Hobby Farms: Rabbits E-Book

Chris McLaughlin

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 234

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Rabbit raisers will keep their rabbitries hopping and happy with the advice found in Rabbits, a Hobby Farm book. Rabbit breeder and exhibitor Chris McLaughlin offers years of experience and guidance on the many aspects of raising rabbits on a hobby farm, a livestock choice she considers perfect due to the limited space rabbits need to thrive. Whether the reader is raising rabbits for pets, fiber, or meat, there is much solid information and useful advice to be found in the pages of Rabbits. From the natural and cultural history of rabbits to selecting and purchasing of the right rabbits for a small farm, this book is both practical and enlightening. Individual chapters focusing on housing and feeding, behavior and handling, health care, and breeding and raising young make this an indispensable choice for all rabbit keepers. Handsomely designed with color photographs throughout, Rabbits also offers sidebars of helpful tips, fun anecdotes, and quotes from hobby farmers that prove entertaining and edifying. The final chapter of the book, "Making Money with Rabbits" discusses how to turn the rabbit-raising business profitable through producing show and pet rabbits, wool/fiber rabbits, rabbit manure, and rabbit meat. Resources include a glossary of terms and a catalog of associations, books, periodicals, and websites. Fully indexed.

Leseprobe

Rabbits

Lead Editor: Jennifer CalvertArt Director: Cindy KassebaumProduction Supervisor: Jessica JaenschAssistant Production Manager: Tracy VogtmanBook Project Specialist: Karen JulianIndexer: Melody Englund

Vice President, Chief Content Officer: June KikuchiVice President, Kennel Club Books: Andrew DePriscoI-5 Press: Jennifer Calvert, Amy Deputato, Lindsay Hanks,Karen Julian, Jarelle S. Stein

Text Copyright © 2011 by I-5 Press™

Front Cover Photography: (main) Fábio, do Blog Peladeiros (left inset) Rosalia Wilhelm (right inset) Maja DumatBack Cover Photography: Kassia Halteman/Shutterstock

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press™, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McLaughlin, Chris.   Rabbits : small-scale rabbit keeping / by Chris McLaughlin.       p. cm. -- (Hobby farms)

 Includes index. ISBN 978-1-933958-96-5 eISBN 978-1-937049-75-11. Rabbits--United States. I. Title. II. Title: Small-scale rabbit keeping. III. Series:

Hobby farms.

 SF453.4.M35 2012

 599.32--dc23

2011031192

I-5 Press™A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC™3 BurroughsIrvine, California 92618

Printed and bound in China15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This book is dedicated to Leo and Laughing Crow—two special rabbits that just rocked our world.And to all the animals who have crossed pathswith me and have been so patient while I learned:you have been my greatest teachers.__________Also to rabbit man extraordinaire Bob Whitman,whose love of rabbits and dedication to the rabbitworld was an inspiration to all of us.

CONTENTS

Introduction Why Rabbits?

Chapter One Meet the Domestic Rabbit

Chapter Two The Versatile Rabbit

Chapter Three Housing and Feeding Rabbits

Chapter Four Rabbit Behavior and Handling

Chapter Five What’s Up, Doc?

Chapter Six Breeding Like Rabbits

Chapter Seven Making Money with Rabbits

Acknowledgments

Glossary

Resources

Photo Credits

About the Author

INTRODUCTION

Why Rabbits?

Time and time again, rabbits have proven themselves an ideal livestock choice for small farms. In a world where farming is synonymous with land and acreage, hobby farms create an opportunity to live your rural dream in a smaller space. Rabbits are the perfect hobby-farm livestock, as they require very little space. Even hobby farms located in suburban and urban neighborhoods will find small-scale rabbit keeping an easy endeavor.

Raising rabbits demands little in the way of financial resources or specialized equipment, and the rewards are considerable. These petite creatures can offer companionship and the chance to participate in competitions. On a more practical level, they can provide meat and fiber (wool). Another valuable by-product of this small livestock is top-of-the-line manure for your garden and compost piles. Rabbit manure is widely recognized by gardeners as the most nutritionally balanced manure of all the herbivores. (It’s also an excellent medium for raising fishing worms!) And you don’t have to choose just one reason to raise rabbits. For example, a rabbit raised for fiber can also be a beloved family pet.

