A “Closed” Rabbitry means: I do NOT open my Rabbitry for anyone to come and view, or come and pick, or come and learn. Our Closed Rabbitry is FOR MANY REASONS. My rabbits/fur babies are my FIRST priority. Their Health and Security! We are Not a pet store you can come browse and "Ooo" and "Aww" over. I take my Rabbitry & Rabbits VERY SERIOUSLY! Yes, they are cute. But it's so much more than that for me.
I do NOT allow tours! Please don't ask to come and see all my rabbits. - This is why I have a website, so you can see all my rabbits and keep updated.
WHY??????
For Biosecurity: Things can be tracked in on tires, shoes, clothes, etc. You never know when they were at someone else's place and picked something (Contagious to rabbits from other rabbits or from humans) up just by being there. (Pasteurella / Bordetella from your dogs, or Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease virus (RHDV/RHDV2). You can also pick things up yourself from other people's places yourself. You can pick up things at a local store on your shoes or tires. That is why our cars go nowhere near our animals and we have designated animal shoes and clothes that are worn no where else and we disinfected & worm regularly.
For Personal Security: There are times when a Rabbitry has had people over and they have been robbed (or worse) at gun point. We always meet in Public places with people around. Personal Security is also A MUST for all. We wouldn’t want anyone to come back to our Rabbitry later and take advantage, steal or worse – knowing where we live, or where my Rabbitry Barn is.
For Safety: People are “Sue Happy”. Invited or even if they are trespassing, they can slip and they get hurt - they can and do “Sue”. It really does happen; and our insurance may or may not cover it. They take photos or video. Sometimes they just use their voice to implicate.
For Preventing Theft: My Rabbitry is locked down and we have added cameras. We had a break in after we had people come over to pick out and “SAID” they wanted to learn about rabbits raising, breeding and showing. The next day we found someone had stolen x7 of my show rabbits = Does and our Champion Show/Herd Buck from us. Cages were opened, and rabbits running around my Rabbitry. We lost x3 more rabbits due to the elements/& being scared to death because of this break in. THAT WAS HORRIBLE FOR ME & My Family!!!!
Lastly, ~ For Animal Rights Activists. There have been cases - you see them talked about on social media regularly. People posing as buyers or say they want to learn.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION: *For those of you WHO THINK that the rabbits that end up in shelters because of Showman, Raising/Breeding Rabbits. YOU ARE TOTALLY MISTAKEN! Less than 10% of rabbits in shelters are from RABBIT SHOWMAN or RABBIT HOBBY BREEDERS. THAT MEANS OVER 90% come from families or people that buy/bought their rabbit on a whim. ~ Usually at Easter time, "Because it was "OH, so Cute, Fuzzy & Adorable” in the Petstore, and bought the rabbit for a gift for their child (Who lost interest in months after getting).
********************************************* RABBIT SHOWMAN (FLUFFY MISFITS RABBITRY - I AM RABBIT "SHOWMAN" NOT RABBIT "HOBBY" BREEDER) ... Yes, we breed, but Not over breed our rabbits! (We care about the well being of all our rabbits, especially the mama's) and what rabbits we don't show on the show tables, or put into our breeding lines to better our rabbits we sell to the public as Pets (At "Pet" prices, and without a pedigree) - (not to over crowd a SPCA or Pet Store like Rabbit Hobby Breeders do).
A Rabbit "Showman" NOT to be confused with (RABBIT HOBBY BREEDERS -WHO ARE IN IT FOR THE $$$$$!) ~ WE as RABBIT SHOWMEN CARE DEEPLY for our PETS/Rabbits. We give them the best conditions to live in, Best food, and the PROPER Nutrition, supplements, medicines.
OUR GOAL ~ IS to have the best possible rabbits on the show tables. ---> Think of it like this ~ It’s the Olympics for Rabbits at all the "NATIONAL", and Local State Rabbit shows!!! You need the best possible athlete (Rabbit) to compete and WIN on the tables. You can't do that by keeping your rabbits (Athletes) in bad caging or grooming conditions, or feeding the cheapest thing. SO Don’t JUDGE Rabbit Showmen - who Breeds, Raises and Shows their Rabbits!
It’s not Us (Rabbit Showman) you should be worrying about! ~ It's the Rabbit HOBBY Breeders ... who breeds and breeds and over breeds, who are just in it for the $$$$. They don't care about the conditions of their rabbits. Then when they can't sell their offspring they are stuck with them or worse. Pet stores usually buy from these people.
