Here at HHR, we want our rabbits to be happy and healthy. 

Many people believe that wire cages are bad for rabbits, with the one reason being that they can cause sore hocks, which are sores on the rabbit's feet. 

Sore hocks are very possible in wire cages. Actually, they are very possible no matter where the rabbit is housed, and even more so in solid bottomed cages. I have heard of more cases of sore hocks on wooden hutches soaked with urine, than in wire cages.

Most rabbits have thick pads of fur on their feet, so wire cages don't bother them. The fur on their feet it thicker than any other fur on their body. It's a completely different texture. Some breeds with thin fur on their feet, or really heavy breeds, such as Rex or Flemish Giant, might get sore hocks a little easier. But it's easy to prevent with a resting mat or just a consistently clean cage. 

I'm really excited for these two. Both Ty and Zuzu have really strong points, such as a beautiful topline, mass, short front legs, nice ear shape, and a wide body and HQ. Zuzu's head is slightly long, and Ty's is very round, so he balances her primary faults. Zuzu has a slipped crown, and Ty's crown is nicely placed, so he balances her on that aspect as well. I think part of the reason why Zuzu's ear is winging up and why it's slipped, partly, is that it's off balance because she's missing her other ear. Because the placement of her actual crown is not that bad. 
A bad fault that these two have in common is crown height. Their crowns are fairly flat. Crowns are easy to fix, I have heard, so I'm not very worried about that. I'm really excited to see the bone and mass these kits will *hopefully* have. 

Zuzu's genotype: AaBBC_D_E_ The underscores __ are the genes I don't know about. I don't know everything Zuzu carries because she hasn't been bred before. Her dam, Hazelnut, most likely didn't carry anything since she always had only chestnuts and broken chestnuts no matter who she was bred to. Zuzu's sire was black, so I know she carries the self gene (a). Zuzu's sire also carried dilute, which is the blue gene. He also carried non-extension, which makes colors like tort and orange. But I don't know if he gave her these genes or not yet. I have to see what she can produce before I know for sure. If Zuzu produces a dilute color, such as opal, blue, cream or blue tort, I would be able to fill in that gap next to the "D" with the "d" gene, which stands for dilute ("D" stands for Dense, "d" stands for Dilute). If Zuzu produces cream, orange, or tort, I know she carries non-extension, which is the little "e", that you see that Ty has, below. 

Ty's genotype: AaBBCc(chd)ddEe Because Ty has had so many litters here, I know exactly what he carries. He has produced torts and oranges, which means he carries non-extension (the little "e"). He is a dilute color, opal is the blue-based version of chestnut, so I know  he carries "d"...he IS "d" (that's why there are two "d" there. That's all he carries in that respect). He has produced squirrel in the past, for his previous owner, so I know he carries "c(chd)" which is the "chinchilla" gene. And, like I said, he has produced torts, so I know he carries self (which is the little "a"). 

MOST LIKELY, we will get chestnuts with this breeding. We can get blacks too, if I've done their genotypes correctly. IF Zuzu carries dilute, we can get opal and blue. If she carries non-extension, we can get black tort or orange. If she carries dilute and non-extension (which I don't expect her to), we could get blue tort, and cream. 
Most likely this will be a litter full of chestnuts and blacks! Hopefully some opals and blues too!

Angie has finally been bred, and I am SO excited for this litter! I bred her to Ty because he is my best buck and he has good points that offset her faults. I'm excited to see what these guys can produce for me!!
If you want to know about what these genotypes mean, feel free to message me, or read this ARTICLE.

Ty's genotype (from what I can tell) - AaBBCc(chd)ddEe 

Angie's genotype (from what I know of her past litters with her previous owner) - aaBBC_DdEe

Colors we can expect from Ty x Angie - 

in order - most likely to least likely. All these colors will be in solid pattern only, since Ty and Angie are solid. Confused? <---- Click on the purple link on the left. <----

These colors are pretty easy to predict because I know what Angie and Ty carry because they have had lots of litters. However, with Ty and Zuzu's upcoming litter, also due Feb 17, the only color I can be certain on is Chestnut, and possibly black. If Zuzu carries dilute like her sire did, then opal and blue are also possible. If she got more genes from her sire...well, I'll go into that on HER post! Zuzu's taking up all of Angie's post! ;)

~Chestnut 

~Opal

~Black

~Black Tort

~Blue 

~Blue Tort

~Orange

~Cream 

~Frosty

~Chinchilla

~Squirrel

I am most hoping for opal, orange, and black, blue, and blue tort. It would be REALLY fun to get chinchilla and squirrel, but those are hard colors to produce so I'm not holding my breath. I love the variety these two can have. What fun colors!

