My children went to a 4H rabbit show yesterday and I have a question about something that the judge said about almost all of our Mini Rex rabbits. The judge said that the fur was too soft (a bad thing) and that most of our rabbits placed lower in their division because of this softness. Our castor buck placed 2nd instead of 1st for this one fault. Another placed 3rd instead of first or 2nd for this one fault. My son asked the judge what we could do about that because this is the first time that a judge has ever said that and the judge said that is was in the breeding. I\'m not sure about that though because no other judge has ever said anything about soft fur before and these are the same bunnies that we\'ve always shown or offspring of those same bunnies. The judges assistant said that using a metal brush on a Mini Rex could cause soft fur, and my son did used to do that and ruined one of our rabbits coats, but he stopped at least 6 months ago. I\'m wondering if something in the diet could be causing it. We feed a mixture of 2/3 pellets with the other 1/3 being oats and black oiled sunflower seeds each evening. We also feed hay every morning. The hay is usually grass hay or timothy hay (not alfalfa). Does anyone have ideas on how to correct fur being too soft in a Mini Rex?
You can\'t correct the texture of the fur through dietary means. The judge is correct - it is a hereditary trait.
Correct fur on a Mini Rex should have a \"distinct springy resistance to the touch.\" Rex fur too soft in texture is a result of the guard hairs being too short. They should be about the same length as the undercoat to give the proper \"drag\" when stroking the fur from rump to head. On the flip side, a harsh textured coat is one where the guard hairs overly protrude, giving a somewhat \"prickly\" feel. The diameter of the hair shaft also plays a big part in regards to texture.
Now...having said that, I\'ll say this: Not all judges are good evaluators of all breeds. Was this an ARBA judge or a 4-H judge? I ask that because ARBA judges are supposed to attend conferences to help them become better judges. Even so, I have run across ARBA judges that don\'t seem to have a clue when it comes to judging certain breeds. You need to remember that the placing a rabbit receives is simply a matter of the judge\'s opinion on THAT DAY. I would truly take comments on fur to heart much more if you are
consistently getting the same remarks from different judges.
Do your kids enter ARBA shows? Not to slam 4-H shows (I\'ve been a volunteer and paraprofessional in the 4-H Program for 21 years), but often I find they do not always follow the same criteria that are present in the ARBA shows. This is unfortunate as kids can come away with a distorted view as to the true quality of their animals.
So...I suggest that you have some real experts look over your rabbits. If it turns out they do need improvment in texture, the remedy is to obtain a buck and a doe with the best texture possible and begin carefully breeding those characteristics into your stock. It doesn\'t take many generations to start seeing real improvement.
Good luck.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
Since this was the first time that a judge has said this then I will not be too concerned yet. My children have only entered 4H shows and I don\'t know what type of judge he was. We attended an ARBA show last year to see what it was like and to do some volunteer work for my childrens record books, but they didn\'t enter their rabbits. I guess it just seems sort of scary to enter an ARBA show because I still feel like we\'re beginners. (We got our first 2 rabbits about 2 years ago.) I know of an ARBA show next month that is nearby, maybe I should take my children to that to get a better idea of where our rabbits stand compared to the standard. It would at least be a learning experience. Thanks for the tips on how the fur ought to feel. I\'ll have my children read this post and then we\'ll go feel our rabbits.
I really recommend you give ARBA shows a try. Not only do you have the benefit of a licensed ARBA judge, but there are several good breeders there who would be more than happy to do some teaching in regards to what to look for in a good Mini Rex.
Charlcie
i totally understand why you feel nervous about your first arba show i went to my first one when i hadn\'t even been in them for a year but when i got there i found out that the people there are so nice and helpful i absolutly loved my first show. going to a arba show is the best way to get your rabbits evalulated
Thanks for the push in the right direction. We\'ll go to that ARBA show next month and then we\'ll have a better idea if \"soft fur\" really is a problem for our bunnies or not.