- AIW Rabbitry
How to prep and what to expect at your first show...
We will always suggest going to a show without rabbits before diving into showing yourself as a test run; shows can be overstimulating for some folks, they are full of people and rabbits and there's not a lot of personal space to be had most of them time. This test run can also give you a first hand idea of what you specifically will need/want to bring, it will also allow you to see many of the breeds in the flesh, see how judging works and network with other breeders. Follow this link to find a show in your state.
Preparing for shows starts long before you are actually packing the car at 4 a.m. to drive 3 hours for a chance at a cheap ribbon; you should start prepping before you get rabbits! Rabbits at shows are judged against a standard, which is a detailed description of what characteristics each individual breed/variety should have, the information within the standard is so important to have in hand before searching for rabbits you intend to show or breed for showable offspring. The American Rabbit Breeders Association updates the Standard of Perfection book every 5 years for any changes like adding new breeds and varieties and editing or clarifying rulings & procedures or altering existing breed standards, so make sure yours is up to date! Study the standard for your chosen breed(s), take note of the specific things to look for in a desirable animal and start looking for your foundation stock! You may also choose to become a member of ARBA and/or your national breed club now or at a later time.
You can obtain a copy of the ARBA Standard of Perfection book here. It covers all 50 (currently recognized) rabbit breeds and 13 cavy/guinea pig breeds, it also shows you how to properly pose each type of animal.
Show rabbits will literally be checked from head to tail and (unless you have specific breeds) will be posed on the table by a judge, so they should be exposed to this by the time they get to the show table. Starting young is incredibly helpful in having relaxed rabbits on the table, consistency is important as well. Keep the process as low stress as possible, some days they may not want to work - that's fine, try again later.
We handle all of our kits from day one but posing practice starts at the 4 week weigh in and happens twice a week.
Things to check during posing practice:
While on the table
- Ears: run your fingers along them and pretend to read a tattoo (even before they are tattooed), check inside for irritation or crusties! - Eyes: make sure eyes are bright and clear, proper color corresponding to coat color - Head shape: ensure your rabbit has the proper head shape and size for their breed - Shoulders: long shoulders can make an animal difficult to pose because of discomfort, make sure not to force the pose - Peak: the highest point of your rabbits spinal curvature while posed, your standard will tell you exactly where this should be - Hindquarters: choppy hindquarters or pinched hips can lead to difficult births - Fur texture & length: use your hand to brush from tail to head and blow into the coat to check colour and fur type, smooth fur back down and make sure it is the proper length
Now time for the flip - please do this carefully, it takes some getting used to
- Teeth: from above use the thumb and forefinger on your free hand to ensure teeth are not overgrown or crooked - Toe nails: make sure to check all toenails are intact, trimmed and the correct color for your variety - Front legs: check for length and straightness - Hocks: check for any signs of sore hocks, make sure the rear feet sit straight and do not toe in or toe out, extend the legs a few times and let them pull them back naturally and see where they sit - Genitals: gently press above the genitals to expose the sex of the rabbit, look for signs of vent disease in both sexes and split penis is males. -Tail: gently run your thumb and forefinger along the tail to ensure it lies straight and does not sit crooked
Back onto all 4 feet and pose one more time, give your rabbit some time on the table to just be comfortable and not run away because they will need to sit in a (often open top) coop on the judging table while the other rabbits in your variety/breed are judged.
The video above shows a wonderful judge going over AIW Benson, one of our (then) Jr Black Rex bucks at a show; his coat is a little brassy but we got good comments on his type (which is what we went for).
Well your rabbit meets the standard and knows how to pose... What now?! Now you can start gathering the supplies you'll want or need at a show, some of these will be needed before the show to get your rabbit ready to hit the table.
Tattoo equipment: each rabbit needs to be tattooed in their left ear with letters, numbers, or a combination of both; NO symbols can be used and it needs to be legible. The most popular forms of tattooing rabbits are by pen or by clamp, both are equally valid choices and it's up to you which you choose. You'll also want to have on hand: rubbing alcohol swabs - to clean the skin before and after tattooing and latex or nitrile gloves - to protect your hands from any ink.
*Clamp and Pen styles shown are examples only, we are not promoting these particular brands.
Grooming equipment: nail clippers, non- scented baby wipes, combs, brushes, quick stop powder, (and a blower for long coated breeds like Angoras) are all great tools to have on hand for last minute touch ups the morning of the show. Many exhibitors will have a grooming table with a carpet square; free standing tables can be pretty spendy but there are alternatives that hang from the side of your carrier (this usually works best if you have a stack instead of an individual carrier) or you can just keep a square of carpet and use the lid of your carrier to groom your rabbit pre-show. I find it best to have a box or tote with a lid to keep all of these items contained, mine has storage below a pull out tray and a locking lid; it also matches my carriers which makes my brain happy.
