Rabbits N'Rodents
Got Rabbits, Hamsters, Guinea pigs, gerbils?
Where to get your pet Rabbits
So, you have read everything and feel ready to get your new rabbits and think you'll pop down to your local petshop? Stop. I never, ever recommend petshops as a place to buy pets, rabbits in particular. Problem is that most petshops are supplied by mass breeders or smaller scale backyard breeders, as no reputable breeder would sell off animals to an unknown future. The animals destined for the petstore are bred for quantity, not quality and the breeders will put together any male with any female, often resulting in sickly offspring, so why support mills? Would you buy a pup from a puppyfarmer? No, so why a rabbit? 
In the specific case of rabbits, a lot are dumped off as unwanted pets at shelters because the old owners buy on impulse and soon discover their little baby has hit teenage tantrums and instead of getting them neutered (which is probably a thought that never occurred to them through lack of research) the babies are dumped at rescues. In the UK alone, 33,000 are dumped every year, and the number is increasing annually. The rabbits at shelters are perfectly good pets, and will usually be already neutered, vaccinated and bonded for you, saving you the money and worry. There are many myths surrounding rescuing, which have been highlighted below so go on... give them a second chance, can you deny them that?
Common Myths of adopting
The rabbits are old- Most rabbits are older babies or young adults so this theory is incorrect. This is primarily because a lot of people buy the cute little fluffy babies at the pet store on impulse and soon give them up.
The rabbits are all sick- Good rescues never put rabbits up for adoption unless they are healthy, and *if* they have any longterm problems you will be made fully aware of this and given advice.
The rabbits are bad tempered- The majority of rabbits come in scared or aggressive, but once neutered and used to handling, they will probably be tamer than any baby you get at a petshop. Also you will have an idea of your rabbits characterises, unlike if you buy a rabbit at the petstore.
Common Problems with Petstore rabbits
Too young- A lot of petshops will sell rabbits as soon as they can because that is when they are at their cutest, smallest stage and are more likely to be bought on impulse. This often results in scared, sickly bunnies who are more likely to suffer from stress related problems. Rabbits should be weaned at 8 weeks old, but some petshops sell them from 6 weeks onward!
Wrong Genders- Very young bunnies can be hard to tell the gender off, and petshops fail miserably, even when the rabbits are older and more easy to tell gender. Therefore, many people come home with a male and female or sometimes even a pregnant bunny!
Bad Information- For the less knowledgable new owners, petshops can get away with lies just to sell their animals. For example, they may tell you two males will get along fine or that the rabbits they have are 'rare'.
Poorly Stock- Most chain petshops are supplied by rabbit mills, so the rabbits are shipped in mass, and their parents are just any male and female put in together with little or no regard to the outcome of the offspring. A lot of the babies die on the way to the shop. In smaller petshops, some will have rabbits from mills, others from hobby breeders etc.
So most of the rabbits are poorly bred, resulting in a relatively high occurance of bad teeth, snuffles etc. Although, fair enough, the rabbits in rescues are likely to have originally come from petshops, but usually by the time they are up for adoption, any serious, lifelong problems have been found out for you and you should be made fully aware of any long-term problems if there are any.
What about a breeder?
You could go to a breeder, but you'd better be careful, many are backyard breeders and produce sickly rabbits, and then theres those 'professional' breeders who do unsavory practices, like culling unwanted kits due to something as simple as incorrect colouring or patterns, or prehaps kill the weaker ones to keep numbers down, and what about their old rabbits? Do they have their necks broken when they get too old? Sadly the number of reputable breeders is vastly out numbered by the sorts as mentioned above, but who defines what a reputable breeder is? Is it someone who breeds to the breed standard, is a member of the local club ie many British breeders boast of being a member of the BRC (British Rabbit Council) and likwise many American breeders boast of being a member of the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association) etc? The answer is no, as being a member of club or breeding to the breed standard is not a guarantee of a good breeder. Everyone will have different expections and standards for what a reputable breeder should be, so if you do decide to go to a breeder, always check out the standards of ALL the rabbits and specifically ask to see how they are kept. Many breeders house their rabbits in small cages due to the vast quantity they have which is cruel, and is not far behind the conditions of battery hens. Spacious and a clean enviroment, proper feeding and care as well as no culling are just some aspects of a reputable breeder.
NB: I do not endorse buying from a breeder, and instead promote rescuing, why breed or buy whilst animals in shelters die?
What if there are no rescues in your area?That is highly unlikely, and can sometimes, in my experience, be an excuse for not trying to find one in favour for the babies at the petshop down the road. If you live in the UK try looking up your local rescue on here: http://www.rabbitrehome.org
If you live in the USA or Canada try looking up here: http://www.petfinder.com
If you live elsewhere, try looking up your local rescues in your phonebook or do a google search.
By NOT going to the petshop you choose NOT to support the cruel mills and you give a second chance to a bunny and free up space and time for the other rescues. Please at the very least, consider a rescue rabbit and remember cute babies only remain babies for a few weeks as they are almost fully grown at 12 weeks, and most are sold at 8-10 weeks.
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