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Pet Store Report Bottom of page
I. Definition of SCBF
-A substandard commercial breeding facility is a business where rabbits are kept in filthy and unhealthy conditions and bred without regard to breed purity, genetic abnormalities, health, or their welfare in great quantities solely for the pet market for profit at ages too young to ensure their survivability. A SCBF has been referred to as a "mill", however animal rights activists now use that term to define every commercial breeder which is false and propaganda. ARAs wish to eliminate animal use and that is why they define every breeder as a "mill", therefore this term is outdated, inaccurate, and propaganda.
-Sources of rabbits for petstores includes SCBF but perhaps to a much larger degree pet dealers.
II. Information From Other Groups
According to an article from Shelter Sense 10/94, HSUS (national animal rights group):
"Pet Bunnies like Bugs, churned out in increasing numbers by "rabbit mills" and breeders for the lucrative pet industry, are surrendered to local shelters daily."
The HSUS has no evidence of the existence of "rabbit mills", we checked with them. In addition there is no "lucrative" pet industry for the breeders of rabbits. It is unclear as to what is the motive of rabbit SCBF owners when most are willing to sell their rabbits for $3-$5 each at pet stores. Rabbits are not in demand as pets, although there is increased interest at Easter time. According to the Rabbit Education Society 1998 breeder survey demand for pet rabbits is: 56% low, 30% medium, 13% high.
III. What Is a Rabbit SCBF
-Sole motive in breeding rabbits is money on sales of pet rabbits to the extent that the welfare of the animals is ignored.
-Conditions in the rabbitry are described as filthy, manure piled up into cages, dead babies lying around, animals sick and/or starving, odor overpowering.
-Producing a large number of mixed or crossbred animals, not in pursuit of improving an existing breed or creating a new breed but rather to produce "cute" animals solely for the pet market.
-May also be raising numerous species of animals in addition to the rabbits.
-Likely selling rabbits too young (3-4 weeks of age) to capitalize on pet store's desire to have cuter, younger animals to appeal to customers.
-Also likely buying rabbits cheaply at animal auctions or from other breeders (usually $5 or less per rabbits)to keep up with pet store demand.
Rabbit SCBF are only those which meet the above description. RES recognizes that animal rights activists who tend to be fanatical in their campaign to end animal use incorrectly and inaccurately label every commercial breeder a "mill".
"Mills are usually over crowded, dirty, having unhealthy animals, bred to what ever is going to produce the bucks not the best crosses, etc.. As several people here stated, Bunny mills do exist, but What makes them a mill is the moving them out at little cost and lots of profit with little concern for the animals. Bunny mills are probably just breeding 2 rabbits together without consideration of breed, pedigree, quality, etc.. to get what ever will sell at the pet market." Breeder on Mailing list
IV. What isn't a rabbit SCBF
One cannot use the same standards to determine a puppy SCBF to determine a rabbit SCBF because rabbits are not dogs. One cannot select profit as the sole factor in determining a rabbit SCBF. The two factors that must be used to determine a rabbit SCBF is sole motive is profit and the welfare of the herd and offspring are ignored. Using factors such as the number of different breeds raised, number of rabbits in herd, or if the breeder is a commercial operation are incorrect and will be misleading.
Rabbits have a shorter breeding lifespan, need to be bred with some frequency to remain fertile, and naturally are able to produce offspring numerous times throughout the year. In addition rabbits are a multipurpose animal, very unique in that they are used as livestock (food source for humans and other animals) as well as a companion animal. A rabbit breeder raising more than a single breed of rabbit is not a rabbit SCBF. It is common in the rabbit industry for breeders to raise multiple breeds of rabbit. And even hobby breeders have large numbers in their herds.
According to a 1998 American Rabbit Breeders Association survey 86.5% of breeders raise rabbits for meat, only 66.5% raise any for the pet market.