RABBIT SHOWMAN/SHOWMEN will tell you ~ There is NO MONEY/NO PROFIT in raising rabbits to show. Sometimes "Commercial" (Meat and/or Pelts) showmen/rabbits break even. But caring for a rabbit or a 100 rabbits is not cheap! We Love our rabbits and be buy the best food we can monthly ($400+) just in pellets. Then there is Alfalfa cubes, and Timothy Hay, and other supplies and supplements. So when we sell pet quality offspring at $20 - $35 every few months. It doesn't even put a small dent in our cost. SO no profit! But Still :) ~ Nothing like a rabbitry for us!
Responsible Rabbit Showman/Rabbit Breeders ~ Breed for Show & Temperament!!!! What is not showable, we sell to the public as pets! We do not sell rabbits with none at the time birth defects, nor "Mean/Nasty" temperaments. You can always tell a Showman or Responsible breeder by what they know about their rabbits; & can relay all the info on your new rabbit onto you. This is why I have a website, so you can see the babies from day 1. - So you can have a record of: When your rabbit was born, and who the parents are. What color your rabbit is. You should walk away from meeting with your Breeder knowing everything about your rabbit; and so you are well informed by the health check (We show you) that our new rabbit is Healthy, to the best of our abilities; and so you can do health checks or know what to look for ourselves months, years down the road. From our meet ups ~ so should also see that the rabbit you are getting has a Good - Great Temperaments = is Friendly. The younger they are the more nervous they will be at first. This is why USUALLY I don't sell rabbits before they are 3-6 months old. I do make exceptions...but never sell a rabbit before 8-12 weeks old. My "Pet Quality" only refers to: If the rabbit isn't a "SHOWABLE" type.
Meaning: The rabbit may have not traits, markings that are not desired TO WIN on the tables (Fails for the "Standard of Perfection" according to "ARBA" - the "American Rabbit Breeders Association" .... Guidelines Judges follow for judging and determining winning Rabbits. Examples of Non Showable Rabbit Traits or "DQ's" - "Disqualifications": The rabbit is over the weight limit/or to big. Coloring of Fur or markings off. Mismatched colored toe nails. Ears are too long/not thick enough, not furred enough. Rabbit has no or not enough upper body strength (Posing). Or meet any other "SOP (Stand of Perfection), etc dictated by ARBA. These are all traits that would deem the rabbit to be "DQ'd" (Disqualifed) off the rabbit show table at shows. *****THIS DOES NOT MEAN when we are selling PET Quality to the public that there is anything wrong with the rabbit. It Just Means they are Not "Show Quality" worthy. All we as "Showmen" Breed for "Show Quality" to win on the tables.
*Remember: We want the "Best of the Best" on the show tables. Just because a rabbits ears are 1/4" to long for show...doesn't mean you would even notice or care. Because the rabbit has too much color vs. only 50% color for the show table ~ doesn't mean he/she would have too much color for you! Because he /she has a different colored toe nail on one of his feet - would you even notice or care? So in Short: ~ "SHOW Quality" = To Win = you can't have any faults (points taken off); But that doesn't mean that "Non Show Quality" = "PET" Quality - that there is anything wrong with or that the rabbit is unhealthy or has a horrible temperament rabbits, etc.
"Pet Quality" just means that he /she isn't the "Best" for winning or showing on the Show tables. ****But Still Perfect as a Pet, "Pet Quality"!
ALSO NOTE: I close my Rabbitry every year during Easter time!!!
I WILL NOT SELL RABBITS DURING EASTER TIME!
Sorry for the inconvenience ~ MY Rabbits/pets are MY 1st concern!!! I would rather not see or know they went to the SPCA because someone got tired and lost interest of the rabbit months later; or bought because your child wanted a pet and/or someone wanted Cute Easter Pictures - and now the Pictures and Easter are done and now you no longer want the rabbit. :( NOT FAIR FOR A LIVING THING TO BE DISCARDED Like a Stuffed/Non-living animal.
RABBITS ARE CUTE AND THEY ARE A 10 YEAR COMMITMENT ~ THEY ARE NOT DISPOSABLE ~
RABBITS ARE CUTE ALL 10 YEARS! THEY ARE LIVING CREATURES JUST LIKE YOUR CHILDREN ~ JUST WITH FUR OVER THEIR SKIN!