12/01/2025
There’s so much wrong with the rescues, and this is a well-written response. Of course, the rescues are still using pure emotion to talk about how “cruel” it is, without even checking to see if any of what they have to say is factual.
“Those poor rabbits are being kept on wire for the show!” At ARBA Convention, rabbits are cooped on solid flooring. Not that properly maintained wire of the appropriate gauge and tautness is bad for rabbits that aren’t structurally incorrect. Good structure means proper angulation of hocks, which translates to a lack of extra pressure on the hocks. Poorly structured rabbits can end up with sore hocks even on solid surfaces, but I can see why people would provide fully solid surfaces for poorly structured animals. Said animals shouldn’t be bred, and ethical breeders are NOT using animals that develop sore hocks as breeding stock. They either lack proper structure or proper fur density/structure. Good structure is an incredibly important part of selecting which rabbits we choose to breed. I’ve decided not to breed some truly beautifully marked harlequins because they just had too bad a structural conformation, and I will never intentionally pass that on for their offspring to either suffer or have to be carefully managed. Our rabbits get resting mats, but most only choose to use them sparingly and seem to prefer the wire. The ones who prefer the resting mat tend to be the ones with pinched hocks. We’ve made vast improvements in hock and hindquarters structure in our herd, but it’s always a work in progress.
“They’re going to get sick!” This is just one reason we breed for robust immune systems. Rabbits with strong immune systems can go to shows frequently and not get sick. One harlequin has been to every national show (2x a year) and many local shows since 2019. Amazingly, she hasn’t become sick and fallen over dead.
“Limited access to water.” They have water 24/7 while traveling and at the show. Most exhibitors also provide electrolytes, probiotics, and anything else we can to even further reduce any risk.
“Heat stress.” Convention is always in autumn. It was not even remotely hot. Where is this “heat stress” coming from? If you mean “human comfortable temperatures”, then aren’t all house rabbits under constant heat stress. Make it make sense! Show rabbits are either well-acclimated to natural temperatures or are kept in climate controlled environments. Convention was a bit chilly, honestly, just how rabbits like it. The comfort of the rabbits takes priority over the people.
“Bad ventilation!” The ventilation was amazing, actually. And coops were cleaned very regularly so ammonia never had a chance to build up. I used to volunteer at a rabbit rescue, and their ammonia build up (while still within acceptable limits) was always worse than it was at Convention.
“They’re just numbers, not names!” Well, anyone who has followed this page more than half a second knows we name every single rabbit we keep. We even ask new owners if they have come up with a name so we can include it on the pedigree. One of my biggest joys is when babies are old enough to be past the delicate stage, and I can give them their official names. Until then, we use How To Train Your Dragon style naming to ward off the death streaks. 😉 We have a “Stinky Mackeral” and a “Roadside Gravel Corn” right now. 🤭 Bold Print, who used to be “Musty Mildew” placed 2nd at convention. Even breeders who don’t use names know EVERYTHING about that rabbit and keep meticulous records. Rabbits don’t know if they’re a number or have a name. The rabbit I named “Two” didn’t feel any less loved and cared for than the rabbit I named “Grizabella”.
“They’re scared and terrified being shown.” Again, look back at my previous posts. There’s no sign of being scared. They’re calm, curious, eating well (and anyone who actually knows anything about rabbits knows how fast they go off feed when stressed), coming forward to be pet, playing, self-grooming. There’s no freeze responses, no ears pinned back, no rapid breathing; all species-specific signs of stress and prey response. I know that because I actually have studied rabbit behavior EXTENSIVELY to ensure proper care. So how are they so calm? Good breeding and good socializing. The same as with any other domesticated species. It’s a combination of genetics and socializing. We play with the babies from the time they’re born. Many of our mommas will put their noses in with us while we check their babies. I’ve even had some push my hand in further. They’re so used to people that they are calm when we check their babies. Are all rabbits like that? No, and for mommas that are more stressed, we keep the checking to a minimum until they get used to it. Our aim is never to stress our rabbits out. Even from a purely selfish standpoint, that would make no sense. Stressed rabbits won’t keep good condition, which means they won’t win. So, even someone who truly didn’t love their rabbits would be stupid to cause unnecessary stress. And most of us do love our rabbits.
Just because your only experience with rabbits is poorly bred ones who stress easily and aren’t built properly doesn’t mean our wellbred rabbits have the same problems yours do. You’re welcome to your poorly bred rabbits. Love them. Play with them. Please do. But don’t you dare try to take away our wellbred rabbits just so you can have a bleeding heart story.
