What's Your Favorite Breed and Why???

This page will be dedicated to something kind of fun!

I am using this as an unofficial survey to find out what breeds people like and why!

E-mail me at havafox@uslink.net

Tell me what your favorite breed is and why... also tell me what the most common problems are with that breed.

I will post all responses on this page!



I will start this off with why I raise the breeds I have...

There is truly no breed of rabbit that can meet my needs as well as the Havana.
Havanas are a medium to small breed with a wonderful personality and very gentle temperament. Though some may refer to them as a "Plain Jane" rabbit because they do not have anything unusual about them like ear carriage, or wool, these little beauties are far from Plain! Known world wide as the "Mink" of the rabbit family, a prime coat of fur on a Havana is simply something to behold. With a prime coat comes a luster few other rabbits can match. The luster of their coat enhances the deep color which is one of the most important aspects of the Havana.
I love the looks of the Havana, but their temperament is what sold me on the breed. They love to be handled and become quite affectionate with a little bit of gentle attention. Havanas will do anything to get your attention including learn tricks. They will sit quietly for long periods of time while being groomed, and will usually return the favor and attempt to groom you back with a little licking and maybe a soft nibble or two.
Havanas are very easy to raise, and have great mothering skills. They will breed easily and raise large litters with no problems.

If there is a drawback to raising them it is that perhaps with so many points on color and fur, they need to be in coat to place well on the show table. If they are off color or are in molt, you might as well leave them home.



Along with Havanas, I raise Silver Fox rabbits. These are the gentle giants of the commercial breeds. Fox are also very sweet tempered. What sets them apart from other commercial breeds is their glorious "Stand-up" coat of fur. The Silver Fox is the only breed with a coat of fur like this. The coat needs to long ideally one and one half inches long or more. It needs to be very dense,and soft to the touch. The softer the coat the better it stands. The Silver Fox comes in two colors, Black & Blue. Only the Black is reccognized by the ARBA. They are born solid colored and silver out as they mature. This is very important. The amount of silvering can vary from almost none to almost grey in appearance. The amount of silvering is not as important as the eveness of silvering. Ideally you want them to look like a starry night with enough silvering to compliment the base color, not hide it.
The drawback to raising them is that because they are large ranging from 9-12 pounds, people seem to think that they are only good for meat rabbits, and because they do not have white coats they are not sold commercially. As you can see, this has made them fairly uncommon in most areas, but if you want a large gentle versatile breed, than the fox is the breed for you.



This one is from Allen Bush about his favorite breed, the Flemish Giant

To learn about the Flemish Giant, my first recommendation would be to check our standard. Another good source is our website which is www.nffgrb.com
However, I am always willing to give my opinion on what makes a good Flemish Giant.
A few of my ideas are as follows:
1. A Flemish Giant is a very docile animal that is also extremely powerful.
2. Many people have Flemish Giants as pets.
3. It is not the type of pet that will sit on your lap and love to be held.
4. Flemish love to get out and run like a dog.
5. A show Flemish should be a powerful animal.
6. Size is extremely important. However, the Flemish should be very balanced.
7. The fur should be rollback that goes back into place as you rub against the grain.
8. The Flemish should be a hard fleshed animal and not feel loose to the touch. However, the Senior Does do have very large dewlaps.
9. The Flemish should be wide all the way down to ground. It should have a gentle taper from the front to the back end and should not be pinched at the base.
10. The biggest problem that most breeders have is sore feet. The Flemish Breeder needs to monitor the feet constantly. Most of the larger animals are kept on wooden bottom cages with some kind of bedding.
11. I picked the Flemish because they are the Best Breed in the ARBA.
From Allen & Tammy Bush



Here goes--I have a couple of favorites---- The English lop is one of the most people attuned breeds I have yet to meet. They live for attention and love. They look just like a stuffed animal with those long drapey ears. But, they are judged on their entire body. They should have the mandolin body shape, but they shouldn't be real boney over the butt. A nice smooth butt like a satin is what I strive for. But, don't forget the front half--the ears and head carry as much weight as the rest of the body. A proper ear should be long (over 21 inches tip to tip), and be at least 4.5--5 inches wide. They should be supple, and as free of blemishes as possible. Sometimes this can be a challenge, as ears that are long enough to stand on while hopping, can be torn by long toenails. So, constant nail clipping is a MUST. An english lop should not have a crown, and their ears should drape with the openings toward the front. Even though the english lop is a large rabbit, they will tolerate most anything a child will dish out. Dressing up in clothes, being rolled around in a stroller, and any other type of play activity is usually acceptable. Most english will give up food for human contact, and prefer petting to eating any time. They can be very hard to keep proper weight, and often times I need to give snacks to keep them in show condition. But there is nothing cuter than an english lop kit at about 5 weeks old. At this stage, their ear cartilage still wants to stick straight up in the air, but the ears are long, and heavy enough to drape over. They look like they are wearing the "Jackie Kennedy" bob. It's just too cute! The one drawback to the english lop is that it seems to have a very short life span. They seem to have a very weak immune system, and many don't live over the age of 3. You need to breed them young, or you may not get any offspring out of them before they die. Early demise doesn't seem to be a factor in a pet english--just the show bunnies. Hmmm.....perhaps the stress is too much?



