all breeders are awful. all pet stores are awful. i once bought a rabbit at a pet store- pretty much on a whim & not realizing (at the time) there were rescue places to go to instead. but, at least i kept him :) i didn't change my mind & get rid of him like so people do :(

Lejla Hadzimuratovic is truly a living saint, sacrificing her very successful acting career for the selfless task of rescuing and being kind to adorable, helpless rabbits. My guess is that her vision of Heaven is very much like mine: Heaven would consist of being surrounded by bunnies. :-)

That's a pretty blanket statement Elizabeth. Thanks for calling my 9 year old daughter 'awful'. Most of the rabbit breeders I know are not mass producing for pet stores and a quick profit. Most are as passionate about their animals (and their breed) at Lejla is about rescues. As a family we have invested lots of time and money to ensure that our animals are healthy and well cared for. They are also pets and members of the family.
We have dogs and cats that are all rescues (and all have been spayed/neutered) however the rabbits are what I am hoping helps my daughter to get scholarships to college via groups like 4-H, Ventura Rabbit Breeder Assoc, American Mini Lop Breeder Assoc and the ARBA, all of which are groups dedicated to the well being of animals and education of their owners.

It's a real joy to sit down with a 17 year old girl holding a rabbit that won best of breed in her arms while she talks about how she bred 4 generations to get this one special rabbit, and she knows all of their names and still owns most of them. She's not breeding to make money, she's breeding to improve the quality of the animals that are available, and for the love of the animals. I don't think that's awful, I think that's fantastic.

Hello everyone, I just wanted to put in a little reminder that while the purpose of commenting is to stimulate discussion, we don't want to insult anyone. We all are entitled to our opinions, but let's keep it clean. Thanks! -Anna

What Lejla does is so wonderful-- rescuing bunnies only days old and nursing them back to health. I have three guinea pigs, all from rescues, and they are so wonderful and loving!

sO JUST WONDERING...where do you think all those rabbits come from? where do you think futer generations of rabbits will come from if it isn't for breeders? If you want all rabbits to be spayed and neutered and ONLY picked up from rescues...in 7-10 years... where will people get a pet rabbit? seems overall your agenda is short-sighted UNLESS of course your agenda is the irradication of the species? jUST CURIOUS

There's nothing wrong with 4H mom's goals for her daughter. Further more, what about those of us that breed for meat because we know the benefits of what it holds for humans and dogs or cats? You can not lump all breeders together. Those who raise show rabbits breed for a goal, and there is nothing wrong with that. If you want to complain about bunnies dumped on rescue groups, talk to the people who just have two random rabbits for the sake of selling Easter Bunnies. And for the record, many, MANY breeders will go to the same lengths to help a litter survive as a rescue group would.

Im sorry, but there is room for both breeders and rescue groups together. Not everyone wants what's in the rescue (and I will certainly say most rescue groups have ZERO clue as to what breed most of the rabbits they have are too).

@ anyone that doesn't see the real problem of how these rabbits ended up in the shelter in the first place. Irresponsible people buying them as cute little pets and then not fulfilling their obligation for the rest of that animal's life. I am a breeder and I will not sell any bunny as a pet. You may not want to hear it but all my rabbits go to a small farm market for meat. No hormones, no antibiotics, very little cholestrol, overall a very healthy choice of food. In the meantime they are well cared for, friendly and healthy. Also, you want to know why it's difficult to rehome rescue rabbits? They cost too much...I know spay and castration are costly but when your average person can buy a bunny for $25 they are not going to spend any more than that. I can buy a purebred animal with pedigree, with show legs for $75, most of the pricing I've seen for rehoming is around that price, the sheer number of rescue rabbits amazes even me!

So...crucify us breeders if you will but we know where our rabbits come from, how they are treated, and where they go.

My question is do you home rabbits during the Easter season? Most rabbit breeders I know go by the saying Do not buy rabbits for Easter, Make mine chocolate! I bet you do home many during the season only to find that the owner does not want them after a few weeks and let them loose to fend for themselves. Now who is responsible for that?

"the owner does not want them after a few weeks and let them loose to fend for themselves. Now who is responsible for that?"

The person who bought the rabbit.

