The Standard of Perfection gives an explanation of what condition is on page 33, in somewhat confusing terms. Today I’m going to attempt to explain it a little bit, since I've gotten some help from friends and judges explaining what it is and what it should look like. Maybe it’s just me, but I know that sometimes it’s helpful to paraphrase some complicated language into simpler terms so that it becomes easier to understand. I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me! I definitely don’t want to bash anyone and I’m certainly not critiquing the authors of the Standard! But I think it reads almost like a textbook, and some of the language can be hard to grasp.

Without further ado, let’s get into this!

Condition is - All animals (rabbits and cavies) are to look healthy, vigorous and energetic. They should have bright, bold eyes. All animals should have a good coat, firmly set in the pelt (fur/meat). They should be firm in flesh covering, not too fat (flabby, soft flesh), and not too thin in flesh (bony). Flesh should be deep and even (the same) over the entire body.

Condition faults are, for all breeds - molting, hutch stains, overly fat or flabby, thin or bony. Appearance of dirtiness or looking unkempt (such as messy or straggly fur).

Why is my rabbit out of condition?

The rabbit could be out of condition because it’s just that time of year – all rabbits molt about 2-4 times every year.
The rabbit could be out of condition because of age. The older a rabbit gets, the harder it is for the rabbit to clean itself or for its body to produce the same oils for a sleek shiny coat. My house rabbit turned 5 this year and up until this year she had excellent condition. I can tell she is losing condition now, and I regularly give her BOSS because she is thinner than she used to be even though she eats the same amount.
The rabbit could lose its condition because it is unhealthy or there is an underlying problem.
Your rabbit could be losing condition because of the weather. Rabbits frequently lose condition in the wintertime, when the body is so focused on keeping the rabbit warm that it might sacrifice the beauty of the fur to pack on a little much-needed fat. In the summer, rabbits can gain weight easily.
Does lose condition typically while pregnant or after nursing, so it usually takes about 2 weeks after weaning for a doe to get her condition back.

What does "conditioning" mean?

When people say they are “conditioning” their rabbits, it means they are doing something to help their rabbits stay in condition or get their condition back quickly. Below, you can see ways to condition your rabbits to keep them looking their best for a show. 

What can I do or give to help my rabbit keep its condition or get its condition back for a show?

-Exercise can help a ton for rabbits that are molting. If you let the rabbit run around the yard daily during a molt, the molt could go by twice as fast.
-BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds), helps rabbits (does that are nursing or weaned juniors especially), get condition if they have lost it. BOSS also helps a rabbit keep its condition. The natural oils in the sunflower seeds keep the coat shiny and smooth.
If your rabbit is overweight, or it's summertime, don't use BOSS very often. It's great for the wintertime because they are very fatty and it keeps the rabbit from getting thin, but they can be too fatty for the hot summer weather, when rabbits are prone to gaining weight.
-Oats can help a rabbit gain weight if they are thin or bony. Oats also help prevent runny or sticky poo in rabbits that are stressed or eating a new food.
-No matter what time of year it is, and whether the rabbit is molting, you can help your rabbit keep or gain condition back by grooming it regularly. Combing and brushing your rabbit weekly or every other week stimulates the natural oils in the fur, and promotes healthy, clean, shiny fur.
-Condition can also be genetic. Some rabbits just have bad condition all year round, and this could be something genetic that you can't control. Rabbits that have naturally good condition, gain condition back quickly after having a litter, and keep nice condition will most likely pass this trait onto its offspring.
-​Another factor of poor condition can be the feed. If nothing you have tried above is helping a poorly conditioned rabbit, try switching feeds. Remember that you will have to be on one single feed for a few months to see any changed results with it.

What does condition look like on our rabbits?

I think out of everything in the SOP, condition is the hardest to understand and see in our own rabbits. What is condition supposed to look like? What should it not look like? 

The rabbit on the left has a rough coat and is in molt and obviously out of condition. The rabbit on the right is not molting and has great condition. Her fur is clean and smooth, not dirty or rough. 

When evaluating a rabbit's condition, the first thing is to look at the rabbit and check it's health. If a rabbit is unhealthy, it should not be shown, and is definitely out of condition. When you observe your rabbit, make sure its eyes are clean and bright, and check the fur to make sure the rabbit isn't molting and the fur is smooth and thick. 

In the picture above, Clementine has a bright, bold eye and her eye is not hazy or dull. There is also no discharge. 

