Finding a Good Breeder

[Ms. Research]

Hats off to all those who breed for the love of the Rabbit. Any type. In my quest to be a Bunny keeper (I hate the word owner because we consider our pets part of our pack), I met many breeders. Some in it for the money, and some in it just for the love of the Rabbit. I met a very knowledgable, caring breeder in Sandra Fenske, Rosebud Rabbitry, in Newfield New Jersey. The first thing out of her mouth when she met us is that she decides who she will sell her bunnies to. Basically we went through an interview. She gave us plenty of good information and has been very informative even after bringing our bunnies home. Very open and very concerned about her bunnies. Her line has been proven and I can see why it has. Her specialty is Holland Lops and am looking forward to being a Holland Lop keeper also.

Again I have to give special thanks to considerate breeders. I've heard many stories and read many stories and seen personally what happens when the keeper finds out what bunny care is really about about and many are returned or left loose. This is sad. It can become a bad match. They are NOT Easter Bunnies are Christmas presents for children. Unless of course the child is advanced. I have witnessed many homeschooled children that are assets to bunnies. It takes a stand of maturity to succeed.

Just an opinion from a novice.

 

[M.R. Lops]

That's great that you're getting into Hollands. My main breed that I raise are Holland Lops. Personally, I don't know how you could even make money raising rabbits, because all the money I make from selling them goes right back to the rabbits to pay for food and supplies. I love my bunnies and I always try not to name my babies, because otherwise I'll get attached to them. But, still I always get attached to my babies which makes it hard to sell them. It makes me feel good when I know the bunny is going to great home though. i also love it when people send me pics. or update me on the bunny after they bring the bunny home. You said you've heard stories where people have let the bunny loose when they find out what care is all about. I know quite a few breeders who in their For Sale Policy say that they will take a bunny back if the new person/family is unable to care for the bunny. I do agree though, that people should do their research on a particular animal before they get one. I researched a specific dog breed for 6 yrs. before my parents finally let me get him. I now have the dog I've always wanted and I love him to death (he's a Shiba Inu).

 

[Ms. Research]

My breeder has the same policy as you. She stated right out "Please don't release my bunnies if you don't want them". Bring them back. She even showed me one of her returns. A beautiful 7 month male who was returned because the mother thought it was just to "messy".

As a Holland Lop breeder, do you see a difference between Netherland Dwarfs and Holland Lops? Personality that is. I hear Holland Lops are more affectionate and bond easier with you but that they are a bit stubborn when they get something in their head. I'm looking forward to getting my two Holland Lops when Sandra is ready to breed her two "Best". Sandra loves their sweet disposition and I've read many articles about them as well. I have to say her Netherlands are like that. My boys are very sweet and learning to trust me. It's been an eye opening fun experience so far. I never knew that rabbits were like this. But I would really like your input as a Holland Lop breeder.

 

[M.R. Lops]

I'll tell you the same thing I tell most people that want a sweet, friendly bunny. Any bunny can be friendly IF they are handled daily from a young age (like couple days to couple weeks old). I start handling my babies around 12 days old when they open their eyes and I handle them daily after that. All of my baby Hollands have turned out to be really sweet bunnies. They are so adorable and I love them all to death. I've had many happy customers that later email me and tell me how sweet their bunny they got from me is. Also, all bunnies have their own personalities. I actually find that a lot of my bucks are more friendly than my does, this isn't always the case though. Does can sometimes get kind of cranky, especially when pregnant or when they have young babies. My Holland buck is a really sweet bunny who loves attention. My doe however is a different story, she's been getting more friendlier though. The only reason why she isn't friendly is because the breeder I got her from only handled her once a week and I got her when she was 4 months old. I got her from a really good breeder though, I think that she just had a lot of bunnies and didn't have time to handle all of them every day. In general Hollands are known for having very sweet personalities.

As for Netherland Dwarfs, I don't really have any experience with them personally. They are probably the smallest rabbit breed though. I have a good rabbit breeder friend (well actually its a family that I know very well), who recently started raising Netherlands though. They seem to be doing really well with them. They did have trouble at first losing a lot of babies, but now that they got the hang of it, they're doing pretty well. With the smaller breeds you have to be careful for peanuts though. They are bunnies who get a double dwarf gene and get a really large head and small body and die within a day or two. The family I know that raises Netherlands currently has a litter with a runt (he's not a peanut though, just smaller than the rest) who one of there daughters is currently taking care of and keeps in her room.

 

[Ms. Research]

Thanks Mr. Lop for your reply. Then I am with a truly good breeder. The bunnies she has and raises are held every day just like you stated. I guess that's why my Netherlands are so friendly. I do handle them every day from the time I got them.