The french lops look like a huge stuffed bear. They are more dog like in personality. I recommend them to people with toddlers--cuz for the most part the kiddies can't pick up a fully grown french lop. They range in weight from 10 1/2 # to 16#, with the does being larger. They have a roll back coat that is wonderful to see in prime, but once they reach adulthood and that first adult molt can become a nightmare. You can't believe that much fur is contained on their bodies. Seems like enough to stuff a mattress!! The french lop bucks make the best pets--they are very even tempered, and most are very particular about their housing. They quickly adapt to litterbox and house rules. The does, on the other hand can be very grumpy if they don't have a litter to nurse. The does are very patient, and will foster anything you give them. At times they seem like a jungle gym, since the kits will crawl all over them, and in cold weather prefer to sit on top of mom, instead of beside her. The french are a large breed, and this scares off many people. But, personally, my heart melts when I'm nuzzled by their big teddy bear faces. But, they are not for everyone--you really need to eat your wheaties to lug these guys around. But, it can really be worth it. A prime coat on a fully fleshed out french is a delight. You can spot them from a mile away, and they will take your breath away. The thing that I like the most is the most common color is the chestnut agouti. I love that color! It's a good thing, too, since it's the most common color. I have one buck that is a lilac frost point, and that's delightful, too. Having a diversity of colors available to you, can keep you interested. Nothing more lovely that a checker board of color in the nest box--opal, blue, black, chinchilla, brokens, white, fawn, steels, and any other combination you can think of. The most common faults currently are low shoulders and not having fullness to the table. These are slowing improving, and shoulders are not nearly as much of a problem as they were 5 years ago, but it seems like you make headway in one area, and you lose out in another. That's the challenge of breeding--keeping as much good "stuff" as you can, and breeding out the bad "stuff". The hardest thing to deal with is the culls from your breeding program. There is very limited pet interest because of the size of the french. You really need an outlet for butchering your culls. I'm lucky enough to have that.
Well, that's only 2 of the breeds that I raise--I also have hollands and velveteens--and they have their own likes/dislikes. But, my two top faves are the french and english. Elaine Diedrich Saukville, WI



Hey Babe, Well here goes. My favorite breed is Mini-Rex. Why? Because they are a manageable size for me. (I have a bad back and can not do the big breeds) I like it that they come in so many different colors. It keeps is more interesting. If I get bored with focusing on one color I can simply do another. They are active, fun, and their fur is to die for. As far as what I don't like. I guess that would be that they seem to have a weaker immune system then many other breeds. Our Polish for instance never get enteritis when weaned or sore hocks. But we do have some problems occasionally with the Mini-Rex. I have found that the problems seem to get worse when they are very line breed. So when I see a problem in a line I offer it some new blood in a outcross. I do like the Polish very much also. But they are not as competitive. And there are not as many colors as I would like to see. But they are easy to manage. Their poops are small (less cleaning). So there it is. Take care! Jeannie Fisher fishwoman79@hotmail.com
hareconnectionrabbitry





Just wanted to respond with the questions from District 3 reporter.
I raise the following breeds:
Champagne D'Argent- this my "main" breed watching them silver out is facinating because no two ever silver the same. The things I would pass onto someone new to the breed is 1) watch your shoulders that they are strong and not long (this is one of the first things I cull for), 2) until you know how your breeding line matures you might want to hold some of the questionable rabbits because they will change many times before maturity.



Havana (choc & black...I personally don't care for blue and will sell them regardless of how nice the rabbit is)- I raise these in collaboration with Becky Stock and we show them together at area shows. The nicest thing is when you have a coat that is finished they feel is magnificant. A down fall has been to acheive the rich choc coat the rabbit must remain in utlimate darkness (as with most colored breeds) and must watch for weak shoulders.
thanks for the help,
Tim Johnson- Des Moines, Ia