Finding the Right breed

[IAbunnyguy]

My Son is eleven and wanting to join 4-h. As we live in city limits the only show animal he can have is Rabbits. I had French angoras in the past to use for fiber/spinning but never showed them.

We are looking for the right breed for him. The Iowa State fair is having their bunny show later this week so we can talk to breeders then but with so many people having bunnies to sell I am afraid anyone I talk to will say THEY have the right breed for sale.

We are looking for:

Something large enough to be safe housed outside in Iowa winters
A non agressive breed (we have a toddler as well)
Something advanced-beguiner friendly. This is his bunny but I will help.
Something that isn't the most popular breed out there. Who wants to have that bunny that is one of thousands.

Any suggesstions

 

[Pharfly]

How about a satin? They are not very common here and have really shiney coats, the reds look mettallic!
They are very friendly also.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Satins or Standard Rex. Sadly because of the sizes of both of those breed their mini parts are being raise more commonly. I would get one of those breeds if i had the room. Depending on how big you want to go french lops, flemish giants, and the angoras are also good rabbits with not really big numbers

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I would not really recommend a wooled breed for outside. In the summer they can overheat and in the winter they can get cold if they have been recently shaved. The grooming is a lot (as you should know) and it it a lot for an experienced rabbit owner and not really good for someone who is more new to rabbits.
Rexes can also be not good outside in the winter since they have a different coat. If you had a space that was more enclosed, like a shed, if might be ok, but just out in a hutch would not be good.

A lot of larger breeds tend to be more docile, but due to their size can be harder for kids to handle just because of the size.

You should ask what the 4-H club focuses on in your area. This can mean that some breeds aren't the best for what that club does. I know there is a 4-H club in Iowa that does Rabbit Hopping, and large breeds aren't the best for this. Other clubs tend to be better for any breed since they might focus on breeding, showing and other thins that any breed can be used for. I would just reccomend knowing what the club does before deciding on a breed and getting a rabbit.

The popularity of a breed varies from area to area. Some breeds are more popular in one area, but there can be none in another. You would have to see what is popular in your area. Going to the 4-H show would be a good indicator on what is popular, if you see a lot of one breed that you can safely say it is popular in your area. You can also look on rabbit breeder club websites and see what members in your area breed (most list what the breeder has).

Some breeds that might work for you could be a Harlequin, Thrianta, Mini lop, Satin, and Lilac. Maybe try to aim for a breed that is about 6-10 pounds, so it is a good size but not too big. http://arba.net/breeds.htm

 

[caustin4]

Are you planning on breeding the rabbit? If so its fun to have a breed that experiment with color genetics, such as a Rex. If you don't care about that I suggest a palomino, champagne or Creme d'argent. All around 10 lbs, so decently large, but small enough to still handle and do showmanship.

 

[KittyKatMe]

I would reccomend Mini Rex for your kids, but since you want a a larger breed,Rex. They are sweet, come in lots of colors, and are not thet common due to their average of 9 lbs. I have one myself, and she is defenitely the favorite of my bunnies to guests. I have a five year old brother, and she is as gentle as a lamb. They are also pretty easy to groom and handle. If you are planning to breed, there is lots of colors to experiment with. And Rexes make wonderful mothers. Another good breed to go with would be the Satin, as they have a lot of the same qualities of the Rex, but have a satin coat. whatever you choose, make sure to post pics!

 

[Hyatt101]

Smaller breeds tend to be easier, but you can do large breeds too, so I would have to say, lioheads, dutch, mini or large rex, you could do a dwarf liohead, satin. Send pics when you get one and good luck!!:thumbup

 

[DharmaBuns]

I'm not sure how large you're looking for but...Silver Fox are the "Teddy Bear of the Breed." They are incredibly sweet and docile. The drawback to them is that they're quite large, but would definitely winter well with all of that fur. Also, they're one of the rarer breeds, yet I haven't found them to be so rare that you can't even find any.

I also would reccomended Rex or Satins

 

[KittyKatMe]

I forgot Silver Fox! Really sweet buns. Also the Thrianta. They are about 5 lbs, but are pretty hardy and are easy to handle. They are also one of the newest ARBA recognized breeds, so they aren't very common. We need more breeders specializing in them and more showers!

 

[wendymac]

The Polish rabbits are an amazing little breed! They stay really small, and have very laid-back dispositions. And they aren't very common, at least in my part of the country.

 

[bunnychild]

Thriantas are a good rabbit and they are very pretty. Liliacs, palomino, champagne or Creme d'argent are pretty rare in 4H around here.

 

[aburkholder]

I know lilacs can not be in direct sunlight there coats can get faded from the sun.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Just in case you weren't aware this is a really old thread

 

[aburkholder]

Thanks I did notice but was not sure how to delete my post.