Breeders vs. Pet Stores

There are many reasons why typically, I've found it best to purchase a pet quality rabbit from a reputable breeder rather than most pet stores. The following table shows a brief comparison of the average case of these two suppliers:

The table above shows a brief comparison of the main services offered from both breeders and pet stores when purchasing stock. Although the above table is the typical case, there are some responsible pet stores and irresponsible breeders. So, the above table doesn't hold true in all cases. When purchasing, use your own best judgment to decide who to buy from and who to not buy from.

As stated in the table above, the average price that a pet store charges is usually significantly higher than that of a breeder. Also, the rabbits a breeder sells are most often purebred and rabbits from a pet store are usually mixed breed. Yet, pet stores will market these mixed breed rabbits labeled as popular breed names, even if when the rabbit matures it bears no resemblance to the breed it was sold as. When you purchase a purebred rabbit, you can be almost certain the rabbit will mature as expected.

The average pet store price of accessories for the rabbit are usually higher than that of a breeder. Although many breeders will not have equipment for sale, those who do tend to sell at reasonable prices, since many make their own cages and buy the other accessories in bulk. Most breeders that sell accessories will sell a rabbit and the accessories as a package deal. Usually, if a breeder does not offer accessories for sale, they can refer you to a business who does. There are several rabbit equipment suppliers around the country that offer good prices on rabbit equipment.

The age of the rabbit for sale sometimes depends on the state that the rabbit is purchased in. Some states have regulations that a rabbit cannot be sold unless it has reached a minimum age. In states without such laws, most pet stores will want to offer rabbits for sale that are still at the little, cute age. This tends to be about 4-6 weeks old, which is before the bunnies are fully weaned. Although it is a health risk to the bunnies to be sold so young, they are very marketable at this age. A business will tend to try to make a profit, and be more willing to take this risk to do so. A breeder will wait until they feel that the rabbits are fully weaned, which is when they are about 6-8 weeks old. At this age, the bunnies aren't nearly as fragile as they were a couple weeks before, therefore they are off to a much better start on a healthy life.

Another difference between pet stores and breeders is the health guarantee on the rabbit. Usually, a pet store will only have a 24 hour guarantee for any animal they sell. If it gets sick or dies after that, they will do nothing to replace the animal. For this reason, most people will not return a rabbit should it get ill or die. They figure it is past the guarantee and cannot even complain. This is one reason why pet stores continue to sell rabbits at an unhealthy age. When purchasing from a breeder, you can usually request a health guarantee. Most breeders will give 2-4 weeks for the guarantee. Also, many breeders will have a take back policy, should the new owner need to get rid of the rabbit. This way, the rabbit can be placed in another pet home and will help keep people from 'disposing' of their pets inhumanely (such as turning them loose).

Pet stores and breeders usually act very different when it comes to care instructions and answering post-sale questions. Normally, a pet store will offer no written care instructions, just verbal ones. Even then, due to their lack of knowledge of rabbits, their instructions aren't always accurate. Also, pet stores don't usually offer much for answering post-sale questions. Again, this is due to a lack of knowledge of the store employees. On the other hand, many breeders will give both written and verbal instructions at the time of the sale, as well as contact information should the owner ever have any questions. Overall, the breeder's knowledge of rabbits is far superior to that of the average pet store employee. Therefore, the breeder can offer more information to the pet owner than the pet store can.

DISCLAIMER: This article is written based upon my own experiences as well as the experiences of others that have been shared with me. All information is the typical case that I have found through these experiences. The artice above does not hold true for all breeders and pet stores.