Part 5: Getting Started in Rabbits - The Show World

Apologies for the late post – school has been keeping me very busy lately.  

My last post of this series, I feel that showing is one of the most rewarding aspects of raising rabbits.  It shows your abilities as a breeder to select rabbits that excel in their breed and your efforts to making excellent representatives of the breed.  An additional benefit is the judges' valuable remarks about your rabbits which can help you to recognize features in your rabbits that you may not have realized before and to reinforce ideas about particular qualities and faults of an individual animal.  While showing does not come easily, it is a very rewarding process.  

My suggestion before showing your own rabbits is to attend an ARBA sanctioned rabbit show to see how it runs.  Talk to rabbit breeders and ask them about the show process.  Most rabbit raisers are more than happy to help you understand showing and can help you along the way.  Visiting the ARBA’s website will help you locate a show in your area to attend.

A few key points to know before I get into show remark cards:  you need to know the sex of your rabbit(s), age, tattoo number (if it isn’t tattooed it will need to be), and color or color class.  You need to review your breed’s standard to ensure it meets all minimum show standards.  For example, it is not over or under weight for its age, a broken patterned rabbit needs to have a nose marking, a colored rabbit should have colored nails, etc.  

Now, on to the show remark card.  The first things you can fill out is your name, address (this is so they can send you leg certificates and show reports and is usually optional), rabbit’s ear number, sex, breed, the show, color class (pay attention to this as some breeds are color specific while others like the angoras is either “colored” or “white).  You need to know if your rabbit is a 4 or 6 class.   If you enter a 4 class breed, (let’s say a Lionhead) as a six class and circle “intermediate” on the page, you are going to run into complications with the show secretaries.  A four class breed is generally a smaller breed and would be entered in junior buck, junior doe, senior buck, or senior doe.  A 6 class; however, would have all those classes in addition to intermediate buck and intermediate doe.  If in doubt, check your breed standard.    You don’t need and should not fill out any more on the card.  The remarks and judge are for the writer to fill out.  

After turning in your cards to the registration/awards table, you can work on grooming your rabbit.  Use whatever tools are appropriate for your breed.  You don’t want any loose fur flying so make sure you clean them up.  Keep your ears open for your breed to be called.  They will usually say “youth (the breed) to (specific judge’s table) or “open (specific breed) to (specific judge’s table).  This is when you need to go up with your rabbits (kept in carriers) and get them to the table.  

The first class done is senior bucks, followed by senior does, intermediate bucks, intermediate does (in the case of a 6 class breed), and finally junior bucks and junior does.  A specific color in the breed is typically done first and they work their way through all the colors.  If you are ever in doubt just ask someone and they can help you out.  Listen carefully to the judge’s comments on the rabbits and watch them pose them so you can get a feel of how they should look.  If your rabbit does not place first in their class or Best or Best Opposite of Variety they can be taken back.  Once all the breed’s variety representatives are shown they will be evaluated again to determine Best and Best Opposite of Breed.  

After the judge is finished judging, you can take your rabbits back.  Pick up your remark cards at the end of the table (where the writers were sitting) and take them up to the registration tables so they can give you your awards.  Some farther placings will not receive ribbons and disqualified rabbits also will not be entitled to any.  

There are a variety of ways your rabbit can win a grand champion leg.  First of all, you must be an ARBA member or you will not receive a GC leg with your rabbit, even if it is did place in the tops.  A rabbit can receive this award if:

·         It received 1^st in class (and there were 5+ rabbits in that class shown by 3+ exhibitors)

·         It received BOB (and there were 5+ rabbits total in the breed shown by 3+ exhibitors)

·         It received BOS (and there were 5+ rabbits of that gender shown by 3+ exhibitors )

·         It received BOV (and there were 5+ rabbits in that variety shown by 3+ exhibitors)

·         It received BOSV (and there were 5+ rabbits in that gender and variety shown by 3+ exhibitors)

·         It received BOG (and there were 5+ rabbits in that group shown by 3+ exhibitors)

·         It receives BOSG (and there were 5+ rabbits in that gender and group shown by 3+ exhibitors)

If your rabbit is entitled to a GC Leg, the show secretary will mail it to you.  A rabbit needs 3 GC legs, with at least one being earned as a senior, in order to qualify for granding.  A rabbit must also be registered in order to be entitled to a GC title.  The registration process is simple and simply involved a registrar looking over your rabbit and its pedigree, weighing it to record weight, and filling out paperwork to send to the ARBA.  You must show your ARBA membership card to the registrar and there is a $6 fee for registration.  Once you receive all 3 legs and you qualify for granding, fill out the rabbit's date of birth and registration # on the leg certificates and send them in to the ARBA along with a small fee and they will then send you a grand champion certificate.    

