How to Buy Long Distance
If you are currently looking, or even thinking about buying a bunny, consider reading the article "How do I find a breeder?". It's a good place to start. In your search, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that a great breeder lives near you.
However, what do you do if the breeders you like live far from your hometown? I found myself in this exact position. I had my heart set on getting a chinchilla, squirrel or blue holland lop. I lived in Ohio - what I like to call the middle of the Tort belt. A large number of competitive breeders live in the Midwest. Many of them are working hard to perfect the form of the breed, and their color of choice is Black Tort. Their preferred methodology for getting to other colors is to "build the barn, and then paint it". In other words, perfect the form of your herd, then breed to the color you want. This is undoubtedly works. My problem was that I didn't want to breed for 5 years to get to that point. My internet searches turned up a handful of breeders that had exceptional stock in a wider variety of colors. Their locations? Oregon. Colorado. Virginia. New Hampshire. Sigh. How do I get a bunny from there to here, and how do you go about buying something sight unseen? Read on for a some helpful tips and a cautionary tale or two.
Transport Options
Let's assume that you have contacted your preferred rabbitry and been told that they have the gender, color and form rabbit that you want. What do you do about transport?
A) Airplane. I know there are horror stories that have circulated lately in the news about sending pets via airlines. Those situations are tragic, and there is no guarantee that your pet will arrive safely. I would advise a great deal of attention on your part in picking the airline, getting all flight information, choosing flights that will stay within temperature ranges that are bunny friendly, making sure that the bunny will be shipped in a carrier large enough to be comfortable, dry, and have ready access to food and water. Working with a breeder that shares a vested interest in getting the bunny to you safe and healthy. (This sounds like a given, but it's not) All that said, I have shipped and received dozens of bunnies via airline and all of them arrived no worse off for the wear. It will cost you at least $200 for the flight, $30 for the carrier, and depending on the airline used, $$ for the required vet check/signature.
B) Via breeder transport. There are many local, state and national bunny shows per year. Many breeders show at these events, and are happy to bring your bunny to the show so that you can pick it up. This works wonderfully if you have a competent person. One experience I had went incredibly smoothly. My bunnies were transported from the west coast, all the way to Pennsylvania. I saw the trailer they traveled inside. Their care was explained to me in detail. The bunnies received fresh food and water at regular intervals throughout the trip. Great care was taken to monitor the temperature inside the trailer. At most stops, the back of the trailer was opened and briefly cleaned to circulate air and prevent a build-up of ammonia from pee. I had another experience where my just weaned kit was lovingly transported from one end of the country to a show, then picked up by another breeder and brought to me. While she received loving care in the interim, she also picked up fur mites from some of the other bunnies she was transported alongside. Doing transport this way can run much cheaper $100 or so for transport across the country. There are many logistics to consider in this scenario: name and contact number of the transporter(s), times, places, fees. Again, attention to detail is important.
C) You drive. The farthest I have driven for a bunny is 4 hours. It was well worth it. Tonto is a beautiful, sweet buck and I don't regret a second of it. That said, you have to factor in time, money, transportation. The upside to this option is that you get to meet the breeder first hand, see the bunny and check for health or issues with form, and dictate how the bunny is transported. In other words, if at all possible, choose this option, even if you have to plan a road trip and pick up the bunny on the way home.
Issues
A) You can't see the bunny. Can I just say that it is VERY difficult to get a good picture of a bunny? In addition to the fact that they are moving subjects, you face the challenge of adequate lighting, posing correctly and also the photography skills of the breeder. While most of the breeders I purchased from were honest, they would readily admit that their pictures were not great, but that they didn't have time to take more. I get that. But, if you are into art, you know that you can enhance the way that something looks with different angles and lighting. It is fairly easy to make a rabbit look better than it is, in a picture, if you know what you are doing. That did happen to me a couple of times.
