Category Archives: Show Rabbits

If you can’t keep it in your pants… at least keep it in the family.

Meat Rabbits, Pet Rabbits, Show Rabbits August 26, 2013 Comments: 3
Occasionally there's just something a little... off... about a pairing.

Occasionally there’s just something a little… off… about a pairing.

We went to several family reunions this summer and, truth be told, our 5-year-old daughter developed a bit of a crush on one of her cousins.

I overheard the 7-year-old talking to her about this crush: “You can’t marry him! He’s our cousin! If you get married your kids will have two heads and three eyes!”

Yep. We’ve talked about the dangers of inbreeding our family. As a practice for human beings we are 100% against it.

But rabbits are a different story.

When you’re thinking about how to get the healthiest herd with the least amount of animals, there’s no doubt you have to consider how closely related you want your rabbits to be over the long haul.

We have worked pretty hard to get unrelated animals to start our herd, importing bloodlines from all over the United States. That being said, we’re planning on sticking with these animals and their offspring until we have a very solid “Mad Hatter Rabbit” stamp on any animal that comes from our barn.

The Domestic Rabbits publication by ARBA had a great article about the differences between inbreeding (breeding siblings) and line breeding (breeding father/daughter, mother/son, grandparent/grandchild, etc.). Most of the top breeders utilize line breeding regularly to “stamp in” the breed characteristics they find most desirable.  Additionally, traditional wisdom says if you get a brother/sister pair, produce one mating out of that pair (inbreed) and from that point forward switch to line breeding and you won’t run into problems.

I spoke with a friend who is a geneticist and his experience confirms this philosophy. He told me in scientific studies researchers have deliberately inbred their rabbits, trying to get the most genetically similar test subjects possible. It was only after 18+ generations the researchers began to see problems like malocclusion (wolf teeth), compromised immune systems (sickly rabbits), and other common problems associated with inbreeding.

We have personally bred a brother/sister combination of rabbits that we knew nothing of the genetic history about. The litter produced wolf teeth and poor immunity and we ended up culling it from the breeding program and vowing to never repeat that breeding. But remember – we didn’t have a pedigree on that pair and have no idea how many times their ancestors were inbred before they got to us!

This is another reason it makes sense to spring for a pedigreed rabbit when purchasing stock. In one case we found rabbits from different states but after looking over the pedigrees I discovered the rabbit was related identically to our other rabbit after two generations back! We were able to make an informed decision about whether we wanted that rabbit in our herd.

Typically line breeding makes the good stuff you’re seeing in your rabbit better and the bad stuff worse. It’s like getting a double stuff Oreo – augmenting the genetic qualities with potentially awesome or disastrous results.

Here’s a graphic that might make the idea of line breeding a bit more understandable:

line breeding / inbreeding / outcrossing chart

line breeding / inbreeding / outcrossing chart

Ultimately every breeder must make the decision they feel is best for their herd regarding how tightly they breed their rabbits. We do practice line breeding with moderation and willingness to cull hard if a poor pairing appears. With our Astrex program we must do tight breeding to a certain extent to try to isolate and reinforce the curly gene – while always keeping the health of the rabbit in mind.

Fascinating stuff, huh?!

Rabbit Road Trips

Show Rabbits July 19, 2013 Leave a comment
Transporting Rabbits

Transporting Rabbits

I took a rabbit roadtrip to meet another breeder and pick up some rabbits. We have 8 1/2 hours between us so it was a decent undertaking to meet in the middle, especially considering we are both the primary care takers for our family.

 

The time driving gave me a chance to think about the logistics of transporting rabbits, however.

 

Rabbits move quite a bit around the country – more than I realized when I started this hobby. Most travel is by vehicle, although there are a few airlines who allow rabbits to be shipped.

 

Our rabbitry is living proof of how rabbits travel. We have rabbits from Michigan, Georgia, Indian, Washington, Texas, New Mexico, and Ohio here at our little Arizona rabbitry! This is partially because we have some of the more rare breeds and had to do some footwork to get them here, but I’ve been very impressed with how far rabbits move!