I hope this brief post will help you understand the showing process a little better.  While it is a time consuming and sometimes stressful process, it is extremely rewarding and will allow you to become a better breeder.  I have been showing for a few years now and it has given me an even greater appreciation for our breeds and in turn has made me a better breeder.

Part 4: Getting Started in Rabbits – Breeding

Breeding can be one of the most rewarding things about raising rabbits, second to showing, of course.  This activity helps you get to know your lines and really understand the breed you are raising.  Before putting the pair together, you must understand not only the process of breeding and raising litters, but also how to pair rabbits properly so you achieve superior quality in the offspring.  

Get to know your breeding stock.  I cannot stress this enough.  You have to know what each individual rabbit excels in and lacks at the same time.  Reviewing your breed’s standard will help you understand the breed more.  If you have a rabbit with lower shoulders, for example, you should try to pair it with a rabbit with good shoulders so you can work towards having offspring that have better shoulders.  If you have a doe that is amazing in all ways except you would like to see more density, pair her with a superior buck.  Work your way towards better offspring.  When retaining kits, be strict about what you will be keeping.  Do any of the offspring have superior type or wool quality than the parents?   How was the overall vigor of the kits?  Did they make good gains on their feed?  These and many more factors must be considered when keeping babies for your breeding program.  

Once you have picked out your pair, you must calculate when to breed.  A rabbit on average has a 31 day gestation period.  After the doe kindles, the kits are raised on her for approximately 6 weeks, then grown until 8 weeks of age before allowing them to leave the rabbitry.  While not all rabbitries wait until 8 weeks of age to sell kits, many do.  Waiting the extra two weeks post weaning will allow you to re-evaluate the overall quality of the animal.  You would be surprised how differently some will mature with the extra few weeks.  This extra time also allows the babies to get a better, healthier start in life, without the stress of being removed from their mothers and then sent off to reside elsewhere.  

If you have a specific time in mind for the kits to be mature, you can use that day and count backwards.  For example, if you want to aim for 12 week old kits for showing end of September/beginning of October, you can mark that day on your calendar and begin counting backwards.  Because there are about 4 weeks in a month, you can estimate that the kits will be born beginning of July, so you must breed beginning of June to meet this deadline.  

Once you have calculated the birth day and approximate sales/showing point, you can proceed to breed.  The doe should be taken to the buck’s cage for him to breed her.  This is because does especially are notorious for being cage territorial and often will not allow the buck to breed her if he is in her cage.  If you have a trouble doe who won’t allow a buck to be bred, there are a few things you can do.  One is to put the buck in a cage beside the doe’s.  Another trick breeders will do is switch cages – put the doe in the buck’s home and the buck in the doe’s.  The reasoning behind both of these methods is that the scent of the other rabbit will become more familiar to the pair, in which case they will accept each other and breed.  You will know that the buck truly bred her if he falls off all of the sudden. 

 

Age of mature bucks and does is dependent not only on the breed you raise but also the individual rabbit.  The smaller breeds generally will mature earlier than the larger.  It is not uncommon for a dwarf or Lionhead to become mature at 4-6 months of age, both bucks and does.  Just because the rabbit is sexually mature does not mean it is always a good option to breed.  The rabbits will get larger if allowed to mature before breeding.  It almost seems that breeding a rabbit before it reaches it senior weight slows its growth and delays it as it is putting its energy towards feeding its young and not getting bigger.  

After the doe is bred she can return to her cage.  I always aim for at least two breedings in one day, but you can do more especially if you are unsure if he bred her.  Some breeders even breed two days, several times a day.  Once the breeding period is over, mark down what day you bred her, and count 31 days later.  This is her estimated kindle period.  Because a rabbit can have a gestation period of 28-32 or so days, she receives a nestbox on the 28^th day on the chance she kindles early.  The nesting box should be of decent size according to breed.  It can be filled with a variety of substrates, with hay and straw being common materials. 

On the day of kindling, the doe will pluck her fur from her chest and belly and line it in her box.  It is especially important to maintain a silent atmosphere on the day she is due as rabbits get nervous and stressed easily and may kill their litter if there is too much chaos going on.  While many breeders advise not to go in and handle babies or view them, I have never had an issue with this.  I make an effort to handle my rabbits all the time so that they not only are easier to handle, but they also maintain your trust.  Check the nestbox to make sure the little ones look healthy and have full bellies, and remove any uneaten placenta and dead kits.   Be sure to wait a half hour to hour or so after kindling to make sure the doe has finished cleaning and feeding the kits as well as gave birth to all of them.  

