Raising/showing rabbits!! Please help?

Question

I am trying to show rabbits and guinea pigs in my FFA. I'm not sure what breed they are so i just put them in a grade class. If I got a rabbit that I knew what breed it was do I have to have a pedigree to show it like you do with cats and dogs? Or do they just enter you in the class?

Answer 1

I don't know about Guineas as I only show rabbits, but rabbits don't need pedigrees to be shown in a ARBA sanctioned show. The rabbits are graded physically not genetically. So all you have to do is give the info about that rabbit. The show form should go like this:

Breed: Holland Lop

s*x: Buck

Age: Jr.

Variety: Broken Tort

Ear Number: BTB

That is just an example. But the rabbit does have to be purebred. You can't put a mixed rabbit in as a Holland Lop and expect it to win. That is your responsibility.

Answer 2

have you read http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/r... ?

Answer 3

I would assume that both cavies (guinea pigs) and rabbits are shown under the same rules, since both are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeder's Association (ARBA). But I only show rabbits, so don't quote me on that.

Rabbits do not have to have a pedigree OR even be purebred to show in a breed class, whether it is 4-H or ARBA sanctioned shows. It does if you want to register it with the ARBA, but not just to show it.

In order to have a chance at placing, whether it is purebred and pedigreed or not, the animal is judged on their body type, color, condition, etc. They are not placed higher or lower based solely on pedigree.

There are even some breeds, like the Holland Lop which occasionally will throw a "fuzzy" Holland- a Holland with wool. These rabbits will sometimes be integrated into American Fuzzy Lop breeding programs because they exhibit the same type as the AFL's. So although their children are NOT purebred, they can still be shown as AFL's.

Hope this helped!