In a 1998 Rabbit Education Society survey 58% of breeders do not sell to pet stores. Other results include:
-The number of rabbits breeders sell as pets:
# Sold % of breeders
0-25 71%
26-50 17%
51-75 5%
> 76 7%
-Average number those who sell to pet stores sell: 18
-Average price of a pet rabbit: $13-$18 (direct to pet owner price)
RES breeder survey II information:
4. How many different breeds do you raise? 1breed 38%, 2 breeds 24%, 3 breeds 15%, 4 breeds 8%, 5+ breeds 14%
5. Average herd size? I broke this down into averages based on the number of breeds
1 breed 27 rabbits
2 breeds 33 rabbits
3 breeds 49 rabbits
4 breeds 74 rabbits
5+ breeds 100 rabbits
6. Average number of litters produced per year
1 breed 14 litters
2 breeds 21 litters
3 breeds 25 litters
4 breeds 37 litters
5+ breeds 60 litters
7. Average number of times you breed a single doe in one year
Once 7%
Twice 33%
Three times 39%
Four times 10%
5 or more times 11%
8. Do you raise rabbits as a hobby? 90%
As a business 5% Both 5%
9. Do you Profit 7% Break even 29% Lose money 64%
V. Do Rabbit SCBF Exist?
Yes. However there is no information available to determine how many exist. Additionally most if not all of these SCBF likely fall under the regulations of the Animal Welfare Act. Better enforcement of existing legislation would seem the best route to go to ensure proper care of the animals.
The author was able to find a breeder who mass produces pets for sale to pet stores. The individual is likely a bunny SCBF but having not seen conditions at the rabbitry I can't say for sure. The individual does breed primarily to sell pets to pet stores. They said they supply a number of stores covering a 5 county area with 1500 rabbits per year.
In discussing rabbits with an area pet store owner I was able to find out that his two stores buy 600 rabbits per year from one individual. The owner implied that he wanted rabbits younger than the 8 week minimum age law because they were "cuter" and that "who would know".
Note: I suspect the above mentioned breeders are SCBFs based on their selling practices (immature babies sold to stores) and for one his lack of knowledge about rabbits, not solely because they sell rabbits commercially.
Commercial Pet Rabbit Breeders
From: www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cei/rabbitcal.htm
1999 APHIS listed 36 commercial rabbit breeders with a total of 71,975 rabbits and 101 dealers with 12,283 rabbits. Remember these are licensed commercial breeders subject to federal regulations and inspections-do not automatically call them "mills".
Be aware that recently animal rights activists have been introducing legislation to shut down so called "mills". What this legislation is trying to do is stop all commercial and hobby breeding. RES urges the general public and legislators to oppose legislation that attempts to end commercial breeding. A true "mill" is not the same as a responsible commercial breeder, don't side with animal rights activists who lie, this includes many large well funded groups many wrongly think are benign "welfare" groups.
VI. How To Stop Rabbit SCBF
As mentioned above better enforcement of the AWA would ensure proper care is provided to the animals. The next step is for pet buyers to demand more out of where they purchase a rabbit. Don't buy from someone who fits the description of a rabbit SCBF. Report them to local animal control if signs of abuse and/or neglect are present. Demand healthy animals if buying from a pet store. The best way is to buy your rabbit from a reputable breeder directly. A loss of demand would put many if not all rabbit SCBF out of business.
VII. Additional Information Regarding Pet Dealers
The following was provided to RES in Dec. 2000 from Patsy Mckenzie. RES wishes to thank Patsy for supplying us with additional research information regarding this issue.
Most pet breeders can't afford the expenses of selling directly to pet stores. The larger breeders become "brokers" just like the ones in the meat rabbit industry. Yep, 5 dollars is the most you will get for your bunnies. These folks usually don't care if the bunnies are old enough to go. I have seen bunnies as young as 3 weeks in crates heading 100 miles away. Sad really. We all know they won't make it. Most of the bunnies aren't pure bred even though the pet stores say they are. The truth being most pet store employees have no clue about rabbits and are going by what the broker "breeder" tells them. All bunnies are picked on size and color. The more color and the smaller the size the better.
Pet stores like 4 week old bunnies. They sell better. I sold to a pet store locally and was appalled at what they had before I showed up. I showed them 5 week old dwarfs- real dwarfs, they had someones mixed runts! They ordered 20 a week from me for months. They were very impatient because I would not let my babies go before they were 5 weeks old. Recently they found someone with lesser quality animals and no health guarantee ( I offered a replacement and health guarantee) who will sell younger bunnies for less.
