Thinking About A New Breed...

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Bad Habit

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Thinking I might like a new breed to show. I don't want to be going to a show with just 2 or 3 animals, and I think I'd like to have more than one breed to show(it makes for a long, boring day with just one breed).

I'd like a less popular breed, as well. Something relatively cheap to get good stock in would be good, but not a dealbreaker.

It has to be a smaller breed, as I have everything set up for a smaller breed.

Breeds I definitely don't want are Hollands, ND's or Polish. Hollands and ND's are too popular, and my friend's girls show Polish.

That really only leaves me with 7 breeds small enough for my cages. After I remove 4 for various reasons : American Fuzzy Lops, Jersey Woolies - I don't want another wool breed, the lions are enough heavy grooming for me, Dwarf Hotot, Himalayan - Not sure I want another primarily white breed. I do BEW in Lions; I am left with 3.

Mini Rex - I worry that these guys won't do well in the cold climate, because of the shorter hair, plus they're a relatively popular and fairly expensive. But I like the soft plush fur, and there aren't many for pet sales around here.
Mini Satin - I like shiny. I have no idea if there are any/many mini satin breeders in Ontario, and I've never seen them for pet sales. They're also a little on the larger size, so more useful for culls.
Britannia Petites - I like the shape, but hear they tend to be feisty and quick with their teeth. I worry that their slender build would affect their cold tolerance as well. They are never for sale up here.

Thoughts/Ideas/Experience?

(I wouldn't be adding them until the spring. Just starting to weigh the pros and cons at this point.)
 
Mini Rex, around here at least, can be VERY expensive. You would have plenty of competition at least. What is your set up like? If the Mini Rex would be kept dry and out of the wind, I would think they would be fine. You could bed the cage with hay if you wanted on very cold days.

I have no experience of my own with Mini Satins, but I had considered them at one time. A friend cautioned me that their nickname is Mini Satan because they can be mean. That was enough to steer me away.

I also have no experience with Brits but they do have a fragile reputation.

My first breed of show rabbits was Netherlands. I had Ruby Eyed Whites and Himalayan NDs. Here, both of those colors are (or were 10 years ago) less common so I had little competition until BOB judging. Jersey Woolies are a breed that, supposedly, with the correct coat they require very little grooming.

How small are your cages? Dutch are just slightly bigger than Mini Rex and might be a good balance of what you're looking for. Around here you have competition but not excessive like HLs. You mentioned that the size of Mini Satins is appealing for culls, Dutch are good for that purpose too. Because they are a marked breed, you can save the mismarks for the dinner table and put your best on the show table.
 
Apparently down in the southern part of Ont. mini-rexes are super popular, and I find them difficult to sell as pets, and unfortunately everyone and their grandmother shows them as well. Showing them is super competitive, and mini-rex personalities are kinda meh in my opinion.

I personally love my Thriantas, and while I really love mini-rex fur, I dont think I'll be getting many more new ones to add to my show string.

Now only if I could get some decent standard sized Rexes :)
 
I know mini satins have a bad rep, but after breeding them for the last 3 years I have a lot of good things to say about them. Just as with any breed, temperament is very dependent on the lines and who you buy from. Some breeders just don't care about good temperament. Around here they are pretty average in price and middle of the road as far as competition. I LOVE the fur and the fact that they come in a lot of different colors! They are a decent size for meat, I have put quite a few in the freezer and they are very tasty, they are also very cold tolerant. I live in the mountains and it gets pretty darn cold, never had a problem.
 
Nibblet":24h7n1dk said:
Apparently down in the southern part of Ont. mini-rexes are super popular, and I find them difficult to sell as pets, and unfortunately everyone and their grandmother shows them as well. Showing them is super competitive, and mini-rex personalities are kinda meh in my opinion.

I personally love my Thriantas, and while I really love mini-rex fur, I dont think I'll be getting many more new ones to add to my show string.

Now only if I could get some decent standard sized Rexes :)

That's too bad. I knew someone not far from me that was selling his trio of rex, because he was getting out of rabbits.

Everyone reminding me how competitive mini rex are just makes me want to scratch them from the list, lol.

By OSPCA standards, my cages cannot be used by anything larger than 4.4lbs max size. Mini satins are pushing it, I think dutch would be pushing it too far.

My rabbits are kept in an insulated but not heated shed.
 
Only my false dwarf mini satins get over 4.5 pounds. They go to freezer camp ;)
 
Being in the southern US myself, winters aren't something I have to worry about. However, I would say with an insulated shed any breed would be fine for you to raise as far as cold is concerned. Britannia Petites might just work for you then. :)
 
Britannia's ARE nippy.... so you couldn't do them for pet sales and they MIGHT make a soup rabbit but nothing more than that. They are a small racy breed. You need to have a tolerance for poor behaviour to manage them well.

Mini Rex handle the could (at least in south western Ontario) just fine. I used to breed them, they did just fine. the odd one liked to have a board to sit on, but most would pee on the board and sit on the wire. They make a great cull. You need to watch the feet on them and trim nails more frequently than with other breeds. Competition is STIFF. You may be able to find some cheaper ones but good ones around here aren't cheap.

Satins seem to be all over the board in temperament. PRETTY rabbits. if you did them in broken you might have a solid pet market in them. They are a smaller meat rabbit so should make a good cull. If you got into the satins I know some breeders would be pleased. :)

Dutch should do fine in the same size cage as mini rex. They aren't a huge rabbit either unless you get the OLD Dutch lines (which were a phenomenal rabbit by the by). They are a marked breed so can be frustrating to breed though. Be mindful of temperament they are very confident rabbits.
 
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