Who doesn’t love baby bunnies?!? Springtime and Easter are symbolized by babies and bunnies but getting a new pet isn’t always what’s best for families or the animals.

Spring photos are highly encouraged to help quell the desire to purchase a new rabbit. Bunny holding is not only beneficial to your long term vacation plans and wallet, it also benefits the bunnies!

How can that be you ask?

Our bunnies *need* to be handled as babies. It ensures that as they grow up, they feel safe in our arms, around lots of people, and always know that they will land safely back in their familiar cages at home.

For example, how many pictures do you see of babies and toddlers screaming when they are put into Santa’s lap for the first time? Most kids aren’t used to being handed to a perfect stranger let alone asked to smile and enjoy themselves as they watch their parents walk away.

Realistically, we can’t have those expectations from rabbits either. Rabbits that haven’t left their cage until the first show have utter meltdowns on the show table. Judges struggle to pose the animal to assess it and sometimes it can be dangerous to the judge and/or rabbit.

Show bunnies need to be used to traveling, being handled, hearing loud and startling noises, and most of all, they need to feel safe and know they will be headed home after the event.

We start handling babies once their eyes are open (around 10 days). We don’t keep them out for very long at this age.

At 3 weeks old, they are pros at getting out of their nests and  exploring their surroundings. 

This is when we will start taking them to school for mini holding sessions and short travel.  This is also the perfect age because they haven’t discovered “speed” yet.

By 4 and 5 weeks, they have mastered how to run and we need to be more careful about not giving them an area to disappear into. This is the age we start giving treats and encouraging them to pose in a table.

JCL Farm will travel locally for fundraisers and special events so that families can have a pleasant, baby bunny experience. Our policy is, and always had been, we do NOT sell pets! No matter how much the child (or spouse) wants to take one home, we do not offer them for sale. There are plenty of rabbits in rescues and shelters that were once pets that need families. We will always recommend adoption first.

We are always looking for volunteers to hold babies during our breeding season. Feel free to reach out if you think volunteering would be a good match for both JCL Farm and your family.