# Legal age limit to sell bunnies



## ilovetegocalderon (Oct 16, 2006)

I could have sworn i posted this before but i cant find it if i did:

Does anyone know the legal age limit you can sell baby rabbits in NY orknow where I can find the info? It's not to sell my babies,dont worry. It's just that I went to a pet store the otherday and found out they were selling three week old babies. Icould have sworn that was too young.


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## ani-lover (Oct 16, 2006)

i think it is somewhere around 8-16 weeks. not really sure.??!!??!!


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## pamnock (Oct 16, 2006)

I can't find any references to rabbits/bunnies in New York's Anti-Cruelty Statutes. 

The minimum sale age is generally 2 months in states that do address this issue (including my state of PA).



Pam


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## missyscove (Oct 16, 2006)

you could try contacting your animal services department.


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## Bassetluv (Oct 16, 2006)

*§ 354. Sale of baby chicks and baby rabbits*
1. No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter or give away livingbaby chicks, ducklings or other fowl or baby rabbits unless such personprovides proper brooder facilities where appropriate for the care ofsuch baby chicks, ducklings or other fowl or baby rabbits during thetime they are in the possession of such person. For the purposes ofthis section, a baby rabbit shall be a rabbit of less than two monthsof age.
2. No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter or display living babychicks, ducklings or other fowl or baby rabbits which have been dyed,colored or otherwise treated so as to impart to them an artificialcolor.
2-a. No provision of subdivision two shall be interpreted or applied toprevent or restrict teachers and qualified instructors of youth underthe guidance and supervision of the New York state cooperativeextension service from using eggs for non-profit educational purposesor from observing fowl hatched from such eggs for non-profiteducational purposes.
3. *No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter or give away livingbaby chicks, ducklings or other fowl or baby rabbits under two monthsof age in any quantity less than six.*
4. A violation of the provisions of this section is a misdemeanor,punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by a fine ofnot more than five hundred dollars, or by both.

(Not sure why they say "in any quantity less than six")

Here's the link for this rule:

http://www.nycacc.org/researchtools.htm?Wildlife#

Oh, and this is from the House Rabbit Society (stating what Pam already said):

"In any case of domestic rabbit babies, do not remove the babies untilthey are a full eight weeks of age. It is a Federal Law (Animal WelfareAct of 1973.)"

Three weeks is far too young to wean babies. Personally, I would notwean babies till 2 months. I do know that some wean them at 5-6 weeks,but I think 2 months is optimum for the babies' overall health andchance at a good start in life (imo).


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## ilovetegocalderon (Oct 17, 2006)

thanks guys. im taking this info to that pet shop!


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## samixXx (Oct 17, 2006)

3 week old rabbits :shock:
lady in petshop here told me they cant sell them till they are 8 weeks old


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## Michaela (Oct 17, 2006)

I think it is cruel to take them away from theirmothers at 3 weeks:shock:, mine weren't properly weaned until nearly 10weeks. Would 3 week olds even survive?

Michaela:brownbunny


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## samixXx (Oct 17, 2006)

i wouldnt have taught so, my dwarf rexs usuallyare weaned between 5 &amp; 6 weeks but its the mothers choice towean them she just stops letting them feed and they get along fine. 3weeks is just way too young


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## pamnock (Oct 17, 2006)

*Michaela wrote:*


> I think it is cruel to take them away from their mothers at3 weeks:shock:, mine weren't properly weaned until nearly 10 weeks.Would 3 week olds even survive?
> 
> Michaela:brownbunny




In the wild, rabbits re-bred immediately and give birth to anotherlitter within 31 days. The first litter is weaned as the dambegins to care for another litter. The kits do just fine -they are fine eating on their own at that point. 

Weaning at 10 weeks can be very draining on the doe and the bucks are approaching sexual maturity at that point.

Pam


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## Michaela (Oct 17, 2006)

*pamnock wrote: *


> In the wild, rabbits re-bred immediately and give birth to anotherlitter within 31 days. The first litter is weaned as the dambegins to care for another litter. The kits do just fine -they are fine eating on their own at that point.
> 
> Weaning at 10 weeks can be very draining on the doe and the bucks are approaching sexual maturity at that point.
> 
> Pam




Thanks for that Pam, but i swear Berri _loved_ feeding them, shejust wouldn't stop, we tried and tried, she just kept going back tothem, it seemed really strange:?And she had a false pregnancyas soon as they were weaned, it was like she wanted more lol

Anyway,therewas only 3 in the litter and they wereall female, so no need to worry about bucks reaching maturity in ourcase


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## pamnock (Oct 17, 2006)

No doubt - some mommies will nurse WAY past what is considered politically correct LOL

Pam


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## gentle giants (Oct 17, 2006)

Three weeks is definatly too young, my personalrule is eight weeks. They will usually stop nursing a week or twobefore that, but it makes sure that any runts or slow starters havemilk as long as they need it. That must be a very poor pet shop.

Hey Bassetluv-the rule for selling no less that six is mainly forchicks and ducklings, it's so that people don't buy just one or two ofthe "cute little fuzzies" for their kids for Easter, and then find outthat those cute fuzzies make smelly poop, and lots of it, just likeregular animals, and ditch them. Same as the rule against dying them,even though there are now dyes available that would not hurt them, itencourages people to think of them as toys, not animals. Also, babychicks can die very easily if you don't know how to care for them, andmany unfortunate baby chicks have died at the hands of stupid peoplewho don't bother to find out how they need to be cared for.


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