Angie commonly delivers on day 28 so she might have her kits as early as Feb 15!!

She was bred on Jan 18, and so was Zuzu. If Zuzu ends up being a bad mom like her mom was, Angie will foster her kits. Angie's a fantastic foster mom!

Judges are almost thought of as the gods of the rabbit hobby. They know everything about all rabbits, don't they? They never mess up placements, right? 

They do. They are humans too. They mess up, they get confused, they don't interpret the Standard the way we would sometimes. Some judges study certain breeds more than others. Some judges don't raise the particular breed they are judging, and in some cases (but certainly not all), that makes it harder for them to interpret the Standard the way most breeders within that certain breed would.

The Standard of Perfection is difficult; some people interprets the articles within its pages differently. The SOP itself does not have pictures of each quality as it describes it, and occasionally uses vague language. I'm in no way bashing the SOP or critiquing the author, by no means! It's an amazing resource and without it we wouldn't have a purpose for showing our rabbits or breeding show rabbits.

Interestingly, the Standard goes by a point system. I think rabbit shows are similar to human beauty pageants, as the rabbits are judged on how they look, not what their personality is like or what breed they are. Each part of the rabbit body has a certain amount of points, and each breed is different. A perfect Holland Lop will have a body worth 32 points, head worth 24 points, ears worth 10 points, bone/feet/legs worth 10 points, crown worth 8 points and condition/fur/markings/color worth a combined 16 points. Theoretically, all of this comes together to make a 100 point rabbit.

But judges know that they will never see the perfect 100-point rabbit on the table. So, they have to go off of what they can envision should or shouldn't be there on that individual rabbit...what would or wouldn't make this rabbit perfect? What is it lacking? What does it have too much of?

A judge can't see your entire herd. They are judging each individual rabbit and the rabbits on the table. They don't know what you need in your herd. Maybe that mid-place rabbit has that body you need, but his slipped crown and long face cost him first place. But you have an amazing doe that can fix that. Some breeders/showmen let the judge rule their herd, and sell whatever doesn't win first place every time. 

In the world of raising show rabbits, the breeder needs to become his own judge. He needs to understand what his herd needs. If I were to let a judge rule my herd, I wouldn't have kept Butterfly after she got last place in a class because she was out of condition and molting. Although she was still amazing, the other animals in the class had great condition and a little more 'umph' that Butterfly lacked. 

But Butterfly, right now at least, is easily the best or second best rabbit in my herd. But still, she's definitely not worth 100 points on the show table. Maybe she would be worth 70 points. I think it would be fun sometime to dedicate a blog post to a few of my rabbits, and see where they would lose or gain points, and how many points I would give them if I were the judge. Even though the Standard is based in points, most judges don't add or subtract the points in their head, they just look at what they see and remember which parts of the rabbit are most important. 

I feel like was a really confusing post (haha), just some random ramblings I've been thinking over recently, so if you have any further questions or something doesn't seem right, let me know! :) 

Until next time! 

~Holly

This is going to be part 2 of the 2-part series, Finding a Rabbit Breeder Near You. My previous one was to help a person find a pet rabbit near them, and this one is going to be on how to find show or breeding quality stock for sale, whether you are just starting out or looking to expand your established herd. Some of the tips are very similar, or identical, to the first post in this series. 

​Tip #1: Facebook is your Friend. Facebook groups are really revolutionary in helping people find anything they are looking for  . . . whether it's a couch, baby toys, or any pet animal. Almost everyone in the US uses Facebook, so you're bound to find at least one rabbit breeder through these Facebook groups near you.
There are so many Facebook groups available to help you find a rabbit. I'm going to list several below. These are all oriented towards anyone in the US, Canada and beyond, but I'm sure there are several for whatever breed you want just within your state. Most of the ones I'm listing below are exclusively Holland Lops, but I've listed some that are all breeds as well. 

Holland Lop Showroom

Holland Lop Rabbitry Websites

District 1 ARBA

Rabbitry Websites/FB Pages for All Breeds in the US

If you aren't into Facebook, there are still plenty of ways you can find a breeder near you with stock for sale. 