Now all you have to do is monitor the growing family!  Check the kits periodically over the course of their growth in the nestbox and make sure they are all eating well and maturing nicely.  Feed the mother a high quality food and always provide her with an unlimited supply of fresh water.  The doe may need more food than she normally gets as she is nursing her litter.  The babies’ eyes will open at 10 days and they may begin exploring.  Be sure to occasionally change out their bedding to make sure they stay in good health.   

Once the kits reach 3-4 weeks of age they will begin hopping out of the nestbox and exploring.   When all the kits are spending most of their time outside of their nesting box, you can remove it from the cage.  Have a dish low enough for the babies to nibble on pellets, and be sure to train them on a water bottle or dish if they are not beginning to sample water.  

Continue watching them grow.  Keep records of their growth rates, vitality, the mother’s mothering abilities, etc.  If there is anything you find unusual about the litter, be sure to note that too.  

At 6 weeks it is usually easier to check the sex of the kits.  If you were planning on advertising having kits for sale, you may want to get the word out at this point, but wait the extra two weeks before letting them go to their new homes.  There are plenty of free advertising sites online you can use.  Advertising on the bulletin board in feed stores is also a good way to find new customers.  Continue evaluating their potential according to breed standards.  

At 8 weeks you can begin letting them go to new homes; however, if you wanted to wait longer, there is no harm in that.  Hopefully by this time you would have been able to observe and evaluate the offspring enough to know what you may like to retain for your program.  Be sure to have plenty of free cage space at this point to hold growing litters and retained babies.  Sometimes it takes a while to move the litters out so you want to be sure to have ample space for them if it takes a while. 

Next week will be our last post of this series!  I will give a brief overview of the show world and showing your rabbits.  Even if you were not planning on showing your rabbits, this post should help give you an idea of what is involved in showing your stock and the rewards of showing.  

 

Part 3: Getting Started in Rabbits - Choosing your Rabbit(s)

Congratulations!  You have made it this far and are ready to embark on one of the most satisfying parts of all!  Remember those questions you had to consider before getting this far?  What are your plans for your rabbit(s)?  

If you are looking to add one or two rabbits to the family, it is important to look at your options.  There are so many breeds and crossbreeds out there.  If you want a small breed that only weighs a few pounds, there are many to choose from.  If you love the humongous breeds, there are a few varieties you can explore.  If you have a soft spot for fluffy rabbits, there are many breeds in a variety of shapes and sizes to look into. 

After picking out your breed, search for breeders who have what you are looking for.  Although there are many beautiful bunnies sold in pet stores, I always recommend new owners to try to find rabbits through rabbit breeders, even if it is only for a pet.  Rabbits available from breeders are generally in better health, are handled more often, and breeders will generally know more about rabbits’ needs than an employee at a pet store.  Once you locate someone, look at what they have available.  You want a rabbit that handles well, is laid back in personality but lively (which generally indicates a healthy bunny), and is not sick.  Check underneath the nostrils and inside the front feet.  If it is wet, the rabbit may be sick.  Sometimes when rabbits stress they get a little wet underneath the nose and wipe their faces, so it may be fine, but if you see any white discharge, stay clear.  Color should be one of the last priorities you consider.  Usually if you love the rabbit you will learn to love its color regardless.  

If you want to breed for show, meat, or fiber, start out with brood or show stock.  Brood quality stock are rabbits that have some fault that makes it impossible for them to be shown.  This may be a torn ear, too much coloring on their body (as in the case of broken patterning), or perhaps a proven doe who has had quite a few litters and can’t be competitive enough in shows.  I would recommend staying away from rabbits with miscolored toenails if possible, as it may take a while to breed out.  Show rabbits should meet the breed’s standard per the standard of perfection.  When you breed, one of your goals should be to work on making kits that excel in body and fur quality, and are nicer than their parents.  Meat rabbits should make fast gains and dress out well.  Fiber rabbits should have excellent density, color, and texture to their coats.  Even if you were not planning on becoming a member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association ARBA, research the breed you will be investing your time in.  Read and memorize the breed’s standard so that you do not have to second guess yourself when you are getting your stock.  

