breeding is it ok?

Question

is breeding a mini rex an a tan rabbit ok they both have pedigrees an are both GREAT rabbits not to sell or anything we just want to see what theyd look like an we have homes for them already an lan on keeping some ourselves they have bonded an are currently in the same cage an it seems that they love each other when i bred him with an angora their babies were adorable we kept 2 an the rest are in good homes

Answer 1

I would say that if you are familiar with breeding processes & do not foresee any problems with the sizes of the rabbits causing difficulty in mating or delivery, then it would be OK.

I also want to applaud you for having secured homes for the kits prior to breeding. Thanks for being responsible about breeding!

Answer 2

I would advise against it. Even if you have a pedigree, it does not guarantee that your animals are good representatives of their respective breeds and should be bred. Being 'cute' and having a 'great temperment' doesn't mean anything---LOTS of rabbits have those traits. Also, just because their rabbits doesn't mean it's any less irresponsible to purposely mix-breed them 'just because'... Would you consider someone who mix-bred 2 different breeds of dogs 'just because they wanted to see the results' to be a responsible person? I sure don't.

Furthermore, the mini rex and the tan are similar as far as general appearance is concerned---larger erect ears, round body, snipey face, and I don't think you're going to get the results you're thinking. The Tan rabbit gets its coloration via the 'tan' gene and by having the 'rufus' modifier that intensifies the 'red'. Both are recessive. This means you will NOT get any babies with the Tan's coloration, but with Mini Rex fur...nor will you get Mini Rex fur to begin with, as it too is caused by a recessive gene (which your Tan rabbit lacks). The resulting litter will be -carriers-, but will not display rex fur or tan coloration. What you'll probably get is a bunch of plain-looking rabbits with regular fur (no mini rex fur) and plain coloration (no tan color).

VERY few people want a standard looking rabbit --as they can just go get one from the shelter (that's where those types usually end up). And if your rabbits come out very 'plain' looking...will the homes you have lined up still want them? If not, what will you do with them?

Basically, if you're not breeding to better the breed (ie: breeding to get a rabbit as close to its breed standard as possible), you shouldn't be breeding.

Answer 3

I think part of understanding if breeding is ok is to understand what being a responsible breeder is. It goes way beyond having homes for your rabbits or breeding them because they are nice. If you are indiscriminately breeding just to have a litter then it would probably be best if you waited and talked to a rabbit rescue group to help you understand just how serious the rabbit overpopulation problem is. If you are truly committed to being a responsible breeder then why not shadow under one so you can understand what breed standard is and what traits to looks for when breeding…what it means to truly want to “better the breed”.

There is no shortage of friendly rabbits waiting in shelters and rescues for homes- including many purebreds- many of which have to be euthanized daily because there simply aren’t enough homes. Each backyard breeder litter makes the problem that much worse.

I will admit I am very sensitive to this after seeing bunnies be euthanized because there weren’t enough homes, but I hope this is something you will think about.

Answer 4

As long as they have good homes it fine, but it would be even better if you rescued some rabbits from the pound and gave those away instead. Think of all the VERY CUTE little rabbits at the pound that get put to sleep. There is such an overpopulation of pets. Anyway, go for it unless you want to help save God's creations instead of making more. God Bless and good luck.

Answer 5

its up to you but an animal can have a pedigree and still be a crappy example of the breed not worth breeding...

there are lots of bunnies wishing to be adopted in SPCA 's all over the place so if you have homes lined up why are they not taking one of those bunnies??

Answer 6

yes it is OK for them to breed and I hope they have a happy family.

Answer 7

It's not a good idea.