When evaluating the flesh of your rabbit, run your hand over its spine when the rabbit is posed, like in the picture above. You should be able to feel the spine; but it shouldn't be protruding or pointy. The spine should feel rounded. If the spine is too pronounced, than the rabbit is underweight and bony, and out of condition. If you can't feel the spine, the rabbit is overweight and has "too much" condition. 
"Scruff" the rabbit (don't lift it; just gently grab the skin and fur) to check again for fleshing. The fur shouldn't be too thin and the rabbit should scruff easily. If there is too much excess fur and skin, the rabbit is flabby and overweight. If there is not enough and you aren't able to scruff the rabbit, the rabbit is underweight. 

Even though condition is only worth 4 points out of 100, it's an important 4 points. Many judges have said that if the rabbit doesn't have good condition, it doesn't deserve Best of Breed or any high placement, because a rabbit can't represent its breed well when its fur is dirty or messy or the rabbit is thin. ​Of course, it's still okay to show rabbits that aren't looking their best; I have done it a couple times myself, especially if a rabbit is already entered into a show and then it blows its coat. It just won't get the 4 points for condition, and might not place as well as it would have if it has been in condition. 

I hope you guys learned a little something new in this post! Let me know if you  have any questions by commenting below, and I'll see you next time :) 

-Holly 

HLRSC = Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club.
SOP = Standard of Perfection.
These two terms are used throughout the entire blog. Be sure to leave a comment down below or email me if you found any of this confusing and would like more clarification! 

The Standard of Perfection can be really confusing sometimes, and hard to understand. For Holland Lops, the HLRSC guidebook makes understanding what the Standard is talking about a little bit easier, with pictures and explanations from many different authors. 

To receive this helpful guidebook, all you have to do is join the HLRSC. The membership fee is very small, and it's totally worth it for the guidebook and quarterly Hollander magazine. 

What are the benefits of owning the HLRSC guidebook?

If you get confused by the language in the SOP or want to learn more about what a great Holland Lop really looks like, this guidebook is for you. But it's more than just a guidebook on HL type. It includes photos of different aspects of Holland Lop type, as well as articles on all things related to breeding, culling, starting out with Hollands, color genetics, health and much more. 

HEADINGS LIST (not the individual chapters but different sections where chapters and articles under this topic follow). 
~History
~ARBA Standard and Judging 
~Starting Out
~Breeding and Culling 
~Health and Disease
~Showing
~Selling and Marketing
~Advertising (where individual breeders advertise their rabbitry). 

Okay, okay . . . but how much is it? 

All you have to do to get this guidebook is join the HLRSC. For youths, the club membership is $17 for one year for a new member. For adults, the membership is $20 for one year for a new member. This fee is totally worth the guidebook and the quarterly Hollander magazine. 

Before I put a buck and doe together for breeding, there are certain steps I go through to ensure that the doe has a healthy pregnancy. It all starts before the breeding.
 
First, I check the health of the buck. I check his genitals, and make sure he is clean down there. Then I check his eyes, ears, teeth, fur, nails (and clip if necessary), bones (to check for breaks or anything irregular), and just make sure he is healthy and active overall and ready to mate (bucks are usually ready to mate at all times haha). 

Then, I check the health of the doe. This takes a bit longer. I weigh her, and calculate her weight so that 14 days later I can weigh her again and see if she has gained an ounce or two. I check her health, similar to what I do with the buck. I check her vent to see if she will be up for breeding that day. Typically, if a doe has a palish pink vent, she does not want to mate. If her vent is dark pink or even purple, she should breed easily that day. I make sure her fur down there is clean and clip her nails if needed. 

Occasionally, if I am going to be breeding a buck that occasionally misses or a doe that doesn't want to be bred, I will give the doe and/or the buck Apple Cider Vinegar and this helps regulate the hormones in their body and make them want to mate. Most of the time, your buck will want to breed and will breed easily. But sometimes, does can be cranky and not want to breed. 

What do you do before you breed your rabbits?

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. 

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. 

Making the transition from one home to the next is very stressful on all rabbits, no matter the breed or age. It is stressful to some more than others. Here are some tips and tricks to make sure your rabbit has the easiest and most relaxed transition as possible.

Age - 

A baby bunny should not be weaned under 7 weeks old, and preferably not sold until 8 weeks old. Babies that are weaned at less than 6 weeks old are under a lot of stress already, and switching homes can be fatal. However, sometimes breeders will sell their baby bunnies before they are ready, when they are much too young, and if you get stuck with one of them, there are some things you can do to help your baby from having as little stress on its body as possible. I will detail this all in another blog, coming soon. 

