How do you know if you're buying good stock?

[Hoppy]

Good parents. How do you know?

[jolly rabbit]

whatever breed your choosing to go with you should be able to find standards for the breed, if not or your not very picky (pedigrees/registered,show quality) i would look at fur on the hocks, check teeth, fur should "snap" back in place, eyes clear and bright, feel the spine? straight? and i would look at the shoulders and thighs, meaty and full bodied? there are many variables i hope this helps a little.

[bassmaster17327]

If you are just buying for meat production and not for show then you have a lot less to have to watch for. Depending on the breed not all fur will "snap" back quickly. For me I look at the eyes for a sign of health, if they don't look healthy then don't buy them. If you can look at the breeders setup to make sure it is clean and all the rabbits have water. The only other thing I would add to what Jolly Rabbit said is to check the toe nails of the rabbit you are buying and the other breeders if you can, if the nails are all trimmed then they probable take good care of their rabbits

[AprilW]

I think it really depends on what you're looking for in rabbits. There are many uses: meat, fur/fiber, show, & pets. Each has traits you will want to focus on more. For show rabbits you'll want to look for rabbits that fit the Standard of Perfection. Meat rabbits will need to have acceptable growth rates (butchering size within a certain time-frame, usually 10-14 weeks). Pets need to be gentle and usually pet people prefer small rabbits. Fur/fiber rabbits need good pelts or wool.

At the very basic level you want healthy rabbits: clear bright eyes, alert, good size - not over or under weight, no signs of diarrhea, no snot, no scabs in the ears, no bumps or cuts on the skin, no broken bones, the rabbit can move normally and easily, and a soft healthy looking coat.

I require my rabbits are tame, even the ones I'm planning to eat. No biting, excessive kicking/scratching (after a reasonable time to adjust to my rabbitry if they're new), or otherwise nasty behaviors. Raising mean rabbits makes it miserable and part of the reason I have them is because I enjoy playing with the breeding stock.

You can identify good rabbits partly by the conditions they're kept in. A relatively clean environment (remember, they are animals and so a rabbitry is rarely spotless) shows that the breeder cares and the animals aren't AS likely to be sick.

A pedigree may help you make a decision. Purebred and pedigreed rabbits frequently have a higher re-sale value and more potential to be sold.

[arnie]

If you goggle commerchial rabbits .a few sites pop up thete are a couple sites that list rabbit breeders .one being rudolfs rabbit ranch ,that list breeders by state .so you can find someone near you .this is county and state fair season this is another way to find someone raiseing rabbits.it really a gamble to buy rabbits at a animal auction or flea market as these are where people dump culls and problems but if you see some one selling there you may get to meeta breeder .most people selling good rabbits are proud of them and will let you see there set ups cages ,or hutches.these should be clean and the rabbits well cared for .the breeder should be able to tell you if the rabbits are from large litters ect. Sometimes people with rabbits for sale advertize in local bargan finder or trading times papers .have pachiens there are good rabbits out there .don't settle for just any rabbits if you want meat rabbits wait till you find new zealands or californians there are breed asociations and people advertise in them .and the american rabbit breeders assiation .some have face book pages. And if you let people know your looking for stock they will let you know what the have .this is a good place id bet if you posted that your looking for some meat rabbit to raise from they will offer to help.right now I don't have any rabbits to eat because two guys came looking for breeders they herd about me by word of mouth and being a soft touch and likeing to see others get on the right path I let a trio of friers go to one man and a almost breeding age doe i was thinking of keeping go to the other

[himmie]

Hoppy, what breed are you looking at? Each breed/purpose for raising them has their own unique issues to look for.