What do you do re: pet homes for your culls?

[crimson]

Moderator's Note: This subject has NOW become ... how can you find pet homes for the culls......and culling/killing and attacking breeders for their choices will NOT be allowed.

I am curious what others do with your culls? Especially if you can't find pet homes for them.

 

[Jaded]

I don't kill them, I sell them or give them to friends.

 

[mistyjr]

I sell them all, I dont either kill them, They all get good homes!

 

[la~la~land]

They go to pet homes If I can't find one, well, they stay here with me until I do.

 

[woahlookitsme]

I sell them for pet quality and if i cant find them one then we give them to a fellow rabbit friend to give to her reptile lady. I usually try to find them homes for a good 3-6 months. Its hard to sell my breed.

 

[la~la~land]

I just thought I'd say that meat has to come from somewhere. I don't see how a cow or chicken's life can be considered less important than a rabbit's. I would much rather know that the animals that I eat led a happy life and were treated well. I couldn't butcher my rabbits, but I tend to get attached easily. Just my opionion.

 

[TinysMom]

When I first saw this thread title the other day - I cringed. I knew it had the possibility of causing problems...and it has.

As a moderator - I now have two options. I can lock this thread - or I can allow it to continue. Its not an easy decision.

As most of you know - we have certain rules on this forum. One of them is not discussing meat breeding/eating rabbits, etc.

Another one is not attacking others for their choices/point of view.

Both of those rules have been broken in this thread.

Here is how I will allow this thread to continue.

We all know that culls can be dealt with in a few ways...one of which is to pet them out - or give them to friends who might want a rabbit - or possibly dispose of them in other ways.

Let's turn this thread around to become positive by talking about this...

How do you find pet homes for those rabbits? Or how do you pet them out? Do you use a pet store? Do you find homes yourself?

What has helped you the most at finding those homes?

Any further discussion that is criticizing the breeders - OR is discussing culling via. "killing" will be pulled and members will receive a warning/reminder about our forum rules.

 

[mistyjr]

Agree w/ Peg! :biggrin:

 

[Pharfly]

Culling is a common practice in breeding many kinds of animals. Most mouse breeders cull litters to 4-6 some litters are born up to 25, this gives the remaining mice more milk which in turn makes healthier babies. It is a very touchy subject and a lot of people think it's bad. But in fact controling litter sizes, cull ill/deformed babies and pet homing animals that are not quality leaves the breeder with room and time too focus on improving their stock and allows the remining babies a chance to flourish.
Breeders don't like too toss this word around because so many people think it's cruel and unethical, but in all honesty it is done to make better animals.
And Hotmaildeal no one that breeds animals ethically will ever make money off their babies. Only mass breeders who mill their animals make money, but there breeding goal is too pump out as many animals as possible in a short and have no care in their stock.

 

[Cheyrul]

I understand the reasons for culling and even sort of respect it but I, personally could NOT do it, which is one of the many reasons I am not a breeder and intend on having every one of our pets (except our frogs and snails) fixed. I am also a mutt person, have nothing against most breeds of any species but do not feel compelled to have one.
I have nothing against using rabbits as a food source for people but I also eat very little meat and never any meat that I have personally met... had my parents been farmers, I would have died from starvation hahaha. I was this way as a child and have not been able to overcome and it has not stopped me from being "fluffy"

 

[laylabunny]

It's like la la land said, meat comes from somewhere. I'm not forcing the idea on anyone and I understand your point of view hotmailidea. I don't cull them while they are little babies either... they grow up just like the others in the litter. They are handled and treated just like the better ones. But when they are full grown and I can truly evaluate their good points and bad, that's when I make my decision.

I have yet to have a single call from someone who only wanted a rabbit as a pet. I keep getting those "I want a pet, but maybe she'll get to have babies someday." Personally I'd rather those people got a rabbit from a reputable rescue then have them just nonchalantly breed whatever because they can't get past the idea of cute little baby bunnies. I rescue and foster dogs and I'm very aware of what animals I add to the overpopulation problem. I do get very attached to my permanent rabbits and love them. But I do need to look at what I'm producing with a more critical eye if I want to create better rabbits that are more desirable. The goal isn't to make culls.

Well said Pharfly, if you are doing it right, you don't make money off of rabbits.

 

[majorv]

I really don't understand why there is even a Rabbitry and Show Room forum on here if breeders can't talk about what breeders deal with. Yes, some thought should be given before bringing upcertain topics, but I amtired of breeders being attacked in our own forum bynon breeders. JMHO

 

[JadeIcing]

It is not just breeder forum or a rescue forum or a pet forum it is a forum for all. We try to respect everyone. We also understand that not everyone can handle certain topics. So we try to keep things going as smoothly as possible. We don't allow people to attack each other, which is why a moderator stepped in. What we do not allow is discussion of meat rabbits, which is just one part of breeding.

 

[TinysMom]

majorv wrote:

I really don't understand why there is even a Rabbitry and Show Room forum on here if breeders can't talk about what breeders deal with. Yes, some thought should be given before bringing upcertain topics, but I amtired of breeders being attacked in our own forum bynon breeders. JMHO

In the past we did discuss the possibility of the rabbitry forum becoming a "private" forum for breeders only - but people (especially non-breeders) did not like that because they enjoy the discussions about genetics, seeing new baby bunnies, etc. etc. Members also come here often to ask for breed identification.