It is the same with a broker. If you tell a broker you will sell at 5 or 6 weeks only, then you just lost your market.Many of these brokers will show up and go through your bunnies not caring about the animals. I have sent bunnies with a broker before- they went to NY on a trailer filled with chickens. Didn't sell to them again after that. You'd be surprised to learn that it was a large feed company who was the broker.
What I am saying is I agree with you on the bunny mills- they exist-just not as you think they do. The majority of rabbits in pet stores come from larger brokers who buy and sell on a weekly basis. If you want to stop the bunny mills you have to stop the brokers. Most people selling to the brokers ARE reputable breeders. They need a market and these brokers supply them with one. Just to show you how big the business of brokering pets is my friends had a woman 300 miles away call and offer to buy out their business. She would cover all of MD and most of PA. She would need approximately 50 or os breeders to cover her orders. They turned her down.
If you want to know who is buying and where the markets are visit your local stock sale. All the brokers are known and most are willing to talk to you. If a broker has burned breeders or has a bad reputation rabbit breeders will let you know. Also, a great majority of your abandoned pets end up at sales- this is one of the reasons you can't get accurate info on these guys. Many folks give the rabbits back the pet stores. The pet stores sell the bunnies back to the brokers for almost nothing and then they hit the sale barns. Some rabbits hit 3 sales before they are sold. I suggest you go to your local stock sales. If you go with an "I'm here to learn" attitude and you'll be surprised at what you are told and what you see.
Patsy McKenzie
Red Oak Specialty Pets
redoakspecpets@hotmail.com
RES would like to note that once again there is existing federal legislation meant to regulate pet dealers, if it is better enforced we would have less problems caused by these pet dealers.
Appeared on Showbunny First-reprinted with author's permission
just a few thoughts on the comments made about bunny Mills : "bunny Mill " does not mean dirty Barn and sick animals - a Mill can be clean and the animals healthy, somewhat- however, the weaning age at 3 weeks and the "always pregnant " is a sign of a "mill " - fast turnout - does bred for production of bunnies- not for a Breed Standard, not for the betterment of the breed itself, bunnies produced for pet sales only- " Milling " out the product to sell it fast and to make money :) THAT is the definition for a " mill " ....
Dirty cages and barn, sick animals, etc., can be found at any Rabbitry, one that does not produce more then 10 babies a year, and would not be considered a "mill " by this standard.
Also, one has to consider the "chain of resale " in a normal Bunny mill transaction:
In general, Pet stores prefer to purchase from small animal Wholesalers, folks that produce a large list of all small animals a pet store would want to carry. Have seen such lists, they list animals from mice, to cavie, rabbits, hamsters, birds, rats, turtles, snakes, lizards, etc., the list is long, depending on the size of the wholesaler's business. The pet store places an order with this person once a week, or once a month, and the route will bring the animals to the pet store on an agreed upon date, via delivery truck, and the animals are paid for at that time. Losses during transit are large, and the dead animals at time of unloading are not paid for. However, any animal that dies in the pet store, is a calculated risk and loss, and can
be deducted as an income loss from the store's taxes. In general, the pet store customer does NOT bring back a dead small animal, like a rabbit, or cavie, because the owner is ashamed and is worried that THEY did something to cause the death, and fear to hear the same from the store owner. MANY pet stores are quick to blame the new owner / buyer of having done something
wrong to cause the death of an animal, and many stores do NOT refund or replace small animals, because of this.
To start at the beginning, for a mill to have any good income and to be able to place all of the litters they produce, they will HAVE to work with wholesalers in their area, to come and pick up large loads of bunnies at weaning time. HOW else can ONE Rabbitry sell 30-50 baby bunnies in ONE WEEK???? There is not such a demand on baby bunnies in any one city to sell that many babies in one week, and who would have the time to have 30-50 families come to your house to pick out a bunny? The wholesaler will come on a pick up date, usually pre arranged, load up all of the bunnies that look alive and pay by check, usually $ 3-4 per "head ." The bunnies are trucked across the country side, from pick up point to pick up point, until they end up at the wholesaler's outfit that night. Housed there and fed / watered, until they are loaded up again for delivery to pet stores, many times out of state. According to some wholesalers I spoke to, the rate of "expected loss " during transit and housing is 20-30 percentage..... The same bunny is then sold to a pet store at $9.- to $14.-, depending on the rarity of the bunny's breed :) same bunny will be advertised for sale for $20.- and up, some pet stores in metro areas sell "rare "breeds for up to $130.- Pet store losses in the first week, mostly due to enteritis: 20%
SO- for a bunny mill person to know for sure what the losses are - one has to figure this chain , and then one can laugh : Breeder - wholesaler - pet store - buyer / owner . The wholesaler will expect some losses, and not report them to the breeder. The pet store will expect some losses, and not gripe to the whole saler, unless a whole shipment dies all at once, because they do not want to loose their account with a supplier. A owner of a dead animal will most of the time say nothing, out of grief, because they are ashamed, and because they feel guilty !!
