Pre-Purchase Rabbit Evaluation

How To Evaluate A Rabbit Before You Buy

Before you accept a rabbit you plan to purchase, carefully go over the rabbit with the seller. You and the seller will be glad you did.

Physical Exam

Check the sex together with the seller to make sure that the rabbit is a buck or doe as advertised. Rabbits can sometimes be tricky to sex. Even long-time breeders have shown rabbits in the wrong class several times before the gender is apparent. Be sure you are both in agreement at the time of sale.

Check both eyes carefully. There should be no sign of matter in the eyes, no puckers in the eyelids, no cloudy spots or dimples in the surface of the eyeball.

Look in the ears for signs of redness or cankers. Small nicks in the ear that do not detract from the overall appearance of the rabbit are not a problem, but there should be no large chunks missing or tears that you didn't already know about.

Check the nose for crustiness or white discharge. A clear moistness can be a sign of being overly warm from being held, for example, and is not a sign of snuffles.

Check the front paws for matting or signs that the rabbit has recently had nasal discharge.

Make sure the rabbit has all of his nails (including the "thumb" nails on the front paws) and that the nails on solid colored rabbits match.

Check the fur for white spots. A white spot is most easily noticed on a black or dark rabbit, but even white spots in the middle of a colored portion of a broken patterned rabbit is a problem.

Look at the rabbit's teeth. If you do not know how to evaluate teeth, ask the seller to allow you to show the teeth to another breeder, a judge (do not interrupt judging!), or a registrar. The top front teeth should overlap in front of the bottom front teeth. Butting teeth are usually not a problem for pet, but are unacceptable for breeding and show rabbits.

Rub your hands over the fur looking for lumps, bumps, cuts, or scabs.

Evaluation of Conformation

Be realistic in what you can get for the money you pay. Breeders cannot sell you a fault-free rabbit. Even a relatively fault-free rabbit is rare, high-priced, and takes a long time on a waiting list to get. The rabbits I paid over $300 for have faults, as do the Best of Breed rabbit at Convention and every other rabbit on the planet.

On the other hand, do not accept a rabbit with a strong fault that you cannot deal with in your rabbitry. If a rabbit has long shoulders, but you have several short-shouldered rabbits (of the opposite gender), that fault may be acceptable to you. If all of your rabbits have long shoulders, you do not need another one!

You should have discussed the strengths and faults of the rabbit prior to purchase. At the time of purchase, have the breeder go over the strengths and faults again, posing the rabbit and showing the traits clearly. If the breeder claimed that the rabbit has heavy bone, but you find it to be light, get a second opinion. If the rabbit does indeed have light bone, do not feel that you must go through with the sale.

Getting Advice

Take advantage of having a few minutes of the breeder's time to ask questions. Is this a slow or fast-maturing line? Fast or slow to get started breeding? What recessive genes are you aware of? It makes no sense to find out from scratch what the breeder already knows.

Collecting Information

Find out which feed the rabbit is on and make sure you get some transitional feed. Ask about treats and hay. Find out if the rabbit has ever been wormed and when. For brood does, make sure you know when she last kindled and whether she nursed or the kits were fostered (this information should help you get a feel for her recovery time after a litter). Lastly, ask whether there is anything else about the rabbit that you should know.

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This website is owned and maintained by Laurie Stroupe of The Nature Trail Rabbitry. Copyright 2005 The Nature Trail Rabbitry. No portion may be used without written permission. For pet rabbit information, please visit Precious Pet Rabbits.