Ethical breeding isn’t about aesthetics or marketing. It’s about purpose, honesty, and selection over time. Whether you’re buying rabbits for meat, breeding, show, or a working homestead, these standards protect both animals and buyers. First — an important reality check You cannot assess breeding quality in newborn rabbits. Period. At birth, you cannot evaluate: 🐇Type or structure 🐇Growth trajectory 🐇Shoulder set, width, or balance 🐇Depth, bone, or long-term efficiency Most of the groups I am in even have a ban on pre-selling or even listing newborns for sale for these exact reasons . Those traits do not become meaningfully visible until weeks later: 🐰Growth trends: minimum 6 weeks 🐰Overall type: 8+ weeks 🐰Shoulder set, width, balance: 12–14 weeks At the newborn stage, the only honest assessment is that kits are alive, nursing, and healthy. Advertising newborns as “breeding stock,” “fast-growing,” or “proven efficient producers” is misleading. Responsible breeders wait to evaluate before making claims. Marketing animals before they can be assessed isn’t professionalism — it’s salesmanship, and it sets buyers up for false expectations. If kits are being sold as meat grow-outs, say that. If they’re being held back for evaluation, say that. Presenting newborns as evaluated breeding animals crosses an ethical line. Good breeding programs are built on selection, not assumptions — and selection requires time. What Actually Makes a Reputable Breeder A responsible breeder: • posts pictures of the animals in a proper show pose with at least 3 angles for evaluation, and lists parents weights, even if you are selling meat stock a commercial pose allows the assessment of Hips, Loin, Shoulders, and Balance. A correct pose will be able to see faults like lack of depth, width, pinched, narrow or undercut. • Breeds with a clear purpose (meat, hide, show, working lines, or breed development), not to flood the pet market. • Culls animals appropriately rather than prolonging suffering or selling subpar stock.

We got 10-16 inches depending on the drifts

We got a tarp.

Claim 2: “Hay is essential for dental health.” Rebuttal: This claim is directly contradicted by peer-reviewed cranio-mandibular research. Böhmer & Böhmer (2017) demonstrated that hay is mechanically harder and stiffer than pellets, requiring higher axial bite force. This loading pattern promotes: *Retrograde tooth elongation *Apical intrusion into bone *Periodontal disease *Malocclusion “Hay… promotes retrograde tooth elongation and incursion of the apices into adjacent bone… and therefore is not the best nutrition for rabbits.” — Böhmer & Böhmer, 2017 Citation (verified): Böhmer C, Böhmer E. Veterinary Sciences. 2017;4(1):5. DOI: 10.3390/vetsci4010005 PMID: 29056664 Balanced pellets allow lateral grinding, which is the physiological chewing motion for rabbits, without excessive vertical force.

Who is showing? What breed and where? And how long? I am showing Rex in the PNW (mostly western Washington and a little in Oregon). Lynx and tri are my main show varieties, but I have a little bit of almost every rex variety 😅 I've been showing ARBA for just over a year. Just recently started having homebred (first generation but hey its a start) rabbits to show. I'm extremely proud of my lynx and tri buns and very thankful to the amazing breeders around here that have shared stock with me.