how do you get into showing rabbits

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Colorguarder08

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Bellingham, Washington, USA
I would eventually like to show rabbits (obviously not Freckles). I don't think that we have any shows around here. I've already started thinking about any other bunny and would like a Flemish Giant not sure when that will happen but I've always like Flemish Giants however I don't know how to go about getting that particular breed I've only seen one ad for them on Kijiji. As I said I would eventually love to get into showing rabbits and even breeding them. Any suggestions on this.
 
Washington ARBA shows

What you need to bring to a show

Going to my first show Saturday

From National Flemish Giants Club website:

[align=left]Washington [/align][align=left] [/align] Mandy & Riley* Collar (Mandy's Monster Farm)
[align=left]Yelm, Washington [/align][align=left]Fawn, Lt. Gray, Sandy, Steel, White [/align][align=left]E-mail: [email protected] [/align][align=left]Website: www.mandysmonsterfarm.com[/align][align=left]
[/align][align=left]There are others that breed in WA state I'm sure - but they didn't pay the extra to get listed on the website.[/align][align=left]
[/align][align=left][line][/align][align=left]What do you need to show?
[/align][align=left]
[/align][align=left]A bunny of course. You don't need a pedigree (for most shows) - you don't need to be a member of ARBA (for most shows).
[/align][align=left]
[/align][align=left]You just need a rabbit that meets the breed standard (which you can find in ARBA's "Standard of Perfection" book in their store at www.arba.net[/align][align=left]
[/align][align=left]Hope that helps![/align][align=left]
[/align][align=left]
[/align]​
 
A bit more information...

An "open" show means adults
A "youth" show is under 18 if I remember right.

A "specialty" show means it is for that particular breed (often combined with an open show at the same location).

A "double" show means that there are two shows (the rabbits will go before two judges) and you pay a fee for each show if you enter both.

Hope those help!
 
Thank you so much as I said I would like to eventually show and breed rabbits and I love giant animal breeds however I do like the flemish giants in particular so. I will definatley be looking into it.
 
One tip, weight your rabbits (with a good scale) before you do your entries. You will really just be wasting money if a rabbit is over or under weight. Many breeders do have to limit how many they can bring due to costs and space, so there is no sense to bring a rabbit that is over or under when you have others that are the right weight.

Many breeders don't really advertise on Kijiji, I only know of 1 local breeder who does ads and is part of the breeders club.
Go to a show or at least contact people through a breeders club. You will probably get more contacts that way. Shows are also good to meet breeders who are not club members.

It is probably better to start learning now about the basics of breeding as well as the standards and such rather than trying to learn it all as you go. While you will be learning as you go, having a good base when you start is important. You do save money as you don't end up buying rabbits who aren't up to the standard and waste time breeding those rabbits when you could focus on higher quality rabbits.
Starting small can also be good. Get 2-5 rabbits (depending on how you want to start) and work with them. Don't keep buying until you know what you want. If you start small, it is a bit easier if you decide you are not really into it or want to stay small. You might even want to try getting 1 rabbit and going to a show with it to see how you may do.
 
also, for the flemish you need a lot of room. and theres not a lot of breeders out there. Speaking from someone who shows 3 very uncommon breeds, theres a lot of fun sucked out of the showing when you are the only one there with that particular breed. I have to stack the tables with Harlequins... and I wont take any of my lops if no one else will be there. So if Flemish are something you're thinking of getting into, take that into account.
 
watch out! we got hooked our very first show. it was a blast to hear what the judge had to say about our first Buck that we bought afterwards. Buck got so many comments if it wasnt for his sun bleached fur he would have won his group but he didnt but that didnt stop us from purchasing him because he will molt again and be one hot bunny.
 
Well I didn't really think that there would be many breeders that would use ads because don't they usually have a waiting list?. But I will look into checking out some shows. Definatley not in a rush to get into it but just an idea.
 

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