Some more figures: most wholesalers want babies at age 3-4 weeks, and will refuse babies at age 6-9 weeks, because of "shelf live ," pet store buyers buy an animal because it is "small ," " cute ," " tiny baby ," or because they feel "sorry " for an animal in a store, and want to "rescue " it ....... Baby bunnies are cute, tiny, and sell faster, and stay that way longer if they are younger. a 8 week old baby bunny will look older, will be bigger,and will grow faster in fewer weeks, and the time of potential sales will be shorter = the term "shelf live". An adult Dutch is cute, but it is larger, it looks adult, and it will not sell as fast as a tiny baby ...... so, the age the bunny has to be placed into a store is greatly dictated by the general public and them wanting something "baby like ."...
I have had calls form folks that wanted to by a "newborn bunny ," right out of the nestbox, price unimportant, to hand raise the baby and to "bond with it and train it right " ..... go figure :) Most of the information above was gathered by myself from talking to pet store owners in my area, and from having phone calls from wholesalers that found my website, and got my number, and wanted to strike some deal with me to supply their stores with angora rabbits, do not need to tell you all that I am NOT going to sell 3-4 week old angora babies for $ 4.- $ 5.- a piece, to anyone :)
Angie K:)
" Angie's Angoras" Rabbitry
Member ARBA,NARBC, SEAC
French and Giant Angoras
Visit my website at:
Click here
Angora bunnies, fiber, yarn, garments, books, " Angora Bloom" mix, Links, angora care information, herb list , pictures :)
There are reasons why many states have laws against the sales of bunnies under certain ages- usually 8 weeks. Both the immune system and the digestive system of rabbits is even slower to mature than puppies and kittens. Despite 'early weaning' practices, this does not change. The stress endured by a young bunny just because of early weaning is often enough to kill them. Then, consider the stress of moving to a totally different environment- one that is bright, noisy, with lots of people. Then move them again to a new owner and factor in kids, other pets, another new environment, etc.
I am one of those breeders who has fielded HUNDREDS of calls from bunny buyers whose 'new pet' died, over the last nearly 20 years. The majority of these dead bunny's had one thing in common- AGE. All were under 8 weeks, most were 6 weeks or less. I started doing some of my own investigating, and came up with some interesting figures on mortality rates.
under 4 weeks: 80%
4-5 weeks: 60%
5-6 weeks: 50%
6-7 weeks: 20%
7-8 weeks: 10%
after 10 weeks: 1%
What I have found out is that the majority of people who have bought young bunnies, that died soon after purchase, DID NOT GO BACK TO THE SELLER TO COMPLAIN. This leads the seller to believe that no complaint= no problem, so they go on about their business thinking theres no problem.
I would like to see pet stores who sell bunnies start taking names and phone numbers of customers, and start checking up on how bunnies are doing a month down the road.. I think many would be somewhat shocked at what they find out.
In some of my observations, I noted that a number of buyers who had bunny's die, just kindof shrugged it off and went and bought another one. Ces' la vie..... I've heard of people treating goldfish like that- I just always thought cute fuzzy little things like rabbits would be treated much nicer.
This is why, despite the fact that someone buys a bunny that dies, they keep going back for another one to try again. This also explains why some pet stores still have such a high demand for the bunnies even though they keep croaking- they have such a high demand just because they do croak so often. It makes me sick. I know that not all pet stores are like this- I know some are not nearly as callus and uncaring, but many are and thats a fact.
@RES