 

Many times people who are attending shows are willing to drive  a rabbit with them for a charge of anywhere from $10 to $50. A $10 transport is likely only a few hours, a $50 transport fee will usually include a multi-day caretaking project. There is no set rule book for transporting or Rabbit Relay Guild – but if you ask around you can usually find someone trustworthy who will be willing to let your rabbit hitch a ride for a fee that helps them cover the cost of their own travel.

 

Because there is no standard, it’s important to ask questions before you confirm the transport:

 

  • How much will the transport cost?
  • Who will provide the carrier? You or the transporter?
  • What are the carrier dimensions? How about food and water dishes?
  • Should you send food with your rabbit(s)?
  • What responsibility does your carrier offer in picking up your rabbit? Checking tattoo for accuracy? Healthy check?
  • What responsibility does your transporter have if a rabbit gets sick during the journey? What if it dies?

 

If you’re transporting rabbits, make sure you have all of the above questions answered for each of your passengers, plus you might want to consider a few more items:

 

  • How much room do you have in your vehicle? Will that change based on carrier sizes?
  • Are you able to have rabbits in air conditioning at all times? In your hotel room (if traveling overnight)?
  • How are you organizing your transport? What is your double check that you have every rabbit you should and get it to the right owner?
  • Will you have time to deliver rabbits at a show?
  • How confident are you in your ability to see disqualification, wolf teeth, etc.?

 

We transported at the West Coast Classic this year (and have for a few short journey’s since then). It was an enjoyable, stressful experience for us. We’re definitely open to doing it again, but it was much more work than I initially expected and we had rabbits hanging out at our house for up to a month after WCC waiting for pick up.

Best in Show!

Satin, Show Rabbits June 2, 2013 Comments: 4

We’ve had our most exciting show experience yet – our 6/8 blue otter Satin doe won Best in Show yesterday!

 

For those of you who couldn’t care less about show adventures, the Best in Show happens when all of the rabbits who have been judged as best against their own breed (apples to apples) are placed in one last show and compete against one another for top honors (apples to oranges).

 

We had been talking about whether we should stay for the Best in Show and strongly considered leaving. But something made us stick around and… woo-hoo! It was worth it!

 

After pulling our jaws up off the floor, we were able to hunt down the ARBA judge, April Wilhour, and get her to take a picture with us. She did the bunny hypnotism thing and Beretta sat nice and still while I snapped the photo:

 

Beretta, our blue otter Satin doe, won Best in Show!

Beretta, our blue otter Satin doe, won Best in Show!

 

What a great day! Can’t wait to see how Beretta continues to stack up in the future!

Snuffles, the Rabbit Boogie Man

Meat Rabbits, Pet Rabbits, Show Rabbits May 27, 2013 Comments: 11

For the past two months I’ve had an over-riding fear in my gut about our rabbitry. I’ve been gobbling up knowledge on the Facebook rabbit groups, researching, and gaining information from my friends… I’ve been on high alert and on edge, ready to jump at the first sneeze from one of our rabbits.

Snuffles. What on earth is Snuffles and why is it so awful?!

Snuffles is a term for a rabbit virus called Pasteurellosis. It’s associated with colored snot and is the herald of death for a rabbit.

I recently learned that another rabbitry blog I follow is in the midst of a Pasteurellosis outbreak and has lost 75% of the rabbits in only days. He linked to a thread on RabbitTalk that covers how another rabbitry lost every rabbit in their herd over the course of three months after picking up one unknown bunny from the feed store and bringing it home. On one of my Facebook threads I’ve learned that rabbits brought to a national-level show were infected with the virus and sneezing. The rabbits exposed to those have returned to their homes all over the country and come down with snotting and sickness.

This stuff is serious. That’s Serious with a Capitol “S”.

My friend Lisa put together a great description of Snuffles and how and why it is so deadly to a rabbit. She said I could quote her here, so I will!

“Pasteurellosis is like an untreatable plague that can be prevented through culling and quarantine but it cannot be defeated or treated. All rabbits are carriers, normally. They show no symptoms because their body has kept the virus in check.

But a virus overload can happen when they are around other rabbits sick with snuffles because the virus overloads their system to the point where they can’t fight it … it’s like the parasite load gets to be too much and kills its host.

