Marking my rabbit as mine?

My grandpa raises meat rabbits, and I'm planning on picking a kitten from his upcoming litters to keep as a pet. It'll be kept with the rest of the rabbits and will look similar however I plan on taming and training it when I have time. My only concern is, when people come by to pick which rabbits they'd like to buy (furs & meat), I need to have my rabbit somehow marked so my grandpa knows it's mine right off the bat.

Is keeping a collar/harness on the rabbit dangerous? Is there some sort of spray color I could use, or something to mark his ear?

Thanks!
(By the way, please don't post about how you feel so bad for the bunnies that get eaten. They are raised for meat just like cows and pigs, etc. I'm a vegetarian myself.)

2012-02-02T06:03:11Z

These rabbits receive excellent vet care, have spacious pens and many of them are kept into adulthood, such as the bucks and breeding does. Just because they are meat/fur rabbits doesn't mean they aren't cared for well. They have a well balanced diet to ensure that they are healthy, and they enjoy playing with the sticks they get for chewing and have fresh greens and hay, along with their pellets and grains, everyday.

I am in no way surprised that you have had rabbits inside, my grandmother had two lovely rabbits that had a hutch in her house and they were trained on a harness and leash. All in all, I don't see why it should be kept alone and separate instead of in a pen with a few other healthy does that are kept for breeding.

They have no wire, they have pens with hay racks and bedding.

Could somebody answer my question instead of assuming that our rabbits aren't well cared for?

catx2012-02-02T04:12:33Z

Favorite Answer

They will hang themselves with a collar and a harness is easily pulled off, as are ribbons.

It's unfair to expect it to live its whole life in a situation with constantly coming and going animals and being the only one that ages - it will hit sexual maturity and start fighting with the younger rabbits if it has any kind of contact with them.

Separate it and keep it as a house rabbit instead. Neuter/spay it. Give it all the vet care it needs and a PROPER diet, which the meat/fur rabbits are unlikely to be getting as their long term happiness and health does not "matter" to your grandpa, all that matters is they get big and fat fast without ruining their fur. Rabbits are actually curious, mischievous, very active animals that need lots of space, a complex diet, and can be as rewarding as having a house cat or dog (just a bit more destructive, bunny proofing is a must).

Anonymous2012-02-02T13:44:05Z

I agree 100% with catx. If you want a rabbit then RESEARCH ON THEM FIRST. don't get the rabbit and treat it like all the other rabbits. Please buy a roomy xpen, dog crate, or make a NIC cage or something for your rabbit. Store bought cages are TOO SMALL.

Surprised huh? My rabbit lives in a XL dog crate but he still gets atleast 6 hours out of his cage. He also eats lots of veggies which at first only cost a couple of bucks. But then those add up to 10$, 50$, and then a 100$ and over the years maybe into the 1000's. And thats JUST for veggies. You haven't even got me started on litter, hay, and pellets. I buy my hay from a local farm store so that isn't a problem but most people don't get their hay in bales so it is expensive for them. Rabbits do not need bedding. It's actually better if they dont have litter(if they are litter trained). Please spat and neuter your rabbit if you do end up getting one. It is the responsible thing to do and not only is it beneficial to their health it helps with their behavior. And it is much easier to litter train them.

Also, please do not keep your rabbits with the other rabbits, wire flooring is extremely bad for rabbits. In all honesty, just adopt. You'd have to pay for the spay eventually might as well adopt from a rescue and get an already spayed rabbit and find the rabbit that YOU like in personality and breed.

Rabbits also shed TONS so beware of that.

Anonymous2012-02-02T12:44:41Z

why not take a picture and print it out and put it on side of the cage saying that rabbit isn't up for sale?

How old are you?
Do you have a cage for him or her? they get cage aggressive if you don't let them stretch their legs out of them every so often.
Do you have Timothy hay?
Do you have a water bottle and food bowls?
Do you know the accept fruit and vegetable a rabbit can have? I give mine a fresh salad of baby carrots, romaine lettuce and spinach.
Are you willing to clean that cage often? I clean my dwarf rabbit 2-3 times a week.

?2012-02-02T11:36:03Z

When I was young, my mother gave my sister and I, 2 rabbits. A Black one and a White one. My rabbit was so smart that I feared my sister would try to claim it, so I tied a Blue ribbon around the neck of mine. But later, I decided that was not needed as mine had a tail that was a little longer than my sister's rabbit.
I hope this helps !