 feet, and around 7-8 per cage. The cages had a wire bottom, which the poor buns were struggling to walk on, and there was no hay in sight, only pellets and water. Now, I know that wire bottoms can give sore hocks, and I explained this to the owner, but said it wasn't an issue in younger rabbits. Also, she told me they get hay once a day in the morning, though I was there at 1:30 in the afternoon and couldn't see the barest hint that hay was given.

Is it standard to use wire bottom cages when breeding? She also had other animals, such as rats and mice, that were crowded more than I'd ever seen in 20 gallon tanks (about 10 full sized rats, or over 40 mice). So, needless to say the owner gave me attitude, looked at me like I was stupid, then ignored me and left to help another customer.

So what should I do? I there any way to get the SPCA involved? I find it hard to believe that anyone who cares about rabbits or other animals would house them in this manner.

Any replies are much appreciated!!!

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Many breeders do in fact use wire flooring - it makes it easier to clean cages, and also it'sa lot more sanitary for the rabbits in general. EZ mats or pieces of wood are given to them to rest on so that they won't get sore hocks.

As for that many rabbits per cage, I don't know any breeders who do that. They could be pre-juniors/juniors and that's why they're all together, but that many in such small cages is definitely overcrowding.

Since there were so many rabbits per cage, it's possible that they already had eaten their hay they were given in the morning.

If you really want to contact someone, then the SPCA would probably be the best bet.

Emily

 

[iluvdutchrabbbits90]

Im a breeder and all my rabbits have plastic bottems.I dont use wire cages. I keep one and at the most 2 rabbits per cage.
I would say someone needs to be called.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I use wire flooring for my breeding herd. It helps to keep the rabbit cleaner because all waste falls below the cage and they're not sitting in it like they would with a solid bottom cage.

The rabbits don't have trouble walking on the wire and my breeds both have heavily furred feet, which acts as a "pad" to walk on.

I do give babies a solid floor to rest on (usually the nestbox turned on its side), or if there are a lot of kits in a litter and the box crowds the cage, I just layer the wire with lots of hay.

7-8 pre-juniors or juniors (under 12 weeks of age) is not uncommon. They often stay together until about that age which is best for them because they enjoy the companionship when they're young.

Most breeders (nearly all breeders) use a pellet/water diet. Very few give greens or veggies because wet foods are known to cause enteritis in young rabbits and GI problems in older rabbits too, if given often. Many breeders do include hay in the diet though. How often depends on the breeder. I give my rabbits hay once a day, just like this breeder, but some give it weekly or as needed.

I really don't see anything wrong with the way this person was keeping her rabbits as long as they have food, water, and looked clean and healthy.

 

[Silver Star Rabbitry]

I keep my rabbits in wire bottomed cages. They are much easier to clean. I have never had issues with sore hocks in my rabbitry. Rex and Mini Rex are the breeds that have issues with sore hocks most often, because the fur on their feet is so short. Other breeds usually don't have those problems.

Emily

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Silver Star Rabbitry wrote:

I keep my rabbits in wire bottomed cages. They are much easier to clean. I have never had issues with sore hocks in my rabbitry. Rex and Mini Rex are the breeds that have issues with sore hocks most often, because the fur on their feet is so short. Other breeds usually don't have those problems.

Emily

I have all my Mini Rex on wire cages, and have only had a very old SR. Buck ever have problems with sore hocks. With Mini Rex/Rex it's all about a well-furred foot too. And of course having those EZ Mats or a litter box helps them to get off the wire.

Emily

 

[tashiahouse]

All of my rabbits are on wire floors as well. I think it would be VERY hard to keep a solid floor clean. I know a lot of people use 1"x1/2" welded wire for the bottoms..but I've found that 1/2"x1/2" works just fine for me. RARELY I have a rabbit that has HUGE poop (laughs) and I move it to another set of cages I have set up for that rare occasions with the bigger wire on the bottom. The mats work well to keep their feet happy...but I buy ceramic tiles (cheaper) and they work just as well if not better..they're very easy to clean.