Think of it like an airborne bunny HIV or AIDs – it weakens the immune system to the point that any other virus that comes along – boom! – they’re dead. And because it’s so contagious you will definitely lose your herd if you don’t cull at the first sign of snot. Think of it like a smoker that constantly coughs and can’t breathe – the virus makes it so that the cilia that line their lungs become so damaged that little particles of dust, etc. can get lodged and cause major damage.

Rabbits have never shown a resistance to pasteurellosis so it doesn’t make sense to let snuffles “run its course” in hope of creating a rabbit with immunity. It’s in an area of the nose that doesn’t have much access to blood so it will propagate and continue to develop and be released into the blood stream.”

What makes this harder to get a handle on is that the Pasteurellosis infection is carried in pretty much all rabbits and is seen in practically all large-scale rabbitries and most of the smaller ones. It’s present in laboratories and wherever rabbits tend to congregate.

Here are a few things researchers have discovered about Pasteurella:

  • Snuffles does not usually occur in very young animals whose sinuses have not yet developed.
  • Snuffles is seen more in closed sheds than in hutches in the open air.
  • Affected rabbits sneeze and cough. Their front paws become matted from wiping their noses.
  • Snuffles will become apparent at times of stress such as travel, cage change, pregnancy, etc.
  • The most common cause of death for a rabbit with Snuffles is actually pneumonia.
  • Snuffles is extremely contagious and can be transferred via sneezes, on cage equipment, or even on food dishes, water bottles, or the clothing of the herd caretakers.
  • Traditionally a terminal cull is the only option to stop an outbreak.

There is a treatment for rabbits, Baytril, which can mask the symptoms of Snuffles for awhile in a rabbit, but it looks like two injections a day and a price tag of approximately $75/month. It’s only available with a prescription and only recommended for pet homes where no one will be coming in contact with other rabbits.

A brand-new option is the Bunny Vac. I actually have ours on order and will vaccinate as soon as it comes. We are against putting medicines into our rabbits, but after weighing the options and our desire to take our rabbits to shows, it makes sense to vaccinate our herd. The BunnyVac works to boost the rabbit’s natural immunity and give the rabbits more time to build up their antibodies so they can fight the infection themselves. It’s rather groundbreaking and we hope that it works as promised – clinical trials have had 100% effectiveness in rabbits exposed to Pasteurella not succumbing shortly after. Here is a video with more information and here is a fact sheet put together off of a discussion on the ARBA Facebook page.

Here is a link to an article talking about different rabbit respiratory diseases. Not every sneeze and snot is Pasteurella – but really nothing that is a sneeze or a snot is good news for your rabbit.

A few things you can do to avoid a Snuffles outbreak in your herd:

  • Keep your rabbitry clean. A build up of ammonia from urine and feces can and will irritate your rabbit’s lungs, making them vulnerable to Pasteurelliosis.
  • Quarantine any new rabbits. Keep new rabbits separated from your main herd for a minimum of six weeks (this gives the virus time to make itself known if it is present). Rabbits should be a minimum of three feet from any other rabbits, have a barrier put up between cages (as simple as a feed bag), and be fed and watered with different utensils than the regular herd.
  • Close your rabbitry. Do not allow any people, other rabbits, or possible contaminates into your rabbitry. Do not offer stud service. Produce your own stock or only acquire stock from rabbitries you know breed healthy rabbits with strong immune systems.
  • Terminally cull any rabbit who sneezes colored snot. There is a chance they could be reacting to an allergen or have something stuck in their nose. If you think this is a possibility, isolate the rabbit that sneezed, remove the possible allergens from its environment, and watch it for a minimum of six weeks. If it snots in the meantime, do not give it the benefit of the doubt.

These are pretty hard bits of advice, but this is a harsh disease that can wipe out a herd in a matter of weeks. Sacrificing one rabbit with quick action has the potential to save many other rabbits for the long term.

Bad Timing

Champagne d'Argent, Holland Lop, Meat Rabbits, Pet Rabbits, Show Rabbits May 26, 2013 Leave a comment
Rabbits! There are so many rabbits!

Rabbits! There are so many rabbits!

It’s been a busy weekend for us – three does from three different breeds gave birth! Our Champagne d’Argent, Silver Bell, Silver Fox, Ceres, and Silver Marten, Bonfire, all had large, healthy litters and we’re still waiting on one more mama to pop any time.

