Want rabbits but have some questions

[TK Farm]

So I'm not new per say to keeping rabbits but it's been years since I've had any. My dad and I use to raise mix breed meaties when I was younger and that has been my only real rabbit experience. Right now I own Bantam Chickens and Call ducks and have been showing them for a year. I'm interested in expanding into show/pedigree/registered rabbits. I've been lurking and researching and I think I know what I want but I'm not sure.

I guess I should tell you about my set up. I want to raise them outdoors in hutches with the chickens and ducks. (they also live in hutches). I want them to be very docile because of children and I don't want a breed so competitive it seems like an uphill battle to place. I noticed that when I first started with chickens so I had to find a less popular breed to show. So since they are going to be raised in an outdoor enviroment they need to be a bit hardy.

I was looking into a couple of dwarf breeds like Netherlands and Holland Lops but those seem pretty popluar. I also looked at Thriantas and Mini lops but I don't know much about them. I also looked into some angora breeds but am unsure I understand everything envolved with their care.I want a dwarf to medium breed though.

Once I find a breed I like I'm nervous that the color genetics will send me over the edge. In chickens it seems everything is about understanding how one color will interact with another so you need to be on top of that, but the rabbit genetics seem a bit daunting. Is this the case for a newbie?

If im being to vague and you need more details just tell me. I rambled like this when I first started on BackyardChickens as well. So sorry! lol

 

[Rilly10]

I am in the same boat as you here so can't offer any help. I am looking to start breeding/showing rabbits also. I have always had them as pets but now would like to take it to the next step.

I am looking to start with Dwarf Hotots as they only come in one color, are small, and calm.

I will be watching this thread and hope to learn a bit more also!!

 

[TK Farm]

Lets hope someone responds. This forum is a bit slower than BYC lol

 

[Beekissed]

I love a mini-rex...don't know how popular they are at shows around your place but back when we were looking at local shows, the rex was the IN rabbit to have. That's been years ago.

I found them to be hardy and docile....beautiful also. Easy to sell the offspring as pets as well.

 

[Dutchgirl]

The only rabbits we've raised in the past few years have been Rexes and Rex mixes. I would suggest Holland Lops - we're trying to get some for pets right now - because they're supposed to be friendly, and they are, as you mentioned, very popular in show business.

I don't know much about Dutch rabbits but you could check those out... I think they're supposed to be nice, too.
Rexes are popular for their fur, but I don't know how they would be seen in a show. The half-Rex-half-Satin male we had was extremely friendly, but the purebred Rex female was not. The rabbit we have now is the daughter of the two of them, and is almost as docile as her father, with barely any resemblance to her mother.

Anyway, I wish you luck on finding a good breed!

 

[cattlecait]

For what you're looking for, I recommend the following -

Havanas - easy to raise, fun to show, uncommon but enough people to show against and get stock from, not so common that it's a pain to wrestle the crowd to get the rabbit to the table, they come in blue, black, chocolate, and broken, and are 4-6lbs

Himilayans - also easy to raise, same situation showing as Havanas, and known for being super sweethearts, they're smaller at around 3lbs

Mini Lops - a little more competitive but they're very nice bunnies, they're around 5-6lbs

Dutch - they can be a pain to get the markings correct, but you can't find a nicer tempered rabbit, they're pretty popular but it's not crazy, and they're around 3-5lbs, they also double as great little meat rabbits

I've had bad luck with Thriantas, I'm not the only one but many have had no trouble with them. I raise Harlequins and they're a ton of fun but it can get frustrating breeding for correct markings.

I don't recommend Mini Rex, Netherland Dwarves, or Holland Lops, as they're extremely competitive and it's nearly impossible to get through the group to get your rabbit up to the table, let alone compete against folks who can afford the good rabbit and have raised the breed for a million years. Angoras are great but they have wool that needs lots of care, if you're looking for a wooly breed that fits your criteria, try an American Fuzzy Lop because they don't require as much grooming. They are somewhat rare though.

Most any rabbit will be fine in a hutch outside, they are surprisingly hardy.

