mini satins

[puddlejumperfarm]

Hi,

We are going to pick up our new mini rex on Sat., the breeder also has mini satin's available. I am familiar with lops and rex, but haven't had any experience with mini satins. Some of my daughter's friends had negative experiences with them...personality wise. They are gorgeous...but what are your thoughts for those of you who have met some as far as tempermant/personality. Are they really "mini-satans" as some of the kids have called them after getting scratched up handling them at the fair this summer? We do love their fur and how they look, but general breed tempermant means a lot to us too.

 

[3mina]

It depends entirely on the lines, some are good, others not so much. If you like the breeders rabbits get them and breed for temperament.
I've heard similar things about every small breed.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I agree with 3mina. I have heard terrible things about the temperaments of the mini-satans, but I see no reason that they couldn't be selected for better attitudes. It might put you back a while in regards to breeding for a winning show rabbit, but I'm sure it can be done.

I have heard that some standard Rex can be stand-offish and downright unfriendly or nasty, but mine are sweet and mellow rabbits.

One thing I would stress is to handle the kits daily from the day they are born.

A lot of attitude is learned from the mother, so using Ann Claire's method of bringing the kits inside so they can be handled with great frequency and exposed to all sorts of stimuli (without mom there telling them that the big bad humans are to be feared and/or scratched and bitten), would do wonders for them, I am sure.

 

[SatinsRule]

If you're going to take them on, go with basic colors and stay away from all this golden steel-tipped blue squirrel siamese tort faddish BS that so many in the breed are running wild with right now. You're bound to run into alot of people whose only goal is to get their name attached to a new variety and see their name listed in the guide book down the road. It has nothing to do with advancing the breed, and ultimately it will lead to the breed becoming too watered down.

And as the others have said, breed to improve the lines you have. Ultimately, it's what you'll be remembered most for, especially if you are planning to show them competitively.

 

[tailwagging]

Are they really "mini-satans"

YES

 

[phillinley]

It has nothing to do with advancing the breed, and ultimately it will lead to the breed becoming too watered down.

I agree, but if your membership doesn't vote them down every time they bring out a new variety for club approval before the COD process, you can't just blame the individuals bringing up all of these new varieties. I think once you get over 10 varieties within a breed it's gotten a bit ridiculous.

 

[SatinsRule]

It has nothing to do with advancing the breed, and ultimately it will lead to the breed becoming too watered down.

I agree, but if your membership doesn't vote them down every time they bring out a new variety for club approval before the COD process, you can't just blame the individuals bringing up all of these new varieties. I think once you get over 10 varieties within a breed it's gotten a bit ridiculous.

Absolutely, and the huge majority of the membership which votes to approve them seem to be from the MS crowd. I've yet to meet a big satin breeder who believes all the new MS varieties are a good idea.

It took the ASRBA over 60 years to accumulate the 11 varieties they now have. At the rate they're going with the COD's out there, the MS crowd will surpass that in about 10 years. What I saw happen with Dave Cardinal and the AOV's up in Jefferson, WI a couple of weeks ago underscores why it is going to do so much damage to the breed.<br /><br />__________ Wed Mar 20, 2013 8:54 pm __________<br /><br />

Are they really "mini-satans" as some of the kids have called them after getting scratched up handling them at the fair this summer?

You're bound to run across quite a few that are meaner than a junkyard dog. It's inevitable, and if you're wanting a breed that is easy for your kids to handle, get some mini lops.

 

[phillinley]

It took the ASRBA over 60 years to accumulate the 11 varieties they now have. At the rate they're going with the COD's out there, the MS crowd will surpass that in about 10 years. What I saw happen with Dave Cardinal and the AOV's up in Jefferson, WI a couple of weeks ago underscores why it is going to do so much damage to the breed.

What happened? I walked past the table when Dave was judging but I wasn't there the whole time. How many varieties were shown in AOV?

 

[SatinsRule]

It took the ASRBA over 60 years to accumulate the 11 varieties they now have. At the rate they're going with the COD's out there, the MS crowd will surpass that in about 10 years. What I saw happen with Dave Cardinal and the AOV's up in Jefferson, WI a couple of weeks ago underscores why it is going to do so much damage to the breed.

What happened? I walked past the table when Dave was judging but I wasn't there the whole time. How many varieties were shown in AOV?

I'll be honest with you. I don't usually pay that much attention to Mini Satins to begin with, and I just happened to be there for this gem.