 

That’s a wonderful place to be because getting stock that produces and raises what they bear is quite nice and all of these does are proven and have our trust. They don’t typically lose any babies. Having all of this happen at once is also a bit scary because the size of our rabbitry doubled in a day! Whew! We’ll have babies for sale soon!

 

Silver Bell threw us a curve ball this time, however, and I thought it would be worth writing about as our friend Primrose the Holland Lop did something similar a few weeks ago.

 

While I was feeding and watering the rabbits yesterday morning I noticed Silver Bell looked… distressed. We had given her a hard time because she had taken all of the hay out of her nest box and put it in the corner of her cage on the wire. We called her crazy and put the hay back in the nest box, and she began to gather it in her mouth and start to move it out again. We decided to let her be and went on with our chores.

 

When I came back by in a few minutes I saw the hair around her eye brows was different and I just knew she was in labor. I put my water bottles down and sat still. Within a few minutes I watched Silver Bell deliver a kit, right in front of my eyes! She popped that baby out on the wire in the spot she had tried to make a nest before we took her hay away.

 

I didn’t want to disturb her, so we left for a bit. When we came back the kit was still alive but she had not pulled any hair. She was still rearranging her hay and didn’t give the impression she was finished delivering. My husband pulled her out and palpated her – her stomach was still hard as a rock and it seemed there were babies still to be had. We spread hay all over the wire of the cage and let her be.

 

We took her little kit, which was starting to get cold, and tucked it into a warm place for a few hours. When we checked her again mid-afternoon and there was still no hair pulled and no babies we identified the newborn singleton with sharpie marker and put it in with the silver fox litter that was born that morning.

 

Bed time came and we checked Silver Bell – this is a doe with a proven track record as a mom! She’s a great girl! She was pulling hair frantically and putting it in her hay nest on the wire. The nest box was right there, unused and full of hay. Very strange.

 

To make a long story short, when we came out this morning Silver Bell had a nice little nest of hay and hair set up in the corner of her cage and nine little babies tucked inside! She delivered the first kit and the other nine at least 14 hours apart from one another!

 

We got the original kit out of its foster nest and tucked it in with its siblings. Covered in marker but none the worse for the wear.

 

I mention this because I always expected a rabbit to deliver their babies on Day 31 within about 10 – 15 minutes. That’s what all the experts and books say… yet yesterday’s experience proved this isn’t always the case. Duchess, a Champagne d’Argent, always delivers on Day 33 or 34 (once even on Day 36!).

 

As another story of non-traditional rabbit birthing, our friend who has Holland lops noticed her first-time mom doe go into labor (displaying spots of blood and amniotic fluid) on Day 30, deliver one kit on Day 32 and another on Day 34. Sadly, both of those kits were born dead. But it was shocking to both of us that there could be a span of five days between the beginning of labor and the end. (And she did consult a veterinarian to ensure the best care for her rabbit… and was told to wait it out.)

 

I’ve read raspberry leaves can help when a doe is in labor. We don’t have a supply of those handy, so I’ve made Raspberry Zinger tea for our does. I can’t guarantee it’s helped them, but I do know it hasn’t hurt them at all! We also typically follow up the birth with a yummy treat like carrot, apple, banana, or celery and a couple of calcium-enriched antacid tablets.

 

Good luck with your litters – I’d love to hear your stories of non-traditional rabbit births!

 

 

 

Preparing for the Rabbit Show

Show Rabbits April 12, 2013 Leave a comment
Are YOU READY for the Show?!

Are YOU READY for the Show?!

‘Tis the season for national-level shows and I thought it would be nice to put together a list of items needed to be fully prepared when you travel to that rabbit show of your dreams!

 

1. Complete Extra Set of Clothes. At no point should you assume that your normally sweet and docile rabbit actually wants the day to go well. In fact, that charming dear you’ve been feeding Black Oil Sunflower Seeds to and brushing on a regular basis is actually planning your humiliation. At the first opportunity it will pee all over you. No warning, no apology. Just pee. Everywhere. The prepared show goer will expect this evil trick and pack an extra set of clothes… just in case.

