Bunny breeding

[Plumped Cuddly Bunnies]

Bunny Breeding… I know its a subject that is frowned upon. I have noticed there are many many breeders on Pets4Homes too many in fact. I wonder if they have a hard time selling there bunnies because I’m sat here scratching my head wondering why people breed bunnies when there are so many of them widely available and not many people want rabbits. I always thought rabbits are very hard to re-home let alone sell them and I see from the bunnies I look through regularly on Pets4Homes is that the same bunnies are still on there for weeks to months which tells me the bunnies are not selling but I’m seeing bunny breeders on there which could indicate I could be wrong.

I have a very rare male bunny who I’m struggling to get neutered. I really do not want to part with him and I’ve been thinking maybe he could enter a breeding program however I’m on the fence about it because my original plan was to have him neutered and bond him with my two girls. I think I have the perfect bunny family all three bunnies would look so good together if only I could have him neutered risk free that isn’t going to cost a bomb and then there is that idea on the horizon of entering him for a breeding program in the foreseeable future because he is a rare stud. I really do not know what to make of bunny breeding at this point, the idea of it may pass.

[LBJ10]

As you know, this is a forum for house rabbits. Discussing intentional breeding goes against forum guidelines. I do understand your frustrations with not being able to find someone to spay and neuter your bunnies. However, suggesting that your boy be used as a stud isn’t going to solve anything. Not only would it be an unpleasant existence for him, using him to breed is just going to further the unwanted rabbit population. Even you admit that there are tons of bunnies available for adoption or purchase, and not enough homes to go around.

I’m not understanding what you mean by “rare”. My impression was that these bunnies were rescues. I presumed their heritage was unknown and they were most likely mixes (which is most often the case). Even if a bunny happens to have desirable markings does not mean a breeder will want to use them. If their genes are unknown, then it would be impossible to predict the results of the offspring. Bunny genetics are complicated enough as it is.

[Plumped Cuddly Bunnies]

First of all I just wanted to apologize for mentioning breeding. I’ve made a note of that and It wont  happen again. I’ve decided I wont use him for breeding it was an idea that I was thinking of at the time. He will just have to live separately and I’ll do my best for him. It doe make things harder when bunnies have to live separately because it means less space for all the bunnies having to divide up the the space.

Once again I apologize for the thread and would it be possible to have it altered or deleted?

[LBJ10]

I don’t think the thread needs to be deleted necessarily. This actually highlights why breeding isn’t a good idea.

[Plumped Cuddly Bunnies]

Also I am so gutted about the situation and the possibility of having to give him up that I have been trying to find another bunny that is neutered who looks exactly like him but I can not find one. I know bunnies are not replaceable like that. I don’t want to re-home my bunny but I realize it may be in his best interest for a happier life where he can then get neutered and have a better home.

The RSPCA suggested that I surrender him to there shelter where he can be neutered. The RSPCA do not offer neutering services for rabbits anymore for individuals. Its silly.

I thought about handing him in then applying for an adoption to get him back after he had been neutered but it would be unlikely I’d get him back, when animals go into rescue centers some are transferred to lots of different centers around the country and if there are lots of applicants applying for adoption of my bunny I probably wont stand a chance.  No logic today. More rabbits are just going to suffer. People will get desperate.

[LBJ10]

I know you love all 3. But if you are considering giving someone up, have you considered the 2 girls? A shelter could spay and bond them, then adopt them out as a pair. The boy could live a solo life with you. If his behavior doesn’t bother you, then you wouldn’t necessarily need to have him neutered. It is just a thought since you are throwing the idea of rehoming around. Health-wise, spaying is SO much more important than neutering. Unspayed females are at high risk of developing uterine and other reproductive cancers. Unneutered males have a much lower risk of developing testicular cancer (it’s pretty rare). Plus, if there are no girls around, there is no risk of unwanted baby bunnies.

[Plumped Cuddly Bunnies]

I couldn’t do that. I’m too attached to those female bunnies, they have become apart of my life now even though I haven’t had them long. I’d gladly pay to have them spayed but waiting lists are long about 2 month minimum and prices are very high right now. All the cheap or cheaper vets either no longer deal with rabbits or there not taking in new people. I was quoted 130 pounds for a spay and 91 pounds for a neuter by one vet but the only problem is they aren’t accepting new customers at the moment. I’d be happy to pay that. Other vets are asking for way more too much in fact and there is still the same wait. I may have to give up for now and wait until next year and try again.

The boys behavior is an issue although it might take some getting used to, I’m not able to handle him without protection and then there is the issue of him inflicting injury on himself biting the bars of his enclosure. I am working on expanding it but its all going to take time. He will have to live outside and he will have his own secure run but I’m going to need more wood and a decent drill plus I have a mouse problem to deal with out there before I start the work. I have decided I’m keeping him because I really do not want to give him up. I will just keep him on his own even if it takes years to find a sensibly priced vet.

[Plumped Cuddly Bunnies]

I don;t know why a shelter can’t just spay and neuter them without them going to new homes, I’m already the owner and if they want money I’ll pay them. It makes no sense its like these rescue places want more bunnies. Places like the RSPCA are not helping the situation they are just making things worse. A bunny could be neutered, in and out with its owner job done but instead they have to be given up for a shelter to do it and then re-homed which then takes up more time and resources. Why do things have to be so complex when they don’t have to be.

They wont be getting any of my bunnies thats for sure. The shelters have more than enough. There is so much more that could be done rather than turning people away.

I also think rabbits deserve a lot more attention, just because they are not a dog or a cat they still deserve the same level of attention because they are lumbered into the same category as rodents, hamsters, small pets. Rabbits are lagomorphs and many are not small some can be the size of a cat or a small dog and they make excellent pets. They are very much over looked and I think if rabbits wasn’t so over looked there could be less rabbits in rescues.

