# Starting a small, high quality rabbitry?



## morganforte (Sep 18, 2014)

I've been saving money to open a small, high quality rabbitry. I'm planning to only sell them as pets or show bunnies. In the beginning, I will probably only start with a breeding trio, two pairs of breeders, or three at most, as I want to get used to the business. I will keep all of the rabbits indoors in safe, clean, and comfortable cages in our large rec room that we dont use anymore. 
When I get the rabbits, I've made a plan that I will not breed the first litter until I have a few people lined up who will want the bunnies. (I personally know several people who do shows and are looking for new bunnies to show.) 
I do want to spend some time learning a little more about how to go about this, find out any info that might be helpful, etc. Before I make any decisions. So here are my questions: 

1) What should I call it? (please nothing breed specific as I plan to breed a few different ones) 
2) What breeds should I start off with? (Whats popular/easy) 
3) How should I go about with the business? (Should I have people pay to reserve rabbits --i already have several people interested, should i keep emails and phone numbers, create a website, send people home with care brochures, etc) 
4) Should I have my rabbitry registered by the ARBA? 
5) What are some supplies I will need starting out? 

(PS: I am knowledgable about rabbit health as i am taking pre-vet courses and I am fully aware of the financial needs that the rabbits will have including vet costs, food, etc) 
Anything else you think I should know? Thanks!


----------



## majorv (Sep 18, 2014)

I'm just curious, but have you ever shown rabbits? Normally, someone who sells show stock, also shows rabbits themselves. They know the breed standard for the rabbits they sell. Also, if you wanted to sell a breed that is popular among breeders then you would have to spend more money to get high quality stock to start with.

It might be better to figure out which breeds are popular in your area as pets and start there. Make sure there is a market for pet rabbits because if there are already shelters with rabbits in them then you're competing. 

I had a friend who sold Polish as pets for awhile. She carefully chose the rabbits she used as parents, making sure they had a friendly and nonagressive personality. She also did not plan a litter until she had a waiting list of people who wanted the babies. She also had a no questions asked return policy, where if someone who got one of her rabbits felt they could no longer take care of it, they could return it.


----------



## woahlookitsme (Sep 18, 2014)

What area of the US do you live in and what do you want to spend on a breeding rabbit? 

I'll try to answer some of your questions.
1. For our Rabbitry we used our last name. For other peoe they will use their farms name or where they live as an inspiration. I'm not good with coming up with Rabbitry names. 

2. This is where your cost and location come into play. Before you even pick a specific breed narrow it down more. How many breeding rabbits
Do you plan on keeping and figure it with the future in mind. For example if you want to start with a trio figure three cages then at least one extra for when the babies have to be separated from mother. Then maybe one or two more to separate the boys from the girls and if you want to keep one of the offspring to put back into the breeding program. Once you figure out how many you can keep you will also figure out how big your cages can be. Marked breeds such as Dutch, harlequin, and English spot are not a good breed to raise if you won't have a large outlet for rabbits that will not be shown or put back into the program (aka culls). To help pick a breed go to a rabbit show and look at the different breeds available to you. Mini rex, Hollands, and netherland dwarfs are going to be your most popular rabbit for pets and show but they are very hard breeds to break into and you will want to spend good money on a trio (were talking 100-300 per rabbit). 
3. When I started out I sold most of my stock to people at shows. I stayed away from the pet market unless i had an animal with a disqualification. I usually don't take reservations or down payment for a rabbit unless someone wants me to hold a specific rabbit for more than two weeks. Most of the time I just start a sales list and when it gets closer to the time when the rabbits are ready to go to a home I contact the buyers and figure out who will pick which and when. 
4. ARBA registration isn't necessary but makes your Rabbitry look more official. It also is a way to advertise. I don't think your registration directly relates to any awards or things you win at shows. 
5. Id say starting out the most important thing is to buy a standard of perfection book. It has all the breed standards for the rabbit and cavy breeds recognized by ARBA and you can buy it on their website


----------



## morganforte (Sep 18, 2014)

MajorV: I haven't shown rabbits before; and although I'm very knowledgable about health and care(and have two rabbits of my own who are both fixed), I don't know all that much about show so I would definitely have to do some research before breeding show rabbits. I wanted to start with a popular breed and just sell them as pets like you said (that is, until I have enough info about showing rabbits). I live in South Carolina, so showing rabbits is extremely popular. I already have several people asking me for rabbits (they thought I was already breeding them) so I know there's a huge market around here for them as pets and I have people willing to pay $75 - 100 per rabbit (just as pets) in my area because the nearest breeders are over an hour away from the city i live in.