 

2. Bucket of Cold Water. While this is a useful tool for keeping your lagomorphs hydrated, the true usefulness of the bucket of ice water comes when your rabbit gets the scent and wants to make some whoopie on the show table. Or that tarp you toted into the showroom so your carriers can’t scrape the finish off the floor. Yes, shows are an exciting time. And no one is more excited than the Flemish Giant buck who just caught sight of that Lionheaded beauty. If you have a desire to stop the shenanigans of horny rabbits, nothing will be more handy than a bucket of cold water.

 

3. Rabbit-adorned Attire, Head Gear, and Hand Bags. Nothing speaks obsession louder than a lady wearing bunny ears bedazzled with blinking LED lights toting a bag emblazoned with Netherland Dwarfs. Granted, all of us at the show are obsessed with rabbits – but only a select few can take that fascination and enjoy it to the hilt… and those people literally wear rabbits. Silk screen, tapestry, you name it. If it has a rabbit on it, it belongs at the show!

 

4. Handlers. Only a few can con enough people into traveling to a show with them to justify a job opening for a “handler.” But if you can swing it, do it! A handler offers you someone to wipe down bunny paws and another set of ears for when you’re standing at the Champagne d’Argent table and the call goes out for Britanna Petites! Plus, clapping your hands and yelling, “Handler!” gives a certain Hollywood-esque glamour to the whole rabbit show process… which is especially important if you happen to be covered in urine. (See suggestion #1)

 

Perhaps I should take my tongue out of my cheek and mention a few things that are actually useful if you’re attending your first show.

 

 

1. A Chair. I was surprised by the amount of down time at a triple show. Having a camp chair was a wonderful help when it came to taking a breather.

 

2. Cash. Bring some cash with you to enjoy the concession stand, enter the rabbit raffle, or find a bun you just have to bring home with you! Cash is a wonderful tool and the currency of choice at the show.

 

3. Hearing Aids. There’s no doubt everyone takes care of one another and the person with the megaphone tries their best to be heard… but man, oh man! It’s hard to hear when it’s your turn to show! Being prepared to be an attentive listener is very important.

 

4. Great Attitude. When we went to our first show I was NOT expecting to enjoy the process. I felt more like a person preparing for a day of people-watching at a mall. Little did I know I would find it a fantastic experience! I love the cross section of type of people at shows, and the animals are incredibly beautiful! Attending the show with the expectation of learning what a judge things and values, plus the time to enjoy meeting new friends… that’s the fun of the show. (And it’s pretty cool when your rabbit is recognized for being awesome, I’m not going to lie!)

 

 

Classified

Meat Rabbits, Pet Rabbits, Show Rabbits March 24, 2013 Leave a comment
Carin / stock.xchng

Carin / stock.xchng

To Whom It May Concern:

I am seeking a bunny ribbit, preferably a dough that is bread or already peruvian, with legs. This dow will be the start of my heard and I would love it if she could be a loop-eared bred. Would prefer the animal to come with it’s own bowel and food for at least a moth. I am not interested in a spade do, as she will be used mostly for bredding. Am also open to a Rex, both the velveteen and regular kind, for the pellets. Please let me know if you are sailing your bunnee, as I would like to have it run free in my pastor as soon as possible.

Tank U.

(This post was inspired by the many classified listings for rabbits filled with misspellings and the humor of my fellow rabbit lovers! This is intended to be humorous, not mean-spirited!)

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The Fight of the Easter Bunny

Meat Rabbits, Pet Rabbits, Show Rabbits March 17, 2013 Comments: 2
thea0211 / stock.xchng

thea0211 / stock.xchng

Once upon a time it was the season of eggs and pastels, spring was right around the corner. Parents began to wonder if little Susie would like a bunny for Easter and rabbit breeders far and wide began to bicker.

The Fight of the Easter Bunny divides into two large camps with a scattered few opinions in between. One one side you have the people who appreciate the pet rabbit buyers. On the other side are those who take the high ground that pet bunnies are the next thing to evil, mix breed rabbits are best used for meat, and anyone who sells to anyone other than a reputable breeder is hypocritical.

And the scattered few in between scratch their heads and wonder out loud, “Can’t we all just get along?!”