B) You have to pay ahead of time. This seems unfair - especially if you are shipping via airline. It's a lot of money to wire someone if there are no guarantees it will be healthy and safe and arrive. However, the breeder does have a stake in getting the bunny to you - their name, their rabbitry, their reputation. They have no guarantees that you will pay on your end. So how do you handle this? Unfortunately, you usually have to go with what the breeder chooses to do. When I shipped to customers, I did a multiple stage transaction. When I received an initial deposit, I would send them a care box that included: the pedigree, a pillow, a cd of baby pictures, starter food and hay, a ball and possibly another toy. This not only allowed them to prepare for the bunny's arrival, but also was a token sent in good faith that I would make good on my end of the deal. (The care box was completely out of my pocket - contents and shipping). And, because I had been in their shoes, I made sure that we set up flight times that worked best for them, sent them flight info, set up a call to explain the procedure for picking up the bunny and answer additional questions, and kept them posted with texts and pictures during the shipping process. In other words, I showed that I was committed to the safe transport of their bunny. Why? Because it was my bunny, and I cared about it's well-being. You won't likely find a breeder that is that involved in the process, but there are many that do a wonderful job.
C) You don't have control over the care of the bunny. This applies to ground transport. I shared a great experience I had in the section above, but I have also hear horror stories and have a bad experience of my own (read on for more details). One breeder friend sold a bunny to a person out of town, and the customer arranged transport. When the breeder met the transporter, she saw tons of bunnies stuffed in small wire cages, stacked in a minivan. It was a hot day and the transporter had been inside a restaurant eating lunch. Needless to say, the temps and sunlight pouring into the van were WAY TOO HIGH for rabbits. It was, or at least bordered on an abusive situation. Does the transporter wash their hands in between handling bunnies - at least those from different rabbitries? Otherwise, your bunny can easily acquire whatever is being carried by the others: mites, snuffles, bacteria, viruses, etc. Does the transporter provide adequate fresh air and comfortable temperatures? Does the transporter have a policy of not removing the bunny from the carrier unless absolutely needed?
My own sad story
I mentioned that I had my own particularly sad story. I will refrain from names as my intention is not to slander anyone, but only to be a cautionary tale for others.
About mid-way through my rabbitry years, I was looking for a herd buck in a specific color/form. I contacted many rabbitries and managed to find one that had a wonderful option - the color I wanted with my favorite: short teaspoon ears. A flurry of emails ensued because a national show was on the horizon and transport was possible. My first red flag was the pictures that were sent. They were literally a bit out of focus, and definitely not from the correct angles. You can probably guess that desire won over common sense. Red flag #2 was full pre-payment over a month ahead of time. Once I had paid, it was radio silence. Red flag #3 I tried not to be annoying, and only sent the most necessary emails. I had to hound the breeder for acknowledgement of payment received, an online receipt, the names of the transporters, the cell phone numbers of the transporters. I finally got the number two days before they left. Red Flag #4 I called multiple times in hopes of arranging exchange information. I was finally contacted when the trip had already started. Red Flag #5 The transporter ran into some traveling difficulties and quickly became antagonistic towards me, refusing to nail down a place and time for the exchange, insulting me and even threatening to not complete the transaction. In the end, I had to drive over an hour out of the way. The rabbit was literally dumped by the back of my car, and I was insulted again. The rabbit was clearly dehydrated and stressed. In addition, I noticed that he had a wet nose. When we finally got him home, I let him out to play in the grass. He hopped out of my arms to the ground (about 2 ft) and promptly fell on his head. I did contact the breeder to let her know the poor service her transporters had provided. She sided with them.
Fast forward a couple months. Despite my typical herbal remedies and standard meds, I had an adorable buck with a permanent wet, yellow nose. One of his eyes became more and more cloudy (we were told it was scratched by a dog). He contracted mites (none of my herd had them, so it was likely that they were dormant and under his skin). He suffered and then died. It was horrible. Over $300 dollars wasted. The pain of seeing an animal struggle (he was sweet all the way to the end). Literally no acknowledgement or consideration on the part of the breeder.
I share this story to warn you that among the many good breeders, there are a few that will have no problems lying and cheating. How do you differentiate? Look for these things:
* Communicates clearly and promptly, willing to answer questions
* Keeps you posted on all details, even small ones
* Is as excited as you are about the transaction
* Clearly exhibits quality care of her herd
* Willing to work with you to make the situation turn out well
We hope you find this information helpful. We know that buying long distance is a risk, and hopefully this makes it more calculated.