Too bad you can't make it to a show - they can be a lot of fun!
Often people are surprised that no pedigree is needed to show a rabbit in an ARBA sanctioned show, but it's true. The rabbit show world does things very differently than how it's done in some other species.
To be shown, a rabbit needs to be healthy with no physical deformities, have a permanent ear tattoo, and match the ARBA Standard of Perfection (SOP) as closely as possible. There are very few "perfect" rabbits that match the SOP exactly, so the ARBA sets certain upper and lower limits to some things, including weight, variety (color and pattern), fur type, and some other details particular to certain breeds. Any individual rabbit which fills these criteria can be shown, more or less successfully depending on how well they typify the breed.
For Champagnes D'Argent, that means being black - in fact, the SOP doesn't even list any varieties for Champagnes, as there is only one color allowed in the breed. That doesn't mean that off-colored rabbits can't be used as broodstock to produce showable animals. In many breeds and/or varieties (Blanc de Hotots, or Blue-eyed White Mini Rex, for example) some breeding programs actually rely on some off-colored stock. But it is important to include that information on the pedigree, so the buyer knows what he or she is getting genetically.
If you want to sell show stock, keeping accurate pedigrees will make your animals more valuable. First, so the buyer knows what they're getting; second, because a person who shows their rabbit successfully may end up wanting to register their rabbit with the ARBA, and for that, a complete 3-generation pedigree is needed. To be complete, the rabbit's ear number, variety and birth date must appear on the pedigree; and each of the parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents must be listed with a name and/or ear number, a variety (in a Champagne pedigree that would be "standard" or not noted at all unless they were another color, e.g.brown), and a senior weight. Don't forget those weights! (A "senior" in Champagnes is 8 months or older, but once a rabbit reaches 6 months of age it can be registered as long as it already has reached the minimum senior weight.) Again, even if your rabbits don't make senior weight themselves, be sure to include their adult weight accurately - it won't hurt their offsprings' chances to win or be registered, because each animal is judged on its own merits, not its heritage.
When selling show stock, you should also check to see that the rabbits do not have white toenails, blue-gray eyes, white spots, or other disqualifications. It's ultimately the buyer's responsibility to verify this, but it's embarrassing to sell a rabbit to someone and hear that it's been DQd because of a DQ someone should have noticed. The rabbit should also be reasonably expected to reach the minimum senior weights of 9.5lb for does and 9lbs for bucks.
If you find you are going to be selling to show breeders (or even if you're not!), it might be worth joining the ARBA if you haven't already, and/or buying a copy of the SOP. A membership in the ARBA is pretty inexpensive, and with it you get a copy of their guidebook to raising rabbits, as well as a color magazine full of very interesting and educational articles. You can find more information here:
Join the ARBA
We actually just picked up our first trio of young Champagne bunnies this afternoon. They have silver feet and silver eyelashes.
I am smitten with their sweet, mellow personalities!
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