Both camps have valid arguments. Anyone who cares about the sanctity of any life recognizes that an animal purchased on a whim then left unattended in a cage that fills with feces is not acceptable. Rabbits have a 7-10 year life span and require the same sense of commitment and care that a dog or a cat need. If veterinary care is needed there’s a large price tag that comes with the professional; letting a rabbit loose in an empty field or dropping it off at a shelter is a sure-fire way to prove you’re a pretty low human being yourself.

On the other side, many, many people fall in love with their rabbit companions and treat them with love and affection! Most rabbit breeders begin their love of the animal with a mixed breed bun they picked up at the pet or feed store for a few bucks. It is unfair to assume there is no purpose for a pet rabbit in this world.

At Mad Hatter Rabbits we’ve decided to straddle the fence between these two camps (and I’m sure we’ll get a splinter or two on occasion). We will never breed more rabbits than we can personally provide excellent, loving, and humane care for. We also provide a blanket guarantee to accept any rabbit we have bred back if their new owner can no longer adequately meet their rabbits needs. Each animal that leaves our rabbitry goes with a booklet with recommendations of how to care for your bunny at the bare minimum requirements of the Animal Welfare Act and recommendations for how to go beyond the bare minimum into to a truly enriching relationship with a furry friend.

We don’t see the Fight of the Easter Bunny as black and white. Our primary reason for beginning to breed rabbits was to provide a healthy, organic meat source free of antibiotics and such things for our family. This is a rabbit’s natural role in the life cycle – at the bottom of the food chain as a meal for larger predators. But in our rabbit journey, we found we really enjoy rabbit shows – and it takes the same amount of feed to raise a show rabbit as it does a less type-y rabbit so we may as well work toward having excellent show rabbits with sweet dispositions, fun personalities, and great pedigrees! Finally, for those rabbits that aren’t quite up to snuff on a show table for one reason or another, their attitudes make them a reasonable option for a person who wants a companion.

If we don’t limit human beings to only one point and purpose of life – if we can comprehend a life where there is a capability to wear multiple hats – then there’s space in this world for our livestock to fulfill a multitude of purposes as well!

Anyone want to join us on the middle ground?

Common Terminology for Rabbits and Rabbit Shows

Meat Rabbits, Pet Rabbits, Show Rabbits March 14, 2013 1 Comment
Sometimes terms can be confusing. Use this guide to help!

Sometimes terms can be confusing. Use this guide to help!

A HUGE “Thank You” to Kim’s Rabbit Hutch for this helpful guide to rabbit terminology.

Buck – A male rabbit
Doe – A female rabbit
Junior – A rabbit under 6 months of age
Senior – A rabbit over 6 months of age
Intermediate or 6/8 – A rabbit between 6-8 months of age. Most common in larger breeds

Varierty – Color of a rabbit
Class – Age group of the rabbit. Either Junior, Intermediate or Senior
Broken – A color in conjunction with white. With either a blanket or spotted pattern of the color on the body.

Solid – A color of a rabbit that is covering the entire body
Agouti – A type of color that has bands and ticking. Most common colors are Chestnut and Chinchilla

Shaded – Refers to colors like Sable Point. These colors have darker colors on the nose, ears, and other parts of the body. While the whole of the body is one solid lighter color.

Molt – A coat that is shedding and out of condition.
Finish – A coat of a rabbit that either lacks finish (poor condition, molting, etc) or has a good finish (well groomed, not molting) could mean the difference between winning and losing.

Pedigree – A piece of paper charting 3 generations of the rabbit with ancestory history.

Registration – A piece of paper also charting 3 generations of the rabbit with ancestory history. This paper however states (for the rabbit it is issued to) that it has free of disqualifications and has been deamed an acceptable representation of said breed. The rabbit also recieves a registration number unqiue to that rabbit.

Ear Number / Tattoo – A series of numbers and/or letters tattooed into the rabbits left ear. Usually no more then 5 are in the ear. A circled R may be tattooed in the left ear if the rabbit has been registered.