We brought home our first rabbit seventeen years ago, and we still consider rabbits a perfect fit for small-scale hobbyists. Rabbits are easy to house, handle, care for, and transport. They’re also curious, affectionate creatures that are extremely entertaining. Turn the page to see why so many small-scale farmers are touting rabbits as one of the most popular little livestock choices around!

CHAPTER ONE

Meet the Domestic Rabbit

As you may have guessed, rabbits didn’t start out as pets. In fact, the term domestic in the general sense of the word doesn’t refer to being a pet at all. When animals are domesticated, they’re kept and cared for by people for any number of purposes, be it for fur, meat, fancy (show), or—yes—companionship as family pets. The domestic rabbits we see in the United States today are a direct result of European settlers’ shipping Belgian Hares (they were actually rabbits, not hares) to America in the early 1900s for breeders and collectors. Later, in 1913, New Zealand Red rabbits were brought to America by sailors who kept them on board as small and easy-to-care-for meat animals. Since that time, many more rabbit breeds have been imported from countries worldwide. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Rabbit Ranking

In the animal kingdom, the class Mammalia holds a vast number of orders and suborders. Animals are classified according to their traits and habits to make it easier to observe and study them. Rabbits belong to the order Lagomorpha. This name comes from the Latin words lagos, meaning “hare,” and morphe, meaning “form.” The order has only two families: Leporidae (rabbits and hares) and Ochotonidae (pikas).

Rabbit History 101

According to geologists, rabbits have been hopping about the planet for 30 to 40 million years. It’s said that the Phoenicians kept caged rabbits as far back as 3,000 years ago, and the Romans followed suit shortly thereafter. Eventually, people in southwestern Europe, on land that’s now considered part of Spain and Portugal, saw the wisdom in raising rabbits for meat (instead of hunting them), and so began the heritage of the domestic rabbit. Of course, these rabbits weren’t anything close to resembling pets. Rather, they were an extremely convenient, easily transported meat source.

Hare’s Looking at You, Kid

Rabbits, with their curious, kind, and fast-footed habits, have captured the imagination to the point where we’ve placed them in the center of mainstream media by way of folklore, literature, advertisements, and entertainment. Check out some of the most famous rabbits in the world:

•

Bugs Bunny—With his world-renowned and charming phrase, “What’s Up, Doc?,” Bugs Bunny is perhaps the most famous rabbit anywhere. He was created in 1940 by Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (which, in 1944, became Warner Bros.).

•

Harvey—This was James Stewart’s 6-foot, 3½-inch tall, invisible rabbit friend in the 1950 movie Harvey.

•

Energizer Bunny—The pink bunny with a drum that just keeps going, and going, and going showed up as the spokesbunny for Energizer batteries in 1989.

•

Roger Rabbit—He was Gary Wolf’s main character from the 1981 novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, and he was later transformed into a cartoon character in the 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

•

Peter Rabbit—Peter is the adventurous bunny in Beatrix Potter’s children’s book The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which was first privately printed in 1901.

•

Peter Cottontail—This Peter lived in the 1914 children’s book TheAdventures of Peter Cottontail by Thornton Burgess.

•

The White Rabbit—Alice follows the white rabbit down the hole in Lewis Carroll’s (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) 1865 novel Alice’s Adventuresin Wonderland. In this same book, Alice visits with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter.

•

Velveteen Rabbit—In Margery Williams’ 1922 children’s book TheVelveteen Rabbit, this is the toy rabbit that becomes real thanks to the love of a child.

•

Br’er (Brer) Rabbit—This tricky rabbit is linked to both African and Cherokee cultures but was adapted by Walt Disney in the animated feature Song of the South.

•

The Trix Rabbit—Remembered by baby boomers for the tagline of “Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!,” the General Mills cereal-box mascot was created in 1959 by Joe Harris.

•

Thumper—He was a deer’s best friend in the 1942 Walt Disney classic animated movie Bambi.

•

“Rabbit”—He is the gardening enthusiast from the children’s stories of Winnie the Pooh, written by A. A. Milne in 1926.

•

Bunnicula—He is the vegetable-juice-sucking character from the 1979 children’s book written by Deborah and James Howe, Bunnicula.

