How do you decide quality of rabbit?

[Bunnylady]

Breeding quality might be an animal that is showable, but which you really don't believe would win at a show. In a popular breed like the Holland Lop, the little critters need to be darn near perfect to win, because there are so many of them at shows. In a case like that, breeding quality might be the "other" good one in a given litter, that somehow just doesn't make the cut (see the rabbit purchased by the know-nothing in my previous post! ). Most of the time, breeding quality is show quality, but there are exceptions. It might be a rabbit that you wish you could put on a show table, but is an unrecognized color for that breed. It might be an animal that has a large chunk missing from an ear (they are animals, it happens!), or a missing toe; something that would get it DQ'd at a show, but doesn't affect its health nor that of its potential offspring. In the dwarf breeds, breeding quality could be a false dwarf doe that has very good type for a false dwarf, but of course is too big to be shown. Essentially, breeding quality is an animal that you think has the potential to produce show quality offspring, if bred to an animal of at least similar quality.

Pet quality is any animal that you think just doesn't have it, period. Although, for a real "do or die" sort of breeder, anything that they personally wouldn't put on a show table is pet quality (that might even include your rabbit that just beat their best rabbit in a class! ). False dwarf bucks are generally considered pet quality by most breeders, simply because they have so little usefulness to a breeder. In marked breeds, there are an awful lot of "pretty" bunnies that just don't have what it takes, markings-wise, that could be either pet or breeder quality, depending on the market.

 

[AprilW]

I agree - the Standard of Perfection is the place to begin. Some of the terms can be difficult to decipher and so talk with experienced breeders for better definitions and examples. Any rabbit with a heritable disqualification is pet (meat) quality in my barn. I breed Dutch which are a marked breed so usually a mismarked/sport animal with good type is considered "breeding quality". Pets may have incorrect markings or poor type. I like the previous response that breeding quality is what you believe could produce show stock/rabbits better than itself but isn't itself showable. Saying a rabbit is show quality is tricky. To me it is a rabbit with no disqualifications and has the potential to do well on the show table. I never sell rabbits as show quality - I call them "show prospects" because they MAY do well or they may not. I suppose ultimately it is up to the buyer to decide.

Pricing is largely relative to your local rabbit market. Here, pets are a dime a dozen. No one will pay a breeder more than $5-$10 (yet they buy the pet store's mutts for $40 ). Selling pets isn't worth it to me - anything I don't believe will help my herd or someone else's is put on the dinner table. There also isn't a big crowd of show breeders and so if I want to sell brood/show stock I generally have to wait until one of the two or three shows I hit each year. Then prices are in the $30-$50 range - I purchased a "herd buck" from a well known breeder/judge and paid just $75 for him. In a more popular breed I have seen excellent quality bucks sell for $150-$200. I've also seen breeders sell pets for $40 each.

In the price of my rabbits, I include a pedigree and sample of my food to make switching easier on the animal. I also have a lifetime return (no refund) policy.

What breeds are you interested in and perhaps we could help you more?

 

[Somebunny2love]

Currently I have Lionheads, and I am considering getting some mini lops as well. We do have a big lop, but he is just a pet and has been neutered.