Leg – A leg is earned by winning in an ARBA-sanctioned show as long as there are three exhibitors and five rabbits competing for the win. For example, first place in a class of five or more bunnies showed by three or more different exhibitors would earn a leg. For classes without enough exhibitors and/or bunnies, it may be possible to earn a leg by winning BOSV (if there are sufficient numbers of the related sex in the variety), BOV (if there are sufficient numbers in the entire variety), BOS (if there are sufficient number in the related sex of the breed) or BOB (if there are sufficient numbers in the entire breed). A rabbit may only earn one leg per judging.

BOB – Best of Breed
BOS – Best Opposite Sex of Breed (ie. If the BOB rabbit is a buck, BOS winner must be a doe. Which is why it’s called Opposite Sex

BOV – Best of Varierty
BOSV – Best Opposite Sex of Varierty (ie. If the BOV rabbit is a buck, BOSV winner must be a doe. Which is why it’s called Opposite Sex

BOV and BOSV winners go on to compete for BOB and BOS
BIS – Best in Show (this is big. To win it, your rabbit must get BOB. At the end of the show, all of the breeds who had a BOB winner compete to see who is the best of the best.)

1st Runner Up / Reserve to BIS – This is the 2nd place rabbit to who won BIS
2nd Runner Up – This is the 3rd place rabbit to who won BIS
DQ – Disqualification. A rabbit can be disqualified for many reasons. Most common is over the weight limit, bad teeth, or illness present.

Flesh condition – Just like it sounds. If a rabbit is “rough” in flesh it means the skin over the backbone is very loose and thin. Bones are easily felt. Most common in rabbits suffering from some illness, not being fed enough, or does coming off weaning litters.

Open – Usually refers to an all “adult show.” Which means anyone of any age is allowed to enter, but it is usually adults competing with other adults. They will usually add the letters: A, B and C to the end of “Open Show” if they are having multiple shows.

Youth – An all youth only show. Only those 18 and under are allowed to enter these shows. Youth breeders must put their own rabbits on the judging table.

Cull – A breeder goes through a litter selecting ones he/she wishes to keep. The rest are sold (or eaten, if they’re a meat breed.)

Kindling – Term used to mean giving birth to baby rabbits.
Kits – Term describing baby rabbits.
Cavy / Cavies – These are not rabbits. They are shown sometimes at rabbit shows. They are basically guinea pigs.

The Quirky Art of Tattooing

Show Rabbits March 5, 2013 Comments: 3
Every show rabbit must had an identifying tattoo in its ear.

Every show rabbit must had an identifying tattoo in its ear.

As a kid raising rabbits, we never worried about tattoos in their ears – we knew which rabbits we had and which cages they called home. No biggie!

 

As an adult coming back into raising rabbits the need for tattoos has become apparent. Not only are tattoos required for any rabbit in a show, having permanent ear markings can come in quite handy when you’re trying to discern just which all black bunny you’re you’re checking out!

 

Almost every rabbit we have has an ear tattoo now. ARBA requires the tattoo to be in the rabbit’s left ear. If you choose to register the rabbit, they receive another tattoo in their right ear. Tattoos can be words, letters, numbers, or combinations and can be applied using a clamp or a tattoo pen.

 

We have chosen to use the KBtatts Tattoo Pen. This is the only tattoo device we’ve used so I don’t have a basis of comparison, but I don’t want to use another one… ever! I was expecting the rabbits to twitch or jump while tattooing… and they don’t. In fact, I began to wonder if I was actually tattooing correctly because they didn’t move a bit. Turns out it’s just a great pen with a quiet motor and needles that get the job done quickly and efficiently.

 

Trying to decide how to tattoo is another fun occupation. We’ve decided to use a system that begins with “H,” representing Mad Hatter Rabbitry, the number of the month the rabbit is born in (using letters for any two digit numbers), the last digit of the year, the number of the rabbit in the litter, first letter of the name of the sire and first letter of the name of the dam.

 

So, Mister, who was born in November 2012 and is the first kit out of Bucky and Duchess, has the tattoo: HB21BD.

 

Other people will use their own system or the name of the rabbit. Judges at shows get an eyeful when they see rabbits with names like “HOT STUFF,” “DINNER 4 5,” or “HONEY BEW BEW.” Hopefully judges keep a good sense of humor and breeders use common sense in their tattooing!