Bring a Carrier - 

Your rabbit will not appreciate riding home in your lap. They need a small, quiet area to call their own until they get to their new home. 

​Leave him Alone - 

When you first bring your baby home, leave him (or her, of course), alone for several hours. Try to keep the room or place your rabbit is in as quiet as possible. Rabbit ears are very sensitive, especially when they are first adjusting to a new place with new smells, sights and sounds. 

Soft Music - 

When I brought my first rabbit home, I noticed that soft music really helped her to drown out the excess noise and loudness of my family life (we have 5 kids in the home and she's in my bedroom). Soft music like classical is the best, nothing crazy like pop or rap. This will help keep him from getting stressed from the voices of people he's never heard before. 

Diet - 

Try and stick to the rabbit's original diet as closely as you can for the first day. With all the new sights, sounds and smells, the rabbit really doesn't need a whole new diet as well. 

Getting to Know your New Rabbit - 

Starting a bond with your rabbit is possibly one of the most exciting parts about rabbit ownership. However, many owners rush the process and end up hurting the bond rather than strengthening it. On the first day, handle your rabbit very little and only check on the rabbit a couple times to make sure he's eating and drinking, pooping and peeing. Talk softly whenever you visit the rabbit. Soon, the rabbit will come to know your smell, the sound of your voice, and your body language. 
Let the rabbit  make the first move. Let him adjust as slowly as he needs. Once your rabbit starts to become interested in you, and comes to the front of the cage, you can begin your bond. I have another blog post more detailed on that. Let me know if you have any other questions. 

Handling - 

Handle your rabbit very minimally on the first day; only as necessary. If your rabbit doesn't want to be picked up, don't pick him up yet. Many owners try to rush their bonding and that can make their rabbit afraid of them and it can make the bonding process take much longer. Let them initiate the bonding, and wait until they come to the cage door to see you until you start picking them up, cuddling and holding them on a regular basis. 


I have SO MUCH MORE on this topic in my guidebook, Pet Rabbit Care Guide: All the Basics. If you're interested, click HERE and order one today!

With Butterfly currently in labor, I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks for making sure a doe has a healthy litter, or, doing everything you can to help the doe have a healthy litter. 

Herbs - 
I have not yet tried this, but raspberry leaves or raspberry leaf tea is supposed to promote a healthy pregnancy and a healthy litter. Give raspberry leaves (or tea), during the last two weeks gestation for a quick, strong birth and to prevent retained afterbirth. Overall, a great prenatal supplement. I need to start doing this with my does!
"PREGNANCY TONIC: Combine the following: dried, raspberry leaf, nettle, and goats rue (Galega officinale) in equal parts, and half part Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum). All organic either grow your own or get it from a health food store. Feed: 1 Tbs. per day at feeding time, to pregnant does beginning one week before kindling through the first month. These herbs help ease kindling, offer nutrition and support lactation. Just sprinkle 1 Tbs. over their food, once a day" (Rise and Shine Rabbitry). 
​
Exercise - 
Similar to human woman, does that get exercise pre pregnancy and during the pregnancy are more likely to have a healthy litter compared to does that spend all their lives in a 24" x 24" cage. I like to make sure my does have a lot of exercise the week they are due. Exercise also prevents obesity, which can lead to a doe miscarrying a litter or inability to get pregnant. 

Never let the Doe Run out of Water - 
When a doe starves or gets too thirsty, she can't provide nutrients to her kits and she becomes skinny faster than usual. And underweight doe is at risk of losing the litter or having a very stressful pregnancy and delivery. 

Proper Nutrition - 
For the development of a healthy litter, the most important thing is a proper diet. Does need LOTS of protein, fiber and vitamins to grow a healthy litter. Pellets with at least 20% fiber, 16% protein and added vitamins and minerals, like Purina Show (the feed I use), are perfect for growing healthy kits. 

Prevent Obesity - 
An obese doe will have a harder time getting pregnant and if she does, her body will have a larger amount of stress on it and the kits could be unhealthy.

Insure a Stress-free Environment - 
If you need to make a major change to the doe's diet, environment or anything similar, do so before the 26th day of gestation. Does have more stress as their bodies prepare for delivery on the last 4 days of gestation. If you can, make sure the doe has a quiet, stress free area to deliver in. That doesn't mean you need to remove her from her current environment or from other loud rabbits if she lives in a rabbitry, but prevent small children from running in and yelling, or people she doesn't know from trying to touch her or anything else that could be stressful or unknown in those last four days. 