•

Uncle Wiggly—He starred in the original 1910 children’s book Uncle Wiggly by Howard Roger Garis.

•

Hazel, Fiver, and Blackberry— The entire cast of 1978 animated film Watership Down was made up of rabbits.

•

Leo—He is the main character in Stephen Cosgrove’s 1977 children’s book Leo the Lop, part of the Serendipity Series.

•

The Hare—This is the guy who took too much for granted as he snoozed and lost the race to the tortoise in Aesop’s fable The Tortoise and the Hare.

As people migrated from land to land by ship, rabbits either escaped at port or were released from their cages. These rabbits made themselves at home wherever they landed, which created wild populations of Oryctolagus cuniculus throughout Europe. Around the sixth century AD, French Catholic monks began raising rabbits for meat. Keeping rabbits within the monastery walls led to breeding them for various uses, sizes, and colors. These monks are still credited today with the first true domestication of the rabbit in Europe.

Although European settlers introduced the Belgian Hare to America in the early 1900s, we know that Lop and Angora rabbits were already prevalent in the United States by the mid 1800s. In 1910, thirteen people formed the new National Pet Stock Association of America—an organization that would later become the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA), which now boasts an estimated 30,000 members and recognizes nearly fifty different rabbit breeds. Today, rabbits are fourth only to dogs, cats, and birds as pets in the American household.

The wild rabbits you see, like this one, are descendents from European rabbits.

The Rabbit Today

Depending on where you make your home, rabbits may be kept as companions or family pets and live indoors or outdoors in an enclosure. In fact, some people become so closely bonded to their furry friend that their rabbit is given its own bedroom in the house! Other rabbit fanciers raise their rabbits in a “rabbitry” (a rabbit-specific area or enclosure where rabbits are raised and cared for) as a hobby for showing. Angora rabbit breeds are raised for both show and fiber (fur) because they produce wool that can be spun for knitting. Rabbits are small, easy to care for, and provide healthy meat, which also makes them a smart choice for breeding and raising for food. The savvy rabbit-raiser will research the individual rabbit breeds and choose one that catches his or her interest as well as incorporates one or two of the uses mentioned above. With their comparatively small size, gentleness, and versatility, it’s clear why rabbits are one of the most popular hobby-farm animals today.

The hare may be your rabbits’ cousin, but they’re easy enough to tell apart.

Splitting Hares

Rabbit species are often confused with one another. These furry, hopping creatures all look very similar, but our domestic rabbit species isn’t nearly the same as the American wild rabbits (called cottontails or brush rabbits). In fact, they’re cousins, at best.

The rabbits that we call pets and companions here in the United States have all been domesticated from the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus. These European rabbits live in family colonies and create an underground system of warrens or burrows, which they use to hide from predators and to give birth. Cottontails are of the genus Sylvilagus and lead a different lifestyle than that of their cousins. They live above ground and give birth above ground in depressions in the earth. Cottontails will, however, use burrows that were created by other animals or brush piles as temporary protection against predators.

Mousy Tendencies

Rabbits, hares, and pikas (all from the order Lagomorpha) have something in common with rodents: their teeth continue to grow all of their lives. This makes it necessary for both rodents and lagomorphs to chew constantly to keep their teeth worn down.

To set the record straight, both the jackrabbit and snowshoe rabbit are actually hares, while the Belgian Hare is really a breed of rabbit. Like rabbits, hares (of the genus Lepus) also belong to the family Leporidae, but there’s quite a bit of difference between the two. One of the major differences relates to their young. Baby hares are called leverets and are born with more survival advantages than rabbits. Newborn leverets are precocial, which means they come into the world completely furred and with their eyes open. They can hop around about an hour later and begin nibbling the grass around them within a week. Rabbit kits are born the polar opposite: they’re altricial, which means they’re completely hairless and blind at birth, obviously requiring more care.

A mother hare spreads her litters out in several different depressions on top of the ground. This tactic leaves the little leverets (baby hares) more exposed than the babies of tunnel-digging rabbits. But because the little leverets are capable of seeing and moving around when they’re born, they’re able to hop about, hide, and return to their birthing area when the mother hare is around to nurse them.