Kreacher, my "True" Dwarf will probably be my smallest rabbit. At the last Vet check up he was 12 oz. Dobby, my "Big Ugly" was at 1 pound. They were both close to 3 months old. I know Hollands will get to be about 4 lbs.

My breeder told me about the peanuts. I know it's just part of the breeding process that happens with Netherlands and you have be real careful on who you breed so you don't get so many peanuts. But they do happen. I think that's one of the reasons why I wouldn't be a good breeder right now. My heart would break if any died, and reading the posts regarding the "loss of a litter" is so sad to me. I know it's part of life with breeding and it happens. I know it's all trial and error and I imagine at times very frustrating and heartbreaking. My hats off for those who do it. It's all the strengthen the genetic line.

My breeder has been doing this for 10 years now and I know I have two beautiful, healthy dwarfs. My Rabbit Vet has already given the health approval and is looking forward to their relationship. That's the one thing my breeder made sure we were aware of. Rabbit vets are the ones you need to see. Not a dog or cat vet. But exotic. And some exotics don't handle bunnies so you really need to do your homework. Dr. Joe has raise rabbits in his college years for meat. He's knowledgable about rabbits. So he raised the big ones and became attached to the little ones. He likes Dobby because it reminds him of his pet bunny. And Kreacher he's just fascinated by because of being so tiny.

 

[M.R. Lops]

its nice to have a rabbit vet. around. There's only 2 in my area and for one of them if you want an appointment you'd have to wait for a week or two for her to even look at your rabbit. And when it comes to emergencies, like one we had once, our rabbit was dead by then. I have a vet. that does livestock and that we use for our goats, but he can't even tell a male from a female at a few months old. So, my main resource for information has always been other rabbit breeders.

I you ever decide to start breeding I would suggest you start out with a proven buck and proven doe. Because if they're proven, especially the doe, then she will already know what to do and she should raise her litter fine. So far, in raising Hollands I have not had any peanuts and my last litter had 8 babies. I do know a breeder who I've gotten my Mini Rex stock from and she just had a litter of 4 Mini Rexes and there were 3 peanuts. So, I'm getting kind of scared with my Mini Rexes, I haven't bred mine yet, because my buck is still too young to breed, but hoping they won't get very many if any peanuts.

An when you lose a litter it is heartbreaking. My mom and I spent all day working with the 7 babies from my Holland's first litter trying to save them. And we worked with them so much that we got very attached to them. We had some of them that died in our hands which was even more sad.

My little brother got his first rabbit, a lionhead lop, about a year or so ago. She had really long fur and in the summer time she got a hairball and she wouldn't eat, drink, or poop. We caught it right away, but we didn't know what the problem was or how to fix it. She was normally a really mean rabbit because my little brother didn't handle her much, and she would bite me if I stuck my hand in her cage. But, after a day or so of being sick, she became the friendliest rabbit I've seen. She hopped up in my lap and leaned her head against my leg. She knew she was sick and she knew that she needed our help. We tried different kinds of foods medicines to try to help her. Finally we got a hold of one of our rabbit breeder friends and they told us what she had. We called different stores looking for medicine for her. We finally found a place that had something that would help her. My mom left to go to the store, I stayed with the rabbit. I stroked her and then suddenly she went still while I was stroking her... My mom came back later, but it was too late. If we would've known what she had sooner, then we could have saved her. My little brother never got another rabbit. (he's not a big animal person like I am though). Since then, I have never owned a really long-haired rabbit and I might never own a long-haired rabbit. I'm afraid that they could get a hairball, which I guess any rabbit even with normal length fur could get, but I just think it'd take a lot of time to groom them.

I know on here you may hear a lot of sad stories. But, when you have a litter of baby bunnies that all survive. And to watch them grow up, is the greatest thing. Own of the families that bought one of my babies back at Easter time shows in 4-H like I do. We just saw them yesterday at a fair and I got see my baby again. She got so much bigger. To watch a baby bunny grow up is an amazing experience and makes everything worth while.

 

[Ms. Research]

Thank you for sharing your story. Glad your little brother was wise enough to know that he was not an "animal" person and get another rabbit. And hope he's grateful that you stepped in and was their to the end trying to save and truly comfort his rabbit. Your Mother should be proud of both of you for the "Life" Lesson you both seemed to truly have learned.

I know about sad stories and loss. We lost our son to leukemia after a valiant fight. Henry was an "animal" person like yourself. Loved all kinds. We were waiting till he got a little older to be mature enough to handle a dog of his own. I started him with a hamster at 9 years old and Jak-Jak (Named after the baby in Disney's Incredibles) and what a friendly hamster Henry raised. Hermione the Hamster came next because we felt Henry should be just a little older. Unfortunately Henry became ill at 12, and past 3 months after his 13th Birthday. We promised and took care of Hermione till her quiet passing.