As for color genetics, it can get daunting even for me, and I've been in rabbits for 7 years, which isn't long but its long enough. The main things to know are what color not to breed to another color, and the breeder you get your stock from can help you with that.

 

[ChickenPotPie]

I echo everything cattlecait said above and will give my own opinion as well.

Tough breeds to show that I would avoid: Netherland Dwarf, Holland Lop, Mini Rex, and Dutch. Entry numbers are huge anywhere in the U.S.. It will take forever for the breed to be shown and unlike poultry, you have to be on the ball because rabbits are taken up the the judging table when it their turn. The judge does not come to them. I also do not recommend Britannia Petite, Dwarf Hotot, and Mini Satin.

While I like the breed, showing Dutch can be very cut throat. They even have special rules, just for Dutch, that were specifically made to prevent cheating. lol Nice, huh? Even so, the stories I've heard from judges. >.< After my son got out of Woolies, he showed Dutch in Youth for a while and I hated it. lol I never said anything about the negative aspects of showing Dutch to my son because I wanted him to enjoy it but I'm not disappointed he switched breeds.

It wasn't as much the kids but the parents were awful and you know the kids take their cues from their parents. The kids my son showed with compete nationally so there is the possibility that showing at Nationals and Convention could be frustrating. However, it can be a fun and challenging breed if you just plan to just show locally and especially if you would also like to process culls because they are a very good little meat rabbit.

Mini Rex do not have long show careers. After having kits, that's pretty much it for does.

Mini Satins can be good rabbits to show but their temperaments are still being worked on.

Britannia Petites are devil rabbits. No, really. They are. They are not recommended for kids because of their temperament. Entry numbers are low and will depend on your location.

Dwarf Hotot colors can be very boring, competition scarce, and temperaments *might* not be great for young children.

Breeds I recommend that I think are great for showing - they typically have just the right number of entries to give you good competition as well as enough to be able to earn legs (major wins) AND are great for kids:

Jersey Wooly - Yes, I may be biased but I'm also experienced. Temperaments tend to be gentle, friendly, and curious. They might hop to the back of the cage when you reach in to get them out but they are still very sweet and gentle. They will sit in your lap forever. A correct coat is easy care. Grooming can be fun. You can get nationally competitive rabbits for a fraction of what you'd have to pay for competitive ND, HL, and MR. East coast JWs are higher priced for the same quality that you'll find on the West coast. That is a price comparison and not a quality comparison. Quality can be found on both coasts. Speaking of the state I live in, California has excellent JWs - all CA exhibitors that entered placed in the top 10 of their classes and/or took BOG/BOSG at the '10 ARBA Convention and show and have done so for several years. Colors are not difficult to do as far as genetics go but they offer a fun variety.

American Fuzzy Lop - Same temperament as the JW but more in-your-face-friendly, puppy dog like. Coat care is more difficult than JWs but it's certainly not as difficult as the Angoras. Grooming can be fun. After showing your juniors for a while, plucking that junior coat helps keep coats manageable until they grow in their senior coats which should be pretty easy to take care of for a wooled breed. You keep showing after that. Great AFL stock can be found for reasonable prices.

Himilayans - great temperaments for kids. Bouncy enough, but calm and gentle enough for kids to handle. They're different. You may not find much competition as far as numbers but excellent stock can be found for little $ and you can do well on the national level. Color genetics are pretty straight forward. Your biggest challenge will be preventing smutty color pattern in cold weather. Show careers are not as long as the other breeds I recommend. Grooming is easy.

Polish - Another excellent kids rabbit. While this breed has been known as a nondescript rabbit and not very well developed in the past, the quality of the breed has really taken off in recent years and you can find some really nice rabbits out there and good competition (not too hard, not too easy). This breed also falls within that "perfect" number for entries. Temperament, imo, is just like the JW but you don't have the wool so grooming is easy.

Havana - Color genetics is very straight forward. Easy enough for kids to handle. Very good rabbits can be found for decent prices. Grooming is easy.