Travel carriers: a majority of show folks will have wire travel carriers with waste pans that keep their animals out of their mess, these pans are often lined with shavings or pine pellets but with the rise of RHDV2 some shows are requesting people use puppy pads to line pans to limit possible spread. You can purchase or make risers to go in solid bottom carriers before making the decision to invest in all wire carriers, which you can build yourself (we have a tutorial here for the carriers we use) or you can get them from a vendor prebuilt.
Make sure your rabbit will have enough space to turn around and lay down inside their carrier with food/water bowls or bottles installed; more space may allow them to injure themselves during transport and less space makes them uncomfortable.
Regardless of carrier choice, make sure your rabbit will be clean and dry for the entire day to avoid urine scald and angry judge comments because your rabbit is soaked in pee.
Shown above are 3 of our carriers full of transport rabbits and our chalkboard show sign
Dry erase board & markers: this can be super helpful to advertise anything you may have available, anything may be seeking, or any services you are offering; there is usually 1-2 people who will offer to tattoo day of show for a donation, folks also offer transport from point A to point B.
We chose to use a chalkboard sign with a vinyl decals and painted accents to match our carriers!
Seating: a good comfortable folding chair is important, especially if you're at a double or triple show. While most of the morning is spent running around making sure everything is unloaded, listening for your breed to be called and visiting vendors and friends, around noon (during lunch) everything slows down and you have a moment to breathe and should take the opportunity to rest your feet!
I highly suggest finding a chair with a cup holder and a pocket, my chair has been through 6 years of shows and is still in great condition.
Rolling cart: if you have a bad back, a long walk or a lot of carriers to haul, a rolling cart can be super helpful to get your carriers from the car to the place you've chosen in the showroom. Water & food: for both you and the rabbits! Make sure everyone stays hydrated, there will likely be some water source available at the show venue, but I prefer to haul water from home to keep my rabbits consistent. Any rabbits leaving for new homes should have transition food available to the new owner and any rabbits returning home should have adequate feed for the entire trip. Shows will often have a human food vendor or a snack table, if you're a picky eater or have dietary restrictions we would suggest bringing snacks or lunch from home if you're not willing to search the general area for a restaurant during the show.
Paperwork: if you are traveling out of state for a show you may be asked to obtain a health certificate from a vet so keep this handy in case its requested (both at the show and on the road). If you have brought available rabbits that have pedigrees keep them in an easy to reach spot so prospective new owners can make an informed decision. Remember pedigrees are NOT required to show, but they are required to register and grand rabbits with ARBA; many breeders prefer to find rabbits with paperwork attached so they know what that rabbit may be carrying. REMEMBER that space is often limited at shows so make sure no matter how much you haul to the show that it can be contained within a reasonable amount of space; this often means stacking carriers, scooting chairs close to each other and hiding you cooler and grooming box under your chair. Be courteous to your fellow show folks, we are all in this hobby together!
At this point you can finally select your first show that you will attend with your rabbits; CONGRATS because it takes a lot of time, effort and determination to get to this point and it will pay off soon! When searching for a show, check the catalog/flyer if it's available to see all of the information about the show; the cage vendor, the food vendor, raffles will be listed here as well as the sanctioned breeds list (sanctioned breeds are awarded points for year end awards in your breed club, you can still show your rabbit if the breed is not listed on the sanctioned list or if you are not a member of ARBA or your national breed club). The show flyer should also include the time judging begins, the exact location of the show and if the show is pre-entry or if they allow day of show entries. This is important to know because you do not want to load everything up thinking its day of entry and it was pre-entry only and you can't show that day; even with pre-entry shows you will need to be on time (or early) to ensure you check in before registration closes! Also make sure to check the distance to the show, occasionally you can find a show within an hour of your home but often you'll find shows all around your state (and neighboring states) and the drive could be hours long. If the drive for your show is exceedingly long you can opt to get a hotel room and travel the night before the show, sleep and be fresh as a daisy when you stroll into the showroom on show day; if it's an hour or two just load up on coffee and head out the morning of.
Do a test load a few days before the show actually happens to make sure everything will fit into your vehicle. Our first show load with the new carriers just barely fit into the car but I managed to fit 3 carriers containing 13 rabbits, transfer and travel feed for everyone, transport paperwork & pedigrees, chalkboard, show chair, grooming box, shavings and 2 gallons of water. So pack and repack until you figure out the best way to organize your vehicle!
