American Chinchilla - What I need to look for?

[MegMTL]

I will be getting 3 American Chinchilla kits this Saturday. Is there anything I need to know about this particular breed? I'm waiting for the breeder to send me pics!

 

[Dood]

What are your goals?

If you want to show then you should read the SOP for the breed - the fur and colour accounts for over 50% of the points so it should be your main concern, the body shape/conformation is the next most criticle

http://nebula.wsimg.com/43d52daea5a876b ... position=0

 

[MegMTL]

I like the idea of helping with the livestock conservation, since the breed is classified as critical. The lady I am getting them off of was a registered breeder, but has slowed down recently and I do not think these guys are registered or papered. I do believe they are pure, as they are kits from her original breeding and showing stock.

Can I still do anything with them if they do not come registered or with pedigrees? If I cannot I will just keep them as pets, but it would be a shame.

I was looking to see if the breed had any known health issues or anything current breeders have encountered that I should look out for.

 

[Winterwolf]

You can show them without pedigrees, you just can't get them registered without pedigrees. (Which means that you can't earn grandchampion legs.) If they're still kits, then they're definitely not registered -- rabbits have to be six months (and the minimum required weight) to be registered. :bunnyhop:

 

[Dood]

Most meat breeds are pretty healthy because people are more likely to "keep the best and eat the rest" compared to the pet breeds, however, in Ontario there are not a lot of people who eat rabbit so if their breeder was more interested in showing or breeding they may not have selected for meat production traits

My first trio of AmChins would not win on the show table but had terrific production traits, my next pair I got from a show breeder had terrible production qualities - bad attitudes, hard to get pregnant, small litters, poor milk production, etc... :evil: so it really depends on bloodline and not breed

 

[MegMTL]

Most meat breeds are pretty healthy because people are more likely to "keep the best and eat the rest" compared to the pet breeds, however, in Ontario there are not a lot of people who eat rabbit so if their breeder was more interested in showing or breeding they may not have selected for meat production traits

They're from Ontario! LOL :| I know she did raise them for both meat and show so hopefully they're nice! <br /><br /> __________ Mon May 30, 2016 7:25 pm __________ <br /><br />

You can show them without pedigrees, you just can't get them registered without pedigrees. (Which means that you can't earn grandchampion legs.) If they're still kits, then they're definitely not registered -- rabbits have to be six months (and the minimum required weight) to be registered. :bunnyhop:

Let's say I start showing these guys and they do well, and I breed them. How can I get them pedigrees without the parents having any? Is it possible? TIA

 

[Winterwolf]

Let's say I start showing these guys and they do well, and I breed them. How can I get them pedigrees without the parents having any? Is it possible?

The ARBA requires a three generation pedigree for registration. This includes the parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. For each rabbit listed on the pedigree, you'll need to provide the name (or ear number), color, and adult weight. If you're starting from scratch, it would take three generations before the next litter would have a full pedigree. (So your original rabbits would become the great grandparents.) With how quickly rabbits reproduce, that's actually not as long of a wait as it sounds, though.

Hope this was at least somewhat helpful. Here's a few links for more info:

http://showing_info.tripod.com/pedigree ... ation.html

http://rabbitbreeders.us/rabbit-pedigrees

http://www.thenaturetrail.com/showing-r ... istration/

 

[MegMTL]

Wow! Fantastic! Thank you so much

 

[Winterwolf]

No problem
Just be sure to post some pictures after you get your rabbits. :camera: I think AmChins are gorgeous!

:good-luck:

 

[MegMTL]

I will! I'm so excited!