Mini Lop - About the same size as the Havana. All Lop breeds tend to be very sweet and friendly. Colors are not so straight forward but their are a lot of recogized colors that are "no-nos" in other breeds. lol They would be good little meat rabbits if you plan to process your culls.

Other good breeds but might not be the best for what I think you want:

Thrianta - Temperament can be good, color is unique but there is only one. Competition is scarce. Very reasonable prices.

Tan - Beautiful rabbit. Colors are beautiful. Probably too flighty for kids. Competition is scarce.

Florida White - Boooring. lol

If you need recommendations for great breeders of the breeds I recommended, or the link to a great rabbit specific forum, just PM me.

After all that, have you already found you breed?! Your first post was over a month ago so I'm curious. Do let us know.

 

[rabbitgeek]

Rabbit Breeds for Beginners
(from rabbit geek notes 12/27/09)

Are you planning to raise meat rabbits? Are you looking for strictly for show? I'm glad you are asking now because the first rabbit you buy will likely be with you for its whole life.

For meat pen rabbits, see my website with meat pen info
http://www.rabbitgeek.com/meatpennotes.html

For "fancy" rabbits strictly for show this is my suggestion for new members or beginner:

Netherland Dwarf - Lots of competition, but because the dwarfs can compete for first place in dozens of colors and groups, there is a lot of chances to win a blue ribbon. Small rabbit, small cages, small feed bill.

Polish - Many of the same advantages, not as much competition.

The prices for ND and Polish rabbits are not terribly high. We've even found good rabbits in these breeds in the raffles. Our first showbunny was a Ruby Eyed White Netherland Dwarf we bought in a feed store. He often won first place as a REW Sr Buck.

Stick with solid color ND & Polish, not the broken pattern markings which can be a problem at times.

We had good luck with Dutch, but the marking requirements can be very frustrating for a beginner so avoid them the first year or two.

I would avoid Holland Lops. They are very popular, very cute but in show there is a limited number of colors to show in. At shows there are literally hundreds of rabbits competing for a small number of first place ribbons. Because of the popularity and the intense competition, the prices for Holland Lops is much higher than for other breeds.

It can be very frustrating for children to be told their rabbit won 10th place out of 27 rabbits.

I would also avoid Lionheads. While they are definitely a popular breed, as a showbunny they are not officially accepted in the ARBA Standard. So this means that from year to year, your rabbit may or may not be showable because of color or they may change the working standard and now your rabbit has too much wool on the flanks or not enough wool on the head. So beginners should avoid Lionheads. It also means that Best Of Breed Lionhead cannot compete for Best In Show in an ARBA show. That will not go over well when you have to tell the kid all the other kid's Best of Breed can go to the Best In Show table, but not theirs.

Himalayan - Another kid friendly breed is the Himalayan. Small and generally docile they are easy to handle. 4 different recognized colors give some flexibility for competition.


If you shop for rabbits at a rabbit show, before you buy, ask if you can take the rabbit around to get opinions on it. Sometimes you can catch a rabbit judge taking a break and ask if the rabbit has any disqualifications on it. Judges usually try to be helpful to beginners and will give you a good assessment.

Also, I don't expect people to sell me a rabbit guaranteed to win rabbit shows. I want one that will not be disqualified in show.

Rabbit should have a tattoo in the left ear and the tattoo should match the pedigree.

Get the pedigree at time of sale. Be sure the pedigree is SIGNED and has all the weights written in. There are hundreds of people who were told the pedigree would be mailed and it never was. No pedigree, no sale, walk away. If the seller really wanted to sell the rabbit, they should have brought the pedigree.

Having a pedigree is not required to show, but is required to register the rabbit with ARBA and to apply for Grand Champion for a winning rabbit. ARBA membership is also required to register a rabbit or apply for Grand Champion certificate.

Having a pedigree solves a lot of issues if you decide to breed the rabbit. Pedigree also makes it easier to sell or trade the rabbit if you decide to.

Above is my standard spiel on rabbits for beginners.

It's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios
Rancho Cordova 4H Club
Sacramento County, Calif