Keep the Doe from Getting too Hot - 
When a doe is pregnant or in labor, she is a lot hotter than usual and so when the temperature gets to be above 80 degrees, make sure she can stay cool, because with kits in her belly or with labor, she can overheat a lot quicker than a rabbit that is not pregnant or in labor.

Prevent your Doe from Getting Underweight - 
Underweight does have a higher risk of losing the litter to miscarriage, producing underdeveloped kits, or just overall an unhealthy litter because their body simply does not have enough nutrients to support the doe and her litter. 

Leave the Doe Alone Once she's in Labor - 
I like to check on my does every hour or every other hour the day they are due. But once I can tell a doe is in labor, I like to wait for about an hour and a half before I visit her again. If all goes well, she can deliver a live litter of 5 or 6 in twenty minutes. And usually it's about an hour or so from the start of labor to when she gets in the box and starts to kindle. 
Sometimes I will watch the doe give birth if she is a veteran mom and I know she won't mind, but with my first timers I like to have them do it alone by themselves unless something goes wrong. 

Even if you follow these tips perfectly, some does are just bad mothers and they have unhealthy litters, litters full of dead babies or peanuts, or they don't nurse their babies or whatever. That doesn't have anything to do with what you did or didn't do. Most of the time a healthy or unhealthy litter is all based on genetics, or the size of the kits, and even the breed. 

**My friend Liz from Clear Sky Rabbitry has been breeding for several years, and she suggests the following:
~Calcium before and right after delivery is very important to help with strong contractions! Many breeders give a Tums chewable tablet once a day starting on day 28. Liz starts on day 30 and then one after kindling. My personal favorite is kale, since I don't usually have Tums on hand and I'd like to stay away from the sugar. I gave Saige lots of kale every day when she had a stuck kit and it helped her with the contractions and kept her from retaining the kit (it was stuck for a week). 
~For milk production and gaining weight: calf manna or dandelions can help a doe gain weight after a particularly difficult labor or after kindling/nursing lots of kits. Some does don't produce enough milk for all their kits, and calf manna really helps with that. *I need to get some!* 

I hope you guys enjoyed and that this helped some of you!

My house rabbit, Elsie, turned 5 years old at the beginning of the month.
This sweetie and I have been through so much together . . . she was a brat when she was 2 and 3, due to hormones since we didn't spay her, but this past year she's been getting sweeter again. She still acts like a baby most of the time even though she is getting older. 

I found out recently that Elsie is developing a cataract in her right eye sadly:(. Her left eye is completely normal. Because of this, I've been researching everything I could find on the subject of cataracts and blindness in rabbits because I've never had to deal with something like this before. I want to share with you the information I have learned. 

This will probably be a long post. 

See that mistiness in her eye in the picture below? That's the cataract. Cataracts eventually lead to blindness, but they develop slowly. It will probably take several more months (maybe even a year or more), before she is completely blind in that eye, since the cataract is still very small. 

However, I've been noticing a change in her behavior already. Maybe it's due to the fact that she's going blind, maybe it's just cause she's old. She startles easier than before, and doesn't like to be approached head-on. 

Cataracts cannot be treated, but they can be removed with surgery. It is a very risky and very expensive surgery. Since Elsie is getting older, it is not something that I want to risk. The likelihood of her passing during surgery is very high.

Because rabbits rely heavily on their sense of smell and hearing anyway, being blind actually doesn't have a huge affect on a rabbit, as long as they are kept in a safe environment. 

What is a cataract?

"The word cataract comes from the Latin “cataracta”, or from the Greek katarraktēs, meaning waterfall. It refers to a decrease of the transparency of the eye lens, which can be partial or affect the whole lens. Consequently, a reduced amount of light passes through the lens. The ability to focus and clarity of eyesight will decrease with time. This is accompanied by a loss of sensitivity to contrast. The ability to see objects is little affected when light is intense and the lens is only partially affected, but can lead to full blindness when the opacity of the lens is total and affecting both eyes." (Medirabbit)

What causes a cataract? 

Cataracts can be related to genetics, age, e. cuniculi (which is a parasite and related to head tilt), or trauma to the head or eye. 
In Elsie's case, it is age. Cataracts can be in both eyes, and in most other cases they are. But with Elsie, it's only in her right eye.

After a rabbit is blind, what can be done to make sure they have the best life possible and stay safe and happy?

When they first start losing their eyesight, confine them to a smaller room if they normally free range throughout the house. Since rabbits rely heavily on their scent and hearing anyway, being blind actually doesn't affect a rabbit as much as a human. 

