Buying a Rabbit

The majority of rabbit breeders are anxious to assist new-comers to rabbit keeping and to supply rabbits at reasonable prices. If the breeder who is to supply the stock is unknown to the purchaser it is, however, often wise to purchase animal son approval. There are several journals which operate approval schemes in which the purchase money is deposited with them until' the sale has been concluded satisfactorily.In this way the novice can obtain the assistance of an expert to examine his purchase on arrival, to satisfy himself that it is worth the price to be paid and is exactly what he wants. If the rabbit is not satisfactory it should be returned immediately after feeding and resting, for unless it is returned within a day or two, the seller may be within his rights in refusing to have it back. Generally speaking, for obvious reasons, breeders will not sell stud bucks on approval.

There is an important distinction between buying a mated doe and a doe in kindle. If the purchaser buys a doe in kindle, then he can reasonably expect it to give birth to aglitter, and in fact, a doe so sold is really being sold on this guarantee. There is of course no guarantee that the litter will be satisfactory. If however, a mated doe is purchased,the position is different. The breeder guarantees that the doe has been mated to one of his bucks. He does not guarantee that the doe has held to this mating, that is, that she is in kindle.

There is no doubt that the best stock possible should be purchased. Very often cheap ' bargains turn out to be very expensive. It is far better to purchase one or two really good animals rather than a larger number of poorer quality. It is often advisable for the purchaser to visit the rabbi try from which a purchase is anticipated, before making his final decision. He can then observe hose the breeder handles his stock, whether they are kept in a satisfactory manner, and so on. Such visits sometimes prevent what might otherwise have been an unfortunate purchase.