Please help I'm 100% clueless!

So I have a 4 year old male German angora rabbit. He is tattooed has papers and all. I'm clueless where and how to start my showing adventure. He had fairly bad sore hocks a few years ago that we have sense treated but he still has a strangely twisted (not gone just twisted) toenail would that DQ him? I have another rabbit without papers but he's purebred could I get him papers and a tattoo so I could show him too? How does the average show even work? Do the rabbits stay there and I leave? Do I stay? Is 4 years to old? Is it really hard to win? What kinda preparations should do with his wool? Should I brush him or leave his wool thick? And please give as many tips and as much info as possible the questions above are just the few i thought of. If there is anything else I need to know please feel free to tell me I'm just starting so I'm sorry if my questions are dumb. I tried to do some reading on the internet but it's all over the place, no solid info. Thanks:bunny24

Oh and he seems to have a ton of extra skin is this normal for angoras?

Sorry, I can't help with your angora specific questions, but normally a rabbit doesn't have to have papers to be shown, but they should be purebred. Are you in the U.S.? I don't believe german angoras are a recognized breed if you are. I saw that there is an international association for that breed though that has a website, iagarb.com.

They are allowed to show under giant angoras that's one of the only things I do know lol I am in the USA

I absolutely love Betty Chu and the information she passes around. She has won many titles with her angoras and is very well respected. Here is her website with info on grooming an angora: http://bettychuenglishangora.com/grooming/index.html

And info about showing:http://bettychuenglishangora.com/showing/index.html

A twisted nail will not get your buck DQd. As long as one is present he is fine. The only requirements for a show are that the rabbit matches a breed standard and is tattood. Some people tattoo at shows if you are unable to and change around $5 for it.

A show is a lot of fun but there's also a lot of waiting involved. Betty's website gave a little more insight into preparation so I would start there and find a show you would like to attend. Don't sorry we are here to help! Welcome to the hobby

Thanks for all the great info and links! Ive decided to show my two bucks, an American Chinchilla, and my German Angora (shown as a Giant Angora)! Will points be deduced for his nails? If anyone else have any need-to-know tips please tell me ! :dutch

I think you have to have papers to show your rabbits. I know my kids are in 4H and we have to have pedigree papers and ear tatoos. Check before you go!

Oh okay... How would I check if I need papers? And what papers do I need? Could I get them for a 100% unregistered bunny?

You don't need papers. Some 4-H clubs may work differently simply because they're a youth program meant for learning. But shows sanctioned by the American Rabbit Breeders Association do not require pedigrees.

No, you can't get a pedigree for an unregistered rabbit unless the breeder gives you one.

Okay great! Is it a bad idea to get your buck tattooed the same day as the show? I am signing my American Chinchilla up for a show in a month can't sign the angora up because he needs to grow his wool out a little more. Thank you all for the amazing info!:community:

okay so I have another question... Are they a sticker about weight? Because he is 7.8 lbs and they are suppose to be 9lbs does it matter? Should I make him fatter? If I should how would I go about doing that?

We've tattoo'd close to show and had no problems. He will be DQ' d for being underweight. Senior bucks are to be 9 1/2 lbs and over. There are different things you can do to put some weight on him. You can provide more pellets. You could also add a small amount of black oil sunflower seeds and/or rolled oats to his feed. Don't add too much.

Okay thanks I'll buy some oats ASAP. Do you think he could gain that by the 13th?

I don't know, but judges will usually allow a couple of ounces leeway if he's weighed. If he's DQ' d you will still get comments from the judge on him. Check for other shows that are coming up later.

If you get the rolled oats at a grocery store make sure you get the old fashioned ones.

I was doing a little bit of research and I had to remember that there are 3 types of chinchilla rabbits. The Standard, American, and Giant. Standards being the smallest with a max weight of 7.5 and a compact body type. Americans have a max weight of 12 and a commercial body type. Giants have a max weight of 16 and a semi arch body type. Are you sure your buck is an American and not a standard? Since he didn't come with papers you might want to ask the breeder again if you're not sure.

If you are sure then he is on the small side and will definitely need to add weight. I don't know if you ever said his age but he is over 6mos correct?

Basilbunny said:

okay so I have another question... Are they a sticker about weight? Because he is 7.8 lbs and they are suppose to be 9lbs does it matter? Should I make him fatter? If I should how would I go about doing that?

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Weights are outlined in each breed standard, which are available in the ARBA Standard of Perfection book. If the rabbit doesn't meet the guidelines for the breed under which it is entered in the show, it will be disqualified. So yes, weight matters.

However, adding weight doesn't necessarily fix the problem. Rabbits must be bred for appropriate size and weight. Their weights can fluctuate by a few ounces. But adding or taking off a pound or more, if the rabbit is in good body condition, is not good because that means he'll either be too thin or too fat.

If you have a small buck, that would be a rabbit you may breed to a larger doe in hopes of producing offspring that meet weight requirements.

His is a American chin. He is over 6m and he look the appropriate size. I'm going to weigh him more correctly. I weighed him using a adult human scale by weighing myself then weighing me holding him. I am now thinking maybe it was not accurate because he is a very large rabbit and does not look and feel 7.8lbs. Plus that scale has an error range of like 3-5 lbs

You're right, Am Chin should be 9 lbs. I misunderstood and thought you were saying your angora was only 7.8 lbs.

We use a digital postal scale to weigh our rabbits. It's inexpensive and we use a shoebox on top to put them in.

I got a few rabbits at a show today. They have tattoos in their ears but the owner didn't have their pedigree. Is there anywhere I can get them? I would love to keep up their pedigrees

The only way to get a pedigree is through the breeder as long as that's the breeder that originally bred the rabbit