Several other characteristics differentiate hares from rabbits: Hares have longer back legs than rabbits, making them stronger and faster. Their ear length is also exaggerated when compared to rabbits’ ears. Unlike rabbits that live in colonies in the wild, hares live a solitary life; they pair up only for mating and then go their separate ways. In addition, hares rely on their speed to escape predators, while rabbits tend to hide in burrows or brush piles. Finally, European rabbits have been domesticated as pets; this has never been the case with hares.

Domestic Rabbits in the Wild

If your domesticated rabbit escaped its hutch, it would instinctually dig a burrow. But that’s as far as its survival skills would get it. The sharp instincts necessary for a rabbit to survive in the wild have been watered down by generations of domestication. This is why seasoned owners cringe when someone happily reports that he or she has “set a rabbit free into the wild.” Though the person feels he or she has done the right thing, the freed rabbit won’t survive for very long.

One thing working against domesticated rabbits in the wild is coat color. Fanciers have bred many colors in rabbits for people to enjoy, but these unnatural colors do not necessarily blend in with natural surroundings. This makes the domestic rabbit a beacon to every predator in the area, including hawks, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, and even domestic dogs. Of course, there are domestic rabbits with the agouti coat color, a grizzled brown closest to the color of their wild ancestors. Rabbits of this color may have a small advantage over their unnaturally colored brethren, but there are other essential survival instincts that a domesticated rabbit simply does not have, such as the ability to detect or escape predators. Domestic rabbits are also heavier than wild rabbits, which means that they can’t run as fast.

Domestic rabbits need supervision in the great outdoors for many reasons. One is that they stand out from their surroundings, making them a prime target for predators.

Unfortunately, while a pet rabbit may hop away and try to hide, it just isn’t equipped to survive on its own for long. Even a wild cottontail rabbit has a lifespan of only about a year—possibly three, if it’s very, very clever. If a freed domestic rabbit survives as long, it’s due to sheer luck and nothing else. The moral of the story? Never let a domestic rabbit loose in the wild!

  ADVICE FROM THE FARM  

The Rabbit Habit

Our experts share some general rabbit-raising information.

Rabbits Just Make Sense

“With current trends in sustainable suburban agriculture, rabbits just make sense as the perfect new ‘livestock’ for virtually anyone!”

—Allen Mesick, ARBA Judge

Start Small and with Help

“Friends of ours in the 4-H group, who had been participating in the group for many years, suggested we try the ‘rabbit project.’ What started as a second-grader’s first-year project for 4-H has evolved into a rabbitry with over twenty Netherland Dwarfs showed nationally through various rabbit breeding groups. As the mother of the rabbit breeder, I would highly recommend the 4-H rabbit-breeding project to any parent looking for an educational program to teach children basic animal-care skills and responsibility.”

—Brenda Haas

No Stupid Questions

“I would like to stress how important it is to have the courage to ask questions when in doubt. Everyone started their rabbit-raising hobby somewhere and got to where they are today because of the help others gave them. Most rabbit-raisers are willing to share their tips and tricks for successful raising if you ask. We raise rabbits for a hobby. The competitive drive [we exhibit], friendships we make, animals we produce, shows we attend, and crazy things we do for our animals are all done out of passion for the hobby. It is important to enjoy the hobby, learn as much as you can, and have fun!”

—Keelyn Hanlon

A Little Perspective

“To see the world from a rabbits’ perspective, get down on the ground and look up at people walking around. The world looks a lot different from this height.”

—Cassandra Brustkern

CHAPTER TWO

The Versatile Rabbit

Because of their soft coats, small stature, and gentle nature, rabbits have the reputation of being terrific pets. But rabbit enthusiasts know that this furry creature has many other benefits, especially as livestock on a hobby farm. These versatile animals can be raised for fiber (wool), meat, and manure as well as for showing in the 4-H and competition circuit. The beauty of this animal is that a single rabbit breed can perform many of these duties at once. Use the information provided in this chapter to help you decide what you want from your rabbits. Then, once you’ve got your rabbitry up and running, you can return to this section for instruction on how to do what you’ve chosen to do.

