Breeding Rabbits

Arm yourself with information and resources for rabbit breeding success
By R.N. Dolgener, Special Education Teacher The rabbit breeding business has many facets, the most familiar of which may be the exotic pet market. But, your average bunny rabbit in a pet store sells for very little, comes from questionable breeding facilities and may have health problems due to environmental and genetic insufficiencies.

Responsible rabbit breeders generally breed for show or commercial purposes, employing the latest animal husbandry techniques to ensure quality, healthy purebred animals. Whether breaking into the rabbit breeding business yourself, or helping a student with a 4-H or FFA project, consider these important factors before spending a dime:

1. Choose the right breed for your purposes. Show rabbits are expensive, and the shows are highly competitive in the meat rabbit categories. Consider exotics to improve your chances of winning, but do your research before you buy.

2. Buy your first bunny only after completely outfitting your hutch and budgeting for veterinary care and feeding.

3. Breed your rabbits under the supervision of an experienced breeder the first few times. It's easy to lose your entire first litter if both you and your doe are inexperienced.

Enjoy the experience of expert bunny breeders by joining professional organizations

Breeding bunnies can happen quickly for the ill-prepared. Benefit from membership in national rabbit producers' and fanciers' groups by using those resources to do your research before you settle on a breed. Whatever path you take to begin your business, be prepared and keep your rabbits separated with solid partitions while you learn enough to be ready for breeding.
Try:  Join the bunny breeding experts in the American Rabbit Breeders' Association (ARBA). The ARBA is a great place to start, since most groups will have ARBA affiliation. Commercial rabbitry owners can also join the Professional Rabbit Meat Association (PRMA).

Find rabbit breeding equipment and show rabbits for sale

Local breeders are your best bet for buying breeding hares and building relationships with rabbitry and caviary owners in your area. Purchase rabbit breeding equipment wherever you can find what suits your needs, but carefully disinfect it, and buy feeders and waterers made of non-porous materials like glass and stainless steel to avoid passive disease transmission.
Try:  Professionals in the rabbit breeding business list bunnies for sale at Agriseek.com. Buy new equipment -- from cages to automatic watering systems and waste collection systems -- from Jeffers Livestock.

Keep your hares in good health by having resources close at hand

When you've done the research and purchased your supplies and rabbits, information and resources become more important than ever. Make sure you have breeding, feeding and veterinary resources at the ready to support your responsible rabbit breeding efforts. Online support may be your biggest ally when, invariably, four does kindle at 2 a.m. in an ice storm and you have urgent questions.
Try:  Conduct a search of various rabbit-related websites at RabbitWeb.net. Find breed-specific groups and resources using the search feature at The Rabbit and Cavy Directory. The Rabbit and Cavy Directory search requires that you select a breed first to view resources.

• If you deal in pet bunnies, use the ARBA breeder resources to find pet-quality rabbits from purebred dealers with spotless track records -- it's the best way to guarantee healthy, vetted stock to your customers. Show breeders will generally sell bunnies with confirmation flaws to pet rabbit dealers.