I am 12 Years old and i want to start up with Rabbits again and I was wondering if anyone had a good breed of rabbit that you would like to suggest.And if anyone has any type of advice(hutches, food,breeders, websites, etc.)I would greatly appreciate any advice you have to give me.Thanx,Stephanie

-- Stephanie (aubrey56@maine.rr.com), October 03, 2001

Answers

Hi Stephanie, DO you want the rabbits for showing? My favorite is the mini-rex, although we also raise florida whites, californians, and holland lops. The mini-rex have the softest fur, like crushed velvet, and they only get to be about 4 pounds, so they are not too big to handle. Ours have the sweetest dispositions, but any rabbit can have a sweet disposition if you spend time with it. A really good website you might want to visit is www.rabbitweb.net and go to the discussion boards and read the messages there, they are very helpful. You can also see pictures of all of the different breeds at www.arba.net. Email me if I can help you or answer any questions.

-- Tracey (trjlanier@cs.com), October 03, 2001.

Stephanie, if you are goint to start up for 4H you may want to find the local kids who are winning. Purchasing stock from them, even their old brood does would give you better rabbits to show than somebody with just backyard rabbits. Straight teeth, a nice rounded body and good feet, are all things to learn, and learn from somebody who shows. Even if you just want to do the pet thing, you will either have to eat your babies yourself or sell them for pets, or not breed them :) But with registered stock, you could also sell them to other 4H kids to show. Having litters of babies born at the right time of the year for other county shows, gives you sales of meat pens quickly. Most meat pens are made up of a Californian's or New Zealand Whites, though in counties with breeding shows (none around us) any rabbit you think is pretty is fine. The cross of the male Californian to his harem of New Zealand gals, is a nice match for family meat and sellable babies for pets, especially at easter. You can always find somebody selling cages, feeders and waterers cheap. Rabbits are the first homestead animal, so there are alot for sale when the kids get tired of them. Several months after Easter you could get as many rabbits as you wanted for free from your local humane society. Good luck! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 03, 2001.

I raise English Angoras for their fur but the biggest pets I have are the offspring and grand-offspring of a little brown lop that I bought at a flea market! I have bred her with Angoras and now have different color fur that is beautiful....from shades of light brown all the way to black! Her name is Tadpole and she has the best personality and all of her offspring and the later generations have inherited it! They love to be cuddled and petted!

Whatever kind you get, pet them a lot!!! best wishes! suzy

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), October 03, 2001.

Stephanie,

The first thing I would do is find a 4H club to join in your area. If you are not sure where on is then go to your local livestock feed store and ask them or call the nearest Fair grounds and ask them for their 4H representives phone number. Call them and ask for the 4H closest to you. Since you want to raise rabbits they can help you fine a 4H leader that does rabbits.

I feed a complete ration to my rabbits. My large breeds I feed an 18% protein content and to my smaller rabbits I feed a 16% protein.

I recommend cages that are made of all galvenized metals. I like my cages to be 18 inches tall for the larger breeds by 48 inches long by 24 inches deep. This way I can raise a litter of large rabbits in it and use the cage for keeping the kits (babies) in it until they are ready for culling. Remember to make the door large enough to put a nesting box in!

http://www.kwcages.com

http://www.mortonjones.com

get their catalog and look at wire, cages, feeders, waters and so on. The catalog is free!

You can also find free rabbits and cages in your local paper.

Since you haven't said what you are interested in..showing or meat or fur or ??? and you haven't given the state you live it is hard to give you the name of a breeder near you.

-- westbrook (westbrook_farms@yahoo.com), October 03, 2001.

I'm interested in showing and/or having the rabbit/s as a pet.And I live in Biddeford Maine but am moving to parsonsfield in around a year or so.My mom, my sister and I are all looking to join a 4-h club near parsonsfield.And we travel up near there for the monthly homeschool meetings anyway i'm sure my mom wouldn't mind making another trip too.

-- Stephanie (aubrey56@maine.rr.com), October 03, 2001.

I raise angoras and just love their calm personalities and I spin the wool collected from them. There are several different types of Angora rabbits...from small (english) to very large (Giant or German) I also have a mini rex (retired 4H show rabbit) and her daughter, a cross with a French angora. All of them are very sweet. If you want a beautiful, calm and unusual bunny..I vote for angora!! The feed I use is Heinold Wool formula rabbit pellets. I special order it from our local feed store. I also give each rabbit a large handful of oat or forage hay each evening and treats of apple halves or a half carrot. Good luck!!!

-- Jenny Pipes (Auntjenny6@aol.com), October 04, 2001.