​Try to change the rabbit's housing as little as possible now that your rabbit is blind. They do use their scent and hearing, but also they rely heavily on their memory to tell them where the entrance to their cage is, where the litter box is, the water bottle and food dish, all the stuff. 

Keep a schedule. Feed your rabbit at the same time every day, make sure it doesn't run out of water, that kind of stuff. The kind of stuff you should be doing anyway . . . ;)

Provide your rabbit with a hidey house or something they can hide in. Elsie has been loving this paper bag I gave her recently. She never gets scared so she doesn't hide in it, she just loves to eat it and sit in it. It's nice and cozy to her. 

When you approach your rabbit, lean to pet your rabbit, or anything of that sort, speak in a soft voice to the rabbit first so it knows who you are. Strangers are going to be scary now more than ever. 

The rabbit will startle easier, and may be more reluctant to leave the cage and explore at first. Don't worry. Your rabbit will get used to being blind sooner than you think. Because most rabbits lose their eyesight so slowly, by the time they are fully blind they are usually already to used to their surroundings and know how to cope. 

Rabbits that have lost their eyesight generally do not like being picked up. They become disoriented when they are put back down, so try to limit the amount of time you pick your rabbit up. Try to do everything at his level from now on. 

​Oh Elsie . . . 
Now that Elsie is getting older, as it is with most pets, health problems are more likely. Elsie has never been sick, injured, or anything, until just recently. But now that she's five, and unspayed rabbits typically only live about 7 years, sicknesses and injuries are easier for her to get. Of course the final age she'll get all depends on diet, exercise, etc. 

I am so thankful for this precious girl. If it hadn't been for Elsie, Holly's Hollands Rabbitry would not exist. This girl has been so hard to deal with at times - but I love her. She's special. I swear she's one of a kind :) 

Before you can truly understand what a peanut is, you need to understand more about the dwarf gene.

Holland Lops are a dwarf breed. However, not every Holland has the dwarf gene. Lance doesn't have the dwarf gene. This is why he is so big (he's over 5lbs!). MOST Hollands have one dwarf gene.

If you breed a Holland to another and they both have one dwarf gene, most of the babies will have one dwarf gene. Some will have no dwarf gene. And some will have two copies of the dwarf gene, and be a peanut.

A peanut is a kit with the double dwarf gene. It cannot grow. Peanuts will always die within a few days. Some peanuts can live to grow fur, and, extremely rarely, open their eyes. But they will always die. And while their siblings double their birth weight in just a first three or four days, the peanut will not grow, and will not thrive. They might even get smaller. 

How can you tell a peanut from a normal kit?

Peanuts are extremely small. Even at birth they are almost half the size of their normal siblings. They are very skinny, and have an almost "peanut" shape, with bulging nose and eyes, and bottom. Their ears are characteristically small compared to the rest of their body. In most kits, as you can see in the photos above, their ears are small but they are relative to their body size. Peanut ears are less than 1/4 the size of a normal kit's ears. 

What are the chances of getting a peanut?

In a litter where the sire (father) and dam (mother) of the babies are both false dwarfs, you will get 100% false dwarfs. 
If a true dwarf and false dwarf have kits, each kit will have a 50% chance of being a false dwarf, or a 50% chance of being a true dwarf. This does not mean that you will get half trues and half falses, this means that you could potentially get all true or all false or uneven numbers of both, or half of each. This is like there being four marbles in a bag, and drawing a marble to determine false/true, and then putting it back and drawing again. You never know what you're going to get!

If a true dwarf and a true dwarf have kits, their babies will have a 50% chance of being true dwarf, a 25% chance of being false dwarf, and a 25% chance of being a peanut. Theoretically, you could have a whole litter of peanuts. Or you could have a litter without peanuts. Most likely, you will have some normal/healthy kits, and peanuts. Read the paragraph above to see what it means that each kit has a chance at being false/true/peanut.

Peanut vs. Runt:

Peanuts will always die very soon. It's in their genetic makeup, sadly. Some people swear their "peanut" lived to be an adult and is just a small bunny (2lbs or less). However, that was not a peanut. It was a runt. Runts happen sometimes. The baby did not enough room in the womb to get bigger, or didn't get as much milk when it was a baby. Or maybe it's genetically small. But it's not a peanut. Even runts and peanuts look very different. Peanuts have a very distinct look.

Sadly, peanuts are a part of raising a dwarf breed. They are unavoidable if you are trying to raise and breed show rabbits. But since this was kind of a sad article, I will end with a cute picture of normal one-day-old babies.