They spent the money, they made the decision. so THEIR fault. Don't blame the breeder for the actions of the irresponsible. For every irresponsible person a breeder sells to there are far more responsible ones.

The opinion of the woman who has made the video is just that,
Her opinion and we all know what opinions are like!
We all have one and though I find the opinions of those so intent
on bashing breeders is a tragic misconception voiced by those
who have no understanding of the realities of life.
Not every rabbit should be "saved" nor do they need to be.
Those who claim the rabbits are needlessly wasted are those that
refuse to see that those rabbits discarded [Not by Breeders] but
by those who see rabbits only as cut furry little human Pets
and when they grow larger than a tiny infant, the Pet owner tires of
them as the novelty has worn off! So, the toss them off to a Pet-shop,
Rescue or simply toss them in a back lot or into the woods!
It is NOT the Breeders that do such things but those arrogant
knowledge lacking Pet seekers that refuse to take responsibility
for there Pet and choose to pass the blame onto Rabbit Breeders.
Once you purchase a rabbit, it becomes YOUR responsibility
and yours alone. Breeders DO have the knowledge and DO
know how to properly care for a rabbit, and we also know
and realize that rabbits are MUCH more than just Pets.
They are a meat/food source of high nutritional content.
If it were not for Breeders YOU would not have access to the
many breeds and colors that YOU/Pet owners so crave.
Lighten up Get a life there are better things to do than waste
your time BASHING Breeders.
Dennis.

To rabbit appreciator
I am not bashing the breeder, I am one. I am saying that many rabbit breeders will not sell to those wanting a rabbit for easter. I was asking how many the rescue people home during the season only to find out what we as breeders already know.

ah, my apologies Tece. I read to quickly to fully comprehend what you were saying. too many people blame the breeder, when the person at fault in the owner.

I think this video greatly mis informs the general public.

In 40 years of rabbit breeding. Never has any of my bunnies ended up in a rescue or shelter.
Breeders who raise purebreds are not the problem.

The un informed, un educated public is.

There is 16 rare breeds who could use a rescue of another kind. That is to BREED them; and save them from being lost forever. Many breeds have already gone extinct in the world. Most of the breeds lost; were lost in the U.S.A.

How about a new kind of rescue concept?
Educate the new owners on proper care & handling. It's the REAL problem with all shelter animals. The owners.

Do not save the ones who blow snot & have the snuffles. Doping them with antibiotics, does not make them non contagious to other rabbits. You just spread disease in the rabbit population.
Leaving the new adoption owners with heartbreak and vet bills. That is not rescue- that is disaster. . If they have snuffles. You would be doing a greater service to all; to put them down. There is no cure for snuffles.

Just think how easy it is for a rabbit to get infected with something nasty at a shelter. Then it's the new owner's problem. Or a rescue who dopes all the bunnies. Bad news for the adopting party

A breeder has a line of pure & healthy rabbits. Or they do not sell them. They humanely put them down.

Odds are better for a buyer to get a rabbit from a responsible breeder. Who offers knowledge & support to the new owners for the life of the rabbit.

I just find it interesting that BWF doesn't see that "adopting" for a fee of $45 is no different than selling an animal from a pet store or from anyone else. The rabbit is still going out into the public for a fee. Frankly, most fancy breeders are selling within a demographic of other fancy breeders, not to the general, uneducated public, and they are serious about the welfare of their herds. It's the uneducated general public who gets a hold of pet rabbits and have all those unplanned litters that turn into the overpopulation problem or deliberately breeds a litter just to make a quick buck. I see it all the time on a local classified ad website. You'll see a multitude of weird crossbreeds and rabbits misrepresented as a whole other breed than they really are for sale every day. At least the breeders of the fancy show or meat rabbits know what the have and have specific purposes for their litters. The problem with rabbits as pets is that they are quiet, shy animals that don't play the way a cat or dog will, so they are easily forgotten about or easy for children to quickly lose interest in. That's where the problem really lies. That's when so many are abandoned.

