Marks of Excellence

Shape

You got this far, now get to the meat of the showing. Remember, rabbits are meat stock, and judges are looking for qualities that exemplify that particular industry. The rabbit's body should be lean and hard and feel about as solid as an inflated basketball (coated with fur). His skin should not be overly loose, and he should show no signs of neglect or disease.

Once again, make sure your rabbits are uniform. The qualities you desire most are similar weights per pen. Do you have three bunnies that weigh 5 lbs., 5 lbs., and 5.25 lbs.? Not if you can help it! Weigh them once a week then every day 1-2 weeks before the show. Regulate their feed if their weight diverges.

Make sure that they have solid rears. Remember the basketball reference? What you want is a 'basketball-butt': solid, round as a basketball. You do not want to feel his spine when you pass your hand over it, other than maybe a vague indication. Clearly defined vertebrae are referred to as 'razorbacks' and will not fare well on the judging table. You want the hips to be firmly incased in sturdy flesh. Make sure that they do not jut, or flare. You want the shoulders in a similar condition: bones nicely covered, firm, and well fleshed. Make sure that the overall appearance of your rabbit is muscled and balanced. While the bulk of the muscle will lean towards your rabbit’s hind-end, do not forget those shoulders!

One way to bulk up a rabbit’s shoulders is to give him some toys to play with. My personal favorite is an empty (and clean!) cat-food can. They pick it up with their teeth, roll it back and forth, and throw it around. When preparing it, make sure that it has cleaned properly and stripped of any sharp metal edges that can hurt their mouths. I throw them in the dishwasher after removing the label then test the edges with my fingers. Always remember to discard this toy at the first sign of rust.

Fur

Though of lesser importance, the fur of a rabbit can be a deciding factor in the show. It should be clean, unstained, and groomed. Keep your bunnies clean and away from waste the entire time they are in your care. One of the most shameful things I have witnessed before a show is an owner bathing a rabbit completely smeared with thick urine stains while the judges watched. Though there are some methods to remove the stains from fur that you can find online, most stains are permanent until the coat grows out.

Condition

One of the signs of quality for a rabbit is healthy fur. Your rabbit’s fur should be thick and soft. There should be no evidence of thinning hair anywhere on his form. Be aware that older rabbits, especially males, can be prone to matting, so make sure your rabbits are not in need of a brush.

Do not discount your eyes when it comes to examining the fur. When you look at it, does it look smooth and silky? Look very closely and use the light to your advantage. Can you see the almost bluish hints of shadow on the coat? The less of this you see, the better.

Flyback

Another quality of good fur is called ‘flyback’. This is where a mature rabbit's fur returns to position after being brushed backwards. This does not irritate a rabbit like it will a cat or dog: the fur effortlessly fluffs back into place. It's fun to watch.

Their fur should begin to behave like this as a rabbit starts hits the age ready for show. To condition it properly, you cannot use oil or other substances directly on their fur as the effects are obvious and spell disqualification. Part of your daily grooming and posing ritual with each rabbit should include working their fur instead.

Brush them to get rid of any extra hair. Dampen your hands and start stroking their fur from head to tail, then reverse direction, brushing their fur up and backwards. Then stroke it back to position. Do this until your hands are dry. A good ratio would be every eight strokes head to tail for every stroke backwards.

To make the fur more lush and silky, consider adding a small amount of oily seeds to their diet, such as sunflower seeds. Do not add more than 1 teaspoon per daily food ration, as the fur will become greasy and clump.

Smut

Californian rabbits are born completely white, but the points on their body that are somewhat isolated from their core body temperatures turn dark. In short, they develop dark spots for the same reason that a Siamese cat does: the skin is cooler. Their feet, tails, noses, and ears will have a dark shade that ranges from pale brown to black.

Smut is an occurrence of dark splotches of fur that are not concentrated on the aforementioned locations, such as the spine or belly. California breeders will be disqualified for smut. However, baby frosting is not usually considered a problem for meat pens. Baby frosting occurs when a newborn or young Californian is chilled before their fur grows in. The fur will grow out tipped with black that will not fade until shortly after they are weaned. This looks like you have a silver rabbit, and while the effect is commonly considered pretty, it is merely a badge of surviving exposure.

Smut

Frost