After she passed, I was kind of lost. That last connection was broken. So my Better Half (Husband of 21 years) came up with Rabbits. And that's what we did. We are the proud Bunny Keepers of Dobby and Kreacher. Our bunnies are named after Harry Potter characters because that was another connection that Henry and I had. We are avid readers and Animal Lovers.

I know death is part of life. I am still curious about breeding and would love to try it some day. My breeder would be the one I turned to if I would start. She advised me the same as you regarded "proven". I know all about peanuts and sometimes even the right size bunnies do pass and you might never know why. My breeder already stated she would stop breeding does that have too many peanuts or genetic traits that might turn up. That's someone who cares about not only the breed but the animal.

Also I got lucky with a "Rabbit" Vet right down the road from me. There was a little "difference" of when our bunnies should be nutured, but after discussing it my breeder and then discussing it with my vet again, he did agree with the breeder. As a breeder of meat bunnies himself, he understands that the breeder "knows" her breed. Also, my vet has already stated where I should go when he's not in the office and all the emergency rooms I can go that "know" rabbits.

I wish you success. And look forward to reading more about your Hollands and your Mini-Rexes. It's been a pleasure meeting and discussing the types of animals we watch over and care for.

 

[M.R. Lops]

So sorry to hear about your son. Sounds like your breeder knows her rabbits well and is a knowledgeable breeder. It is kind of nice to start out with pet rabbits before you start breeding, so you know about rabbits.

I myself started out with a Mix breed rabbit who looks just like a wild rabbit. Sometimes if I see a rabbit in our backyard, I have to go over to her cage just to make sure she's still there, lol. I still have her today, she's gotten very old, we have no idea of her exact age though. We were guessing she's around 7 or older by now. I've had her a little over 4 years and she had quite a few homes before me. Her last home had her for a couple years and then could no longer care for her because they had too many other pets. She's a great rabbit and she's the bunny that started my love for rabbits. I always felt guilty that she was along though (of course she had human companionship though). So, then I got a lionhead lop and that's when my little brother also got his lionhead lop. Our vet. told us they were both females, but he does livestock and didn't know much about rabbits. Well, turns out my rabbit was a male. That didn't work out because my other pet rabbit was a female and we didn't know if she was fixed or not. So, I ended up selling my lionhead lop and then you know the story about the other one. After that that's when I got my Holland Lop doe from a breeder in Illinois. She was for sure a female this time. And also when I got my first rabbit, originally I wanted a Holland, so when I went on the search to find her a friend, I still wanted a Holland Lop. So, that's when I got Floppy. She wasn't the friendliest bunny though and didn't get along with my pet rabbit (she attached her once, and fur was pulled out). So, I considered selling her since she failed about being a friend for my pet rabbit and wasn't very friendly. Then, I read in a rabbit breed book about the new and developing Plush Lops, with the fur of a Mini Rex and the ears of a Holland Lop. A family in our 4-H club recently had an accidental litter of Mini Rexes. So, that's when I got Butterscotch. Planned to breed him to my Holland, but he had Snuffles. His nose was always clogged up and he was always sniffing, he ended up passing away at a few months old that winter. He was the friendliest rabbit I ever had. He was handled by a lot of young kids, the family had 6 kids. Then, I finally got my Holland Lop buck Scooter, and decided to just breed purebred Holland Lops. He was proven, my doe wasn't. He was pedigreed, I contacted the breeder I got my doe from and she sent me the pedigree for her. So, that's when I started breeding Holland Lops less than a year ago.

Then, still determined to breed Plush Lops, I got a Mini Rex doe who was from a breeder (actually she is only a few years older than me, which I thought was really cool) and she showed in ARBA shows (american rabbit breeder's association). I got a really nice Show Quality doe from her. I bred her with my Holland buck and just ended up getting mixes that had neither the rex coat or lopped ears. I still have a couple of them that I showed in some county fairs, they are now 12 weeks old and I'm working on selling them now. So, recently I just bought a Mini Rex buck from the same breeder to breed purebred Mini Rexes.

So, still determined to have a Plush Lop, I found only 5 breeders in the entire US. The closest ones in Kentucky and Wisconsin. I contacted both. The one in Wisconsin said she was selling out of rabbits, she has Plush Lops (well she's still working on them, but they do have rex coats and lopped or partially lopped ears) and Holland Lops. So, in a few weeks I will be buying some Plush Lops and Holland Lops from her. So, I will finally get my Plush Lops, they were the reason I originally started breeding rabbits.

So, that's pretty much my story of all my rabbits up to now. Its been a long journey with my bunnies, but its been fun. My rabbitry is getting bigger all time. It's a fun hobby and worth the while.