There was a lady who put what looked like a copper mini satin onto the table when they called for AOV's. At first, that is exactly what Dave Cardinal thought it was, and he remarked to that effect, asking if the exhibitor had a copy of the COD for it. The lady who put it onto the table responded that it was a gold steel-tipped tort something or another, and everyone within earshot was like, "HUH?" Cardinal gave her a few remarks, then simply handed the rabbit back to her. I turned to Justin Geske and told him, "Nonsense like this is why I'll never get near raising Mini Satins, because it will ultimately destroy the breed."

You were exactly right, though. Hard to blame her when members of the national specialty club are voting to approve these varieties left and right, and you cannot tell them that. The MS crowd is of the persuasion of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" when it comes to this stuff. I might be one of the few ASRBA members who ever votes agsinst it, but I refuse to vote in favor of any variety which isn't listed in the big satin list of varieties already.

 

[phillinley]

You were exactly right, though. Hard to blame her when members of the national specialty club are voting to approve these varieties left and right, and you cannot tell them that. The MS crowd is of the persuasion of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" when it comes to this stuff. I might be one of the few ASRBA members who ever votes agsinst it, but I refuse to vote in favor of any variety which isn't listed in the big satin list of varieties already.

I do understand the desire to have your own variety. My kids had asked me that we should work on making our own breed or variety because they look at all the new COD's and think that's the thing to do. The easiest way to explain it to them is to take them to a Netherland Dwarf table. Sure you could make yet another variety, but does anyone really care, or are you just dragging out the show? This is why I think Lops do it best. They don't screw around with showing every approved color type seperately. Throw everyone up on the table and get the dang thing over with. My kids have gotten a couple of legs in Flemish Giants now by having the best Blues on the table, but I tell them, it shouldn't really mean much because ultimately we aren't challenging the Sandys and the Fawns and that's what we have to work towards. In the year we've been back into showing I've seen far too many people content with sitting in their own variety and not building to compete against the whole breed.

I find people who get COD's for new colors to be lazy when it comes to this stuff. If you're going to come up with something new, make a brand new rabbit (body fur color and all), or better yet, bring in something from Europe that isn't ARBA approved yet that people do want and already has a history.

 

[SatinsRule]

You were exactly right, though. Hard to blame her when members of the national specialty club are voting to approve these varieties left and right, and you cannot tell them that. The MS crowd is of the persuasion of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" when it comes to this stuff. I might be one of the few ASRBA members who ever votes agsinst it, but I refuse to vote in favor of any variety which isn't listed in the big satin list of varieties already.

I do understand the desire to have your own variety. My kids had asked me that we should work on making our own breed or variety because they look at all the new COD's and think that's the thing to do. The easiest way to explain it to them is to take them to a Netherland Dwarf table. Sure you could make yet another variety, but does anyone really care, or are you just dragging out the show? This is why I think Lops do it best. They don't screw around with showing every approved color type seperately. Throw everyone up on the table and get the dang thing over with. My kids have gotten a couple of legs in Flemish Giants now by having the best Blues on the table, but I tell them, it shouldn't really mean much because ultimately we aren't challenging the Sandys and the Fawns and that's what we have to work towards. In the year we've been back into showing I've seen far too many people content with sitting in their own variety and not building to compete against the whole breed.

I find people who get COD's for new colors to be lazy when it comes to this stuff. If you're going to come up with something new, make a brand new rabbit (body fur color and all), or better yet, bring in something from Europe that isn't ARBA approved yet that people do want and already has a history.

Excellent point, and that is exactly what I keep trying to tell everyone right down to including dwarfs in the discussion, but again, talking to the MS crowd is often like talking to a signpost, and they're ultimately the ones pushing this nonsense.

Another facet of the whole equation is that they're working upon introducing varieties like blue siamese. Any kind of blue tint on a standard siamese satin is a showroom DQ, and including something like that or a blue steel tort is going to muddy the waters when people start trying to crossbreed the things, and you know they will.

 

[tailwagging]

i can't blame them.
I did ms when it was only rew. mean evil biting attack rabbits. the judges hated seeing any.
the only good thing was you didn't feel bad eating them becuz they would get you first if you didn't.
with the new colors comes new blood. a kinder gentler blood.. maybe.
and they are nice to look at.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I did ms when it was only rew. mean evil biting attack rabbits. the only good thing was you didn't feel bad eating them becuz they would get you first if you didn't.

:rotfl:

Everybunny has a silver lining. :roll:

 

[tailwagging]

yup that is true

 

[amandainohio24]

Our mini satin is a sweetheart. Never has bitten or lunged. I would say I get no more scratches than any other breed and probably just my own fault that I get a few from trying to flip him over since I know he hates it.