# For breeder, ethic question abouts sale



## Xena (Aug 9, 2015)

I am wondering what breeders do in that kind of situation.

I had a very large litter of a accidental cross breeding. And color mix abouts the worst you can do. The litter was to big for mom, so I had to nurse them for the first 2 weeks. I fall in love with them, but had no place in my rabbitry and breeding program for them. 
They were abouts 3 month old, so not much adoptiong chance for them.
I put them in a auction, and the only one offering was a not very good breeder.
So they all went in a not very good rabbitry ( I never went, but I heard things about it ).

Now, I am stuck with a very strong guilt fealing :in tears: and I miss them very much.
I am wondering if I should have refuse the sell and stay stuck with them and eventualy have tu cull them.

I kind of have my mom in my back telling me to stop doing litter, because I have to much rabbit. But making litter is the best way to win on a Show table.
I gess that constant reminder of my mom kind of influnced my choice a that time. I breed rabbit for 4 years now and its the first time I feel so much guilt abouts selling some of them.

So my question is when stuck in position where you have to sell them to someone you don't trust his rabbit living and breeding condition or have to cull them, what do you chose.


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## BlazeBunnies (Aug 9, 2015)

I never auction! I sell my rabbits and put add up ads on gumtree and Facebook sites, I ask to see where my rabbits will be living and what they will eat etc... If I can't go to the house I ask to see photos of there current rabbit and if they don't have any others I give them a detailed rabbit care sheet. I also ask for updates every 2-3mths until the rabbit is 2yrs old.


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## MiniLopMad (Aug 9, 2015)

If the kits are the result of an accidental cross breeding, why are you selling to other breeders? Breeders who breed rabbits for show should only be breeding purebred stock.

I have felt guilty about more than one sale too. If you can, sell the kits on a public classified site or ask around and see if anyone wants some pet bunnies. 

Hopefully everything turns out alright, please keep us updated. Hope that I helped


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## Thumperina (Aug 9, 2015)

I had to google about culling, and this is what I found 


> For livestock and wildlife, *culling* often refers to the act of killing removed animals


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_slaughter
Is this what you were talking about? 
Anyway, you already sold them, and it would be up to that person if he is willing to give them back... This is if I understood you correctly... 
I am not a breeder though. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_slaughter


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## majorv (Aug 9, 2015)

We've never had an accidental breeding but we have had offspring who aren't show quality. To cull just means to remove from the herd, and there are various ways of doing it, whether it mean terminal cull, petting out or other. When you send an animal to auction you have to accept that the animal could be going to anyone for any purpose. It sounds like the breeder who took them was possibly a backyard pet breeder.


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## Xena (Aug 9, 2015)

Yes it's a backyard breeder who sell rabbit to pet shop. 
Its was a mix of a Netherland Dwarf ( mom ) and a Jersey Wooly ( dad ) ans I ended up with 7 kits all doe.
I could have keep them if it wasn't de result of a BEW and REW ( carring shaded ) I could already see the Ruby cast pupil in their eyes.

My REW Jersey Wooly should have been called Houdinis. He opened his door cage so many time, I passed many weeks to find a way to stop him from opening it. I solved that issu, but now he is destroying is door wire to get out. :sigh: 
He also breeded a Lionhead. By luck only 2 out of the 6 kit survived. 1 doe and 1 buck and I will keep the doe. The buck will be hard to place in a home, but I want to find a very good home, because he had a injury to one of his ear and lost it. His ear canal need to be clean sometime.
I guess with the 3 accidental litter I had in 3 weeks, I got a over kits population that is harder to place. :baghead


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## ladysown (Aug 9, 2015)

As a breeder people need to make choices.

You made a choice to sell at auction.
When you do so you have a choice...either buy them back or allow someone to buy them. You can't control who buys them. 

Culling is simply removing animals from your herd that you cannot keep.
1. selling as pets - either to pet stores or private sales
2. selling as breeders
3. selling as food
4. killing 

only you as a breeder can decide what level of concern you have for the animals that you produce.

I have a SHORT list of people that I will not sell to. Doesn't mean they might not end up with my animals, but it won't be MY choice for them to go to them.

If you cannot tolerate the fact that some of your rabbits might end up in places you'd rather not have them, then simply don't sell pets OR breeding stock. PERIOD. Even if you sell to nice folk doesn't mean they won't sell your rabbit or give it away to not as nice folk. 

Only you can make the decision.


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Aug 10, 2015)

Just a reminder that we're not permitted to discuss terminal culling on this forum.

However, my advice to you would be to research that option outside of this website. I understand why people feel so strongly about not using that option. Their first thought is often that terminal culling is used as an "easy way out" for people who "don't care about the animals" and it's "a quick way" to dispose of perfectly healthy animals that may simply be a wrong color or have undesirable body type.

The thing we have to remember as breeders is that we are responsible for *everything* that leaves our rabbitry. If we knowingly place rabbits into the hands of an irresponsible/backyard breeder...are we any better than they are? If we post rabbits on classifieds sites and hand them to the first person who approaches us with a dollar bill, are we holding up our end of the deal?

Of course, it is impossible to ensure that every single rabbit we place is going to be cared for responsibly. That is the same whether you're breeding or fostering or adopting - it's a risk in any situation involving animals.

If the option is available to remove a rabbit with undesirable characteristics from a breeding program and place it into a knowledgeable pet home, that is absolutely the option that I choose, 100%, every time.

However, if that option is not realistic, we need to consider what the next best option will be. In my opinion, it is not doing ourselves or the animals any favors to place them as pets "at any cost." Sometimes options that may be viewed as easy or uncaring are a very difficult decision that is in the best interest of the animals themselves.

And that is all I'll say on the topic. Feel free to private message me if you want to talk on this topic in greater detail.


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## ladysown (Aug 10, 2015)

I am sorry for violating terms. 

I was simply trying to make choices clear about what options are available.

Any choice can be a difficult one and does not imply a lack of concern for any animal involved.


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## Kipcha (Aug 11, 2015)

Personally, I would NEVER send a rabbit to a situation that I knew, or even had suspicions, of being an inappropriate home. But then again, for our rescues, people have a few hoops to jump through (We have an application, a meeting, a home visit and a contract before the rabbit is adopted) and even with that a few not great homes have managed to slip through. At the time though, I had no reason to doubt them.

If it were me, I would not dream of sending the rabbits there. That's my opinion.


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