Is RodentPro.com a decent source?

[pisces7386]

Hi all! 

   I am going to be starting to feed raw and I am trying to find a good source for rabbit. I stumbled upon RodentPro.com which offers 11 lb whole rabbits for $2/lb after shipping if you order a full box. Is this useful/reasonable?

   Is an 11 lb rabbit too big? They offer smaller rabbits but the price goes up.  Is there something special about rabbits raised for rodents as opposed to what cats should eat? Is the fact that it is whole a problem? What parts would I have to remove before I grind it--> intestines, fur ?

 

[ritz]

I woman who works at cat sanctuary where I volunteer has many animals, including snakes. Snakes of course eat rats. When I was thinking of giving Ritz a whole mice, I asked her for recommendations of such purveyors. She is pleased with RP.
I have rotator cuff/shoulder problems, so the thought of breaking down an 11 pound rabbit pains me. But for $2 a pound is a good price, I'd be tempted: I currently around $3 or $3.99 for a 2.5 to 3 pound frozen rabbit.
I do not now if you grind the fur, I would think not. (Know any one who makes fur coats?) Nor do I know if you used all the bone in a rabbit, whether that would be too much bone for your cat(s). I'd include all the intestines; on the rare occasion it's included in the frozen rabbit I buy, I give it to Ritz who loves it.
If an animal is raised purely to be fed to another animal, then *perhaps* that animal may not be fed real well; cheaper corn rather than more expensive corn, if you get my analogy. But I don't know that to be the case or whether than would make any difference. You could email RP and ask them what they feed their rabbits. Unless it is feed from a foreign country, that wouldn't keep me from buying that product.
Have you've checked out Hare Today and/or My Pet Carnivore?

 

[Willowy]

I think butchering and grinding a rabbit that size would be hard. Not sure if the leg bones would grind well. What kind of grinder do you have?

I don't think they bleed the snake-food rabbits (they break their necks) so the meat may be inclined to spoil faster after grinding.

 

[pisces7386]

     I'll have to call them and ask about their source, but they do say in the FAQ section that they feed a "scientifically-formulated diet specifically designed to enhance the health and quality of all the animals in our colony. We absolutely do not feed dog food or any other product that contains red dye."

     I did look at hare today and mypetcarnivore along with a few other sites and they have really nice options for ground, which is more expensive of course, but their whole critters are still more expensive too, even without the shipping added in.

     I kind of figured that it would be too much bone in a whole rabbit so I think I'll just add other meat like beef or pork to 'dilute' it.  Also I'd like to announce my new side business- a rabbit fur supply company 

Thank you Ritz, I think you have become my mentor for feeding raw I haven't even started yet and you've been a huge help!

 

[ritz]

Aw thanks, Pisces. But what I learned, I learned from people on these sites. And trust me there are people on this site that are a LOT more knowledgeable about raw feeding, especially if you have an esoteric/technical question.

 

[goingpostal]

Problem is you can't fit very many large rabbits into a box.  Like 2-3 of the bigger ones is it.  I priced it out because I need a new rabbit source and passed.  Keep in mind you'd still have to gut/skin it and rabbits are full of poop so you would loose weight there.  And some of the bones would probably be too large for a cat to eat, I don't grind so I can't advice there but I used to buy headless/gutted/skined rabbits for 2.40/pound that were pretty good sized and I'd give the spine to my dogs and the smaller parts to my cat and ferret.  Even that they would leave some of the larger leg bones behind.  On smaller 2-3 pound rabbits the smaller carnivores can eat all the bones.  I did splurge and buy one of rodent pros small rabbits when I ordered prey last time, ended up being about 10oz of food lol for $4 and that was on sale.  I ended up buying ground bone in rabbit from hare today although I'm not a fan of ground food it seemed like the best bang for my buck.  My cat has expensive taste. 

 

[pisces7386]

Thanks GoingPostal! I didn't realize they would have that much poop in them 

. I also hadn't considered the bigger bones in bigger rabbits thing- I'll have to price out some smaller rabbits from rodentpro. Can I ask where you got the headless/gutted/skined rabbits for 2.40/pound?

I think I am going to try a rabbit from the local butcher first to make sure my cats like rabbit, but then I'll try some from rodentpro- I'll definitely report back on it. 

 

[goingpostal]

Yes guinea pigs and rabbits are herbivores so they have huge amounts of intestines in there, I gut both before feeding.  My source seemed to have disappeared, my emails went unanswered so not sure if they are still breeding or not but it was a company called Marshall Farms (not the big ferret mill), they mostly sell to restaurants.  I am in MN, but it seems like if you can find a place breeding meat rabbits like that they are cheaper, but a lot don't ship.  I know in southern MN there is a co op who gets rabbit from another large breeder, not sure of cost.  Have you checked this site?

http://rabbitbreeders.us/state-rabbit-breeders-index

 

[furmonster mom]

GP... thank you for posting that link.  I've been trying to source locally, and there is a rabbitry that specifies "meat rabbits" and "fryers" right across town from me!  woot!

I hope the OP has the same kind of luck.