Starting Another Breed- Mini Rex?

[Silver Willow]

If you read some of my previous posts I had the idea of starting another breed a while ago, but only recently (well, today, actually ) starting to do some real research.

Some back ground info- me and my sister have been breeding Netherland Dwarfs for three years now, and amongst numerous other animals also started with some Pekin Bantams and Leghorn Bantams as a fun side project (and eggs!).

In all honesty we have had very little success with the Netherland Dwarfs, and only just found someone in our area (though still an hours drive away) who also breeds rabbits according to the RCNZ standards. So although we now have some rabbits with great lines, we still have allot of work to do, and have had numerous set backs which include diseases (spread fairly easy due to the number of pet bunnies out family own), only having one doe to breed from, and loss of stock- mainly from said illnesses.

The two breeds I am currently considering are still the Jersey Woolies and Mini Rex. I have heard allot of mixed opinions about them both, but seeing as this is after all a rabbit forum, I was wondering what you people think about them- and am I crazy for thinking about another additional breed when the Nethies are still a big work in progress? And for those of you who juggle more then one breed of rabbit- or any type of animal, really- how hard is it to keep on top of breedings, different standards, specific breed needs (eg. the Woolies fur), etc.?

I really don't want to rush into this and end up regretting it, so any words of wisdom, caution, or advise etc are most welcome and appreciated! Donuts to you if ya made it through all that :donut:

 

[skysthelimit]

I've raised both, and still currently have JW. I could say many things about them, but it might be easier if you list what you've heard, I could probably address any issues.

 

[Silver Willow]

Of course, that would be great thank you

With the Jersey Woolies, I get the feeling from lots of people that they're bad tempered little things who wont think twice about scratching you to bits. But then I've heard the same about Netherlands, and they certainly aren't. Obviously it depends on the lines and the individual rabbit, but what has been your experience with their temperaments?

I guess the main concern for me with the JW's is the time though- how much care do their coats actually require? