A friend has a rabbit they no longer want and is going to give it to me. It is a 5-6 month old female kept as a pet. I have New Zealand's I am raising for meat and am very new at it. I am not sure what type of rabbit this is and if she would be fine to breed with my NZs. If anyone can help me out I would really appreciate it.
Help with identification
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Bunnylady
Herd Master
If you think she is a purebred, I'd have to go with Rhinelander.
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Ridgetop
Herd Master
Rhinelander or English spot - the spot pattern is unmistakeable, color is cinnamon. Rhinelanders and English are slightly different inconformation and size so look up those 2 breeds to decide which one she is. She may not be a purebred, but for meat that would not bother me. My problem would be her health, age, and conformation for meat production. If you want to use her for extra litters for now just be aware that she will not produce a meaty carcass. Rhinelanders and Spots are longer and more tubular than NZW. Since those breeds are not developed for meat production they do not have the rear and loin of a meat breed. Do not keep any of her kits for replacement breeders since they will not have the meat characteristics you need for your meat production barn.
More important is how old is this doe? If she is a year or older, you might not be able to get her to breed at all. Premium age for starting production does in a breeding facility is 6 to 10 months of age. When showing rabbits, if our does did not finish by 11 months, it could be iffy whether we could get them bred later or not. We often pulled our show does from the circuit with just 2 championship "legs" instead the required 3 for a championship in order to get them bred. Any doe over 12 months may not breed. If you have that problem, put her in the car and take her for a drive for half an hour than put her immediately to the buck. Sometimes this works with breeds that are notorious for not wanting to breed (champagnes).
If she has been bred before, check her vent for rabbit syphilis (also called vent disease) which shows up as a crusty scabby area on the does vent and the buck's penis - it comes and goes so be careful because you can lose your entire barn by introducing the disease before the scabs appear again. I prefer to buy juniors for my replacement stock ever since I bought an expensive champion buck from a well known out of state breeder who came with rabbit syphilis (vent disease). Before I caught it he infected my entire herd of Holland Lops. I had to put most of them down. I found out later that this breeder knew he had this disease and preferred to sell to out of state buyers because they did not know about him. The scabs go away and the disease goes dormant every few weeks but is still contagious. The disease causes mating problems (uncomfortable to breed) and also causes dead kits. Also, unless you are dishonest like this breeder you can't promise a healthy rabbit from your herd anymore. It was a very expensive lesson.
It may seem heartless, but the main question to ask yourself is this: If she doesn't work out can you be tough enough to euthanize her? Or will you be stuck feeding and giving valuable cage space to someone else's useless pet that they have gotten tired of?
Basically, you get attached to all your animals. If you are breeding for meat, stick with meat breeds. If you are just starting out then your cage space will be limited, save it for a good replacement doe instead of this one.
More important is how old is this doe? If she is a year or older, you might not be able to get her to breed at all. Premium age for starting production does in a breeding facility is 6 to 10 months of age. When showing rabbits, if our does did not finish by 11 months, it could be iffy whether we could get them bred later or not. We often pulled our show does from the circuit with just 2 championship "legs" instead the required 3 for a championship in order to get them bred. Any doe over 12 months may not breed. If you have that problem, put her in the car and take her for a drive for half an hour than put her immediately to the buck. Sometimes this works with breeds that are notorious for not wanting to breed (champagnes).
If she has been bred before, check her vent for rabbit syphilis (also called vent disease) which shows up as a crusty scabby area on the does vent and the buck's penis - it comes and goes so be careful because you can lose your entire barn by introducing the disease before the scabs appear again. I prefer to buy juniors for my replacement stock ever since I bought an expensive champion buck from a well known out of state breeder who came with rabbit syphilis (vent disease). Before I caught it he infected my entire herd of Holland Lops. I had to put most of them down. I found out later that this breeder knew he had this disease and preferred to sell to out of state buyers because they did not know about him. The scabs go away and the disease goes dormant every few weeks but is still contagious. The disease causes mating problems (uncomfortable to breed) and also causes dead kits. Also, unless you are dishonest like this breeder you can't promise a healthy rabbit from your herd anymore. It was a very expensive lesson.
It may seem heartless, but the main question to ask yourself is this: If she doesn't work out can you be tough enough to euthanize her? Or will you be stuck feeding and giving valuable cage space to someone else's useless pet that they have gotten tired of?
Basically, you get attached to all your animals. If you are breeding for meat, stick with meat breeds. If you are just starting out then your cage space will be limited, save it for a good replacement doe instead of this one.
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- #5
I really appreciate all the info. That helps out a lot. My buddy said she is about 5 or 6 months. They got here when she was small and have had her for a few months. If I end up with her I will definitely check her for the bent disease before breeding her. If she doesn't work out then she will be culled. I do not have the space or desire to just have pet rabbits. Everyone of them has a purpose.
BantamLover21
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I was going to say she looked like a Gold English Spot, but with the black on her ear/face that I can see, I'm going with poorly-marked Rhinelander or mix.
Bunnylady
Herd Master
Sorry, but this is definitely NOT an English Spot, nor is her color Cinnamon. If she is a mixed breed, there might be some English Spot in her, but her markings could just as easily have come from any of a number of breeds that come in the Broken pattern (in fact, with that lopsided nose marking, some random Broken is a much more likely source for the markings than an old breed with a rigid requirement for a butterfly nose marking). Shoot - she could even be part New Zealand.
In rabbits, a Chocolate Agouti is sometimes called "Cinnamon." There is also a rabbit breed by the name of Cinnamon, which is actually Tort in color . . . go figure. But this rabbit is neither a Chocolate Agouti nor a Tort. If you look at her left ear, there are some small black spots that look like they are groups of black hairs rather than something that has gotten on the ear - that's harlequin patterning. Without the spots, she'd be a Broken Orange, with them, she's a Tricolor.
When it comes right down to it, any breed of rabbit can be eaten (they all taste the same), it's more a matter of what you are willing to deal with. I used to know a guy who ate his Netherland Dwarf culls, though he said the back legs were the only part worth bothering with; the rest was too small. If you are breeding to sell for meat, a crossbred generally won't fetch the same price and might take longer to get to slaughter weight, but a backyard breeder producing meat for their own table might not mind that. Some people who breed on a commercial scale won't look twice at a rabbit from show lines, because the ability to produce gets you nothing on a show table, so show breeders don't really focus on that, and folks who are all about the numbers don't really care what a rabbit looks like, as long as it will work. Who knows - this gal might ultimately out-produce some NZW's.
Vent disease/rabbit syphilis can be a bear to deal with, and unfortunately, it isn't only "experienced" rabbits that might have it. I once made the mistake of buying a junior buck that apparently got it from his mother; though the rabbit cleared with treatment and went on to breed successfully, the disease returned on him, also on does that were bred by him, and even on rabbits that he (or the does) never came in contact with. I had cases pop up on rabbits months after any rabbit showing symptoms had been sold to the snake guy.
It's insidious, and persistent; always check for it, regardless of the rabbit's history, and refuse any rabbit that you aren't sure about.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
If you are willing to get rid of her later, certainly you can get meat out of her for a while. At 6 months put her to the buck right away and see how she does. We ate everything we culled, even the Havanas my daughter raised. Enough Dwarf will make a meal, just not enough meat to be worth the time spent skinning and butchering. IMO
Absolutely right about vent disease. I eventually euthanized my herd since the does had been exposed to the buck (champion) and then exposed back to other bucks. If the doe has the scabs when kinding, the babies can get it through the navels in birthing. Unless a medicine has been found it was incurable. The disease does not really clear up with treatment, the scabs go away but come back.
The patterning on the rabbit is certainly not according to the standard for either breed but is closest to those 2. IMO It is probably a mix. It would have been cute as a baby thus desirable for the pet store to sell. I should have asked how big it was.
Absolutely right about vent disease. I eventually euthanized my herd since the does had been exposed to the buck (champion) and then exposed back to other bucks. If the doe has the scabs when kinding, the babies can get it through the navels in birthing. Unless a medicine has been found it was incurable. The disease does not really clear up with treatment, the scabs go away but come back.
The patterning on the rabbit is certainly not according to the standard for either breed but is closest to those 2. IMO It is probably a mix. It would have been cute as a baby thus desirable for the pet store to sell. I should have asked how big it was.