Once you arrive at the show room the first thing you should do is go inside and register, there is all the time in the world to unload and get your area set for the day after you have registered all your rabbits and taken care of your fees, so do this first! You may need to fill out a comment card for each rabbit you are showing that day (possibly in quadruplicate if you are at a multi show) with information that includes: ear number, your name, address, if you are showing open or youth (in cases of multi shows, show A, show B, show C, etc should be noted as well), the date, the breed, variety, sex and age of your rabbit. You may also opt to compete in fur classes which are judged after breed judging is completed. Return the comments cards to the nice folks at the registration table, take care of your fees and head back to the car.
Now you can bust out your handy rolling cart, load it with all your equipment and start loading into the show room.
Some shows allow for set up the night before so you do not have to worry about rabbits in carriers sitting in the car all night if you choose to get a hotel room that doesn't allow pets so check with the show secretary to see if this is an option.
Keep in mind that at larger shows like Ohio Mini Convention and National Convention your rabbits will have coops available for the duration of the show and you will likely have to set up your chairs and grooming table outside the showroom (weather permitting); some clubs also offer cooping for multi-day shows but we haven't come across these often.
Risers mentioned in the carrier section are helpful with cooped shows because they keep he rabbits off of the solid floors of the coops, locks are also handy when at cooped shows to make sure your rabbits are safe while you're not around.
Make sure to listen when they call the breeds and which table they are being shown at, some shows will do youth exhibitors first then open while others run them at the same time; breeds are usually called by highest number of entered rabbits first, so if you have a popular breed (like Holland Lops, Rex, New Zealands or Californians) you will likely be showing earlier than lower population breeds (like Harlequins, Lilac or Cinnamons).
When your breed and judging table are called, gather all of the rabbits you have of that breed and head to the table; it is absolutely fine to haul single or multiple carriers to the table but do not put everyone on the table at once or block the walkway! Breeds are judged by variety in alphabetical order starting with Jr bucks, Jr does, Sr bucks and Sr does in that order (UNLESS you are showing a 6 class rabbit which will exhibit rabbits as Junior, Intermediate and Senior. List of 4/6 class breeds here.
Do not bug the judge, you can be disqualified for doing so, if you have a question about your rabbit specifically or the breed in general wait until after the judge had awarded Best of Breed and is clearing or has cleared the table of competing rabbits to ask. Using Rex as an example; Black will be the first variety called and placed in the coops on the table, once your rabbit is cooped step back until you hear your ear number called, listen to the comments the judge has and then step back again. If your rabbit is chosen for Best of Variety it will likely stay on the table until Best of Breed is judged (space permitting), a judge may ask that a rabbit be removed from the table to make space for animals being actively judged and returned for Best of Breed. After all of the individual varieties are judged, Best of Breed will be judged from the pool of Best of Variety winners; if your rabbit wins Best of Breed you will need to listen for Best 4 or Best 6 Class to be announced. Best 4 (Jr/Sr) or 6 Class (Jr/Int/Sr) will be judged from the pool of Best of Breed winners from each class; winners of Best 4 or 6 Class will go on to compete for Best in Show. The club sponsoring the show will likely be awarding prizes or ribbons for those who win Best of Breed, Best Opposite of Breed and Best in Show so if you win any of these speak to the folks at the registration table after your rabbit has been judged to request your goodies.
Make sure when packing to leave that you have all of your own rabbits; some rabbits do look very similar and accidents can happen when removing rabbits from tables. Clean up your area and make sure you haven't left anything behind because these items may be difficult to retrieve later. If you earned a leg for any of your rabbits you should receive an e-mail or mailed copy of that leg for your records about 2 weeks after the show.
That's it! You've completed your first show, hopefully you've gotten some great comments on your rabbits and know how to continue to improve your lines so you can produce the best rabbits you can. Networking with other breeders at shows can help greatly with finding exactly what you need in your lines so keep an eye on who else is working with your breed, they may be willing to help with new genetics or even help with information as a mentor- both are valuable.
4-Class 6-Class
American Fuzzy Lop American
American Sable American Chinchilla
Belgian Hare Beveren
Britannia Petite Blanc de Hotot
Dutch Californian
Dwarf Hotot Champagne d'Argent
English Angora Checkered Giant
English Spot Cinnamon
Florida White Creme d'Argent
French Angora English Lop
Harlequin Flemish Giant
Havana French Lop
Himalayan Giant Angora
Holland Lop Giant Chinchilla
Jersey Wooly New Zealand
Lilac Satin
Lionhead Silver Fox
Mini Lop
Mini Rex
Mini Satin
Netherland Dwarf
Polish
Rhinelander
Satin Angora
Silver
Silver Marten
Standard Chinchilla
Standard Rex
Tan
Thrianta
Velveteen Lop (Not an Accepted Breed)
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