I contemplated waiting to publish this article, seeing as I've barely begun raising rabbits myself, but I have learned a lot and made quite a few mistakes since I started nearly four years ago.
Mistake #1: For our first rabbits, we decided to browse craigslist and find some cute $10 bunnies. (Yes, I know. Yikes.) Fast forward to a bunny-filled garage. The people didn't know who the father was, and couldn't sex the babies properly. They simply grabbed two rabbits and plopped them in our arms. I received Willow the baby Dutch bunny and Jordan received Denali, also a baby Dutch.
Mistake #2: The rabbits were only 6 weeks old. Fortunately, we dodged a bullet; nothing went wrong.
Mistake #3: We put both adolescent rabbits in a hutch together. We were lucky and when puberty hit, nothing happened but a bit of missing hair.
Mistake #4: Once both rabbits reached adulthood, we noticed they were getting a little too friendly. Yep, you guessed it. Willow and Denali were actually doe and buck.
You may be wondering, what is so bad about all the mistakes written above? Well, to begin with, if you want to raise show rabbits, you should not buy the first cute $10 bunnies you see. You should research the breed you want, find a breeder, ask lots of questions, hopefully attend a rabbit show, and purchase a pedigreed, show quality rabbit. This rabbit should also be at least 8 weeks old; any younger age really is too young. Learn how to sex rabbits or take along a reliable friend who can before you look at the rabbits. Preferably, get a second opinion. Don't house two rabbits in the same cage. They may get along initially, but after young rabbits go through puberty many fight with each other. To me and many other breeders I've talked to, it is simply not worth the risk. Additionally, you obviously shouldn't house male and female rabbits together.
So what is the proper way to go about purchasing rabbits?
First of all, decide what breed you would like to buy. Would you prefer a small, medium, or large sized rabbit? Lop ears or regular, upright ears? Rex, wool, normal, or satin fur? Do you want to raise pet rabbits, meat rabbits, show rabbits, or even rabbits for fur? The ARBA Standard of Perfection lists all recognized rabbit breeds, or you can go to www.arba.net to view all recognized breeds. I highly suggest going to a rabbit show, looking at the rabbits, talking to breeders and judges. Once you've decided on your breed, find a reputable breeder. If you want to breed rabbits, purchasing a breeding trio of two does and one buck is often the best way to go. Before you buy the rabbits, look them over carefully. Check their eyes, ears, nose, mouth, feet, legs, belly, gender, tail, fur condition, and flesh quality. A healthy rabbit's eyes will be bright, ears will be clear, nose will be free of snot, teeth should be structurally sound(no malocclusion, butting, or overgrown teeth), feet should be well furred with no sores and all toenails(four nails on rear feet, five on front), legs should be straight, belly should have no sores or abscesses, genital area should have no sores or abscesses, tail should be carried straight; watch out for wry tail, dead tail, or broken tail. Finally, the fur should be clean and relatively stain free with a healthy luster. (Unless the rabbit is molting) The rabbit should be of appropriate weight and flesh condition. When you feel the spine, the vertebrae should feel like gentle bumps, not bony spikes. Make sure the rabbit is of the appropriate weight for the breed and has no disqualifications either for its breed or in general.
As you breed your rabbits, one important thing to remember is, Keep the best and cull the rest. To cull means to remove a rabbit from your herd. Evaluating your rabbits is something that takes some time to master but is very important. If one rabbit doesn't follow the standard as well as others or simply doesn't follow the standard at all, cull it. I think it is best to get a second opinion when evaluating, even if you know what to look for. A fresh pair of eyes almost always helps.
This is all I can think of right now, but I will add more tips to this post as I go. Good luck with your rabbit raising adventure!
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