[Plumped Cuddly Bunnies]

I wish I had waited when I decided that I wanted rescue bunnies and I was trying to adopt from shelters but they make it so hard to adopt. I had applied many times but was never successful so I decided to do a direct rescue myself and I got my 3 bunnies but little did I know there were going to be a crisis with getting vet help for spaying and neutering. The rabbits you get from shelters already come spayed and neutered.

I have no regrets with the bunnies I have now because I’d have the perfect house bunnies if only life was simple. I have found many online that are already spayed/neutered plus bonded pairs I just wish I had waited rather than just taking the first opportunity. At the time I just wanted a bunny or two and was fed up not being successful with any of my applications for rescues I thought I’d never get any so I grabbed the first opportunity when I did a direct rescue myself.

I realize now there is a possibility that if I’m unable to bond the two females  when they reach maturity I will still have a good chance of bonding one of the females with the male once they are eventually sorted out which then leaves one female who I could either adopt out or get another neutered male and pair them. I have seen several groups of rabbits living together I just have to see what happens.

[LBJ10]

I’m not familiar with regulations, so don’t quote me on this. BUT… there may be a reason why things cannot be so simple. There could be conditions for receiving funding or vet care for their animals (i.e. are not allowed to use their services to provide free spays/neuters). It could also be a liability thing. Not sure.

Nevertheless, it must be very frustrating for you. Low cost spay/neuter clinics are popular in the US, especially in low income areas. Vets will often donate their time. It is mostly dogs and cats, but there are vets that will do other animals. Things may be different where you are though, so I realize this probably isn’t an option for you. I think you mentioned before that there are some clinics, but they only do dogs and cats.

Exotics vets can be very expensive. I’m lucky in that I have a vet nearby that is very good with bunnies and is also reasonably priced. They are advertised as an avian vet, but one of the vets in the office specializes in small critters.

You shouldn’t blame yourself for wanting to do the right thing. Yes, it would have been much easier on you if you would have gotten already spayed/neutered bunnies. However, these bunnies did need a home. There’s no fault in wanting to help them. You clearly understand what needs to be done to allow them to live together peacefully, there are just some roadblocks that you will need to overcome.

Rabbits are individuals, so we should not make assumptions. That being said, people often describe girl-girl pairs as being some of the hardest. This is especially true when they are unspayed. Their instinct tells them they need to stake out their own territory.

[Plumped Cuddly Bunnies]

The whole country has gone to pot in so many aspects of life in general. It would be wonderful if I could get free vet care, rabbits aren’t apart of that anymore. I think people with dogs and cats can still get it although I wouldn’t be surprised if that had stopped for them as well. I’m willing to pay much more for vet care than I expected for example 130 quid for a neuter but when prices are extortionate and start going into the hundreds its just so wrong a few hundred is the cheapest and that is just an estimate. Everything is becoming expensive now in general and the country is just becoming a rubbish place to live in.

The reality is times are not going to get any better and if they do it wont be for a long time. These 3 rabbits living separately would be ok if it was on a temporary basis but them living like this on a permanent basis then it becomes a welfare issue which means I’m going to have to let go of my emotions and attachment to my bunnies and do what is best for them. After doing much thinking I’m going to need to find one of the females a new home so that I can give the other two rabbits a better quality of care, not that they aren’t getting care I’m caring for all 3 but its just not practical with them all separated like this neither for me or the bunnies. I don’t have the space to keep them all divided like this plus each time I get the males scent on me it sets of the other two females. Its not the end of the world I can still continue to rescue bunnies, its just means I can’t keep the bunnies I have and I’ll need to slowly re-home them all starting with one of the females and look for bunnies that are already spayed/neutered that will be my forever house bunnies. It be a lot easier letting them go over time rather than re-homing them all right away and in the mean time I can look for my forever future bunnies. The world is a cold cruel place and sometimes we are forced to make decisions we don’t want because of others. It feels so wrong but its the only way forward.

[Plumped Cuddly Bunnies]

The places that once provided free or reduced to affordable vet care were charities but are not being funded anymore under this government we have so charities have to rely purely on donations from the public and because they don’t have enough funds they have to cut services and are being told by the government they have to run more like a business than a charity which is the case for many charity shops and other places.  They are also dealing with the situation where lots of people had bought pets during lock down and also the war effort in Ukraine where many of the volunteer vets have gone to save the animals on the streets. Private vets know about this and are really profiting from this as many more desperate people take pets to them. Many can’t afford it.

[DanaNM]

Given how hard it has been to find a vet, your best seems like it would be to pick the vet that you would like to be a client with long term, and get on their wait list. Waiting till next year seems unlikely to help, as the waitlist would prob be just as long. You can get on the list for the bun that is the most important to do first, and then just do them one at a time. Spacing them out and having to be on the waitlist may not be the worst thing as it could give you time to you save up.

It is important to get in as a patient with a vet in general, because sometimes if you wait until a bun gets sick it can be really hard to find a vet that will take you if you aren’t already established with them.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Plumped Cuddly Bunnies]

I have a new plan… which means I can hang on to all my bunnies. I will get on a vets waiting list as soon as I find a fair priced vet because its not just about the money but also its about morels and rightfulness because what they are doing I’m strongly against and I don’t want to be a part of it by giving in to it. I will wait until a reasonably and fair priced vet is available even if it takes years. Some vets also told me that there is a high risk of bunnies not making it during the operation which doesn’t sit well with me. I will get there in the end it will just take time.

In the mean time I’m building the bunnies some new homes.

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