CHAPTERS

Chapter Three: Purchasing Harlequin Rabbits

You wouldn’t be reading this book this far if you weren’t really into getting a harlequin integrated in your life. Seeing a harlequin and knowing how easy-going it is, it is no wonder you are considering it. Determining early on what your intent is in raising a harlequin rabbit will be a pretty important decision to make as well, especially if you have intentions of showing off your rabbit at shows. On the other hand if you are looking to raise one, we advise that you consider getting two because harlequins thrive so much better in pairs. Not only do they get to keep the company of another rabbit like it, you also get double the fun.

Knowing who you should be talking to, where to get these uniquely different harlequins as well as what you should be looking out for during this time of your search are important details you want to know and learn because a lot hinges on talking to the right person at the onset of your quest. Doing so, dealing with an honest, humane breeder that is, coupled with optimum care from your end will ensure a healthy, long living bunny.

Where Can You Buy Harlequin Rabbits?

You can buy from pet shops, flea markets, backyard rabbit breeders or private breeders, rabbit rescue centers, and from dedicated rabbit hobbyists. The most popular place to buy Harlequin rabbits or any animal is of course from your local pet shops. However, most breeders do not recommend and in fact highly discourage people to purchase rabbits from these pet shops simply because the store owners don’t know anything about particular rabbit breeds, and more often than not the animals sold in pet shops are not being properly taken care of. They’re probably selling or breeding rabbits for the sole purpose of making money off of it, and not really taking the time to care for the rabbit’s particular needs. Many people have had bad experiences purchasing pets from these local shops because most of the time rabbits die after they were brought home from the pet stores due to lack of adequate care. Pet stores also tend to take away the bunnies sometimes too early from their mother which is why they may be prone to many illnesses or has an unhealthy condition. Perhaps the only advantage of buying from pet stores is that it’s near your house and you can get supplies any time with less hassle but as much as possible do not buy from pet shops.

Another popular place to purchase a Harlequin is from flea markets. Again these are not highly recommended because normally rabbits being sold in flea markets are of mixed rabbit breeds. So if you want a Harlequin breed but you are not that familiar with it, chances are you’ll end up buying another kind of rabbit breed.

Another major disadvantage is that you don’t know where these rabbits came from, you don’t know their previous living condition, if they’re healthy or not, and the breeder may not have taken care these rabbits properly. Yes, you can buy cheap rabbit breeds in flea markets that probably come in all shapes and sizes but it’s highly discouraged. If you want to buy a Harlequin that could possibly be cheaper and you can also be assured of its quality, then go get them from rabbit rescue centers. This is a good place if you want to adopt a rabbit, perhaps the main advantage is that you can actually save a life if you decided to adopt a bunny.

When it comes to quality, you can be assured that these bunnies are well taken care of, and you’ll get to know the rabbit’s health history since they are being kept by professionals. Sometimes rabbits from rescue centers are already spayed or neutered so you won’t have a problem with that anymore. But it may not be a good idea to adopt a rabbit from a shelter if you want to breed rabbits or join a show.

One of the common and better places to purchase a rabbit is from backyard rabbit breeders. The reason for this is because these breeders are small time rabbit keepers, which means that they usually have only a couple of litter that is being sold. It also means that since they only take care of a couple of litters, you can be assured of its quality and health.

You can also go back and ask the breeders questions in terms of the previous living condition, the food, the age, the breed, the health status etc. Be careful though because there are still some backyard breeders who only breeds rabbits because they want to get rid of their excess litter or just sell them. You can also buy from rabbit enthusiasts because these people are generally the go – to place of any keepers who already have had some experience when it comes to buying rabbits. Dedicated hobbyists usually have larger places and they seriously know a lot about a particular breed that they’re selling. These are the people who are reputable breeders because they don’t just sell their pets to anyone; they also like to make sure that their bunnies will go to good homes.

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