Attending our first rabbit show!

Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Rabbit Talk Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
H

Hoosier

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 9, 2013
Messages
58
Reaction score
0
Location
Midwest USA
We hope to be going to our first rabbit show in Noblesville, IN on Sunday. We aren't showing, just going to learn and get supplies. For those that are experienced rabbit owners, do you have any suggestions on how to make the most of the experience for newbies?
 
I will be attending the show as well. It will also be my first. I was going to show my tort Dutch, but spent my extra time setting up an automatic watering system this week. I may bring a few of my rabbits to try and trade out with other breeders. Still not sure how they go, so if I do not see much trading or selling going on then I will probably just keep them in the travel cage :/. Here is the information for the Nobelsville show. I hear from a lot of breeders in the area that they will be there.<br /><br />__________ Fri Nov 08, 2013 6:46 am __________<br /><br />https://www.arba.net/district/8/_Indian ... sville.pdf forgot to post :(
 
I hope you have a lot of fun. Stay close to the table, and listen well to judges comments on all of the rabbits shown. I can begin to tell you how much I learned watching rabbits being judged. And dont be afraid to walk up to any breeder there and ask a load of questions. Anyone with any decently will be more than happy to explain anything to you.
 
Hi, I'm not sure what breed(s) you may be interested in but if you know of some in particular, find out where they will be judged. Observing the judging process is a useful tool to learn what good and bad traits look AND feel like. If the show isn't busy, you could speak to the judge ahead of time to see if he might let you behind the table for an even better experience. If that isn't possible, talk to the exhibitors with the breed you like. Most are happy to talk rabbits and help out newbies.

Don't be shy! I was very shy at my first show and missed out on some learning experiences. :) You may want to take a folding chair to sit on, most shows don't have seating. Maybe have a note pad and pen on you to take notes or write down contact info of other breeders.

Most of all have fun! :D
 
Rule of thumb: DONT BRING AN EMPTY CARRIER. lol

If you intend to buy anything, I recommend cash. I carry a checkbook, but you never know if the vendor accepts checks or not. I've been to some where they take debt! I'm so jealous lol But you will learn your showing environment as you go :)

Buy as many feeder cups for your carriers as possible...and then some! Every time I seem to pack the carriers, I always seem short a couple. Those black ones are great! And my rabbits can't chew through them/barely leave a dent...there are these grey cups (ez crocks?)...yea mines got eaten up rather quickly. Won't be buying those again!

Id pick up supplies you will need:
Carriers
Feed/watering cups
Watering nozzle ( if you use water bottles or crocks and want a way to cut your watering time by half)
Tattoo Equipment
Grooming table
Rabbit Sleeves ( if they have them. A great investment to protect your arms from unwanted scarring)<br /><br />__________ Sat Nov 09, 2013 9:53 pm __________<br /><br />Oh yea, nesting boxes too ;) so when you catch the showing fever you want to get busy making your own grand champions!
 
Here's a brief show report. KD cages and an embroidery vendor were the only vendors there. Probably a good thing because with all the stuff I bought from KD I didn't have much money left in my pocket ;) . The food was reasonably priced and DELICIOUS!!! The exhibit hall was crowded and noisy. We had to be really careful not to trip over or hit exhibitors with carriers as we walked. There were several kids sitting on the floor holding their rabbits and luckily we didn't step on any of them. The judge was hard to hear and didn't say much. In KD's booth, I started talking to someone and as luck would have it, found out they lived about an hour from us. He joined us at the judging table and made up for what we couldn't hear from the judge. I spoke with an exhibitor who allowed me to put my hands on his Cal buck so I could feel what the judge was feeling.
It was great to see many children and youth showing their rabbits. We really liked seeing products in person both in KD's booth and what exhibitors were using. It can be hard to tell what some products are by looking at a picture on the internet. The gentleman working KD's booth was extremely helpful :D . We looked at the cages carefully and decided that we want to get cages 24" deep by 36". Our current cages are 30" and it is really difficult to reach to the back.
Peach, I giggled when I read your post :cool: ! I hope we have the same great experience with the black cups because I bought a few. I thought about a tattoo kit and a carrier and wish I would have gone ahead and bought them :roll: . We did buy cage tags & clips, card holders & cards, bowls that attach to the cage bottom, papaya enzyme, door guard, and door latches. We built our own nest boxes and looking at those available, like our design. At some point, hubby wants to buy some cages. Likely we'll drive up to KD and I'll get a carrier and tattoo kit then. KD cage is about 3 hours from where we live.
Thank you to everyone for their help. We had a really nice time at the show and am glad that we went. :) .
 
You're very fortunate to be living so close to a vendor. The shipping on that stuff is usually a significant part of the overall bill. Most of us often resort to just buying it at a show, and of course, calling the dealer ahead of time to make sure they have it and are bringing it.
 
I'm so glad you had a good time.

You didn't come back with any rabbits? How on earth did you restrain yourself. ;)
 
It sounds like you had a great time! Next time you'll have to bring some rabbits along to show!

skysthelimit":1000h985 said:
You didn't come back with any rabbits? How on earth did you restrain yourself. ;)
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

Better luck next time! :twisted:
 
The fact that we essentially don't have any empty cages and we are new to rabbits I think is what kept us from bringing any rabbits home, LOL! Seriously though, I am going to have to lower my standards though if we get too many more rabbits. I don't want to get so many that all we have time for is to dump pellets in a feeder and put water in a bowl. We are considering keeping two does from the babies that we currently have and processing/killing one of our adult does, Kari, who has a undesirable disposition. A few days ago I noticed her growling at her babies, who are now separated from her. She has been growling at me for about 2 months, lunged at me a few times and bit my shirt sleeve once.
Someday I may show a rabbit, but have a lot to learn!

__________ Tue Dec 03, 2013 2:37 pm __________

We did go to KD cage last week. Bought some cages, bowls, crocs, and a carrier. He is such a nice man and very helpful. Those black bowls are holding up wonderfully. Thought I would post a picture of them. They come in smaller sizes, but I didn't buy any for our rabbits.
 

Attachments

  • rabbit bowls black 30.JPG
    rabbit bowls black 30.JPG
    562.4 KB · Views: 544
The black ones are my favorite and so far have escaped destruction by some of my more enthusiastic chewers.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top