Stay in touch with the breeders you purchase from.  Anybody who sells a rabbit should have the rabbits and your best interest in mind and should be more than happy to help you out on your new adventures.  If the customer is only concerned about making the sale, you may want to look elsewhere, as this often reflects the quality of their rabbits.  A breeder who truly loves working with their breeds will have superior rabbits to those who use it as a money making opportunity.  

Once you have gotten your breeding stock and they have settled down and adapted to their new environment, you can begin breeding plans.  When you breed will have to do with the age of your stock and environmental factors, which I will cover in more depth in the next post. 

Part 2: Getting Started in Rabbits - Supplies

Despite what one may think, rabbits are relatively straightforward animals in terms of their needs.  The breed of rabbit you decide to raise will also play a role in the needed equipment.  

First and foremost, a rabbit needs stable living quarters.  The area where you put your rabbit needs to be well ventilated.  Rabbits can be housed in wire cages or wooden hutches.  Wire cages are easy to clean, sanitary, and relatively easy to assemble.  They are also fairly inexpensive.  Wooden hutches are a practical option if you do not have a sheltered area to put a cage in.  These hutches provide rabbits with ample room to hop about, but they can be difficult to keep sanitary.  They also can cost quite a bit more than a wire hutch or cage.  For these reasons, I recommend the wire hutches if there was any question.  

Rabbit needs to have enough room to sprawl out, exercise and possible raise a family in their cage.  For this reason, it is important to ensure the cage is of sufficient size.  The smaller to medium sized breeds require a smaller cage than a large breed, such as the Flemish Giant.  Common dimensions for wire cages include 24X24, 24X30, and 30X30.  Custom sized cages can be built as well. 

A dropping pan and legs often come with a wire hutch, but if the cage does not contain these items, they must be purchased unless you have a hanging system.  Wooden hutches often are designed for the droppings to just fall through the wire floor so they must be cleaned out from underneath the hutch.   

Food crocks, water bottles, and dishes are a must.  Heavier crocks are ideal for larger rabbits or rabbits that tip over their dishes.  If the rabbit drinks from a water bottle, a crock is not necessary and vice versa.  Each rabbit will require one dish for food and either a bottle or additional crock for their water.  A smaller dish can also be included in each cage if an additional feed was being fed simultaneously.  

A high quality pelleted rabbit feed is a must for all rabbits.  When looking for a pelleted feed, try to aim for one that contains around 17% protein, 2.5-3% fat, and 14-18% fiber, which would provide adequate nutrient levels for a wooled breed, growing litter, or producing mother.  Slightly lower levels will suffice for smaller breeds or rabbits not in litter. 

Toys and hay racks are optional items.  Hay can easily be fed by grabbing a bunch and putting it into the cage or by tying it together to hold it together.  A hay rack can be a nice option for the wooled breeds to prevent them from getting chaff into their coats.  If toys are desired, be sure that they are safe for rabbits. 

 

A slicker pet brush is a necessity for wooled breeds.  This will make it possible to tease out any snarls forming in their coats.  A blower is very helpful in grooming the angoras but is not necessary, as long as you have good quality grooming tools for their coats.  

Nail clippers are something I consider necessary, but it may not be considered in large scale commercial rabbitries.  Clipping the nails not only prevents you from getting scratched when handling them, but is also healthier for the rabbit as their nails may break if they get overgrown.  It is also safer for does with litters to prevent injuries.  

If you are planning on breeding, a nestbox is an essential.  The box must be large enough that the doe can comfortably sit or sprawl in it with her litter to feed them, but not so large that it takes up most of their cage.  The smaller the rabbit breed, the smaller the box needs to be.  

If you were planning on breeding and selling kits, a tattoo pen or clamp is a must.  Although both produce good results, I prefer the pen as you can adjust the size of the tattoo depending on the size of the rabbit’s ear.  You also do not have to purchase additional letters or numbers.  

And of course, your time is also a vital part of the success of your new rabbits.  Depending on how many rabbits you have, you need to have enough time to maintain clean living quarters, feed and water your rabbits, and handle them.  While large scale rabbitries do not tend to handle their rabbits so much, I feel it is important for maintaining a laid back and friendly herd.  

While it is not a requirement when raising rabbits, I would recommend joining the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) club.  This club provides a wide variety of benefits including show winnings, rabbit registration, a bi-monthly magazine, connections, and more.  Even pet owners can gain valuable information from joining this club.  If you decided to get very involved in your rabbits, many of the breeds have their own national clubs as well.  

I hope this post helped you realize that rabbits are very straight forward animals to raise.  Please check back next week for another post on this series!