Tip #2: ARBA Breeders Directory. There are THOUSANDS of breeders listed on this page, since it's open to anyone who is a member of the ARBA and wants to pay for the service of having their rabbitry listed. There's bound to be at least one breeder near you that is raising the breed you're interested in! Click HERE to hop right to that page.

Tip #3: Check your Breed's Club. This way, you will know that all these breeders are committed to the breed you are interested in, because their membership to that club is active and updated. But, you will need to do some digging around; I don't know every club for every breed, and so you will probably have to search for them on Google.

Tip #4: Breed Sweepstakes. On national breed clubs there will usually be a sweepstakes page. Sweepstakes are earned at shows when a rabbit wins a high placement. So the top breeders that win the most often will have the most sweepstakes points. If you're interested in raising show rabbits, choosing the highest placing breeder near you is one of the best options. 

Tip #5: If All Else Fails, Transport is Always an Option. If you find a breeder you like and they have rabbits you are interested in, but they are too far away for you to go on a road trip yourself, there are some people that make it their job to transport rabbits all over the country. Of course, there is a fee that comes with it, usually around $15 per rabbit, which is pretty cheap considering how much it would be for you to go on a road trip yourself. Then, there is also the occasional breeder travelling across the state or across the country for a rabbit show that would be willing to transport rabbits for a small fee. After all, it is a nice way to help with gas prices. 

Before we plunge into this, are you looking for a pet, or to show and breed? There are slight differences to finding a breeder with rabbits for sale near you depending on what you are looking for. This post is going to be devoted to the pet people. 

​PET PEOPLE: 

You've researched for months and talked with the family, and you've decided that a rabbit is the pet you want to add to your family. Now comes the hard part . . . finding an available rabbit near you. 
There are a couple options; you can purchase a rabbit from a breeder, shelter, or pet store. This post is going to be on how to find a breeder, since that is the place I usually recommend to those looking for a sweet, friendly, family pet. 

TIP #1: Facebook is your friend. Facebook groups are really revolutionary in helping people find anything they are looking for  . . . whether it's a couch, baby toys, or any pet animal. Almost everyone in the US uses Facebook, so you're bound to find at least one rabbit breeder through these Facebook groups near you. 

There are so many Facebook groups available to help you find a rabbit. I'm going to list several below. These are all oriented towards everyone in the US, Canada and beyond, but I'm sure there are several for whatever breed you want just within your state. Most of the ones I'm listing below are exclusively Holland Lops, but I've listed some that are all breeds as well. 

Join one or more of the groups below, and ask if anyone has what you're looking for in your state. I bet you'll find one within a week. 

Holland Lop Rabbit Showroom

Holland Lop Pets

District 1 ARBA (all breeds - but won't be helpful to you if you live outside Dist. 1)

Holland Lop Rabbitry Websites

Rabbit Show Listings

Rabbitry Websites/FB Pages for All Breeds in the US

If you aren't a part of the Facebooking world, there are still other ways you can find a breeder in your state. 

TIP #2: Breeders know other breeders. If you have found a breeder that you like, but they don't live anywhere near you, ask them if they can help you find a breeder in your state. Most breeders know other breeders all around the country, and even if they can't think of someone off the top of their head from your state, chances are they can find one easily. Us rabbit breeders make friends easily. However, not all breeders have the time to help you find a breeder near you. Most of us have full time jobs outside of the home or are busy in school, and we just don't have the time. I know this sounds selfish, but it's true. In your job or situation, would you give a free handout to someone you have never met before if you barely have enough time to enjoy life with family? Those that will help you find a breeder near you need to be appreciated, because many won't. 

TIP #3: There are websites solely devoted to helping you find a breeder near you. Rabbitbreeders.us is filled with rabbit breeders in every state, and it's quite popular. My friend Emma has also started a website, and although it is not very popular yet (there are not very many breeders listed), you can help it increase in popularity. Click HERE to view the website. It's for breeders in Canada and the US, unlike rabbitbreeders.us, which is just the US. 


​Just recently I helped a woman find a breeder near her in New Mexico. She had found me on Instagram and had been looking for a rabbit near her for a long time, but she hadn't found one. After emailing me and asking me to help her find a breeder in NM, I found one in about three days through a Facebook group. Many breeders don't have websites or their rabbitries online for privacy purposes, but Facebook is very useful because they can find their buyers through that service. I have also helped several other people find breeders near them, so if you've tried everything above and still can't find a breeder, I might be able to help!