This is nonsense from start to finish. A. Most responsible breeders do not have rabbits in shelters. Why? Cause they do that awful livestock word-cull. Rabbits in general are livestock, not pets, for most responsible breeders. Those not deemed show worthy go to restaurants, grocery stores, and raw food dog diets. Just like cattle, pigs, etc. So your info on breeders with rabbits in shelters is absurd.
Your statement that rabbits should eat hay? Hello, every responsible rabbit person knows that hay is not a balanced diet for rabbits. They need hay for fiber ONLY. Not for nutrition, fiber. If you are feeding hay only, you are starving your rabbit.
The video ridicules the concept of "purebred" asking whatever that is? I will tell you what that is, lady. It is a rabbit that is bred to be strong, healthy, without defect, and without suppressed immune systems leading to chronic disease. It is a rabbit that is shown in prime condition, fed well, pampered, groomed, and kept in sanitary, clean conditions, nails clipped, no bad teeth, etc. etc. And you seem to have a BIG BIG problem with that. No one should be donating a dime to your self serving nonsense.
If you really want to "rescue" or "save" a rabbit, how about putting your efforts toward perserving an actually really endangered rabbit breed? We have 16 beautiful rare and endangered breeds right now in the U.S. Put your mouth to good use rather than this nonsense you spout.

Ignorant yes! I do agree that us as breeders should care where our bunnies go. Most breeders I know well we dont breed for pets in general, and we dont breed to sell to pet stores. We as show people try to breed the healthies best quality, friendlist etc... for other breeders, ourselves, and for all thouse wonderful 4-H and FFAers out there. I totally support our youth programs. This woman does not seem to understand that these programs do great things to help our youth to learn responsiblity and compassion among many other things. Its not in general the ARBA breeders who supply the pet stores it is the back yard breeders. Just like the differnce of actully good breeders of quality dogs and puppy mills. SO much of a differnce. Allowing this woman to do anykind of report bashing anyone without allowing the groups she is bashing have a say is very very wrong. Anyone can say they are a rescue. I have seen so many very bad rescue groups out there that take terrible care of the animals because no one monitors them. But am I going to Bash rescue groups? No because the great ones out there tend to be really great, and do wonderful things. Are there bad breeders yes, are there bad rescue groups yes, as with everything there is always good and bad. Wrong to put all breeders in a negative light. Very wrong!!!!!

A leading source of rabbits dumped on shelters and rescues and out in 'the wild'? Irresponsible pet owners.

It's not the breeders, folks, it's the owners. I know very few responsible breeders who will sell any rabbit without a lifetime takeback policy--if at any point the buyer cannot keep the rabbit, the breeder will take it back at no charge. Many people who do breed 'for the pet trade' will also swap out unsold animals, take back returned animals, and in general practice excellent business ethics in this manner. These returned animals then fill other needs.

And it's not the breeders that keep the shelters and rescues full, either. It's 'rescuers' like Leija (whom I hesitate to call a real rescuer), who refuse to euthanize for even serious disease or deformity. I have a very hard time feeling sympathetic or inclined to give money to people who so obviously cannot or will not prioritize.

There are good people and bad in EVERY area, rabbits of all kinds included.

Not every rabbit is suited to being a good pet animal. Those ill-suited for pets are, however, well-suited as food for other species.

I encourage shelters and rescues to look hard at their evaluation methods, and to keep/rehome only the very best tempered, healthiest animals. Money will be more effectively spent, and more GOOD animals will end up in GOOD homes. I would cheerfully support that!

But don't support 'random rescuers' like BWF. It's a waste of your hard-earned money.

By the way, all...the reason you see so many 'American' rabbits on Petfinder and other places is that it's just the first breed that comes up on the computer--and if they have no clue as to the breed--even the base breed--they just click 'American'.

That's one place a breeder could be of serious assistance to all too many shelters and rescues--we can give more educated guesses as to age and breed (and sometimes, sex!) than those who don't have our experiences with purebred rabbits.

But alas, all too many shelters and rescues refuse to so much as speak to someone who breeds rabbits or anything else--we're like lepers to them.

News flash. Leprosy is now treatable, so let's drop all the prejudice and work together, can't we? The sheer venom in many of these breeder-rescuer-shelter conversations is astonishing.

But there's also GOOD news, and that is that people are slowly becoming more willing to listen, to learn, and to communicate sensibly. You know who you are--keep up the good work!

