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Great Article!
Topic Started: May 17 2014, 01:59 PM (120 Views)
louierabbit
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Get the Duct Tape, Stat!
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I just wanted to share this article about the individual personalities of rabbits. It's really a good article and states some very good points.

http://rabbit.org/lops-are-mellow-and-other-dangerous-myths/
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ZRabbits
Love My Lions!
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I have to respectfully disagree that this is a great article. I don't understand how someone could compare preference to prejudice and come out with a denominator of racism. If you break the article down, this is the message and that's all it is.

Sorry, do believe in Lab rabbits, especially losing a child from a deadly incurable disease. Do believe in meat rabbits as there are families who work hard to make sure their families eat safe and healthy.

Sorry, I am a Pet person, and not just mine. I respect animals every where I go. Animals have been my salvage after my loss. And I really take offense to this article, as people do generalize and this reflects a Pet person's opinion.

KAZ

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NeuBunny
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Finding this to be a mix of good and bad info ...

"it is not true that there is a gene called “good with children.” true. but 'bad with children' (e.g., genetic tendency to be vicious) does exist.

"Most rabbits, if they are bred intentionally, as opposed to accidentally, are bred for appearance, not personality." absolutely not true. Good breeders definitely take personality into account in breeding decisions. and somehow this seems to imply that 'accidental' breedings are more likely to be based on personality (when the word 'accidental' actually means nothing is considered).

"it is much more fruitful to read the individual rabbit " true -- except that rabbits rarely reveal their true personality when a stranger is present. The rabbit that is normally mellow and relaxed around family may get agitated around strangers. The rabbit that is aggressive or territorial in its normal setting may freeze or lack confidence to show its normal aggression and therefore appear docile/submissive in a strange setting.

"aren’t there also exceptions, variations, contradictions?" yes, absolutely. especially when going through a rescue (high proportion of animals with a history of having been abused or abandoned). but rabbits that have been carefully and selectively bred, for which the characteristics of the parents and grandparents are known for the last several generations, are far less likely to be the exception.

"What’s the difference between a lab rabbit and a house rabbit? Not a thing" absolutely not true - neither in terms of the genetics nor the early environment/raising. Lab animals are deliberately highly inbred (near clones) to provide absolute consistency of breeding and minimize individual variation. They are selected to be healthy within a tightly controlled environment for 2-3 years (maximum duration of most experiments) not for longevity, flexibility or ability to handle a variable environment or exposure to disease. Rabbits bred for meat are selected almost exclusively for health, vigor, rapid growth, and high fertility - NOT for longevity or personality. Animals raised for the lab or for meat are generally NOT socialized to humans from a young age. I'll add -- show animals are heavily selected for conformation (body type and other physical characteristics - as well as health, handleability, and basic personality) and reputable pet breeders select heavily for personality (first), health (including longevity), color (because pet sales are often made on 'cute' and 'unusual') and other physical traits (e.g., lops are popular). And they ARE usually very well socialized - trained to accept humans from the moment they are born. In the context of looking for a pet (the subject of the article) the 'fit' is going to be much more likely to succeed with a rabbit bred for that purpose.

The comparison of bias against mixed breed rabbits (or any mixed breed animal) to racism is emotional, knee-jerk, offensive and not based in any scientific knowledge. It assumes either that the differences among breeds are merely surficial (which they are not) or that the differences among human races are equally deeper (which they also are not - based on actual scientific evidence). I will admit to a personal bias against mixed breed rabbits -- but only insofar as mixed breeds rarely have the information behind them (pedigree, lines, selective breeding for specific traits, including full health information for all the ancestors for the last 3 generations) that is available for a purebred, pedigreed show rabbit. But if I wasn't planning to breed my rabbits, none of that would matter. I know a handful of people who breed pet, wool (angora) and meat rabbits as hybrids/mixed breeds with the same attention to detail and selection - no problem there as it fits their purposes perfectly - I'd buy from them in a heatbeat if hybrids were compatible with my goals or if I wanted a rabbit for that same purpose (pet/wool/meat). Personally, I wouldn't deliberately mix breeds because it severely limits the potential homes for the babies -- I can sell/rehome a pedigreed show rabbit to a new home with someone who shows, someone who breeds, 4H kids wanting a bunny for showmanship, or as a pet -- finding a good home for a mixed breed limits me to homes that want 'just' a pet.
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sidd-says-gimme
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Interesting points made! Nice discussion.
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louierabbit
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Get the Duct Tape, Stat!
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I honestly didn't see it at that way at all the first time I read it. Now, reading your points and re-reading the article I 100% see it your way. The first time I read it, I was really just reading it and thinking "oh, yeah, lops who are usually mellow could be aggressive, and dwarfs who I've had experience with being skittish, could be sweet." I wasn't looking at the whole picture.
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