The Right Rabbit

With nearly fifty rabbit breeds recognized by the ARBA (visit www.arba.net/breeds.htm for a list) and a vast array of coat colors and patterns, how do you decide which breed is best for your rabbitry? Well, start by determining what you’d like to do with your future livestock. Do you want to make money by selling them for meat, fiber, or fancy? Do you want to show your rabbits? Do you have children that are looking for a new hobby and can show them at local fairs? Are you a knitter or spinner who’s tired of paying high prices for valuable rabbit wool and wants to make a little cash by selling your surplus fiber?

You’ll save yourself a lot of time and trouble if you decide what you want at the outset instead of purchasing rabbits on a whim and slowly migrating toward what you’d really like to do with them. And don’t forget that many rabbit breeds can serve multiple purposes, so choosing a dual-purpose breed makes sense for many rabbit keepers.

The next step is to look over the lists of breeds in the Resources section to see if any attract you. Go to the ARBA website (www.arba.net) and look at all of the recognized breeds, then make contact with a club or breeder that specializes in the breed that catches your eye. These people can give you a better understanding of their breed and help you decide whether it’s the right choice for you and your plans.

Whether you’re planning on showing rabbits or not, I highly recommend attending a large rabbit show and perusing the aisles for a few hours. Even if not every breed is there, many of them will be. Ask the owners about their rabbits, ask to pet one, and ask why they chose that breed. Stand around the judges’ tables and listen to what they’re looking for in a winning animal. Most judges are more than happy to answer questions either during a break time or after the judging. (None are willing to answer questions in the middle of a class.)

First Things First

Before you jump into creating a rabbitry and purchasing animals, ask yourself some important questions. Here are a few to get you started. Take the time to answer them honestly and thoroughly to clarify your needs.

•

How much space do you have? Enough for a few rabbits or an entire rabbitry? Ideally, you want your rabbitry to be on the coolest side of the property. Part of your answer will also be based on the size of the rabbit breed that you choose. For instance, the amount of cage space you’ll need for five French Lops could house ten Netherland Dwarfs. Don’t forget to add some space if you’d like a play yard where the rabbits can be turned out to run, dig, or nibble on grass.

•

Can you provide protection for your rabbits (such as an overhang or enclosure) against weather and predators?

•

Will your rabbitry bother the neighbors? A large rabbitry could emit odors. If you think this may be an issue, do you have space in a more isolated area?

•

Does your city allow rabbit keeping? Many cities and homeowners associations do not allow livestock keeping in their communities. If they do, some may require a license or permit for the hobby. Be sure to research the requirements of your community before buying any animals.

•

How much help do you have for rabbitry maintenance? If you’re relying on family members for help, ask yourself which tasks they’re truly capable of performing.

•

Which facets of raising rabbits appeal to you? Companionship? Wool or meat? Manure to enrich your garden soil?

Rabbits as Pets

Rabbits have kept humans company as long as any domestic animal—and for good reason. They’re small, gentle, soft, and extremely quiet. They’re easy to keep and they have very few specific needs. Pet rabbits don’t require vaccinations and can be kept in even the smallest apartments.

Rabbits make great pets, especially if you take the time to handle and socialize them.

Rabbit owners that take the time to interact with and watch their furry friends find that rabbits have individual personalities and can be very entertaining. (The juveniles are the most fun to watch with their air-springing antics!) That said, rabbits are easily startled and can scratch young children. Rabbits’ legs and backs are also easily injured, making it important to supervise kids when they’re handling them or caring for them.

Although rabbits prefer to have all four paws on the ground, once a rabbit is completely comfortable with you, it’ll relax its natural instinct and lie on its back in your arms. Now that’s trust! Most rabbits are up for some lap time that involves petting and chatting. The best way to do this is to place a towel on your lap to prevent scratches from your bunny’s toenails should it try to hop away.

Rabbits can become very fond of their caretakers, but this can only be achieved through consistent contact with them. Playtime also keeps rabbits physically and mentally stimulated.

Raise a Friendly Rabbit

Always remain aware that, first and foremost, your rabbit is a prey animal (see chapter 4 for more information about rabbit behavior). As rabbit-raisers, the only way to avoid evoking rabbits’ defensive behaviors is to gain their trust. But humans are predatory animals, and rabbits instinctively know this. Thankfully, hundreds of years of domestication are on your side. Rabbits bred to be pets are distant cousins to the wild rabbits in the world today, so it shouldn’t take long for you two to become friends.

