Our minds, and some animal rights activists (or extreme pet owners), will try and tell us that if a breeder won't allow us to inspect their setup, then they must be hiding something. But the truth is, there are many reasons a breeder would refuse to allow someone into their rabbitry, and none of these have anything to do with providing inadequate care.
There are a select few people that I allow near my rabbits, but I do not allow the general public near my buns for the following reasons:
1. Risk of Disease
I'm going to start with this one because it's the biggest.
You can have the best hygiene in the world, but you have no way of knowing what diseases you may be carrying. And I have no way to control that.
I know that no one would intentionally make my rabbits sick, but diseases are invisible and they carry the power to wipe out my entire herd. I am in no way calling anybody dirty or unsanitary...I am simply protecting my buns to the best of my ability.
2. Risk of strangers
This is another BIG reason for me. No matter how much I research or talk to a potential buyer, the fact remains that they are still a stranger. My husband and I are fairly private people, but more than that, we don't want to risk letting a serial killer or a thief onto our property. All too often, people aren't who they say they are. My greatest fear is that a buyer won't actually be looking for a rabbit. We've all heard the crazy stories, so I'm choosing to learn from other peoples' mistakes. All rabbit transactions are done in a public place far away from our home.
3. Risk of animal rights activists
This one goes hand-in-hand with #2, but I felt it still deserved its own point.
It's no secret that animal rightists activists pretend to be pet buyers in order to get into breeding facilities. Sometimes they're working alone and will come back later to "help"/steal the animals, and sometimes they're working for/with animal control (they gain access, lie about conditions, and obtain a search and seizure warrant. Unfortunately, this is a huge and very real threat. Most animal rights activists are anti-breeder (regardless of why you breed) and they target breeders...even the breeders that take the best care of their animals.
4. I don't want unruly children in the rabbitry.
Now, please don't take this the wrong way. I love kids. But there are many breeders that had bad experiences with buyers and their children disrupting their rabbitry. I know that no one thinks that their kids are a problem, and you could have the best behaved children in the world, but it could still cause problems. My rabbits are not typically exposed to children and if I have kids here that don't know how to behave around rabbits, it can cause some problems. Rabbits spook easily and I try to minimize the stressors in the rabbitry.
In addition to stressing the rabbits, there are some liability issues. I don't want to be responsible if something were to happen to you or your children. And I'm sure you would feel absolutely awful if something were to happen to a rabbit while you were visiting. Neither scenario is very pretty.
5. Avoid upsetting owners when they want a rabbit that's not for sale
This is just me trying to avoid an awkward situation. I absolutely HATE confrontation and I hate telling people no. Even through Facebook, I still get people asking me to buy one of my breeders, and even then I still have a hard time telling them no. I'd much rather not have to do it in person. I imagine it'd be so much harder to tell you or your kids no to a young one that I want to keep, or even to babies that aren't old enough to leave. I know how it is to fall in love with a rabbit at first sight, so I just don't want to have to be the bad guy.
6. I’m a breeder, not a petting zoo
Again, please don't take this to be rude. When I was first starting out, I used to let people come here, and I was shocked at the number of people who weren't serious about getting a rabbit...they just wanted to see and pet them.
We don't just have a rabbitry here, we have a full-time farm, which requires a lot of time. Everyone's time is valuable, so I try to attract serious buyers and avoid the window shoppers.
I'm sure I could come up with a few more reasons, but you get the idea. I don't keep anybody out because I hate people or have something to hide. Everything I do here is to not only protect my rabbits, but to also protect my other animals, and my family.
What is your rabbitry policy? I would love to hear why you do or do not allow people into your rabbitry! You can write to me using the Contact page or message me on our Facebook page.
Until next time!
- Emily
There are a select few people that I allow near my rabbits, but I do not allow the general public near my buns for the following reasons:
1. Risk of Disease
I'm going to start with this one because it's the biggest.
You can have the best hygiene in the world, but you have no way of knowing what diseases you may be carrying. And I have no way to control that.
I know that no one would intentionally make my rabbits sick, but diseases are invisible and they carry the power to wipe out my entire herd. I am in no way calling anybody dirty or unsanitary...I am simply protecting my buns to the best of my ability.
2. Risk of strangers
This is another BIG reason for me. No matter how much I research or talk to a potential buyer, the fact remains that they are still a stranger. My husband and I are fairly private people, but more than that, we don't want to risk letting a serial killer or a thief onto our property. All too often, people aren't who they say they are. My greatest fear is that a buyer won't actually be looking for a rabbit. We've all heard the crazy stories, so I'm choosing to learn from other peoples' mistakes. All rabbit transactions are done in a public place far away from our home.
3. Risk of animal rights activists
This one goes hand-in-hand with #2, but I felt it still deserved its own point.
It's no secret that animal rightists activists pretend to be pet buyers in order to get into breeding facilities. Sometimes they're working alone and will come back later to "help"/steal the animals, and sometimes they're working for/with animal control (they gain access, lie about conditions, and obtain a search and seizure warrant. Unfortunately, this is a huge and very real threat. Most animal rights activists are anti-breeder (regardless of why you breed) and they target breeders...even the breeders that take the best care of their animals.
4. I don't want unruly children in the rabbitry.
Now, please don't take this the wrong way. I love kids. But there are many breeders that had bad experiences with buyers and their children disrupting their rabbitry. I know that no one thinks that their kids are a problem, and you could have the best behaved children in the world, but it could still cause problems. My rabbits are not typically exposed to children and if I have kids here that don't know how to behave around rabbits, it can cause some problems. Rabbits spook easily and I try to minimize the stressors in the rabbitry.
In addition to stressing the rabbits, there are some liability issues. I don't want to be responsible if something were to happen to you or your children. And I'm sure you would feel absolutely awful if something were to happen to a rabbit while you were visiting. Neither scenario is very pretty.
5. Avoid upsetting owners when they want a rabbit that's not for sale
This is just me trying to avoid an awkward situation. I absolutely HATE confrontation and I hate telling people no. Even through Facebook, I still get people asking me to buy one of my breeders, and even then I still have a hard time telling them no. I'd much rather not have to do it in person. I imagine it'd be so much harder to tell you or your kids no to a young one that I want to keep, or even to babies that aren't old enough to leave. I know how it is to fall in love with a rabbit at first sight, so I just don't want to have to be the bad guy.
6. I’m a breeder, not a petting zoo
Again, please don't take this to be rude. When I was first starting out, I used to let people come here, and I was shocked at the number of people who weren't serious about getting a rabbit...they just wanted to see and pet them.
We don't just have a rabbitry here, we have a full-time farm, which requires a lot of time. Everyone's time is valuable, so I try to attract serious buyers and avoid the window shoppers.
I'm sure I could come up with a few more reasons, but you get the idea. I don't keep anybody out because I hate people or have something to hide. Everything I do here is to not only protect my rabbits, but to also protect my other animals, and my family.
What is your rabbitry policy? I would love to hear why you do or do not allow people into your rabbitry! You can write to me using the Contact page or message me on our Facebook page.
Until next time!
- Emily