Unfortunately - we did decide to make the rabbitry area public. Sometimes I do regret that - at times like this when breeders are attacked by non-breeders for their choices (even if they are choices I would not make).

I probably should have pulled this thread when it was first started because I knew it would eventually lead to trouble. Now - even though I asked folks to not continue on with it....they did so (makes me feel so great - NOT!).

I just ask that breeders remember - the only topics we really don't discuss are "breeding for meat" / "eating meat" - and we prefer to not discuss culling and reasons why people "cull" when it involves euthanasia.

Otherwise, we try to be open to discussions...

 

[Kipcha]

I don't see the point of even opening a thread if it's just to attack the subject. What's so hard about just avoiding the Rabbitry section if you don't agree with breeding/culling/showing/etc?

Just my opinion, but it seems like people are just trying to pick a fight rather then contribute meaningfully to the discussion, which is no fun for anyone.

 

[kuniklos]

woahlookitsme wrote:

I sell them for pet quality and if i cant find them one then we give them to a fellow rabbit friend to give to her reptile lady. I usually try to find them homes for a good 3-6 months. Its hard to sell my breed.

I usually see so many tans at shows, and its a surprise they don't sell well! Sure they may not be "cuddly" like many other breeds, but my goodness are they really adaptable, hardy, flipping beautiful, and so energetic! A tan was my first rabbit since I was a child. He's my precious!

But I am sure I am bias... >.> However, everyone who has met him has commented on how beautiful he is. GQ rabbit! :muscleman:

 

[laylabunny]

I love tans as well. Such a beautiful breed. One of my first rabbits was a tan, and I miss her. Someday I'll get back into them when my lionheads aren't occupying every available space

I personally don't like selling to pet stores. I really hate walking past the one in the mall. They just create situations where people impulse buy. Probably the part that irks me the most is that they have high maintenance pets and educate people for 5 mins then push them to buy it. Especially the large breed dogs. Few people realize exactly how LARGE a great dane or mastiff puppy gets. The same goes for rabbits. I know from fellow breeders how tempted people are to give junk like lettuce and salad and skip the pellets and hay. A breeder I know sold a rabbit to a family. He talked them all about what to feed them and sent them home with a printout care sheet. They called not much later saying the rabbit had died and they wanted a replacement for free. All they fed the poor thing was iceberg lettuce.

 

[HappyFarmBunnies]

Well done to Peg and Ali for handling this situation with tact. The mods have a hard job here and I think they do a good job of toeing the line.
If you really want another breeder's opinion on culling or other things that we have been asked to refrain from talking about publicly, PM them and chat there. That way we can still get the unfettered information we want without being inflammatory.
I pet out almost all my babies because I am so stringent and rigorous with what we keep. And I'm also a new breeder, only for 3 years now so there is still a lot to learn.

 

[MiniLopHop]

I am not a breeder, but I am greatful this group is public. I have learned a lot from the very knowlegeable people here. Some of the things I can use, some not but I love learning about what other people do with rabbits. Personally I cringe at the thought of culls, but I understand it has to be done. I also get my baby bunny fix here. I love looking at all the baby pictures!

I also wanted to say Thank you to Peg for being so diplomatic.

 

[plasticbunny]

laylabunny wrote:

I personally don't like selling to pet stores. I really hate walking past the one in the mall. They just create situations where people impulse buy. Probably the part that irks me the most is that they have high maintenance pets and educate people for 5 mins then push them to buy it. Especially the large breed dogs.

You should give pet stores more credit then that (or at least not generalize them). When someone works at a pet store, it's because they love animals, and because they love animals, they want the animals that they're selling (and oftentimes are attached to) to find health and happiness in their new homes.

Whenever I sell a rabbit, I'm very honest with them about the needs of rabbits, how much work they can take, etc. I go above and beyond my job and try to give them a crash course on rabbit care, focusing on diet because that seems to be. I refuse to sell them any smaller than the largest cage we carry (4 feet by 2 feet), and I ALWAYS write down this website and the HRS website for them to refer to in case of emergency, or just for some good reading. The whole process takes about 1/2 an hour. It is never just "What color do you like? That one? Okay, let me box him up for you. Have a great day!" It is not my job to educate people, but I do it anyway because I care about the bun having a good home and a long life.

Same with any other animal, even ones as small and fool-proof as hamsters. Selling and preparing people for a dog can take an hour and a half! And speaking of dogs, pet stores rarely get larger breeds in, because they can stay there until they're too big and there's no room for them. Believe me, if I saw a Great Dane at a pet store, I'd be pretty pissed, too. But really, most pet stores won't do that because the longer the dog is there, and the bigger it gets, the lower they need to put the price.

And I have yet to see someone impulse-buy an animal, except for fish. Most people say that they'll think about it, and for the few who want to walk out with an animal on a whim, I recommend they go walk around the mall or grab some lunch and come back if they're interested. Often they don't because they've realized that the animal is not right for them afterall.

I think that our rabbits are the culls from a breeder. I have mixed feelings about this because positively, you know the buns are going to be pets, but negatively, you don't know if someone will breed the bunny. It's really none of my business either way, though. All I can do is recommend a spay or neuter. The only time it is hard for me is when one of our buns gets sick and has to be sent back to the breeder, because if they are culls than the breeder will more likely put the bun down than go through the expense oftreating it and then the trouble of finding it a home. And honestly, I don't blame a breeder for that at all, it's part of the business.