First of all let me say that I find the sales on Santee street to be disturbing. Some of the bunnies are obviously too young. At the BWF website there is CH 7 News video showing a seller who says his rabbits are 3 months old which I have to seriously disagree with. I think the unlicensed street sales are not good for the rabbits.

I disagree with Lejla's assertion that breeders don't care about what happens to their animals. Many breeders won't sell rabbits as pets.

I disagree with Lejla's assertion that pet stores rabbits are bad. Pet stores are licensed and inspected by animal control if complaints arise. If they sell sick rabbits that would be bad for business.

California requires pet stores to give customers written information on an animal's housing, equipment, cleaning, feeding and environmental requirements. And it is illegal to sell any dog, cat, rabbit or other small mammal, other then for food purposes, under the age of 8 weeks

I disagree with the statement that rescue rabbits are just as good as purebreds. Purebreds are just that -- purebred for specific purposes.

While I agree that the situation on Santee Street is not good, that does not mean that breeders are bad.

It means that the sellers on Santee Street are not following the law.

Have a good day!
Rabbitgeek

It's interesting that this woman deplores pet stores yet in almost the same breath, extolls the storefront where she sells rabbits. I'm afraid it's difficult for me to see the difference.
Frankly, the best bet for getting a rabbit suited to *your* lifestyle, to get the information on how to care for the rabbit properly, is to get one from a breeder. Someone who's been breeding their breed for years knows it inside and out. They know not only what *this* bunny looks like right now, but what it's likely to look like at full adulthood. The breeder has a pretty good idea how big the rabbit is going to become, whether it's likely to be super-hyper or a laid-back couch potato. The breeder, who's carefully chosen their breeding stock from healthy, well-tempered rabbits, knows that their rabbits have good immune systems, don't have congenital weaknesses. The breeder knows what feed regimen his or her bloodline will thrive on--not just survive, but thrive.
Most of us also know how to litterbox train a rabbit, how to socialize it and how to teach it simple commands. This woman is selling a product, and slandering every other outlet in her efforts to do so.

Ledja,
Is there any way you could make you next movie a educational one? Such as teaching how to give proper rabbit care?
Something positive?

If only you would stop bashing the breeders; and both parties could some how find a common ground where the rabbit benefits.

The problem is the new owners need to learn about the rabbit.

Also the impulse buyers need to learn to think twice before getting a animal of any kind.
We all know the rescues bunnies get recycled in rescues over & over again. It just not fair to the bunny.

That is really what is needed in the rabbit world today. Breeders could help you. Ever since the Belguim Hare Era a hundred years ago. Breeders have become the experts about lagomorphs (rabbits).

The breeders have set the pace a long time before rescue was ever a concept. The feed companies use our herds for diet study; and improvement in products. Cage companies design with the rabbit in mind. Vets learn from breeder's as well. They do ask the breeders for advice.
Most vets know nothing about rabbits. They are considered "exotics".
When they were in Vet school they were called " Lab animals".

There is so much wrong information being passed around. None of it helps the new owner. None of it helps to inspire people to want to keep rabbits. None of it helps the owner give that bunny a good life.

I see no reason why breeders and rescues can not offer to pet shops. You insult pet shops. They you sell your rescues at one.
What is the difference?

Dear Editor,
Please make things right. Or balanced.
So far your story about rabbits in the Hollywood Patch is on the dark side.

How about some real inspiration?

Such as doing a story about the movie "Rabbit Fever"

http://www.rabbitfever.com/trailer/

First of all, her name is Lejla, not Ledja. I cringed every time I read even a single line of your text.

Obviously if you can categorize rabbits as food/meat, you have no business being on this forum. Thank God there are people in this world that recognize pet breeding as a form of slavery that should be abolished once and for all. These animals didn't choose to be cooped up in some cellar and brought up to become breeding machines only to be experimented on until they produced some "pure bred" to your liking...or worse, a meal that will contain an x amount of fat that is acceptable in your carnivorous diet. Hope you all get reincarnated as rabbits next time around and end up on that very same breeding table...Wonder how that would fee like?

Keep up the good fight Lejla! We, animal lovers salute you!

PS. You were wonderful in Chekhov's "Three Sisters" and in "In a Woman's Voice!"