Would you buy these rabbits at this price??

[Tre3hugger]

If they are show quality, then that price might be warranted. Are they old enough to breed and are you getting their pedigrees? The guy I bought my Rex from started at $40 and price went up as they aged. You might want to bring a scale to check their weight, if the seller objects they might be hiding something.

The doe is ready to breed and the buck "not far behind." He said all his available rabbits are under 6 months old. I haven't requested a pedigree yet, but he has invited me to come check out the parent stock and his rabbitry whenever I want. He lives an hour and a half away though so not exactly a convenient trip unless I know I am going to get something.

 

[Tre3hugger]

I think I am going to email him and basically say "look I am very interested but between the pandemic and the distance I am not going to make the trip unless I know I want to buy. When you have the time please give me via email all information you could possibly think to include about these rabbits and preferably their parents. Weights, litter numbers etc. Any applicable pictures also." If he wants to take the time to do that he will very likely make a nice sale. If not I may get them anyway! Haha but at least this may be a nice way to get some answers and judge his commitment to transparency. Appreciate everyone's input!

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I think I am going to email him and basically say "look I am very interested but between the pandemic and the distance I am not going to make the trip unless I know I want to buy. When you have the time please give me via email all information you could possibly think to include about these rabbits and preferably their parents. Weights, litter numbers etc. Any applicable pictures also." If he wants to take the time to do that he will very likely make a nice sale. If not I may get them anyway! Haha but at least this may be a nice way to get some answers and judge his commitment to transparency. Appreciate everyone's input!

Be careful how you word it. You want to come off interested and wanting information, but not wasting his time being a tire kicker. If he's a good breeder with good records, he should have that info easily available.

 

[Beekissed]

If you are going to get them anyway, why request all that other information as a condition of the sale? I'd ask if he has their records to go along with and any pertinent information regarding litter size and wts of the kits produced by their parents when you come to buy them. If he says he doesn't keep such records but still charges those prices because they are of his "best" meat lines, I'd walk away from the sale. A person needs to be able to prove the product is as advertised and records are the way to do it...sure, they can be faked, but a serious breeder usually keeps records.

 

[rachels.haven]

Those rabbits look kind of oddly shaped for NZ. Can he provide pedigree and registration?

 

[Longhornbreeder101]

Those rabbits dont really look like New Zealand rabbits these are photos of New Zealand rabbits not my photos but some photos of reference

 

[Jesusfreak101]

Personally I would not pay that. I do know Californian show quality top of the line around me goes for 50$ each. I tend to buy the ones the showers sell around me for lovely discount of 25$ a head and I seen them go for a low as 15$ a piece. Nd are the same price and recs go for 30. All meat breeds. I personally would not pay that much because of the risk of losing that rabbit at that cost to a predator, heat ect. We have had even our dog open rabbit cages and have had heat be the main cause even with fans and ice packs some years.

 

[Tre3hugger]

He says he has all pedigrees available. @Ffagirl22 @rachels.haven Do these really not look like NZs? The red one in the pic I posted seems like a littler version of the one you posted. Even has the white toe tips and eye rings. I am not disagreeing, just struggling to see the difference. Enlighten me?

 

[Fishychix]

The ones in your picture have a more compact body shape. Does he cross breed with rexes? I know a lot of people do.

 

[Fishychix]

I guess it depends on what area prices are for you. They seem pretty small for a meat rabbit, especially a NZ. And that price? A good meat rabbit goes for around $20 here and they taste the same as the rabbits that cost $50, I'm betting. In my area those prices would be laughable but in your area they may be pretty standard....which is a shame.

So, hard to give you advice without knowing the prevailing prices for NZ meat rabbits in your area....but coming from where I live there's no way I'd pay that much and for that small of rabbits.

Being a wanna be serious breeder, could you give me an idea of what a record should look like? Right now I just have an index card and a spreadsheet that I dont really use because I dont know what, or how often, to record.