Common Pet Rabbit Breeds

It’s worth mentioning that any rabbit breed can make a great companion. It truly depends upon the individual rabbit’s personality. That said, the majority of pet rabbits are in the lightweight and small categories. Popular rabbit breeds kept as pets include:

•

American Fuzzy Lop (4 pounds)

•

Dutch (5½ pounds)

•

Dwarf Hotot (2–3 pounds)

•

Himalayan (4½ pounds)

•

Holland Lop (4 pounds)

•

Jersey Wooly (3 pounds)

•

Lionhead* (2–4 pounds)

•

Mini Lop (6½ pounds)

•

Mini Rex (4½ pounds)

•

Mini Satin (4 pounds)

•

Netherland Dwarf (2 pounds)

•

Polish (2–3 pounds)

*Lionheads are not recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association as a true breed yet. However, they’re gaining popularity as pets.

If the rabbit is meant to be a pet for an adult, all breeds can and should be considered. But choosing a pet rabbit for a child creates some extra concerns. It’s extremely important to think about the size of the child. An 8-year-old may find it pretty difficult to pick up and handle a 17-pound French Lop, for example. It’s not impossible; it just may not be optimal. Angora breeds also don’t make great pets for kids. Although Angora rabbits are extremely friendly animals, and thus suited temperamentally to children, they require too much grooming work for the average youngster to handle (so, if you get one for your child, expect to pitch in quite a bit!). Also keep in mind that rabbits such as American Fuzzy Lops and Jersey Woolies are considered to have wool as opposed to normal fur, but both breeds grow considerably less than their full-wool counterparts, such as the English Angora. In addition, after their baby coats fall out, a different adult coat comes in. This adult coat has a lot more of what are referred to as “guard hairs,” which makes the coat far less wooly and more manageable. It’s important to research the different breeds and their care rather than simply rely on their names, because as you can see, first impressions can be deceiving.

Teach children how to properly handle a rabbit so that everyone involved is happy.

Rabbits in the Spotlight

There are several ways to have fun with your rabbits that have nothing to do with raising them for their byproducts. Showing rabbits is a hobby in which human and animal bonding is encouraged and rewarded with titles, ribbons, and other prizes.

Handle with Care

Here are some techniques that will help turn your rabbit into your best friend.

•

Handle your bunny for short periods every day. It isn’t the length of time that you hold and pet it that’s important; it’s the frequency.

•

Start out in a small, confined space with your rabbit so that if it hops away, you won’t be forced to chase and catch it.

•

Talk to your rabbit and approach it calmly. Loud, sharp noises will provoke its flight response.

•

Try letting your rabbit out of its cage (in a bunny-safe environment) and let it come to you. Rabbits are curious creatures; you may be surprised at how quickly it approaches you.

•

In the beginning, simply sit and pet your rabbit (as opposed to holding and carrying it). A rabbit that’s being carried has lost its greatest defense—the ability to run away from danger. Give your bunny some time to figure out that you’re not a threat.

•

Offer healthy treats or rabbit-safe toys when you play with your rabbit. Let it associate you with all things tasty and fun.

•

Explain to visitors that they need to handle your rabbit the same way you do. If your friend grabs or chases your bunny, it could set your relationship with your rabbit back for weeks.

•

Don’t let predators such as dogs or cats near your new pet; their natural instinct is to hunt rabbits. Besides terrifying your rabbit, they could also cause serious injuries.

•

Keep your rabbit’s home clean and provide fresh bedding, food, and water at all times. A healthy bunny is a happy (and therefore friendly) bunny.

Raising Show Rabbits

Raising show rabbits is often referred to as raising rabbits for fancy. If your small livestock is papered (having documentation proving its purebred lineage), and it’s a breed that’s recognized by the ARBA, then you can become involved in the rabbit fancy. Only purebred animals are shown.

Rabbit shows quickly take on a life of their own as a rabbit breeder becomes part of the show community. Showing rabbits is a fun and entertaining hobby that can end up becoming a small business venture, as well. Many a rabbit fancier has started showing his or her animals “just for fun” only to become hooked for life.