I also have some good contacts (I recently worked at a pet shop where people were coming in constantly asking for bunnies and I currently volunteer at an exotic vet). That no questions return policy is a really good point. I do NOT want any of my rabbits to end up in shelters. Both of my babies are from shelters and its so sad to see them there with no one to love them. I will definitely make that a part of the deal when I sell my rabbits. I am also planning to make care brochures to make sure everyone adopting my rabbits is fully aware of the care and costs, etc. because i think a main reason for people abandoning their rabbits is because it was more work than they thought. I'd rather not sell every rabbit and have them in a place where they will be cared for and loved than sell every rabbit and have them go to homes that dont know how to properly care for them. 

Thanks so much for the info it was very helpful!


----------



## morganforte (Sep 18, 2014)

woahlookitsme said:


> What area of the US do you live in and what do you want to spend on a breeding rabbit?
> 
> I'll try to answer some of your questions.
> 1. For our Rabbitry we used our last name. For other peoe they will use their farms name or where they live as an inspiration. I'm not good with coming up with Rabbitry names.
> ...



I live in South Carolina. Rabbit shows are super popular around here, especially in in Charlotte, NC which is about 30 minutes from the city where I live. People living in my city have to travel over an hour in any direction to find a breeder. I had to drive 2 hours for my first rabbit who passed when i was younger and an hour and a half for my two babies that i recently adopted from a shelter.

I'm willing to spend $150 on each rabbit as I realize how important it is to make sure I'm getting a good quality rabbit with good genes, pedigree, and no agressive behaviors. Of course, I'm starting small and a friend is going to be doing it with me, so we're splitting the costs of everything. I dont know much about showing, although, i am entering into a pre-vet program so i know a bit about health and such, but I do have quite a bit to learn about showing. It seems like it would be fun but I obviously dont want to get into something I have no idea about.  

Also, I had a question; I was looking at some rabbits being sold in my area (or about an hour away, lol!) and came across some beautiful vienna marked rabbits. One was a broken blue holland lop with very interesting markings and blue eyes. I thought she was just gorgeous. Would she be disqualified from a show, though, due to the blue eyes? I was thinking that they would want a more "natural" representation of the breed at a show (if that makes sense; like I said, I know almost nothing about showing rabbits, lol!). 
Thanks for the info! It was very helpful! 

(I attatched a photo of the bunny below)


----------



## OakRidgeRabbits (Sep 19, 2014)

I would recommend attending several shows before getting started. Decide on a breed or two you're interested in raising, and watch and listen to the judge as he goes through each rabbit of that breed.

During that process, it would also help to purchase the Standard of Perfection. This book outlines the breed standard for each recognized breed, as well as recognized colors. It lists faults and disqualifications.

Vienna-marked rabbits are not showable in any breed.

When you're raising rabbits for show, you can't line up homes ahead of time or take deposits/reservations. Breeding rabbits isn't that easy. If you breed two purebred, quality show animals, you may end up with a few show quality babies in the litter, or they may end up being being pet quality. After bringing your initial starting stock home, it takes generations to bring consistency to your herd and start seeing a higher percentage of show quality animals. In the beginning, they are few and far between.

The other thing to consider is that prospective show rabbits must be grown out. Other show exhibitors won't take you very seriously if you're selling "show" rabbits right after weaning. Rabbits develop slowly throughout the first months of their life, so the earliest you can typically sell show rabbits is 4-6 months of age. Will you have room to house offspring individually for that amount of time?

Just some things to think about on the show end. With pets, of course you could take reservations and sell them early on. But again, it takes time to sort out pet or show quality when you're still new and learning. Pet rabbits definitely don't sell as well when they're adults...so by the time you've evaluated your litter and decided who is pet or show, it may be difficult to find pet homes. Most people want pets right after weaning.


----------



## morganforte (Sep 19, 2014)

OakRidgeRabbits said:


> I would recommend attending several shows before getting started. Decide on a breed or two you're interested in raising, and watch and listen to the judge as he goes through each rabbit of that breed.
> 
> During that process, it would also help to purchase the Standard of Perfection. This book outlines the breed standard for each recognized breed, as well as recognized colors. It lists faults and disqualifications.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the info!  very helpful!


----------



## Khainon (Sep 19, 2014)

another idea that you may find helpful..find a mentor...i am being mentored by two really amazing breeders who breed,sell and show rabbits...finding a mentor who breeds show bunnies of the same breed you wanna get started in, can help you out alot and teach you so much more than books or websites can.


----------



## Azerane (Sep 20, 2014)

I don't have much to contribute, but from what I've learned on these forums, I just wanted to say that it seems that the most popular rabbits are the most difficult to get into/do well with and you may want to consider breeds that aren't quite as popular if you're looking for something that's easy to make a start in.


----------