 

[mistyjr]

I am a breeder myself.. All my rabbits are on wire cage only! My cages are 2 x 2 and have a devider in between them. And have one rabbit per diveded part. My rabbits get greens, pellets and hay early afternoon.

 

[wallice]

Ok, the only ting too is that they didn't have any sort of mat to lie on, or a litter box, so I just worried they never got off the mesh.
But thanks for reassuring me that its not so bad.

 

[DeniseJP]

My Hollands are on wire floors and I have never had a problem with sore hocks in that breed... My Checkered Giants have solid floors due to their weight but I was told they can have wire as juniors.

As long as the babies were weaned at the proper age and properly sexed so that does with does and bucks with bucks, they probably like the group atmosphere. My babies will nestle in a group for warmth, all gather around the hay or pellet crock... or line up for water. Remy and Jared stayed together for over a year and hated being separated - Calliope and Grace made it about a year before they started wanting their own space.

Denise

The problem will be if the person sexing them does not look carefully as a young buck can look like a young doe unless his "equipment" is extended... T-Rex ended up at my farm because of a pet store person mis-sexing him and he ended up siring two litters with my neighbor's females because they were "told" that it was a female rabbit.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

wallice wrote:

Ok, the only ting too is that they didn't have any sort of mat to lie on, or a litter box, so I just worried they never got off the mesh.
But thanks for reassuring me that its not so bad.

Since babies have absolutely no bathroom habits whatsoever, solid boards or rest mats get messy quickly and easily if there are 7 or so in a cage. So inside a pet shop, it's probably not sanitary to use those since an hour later, there could be cecals smooshed in and people would be complaining again that the mats aren't clean.

Younger rabbits are lighter on their feet and the wire doesn't usually seem to bother them as much as it sometimes can with older rabbits that don't have proper furring on their feet.

 

[BlueGiants]

I also raise my rabbits on Wire floor cages. They get Sheetrock slabs to rest on. And even with the Flemish,sore feetis not a problemwith the Juniors. I don't have many problems with Seniors, because we breed to increase foot felting, and very few of my seniors ever have an issue with sore hocks.

I am concerned about 7-8 rabbits in a 2' x 2' cage... unless they are very small, it can get crowded fast. (LOL! I could never get away with thatsize cage with a litter of Flemish!) But if it is a smaller breed, and a newly weaned litter, they need to be kept together for comfort and socialization. It may just be a temporary step before sexing and seperating.

The most important thing is how did the rabbits look? Were they active and playful? Healthy looking? Bright eyes, good fur, clean, good weight? Were the cages clean? If yes to these things, she is probably doing right by the rabbits...just different than what you expected.

As far as the Rats and the mice, they tend to like to be in a highly social situation. Even if it was a bit crowded, they can get along. If it's a pet store, and a good one, they probably don't spend much time there.

 

[wallice]

Alright thanks everyone for your opinions, I feel much better about the situation! Even though the owner was still very rude to a customer (me) and actually had been in the past as well, I guess I can deal with the way she raises her animals. I suppose rabbit breeding is different than just rabbit owning, and everything I had ever read said not to keep them on wire mesh.
Thanks everyone for the help!

 

[pamnock]

Most rabbit breeders in the US use wirebottom cages. A study actually showed a lower mortality rate in wire cage vs litter raised rabbits.

Rule of thumb for mature rabbits: 1 per cage. However, studies have indicated that young rabbits prefer the comfort of a denser population. (Care must be taken not to overcrowd). Very young rabbit may experience stress whenbeing removed from this environment and experience a higher mortality rate. Young bunnies should not be soldbefore 8 weeks of age. The older thebunny, the lower the mortality rate.

Rabbits shouldn't have hay 24/7 as this may result in a nutritional imbalance. A diet excessive in fiber can result in pot belly due to protein deficiency. Rabbits in the wild prefer nutritious young plant growth rather than old, dead vegetation. Toys, rather than hay, can be used for psychological wellbeing.

Rabbit nutrition: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/171315.htm