CHAPTERS

Chapter Two: The Rabbit Buying Process

Sometimes purchasing rabbits can be overwhelming especially for those who are first time rabbit breeders or keepers. If a rabbit enthusiast fails to buy a desired rabbit breed, like a Jersey Wooly for this matter, due to the fact that they the breed is not available at nearby pet shops or stores, they tend to purchase a pet that they will later regret. A lot of people don’t even know where to buy which makes them vulnerable in purchasing a rabbit breed from irresponsible breeders or acquiring an unhealthy bunny.

If you are one of them, then this chapter is what you need before you start this journey with your potential rabbit. You’ll learn where to buy, the pros and cons of those places as well as the criteria on how to spot a good and responsible rabbit breeder so that you can be assured that your pet is healthy and well taken care of.

Where to Purchase Rabbits?

There are several places where you can buy rabbits, and in this section we’ll explain the pros and cons of buying from these places. You can buy from pet shops, flea markets, backyard rabbit breeders or private breeders, rabbit rescue centers, and from dedicated rabbit hobbyists.

Pet Shops

The most popular place to buy Jersey Wooly rabbits or any animal is of course from your local pet shops. And just like other popular pets like dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs and the likes, rabbits are always available in most 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.

Flea Markets

Another popular place to purchase a Jersey Wooly 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 Jersey Wooly breed but you are not that familiar with it, chances are you’ll end up buying another kind of rabbit breed (after all they all look the same). 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 comes in all “shapes and sizes” but it’s highly discouraged.

Rabbit Rescue Centers

If you want to buy a Jersey Wooly or any rabbit breed 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.

Backyard Rabbit Breeders

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.

Dedicated Rabbit Hobbyists

The last but definitely not the least is buying from dedicated rabbit enthusiasts. 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 rabbitries 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. They care for their pets so much that they’ll go the extra mile of making sure that you’ll be ready to raise the bunnies that they bred. The only disadvantage is that the rabbits can be quite expensive, but you can be guaranteed of the quality, the health, and also the support system if you have further inquiries about the rabbit breed you purchase. It is worth investing in though because you won’t have to worry about the health and    wellness of your pet in the long run, and also save you a lot of money.

Continue Reading…