 

[Ms. Research]

I'm glad to hear you finally succeeded in getting to where you wanted to start out at in the first place. But through that fun journey you learned a lot, in my opinion, about the animal you really wanted. Not just the breed or what color you are looking for, but the actual animal. I'm really looking forward to that "fun" journey. I don't know exactly where it's headed, but I am finding out this "animal" is a very interesting, but at time delicate creature. And I truly feel, before you consider breeding, you need to know the animal. That's for any animal.

I'm looking forward, when the time comes, of getting two Holland Lop males. They, too, will be Pets. Hollands are what started my breeder and are her favorites over the Netherlands she has. She also loves "Blue" eyes and I've seen her kits and they are very attractive. There's a lot to consider and I don't want to just "jump" in. Disasters happen when you rush, in my opinion, and I would never want to do that when it affects a creature that looks to you for the care they need.

Look forward to hearing your continued journey because to be honest it helps a "novice" like me learn from others like yourself. No matter how young you are. And thank you again for your kind words.

 

[Piggylover22]

So sorry to hear about your son. Sounds like your breeder knows her rabbits well and is a knowledgeable breeder. It is kind of nice to start out with pet rabbits before you start breeding, so you know about rabbits.

I myself started out with a Mix breed rabbit who looks just like a wild rabbit. Sometimes if I see a rabbit in our backyard, I have to go over to her cage just to make sure she's still there, lol. I still have her today, she's gotten very old, we have no idea of her exact age though. We were guessing she's around 7 or older by now. I've had her a little over 4 years and she had quite a few homes before me. Her last home had her for a couple years and then could no longer care for her because they had too many other pets. She's a great rabbit and she's the bunny that started my love for rabbits. I always felt guilty that she was along though (of course she had human companionship though). So, then I got a lionhead lop and that's when my little brother also got his lionhead lop. Our vet. told us they were both females, but he does livestock and didn't know much about rabbits. Well, turns out my rabbit was a male. That didn't work out because my other pet rabbit was a female and we didn't know if she was fixed or not. So, I ended up selling my lionhead lop and then you know the story about the other one. After that that's when I got my Holland Lop doe from a breeder in Illinois. She was for sure a female this time. And also when I got my first rabbit, originally I wanted a Holland, so when I went on the search to find her a friend, I still wanted a Holland Lop. So, that's when I got Floppy. She wasn't the friendliest bunny though and didn't get along with my pet rabbit (she attached her once, and fur was pulled out). So, I considered selling her since she failed about being a friend for my pet rabbit and wasn't very friendly. Then, I read in a rabbit breed book about the new and developing Plush Lops, with the fur of a Mini Rex and the ears of a Holland Lop. A family in our 4-H club recently had an accidental litter of Mini Rexes. So, that's when I got Butterscotch. Planned to breed him to my Holland, but he had Snuffles. His nose was always clogged up and he was always sniffing, he ended up passing away at a few months old that winter. He was the friendliest rabbit I ever had. He was handled by a lot of young kids, the family had 6 kids. Then, I finally got my Holland Lop buck Scooter, and decided to just breed purebred Holland Lops. He was proven, my doe wasn't. He was pedigreed, I contacted the breeder I got my doe from and she sent me the pedigree for her. So, that's when I started breeding Holland Lops less than a year ago.

Then, still determined to breed Plush Lops, I got a Mini Rex doe who was from a breeder (actually she is only a few years older than me, which I thought was really cool) and she showed in ARBA shows (american rabbit breeder's association). I got a really nice Show Quality doe from her. I bred her with my Holland buck and just ended up getting mixes that had neither the rex coat or lopped ears. I still have a couple of them that I showed in some county fairs, they are now 12 weeks old and I'm working on selling them now. So, recently I just bought a Mini Rex buck from the same breeder to breed purebred Mini Rexes.

So, still determined to have a Plush Lop, I found only 5 breeders in the entire US. The closest ones in Kentucky and Wisconsin. I contacted both. The one in Wisconsin said she was selling out of rabbits, she has Plush Lops (well she's still working on them, but they do have rex coats and lopped or partially lopped ears) and Holland Lops. So, in a few weeks I will be buying some Plush Lops and Holland Lops from her. So, I will finally get my Plush Lops, they were the reason I originally started breeding rabbits.

So, that's pretty much my story of all my rabbits up to now. Its been a long journey with my bunnies, but its been fun. My rabbitry is getting bigger all time. It's a fun hobby and worth the while.

Hi! I know I’m replying to a years old post, but who was the breeder in IL? I’m located in western suburbs(about 45min from chicago in kane County) and searching for jersey, holland lop or lionhead breeder. Any help would be huge! Even if IN or WI, willing to drive to the right breeder!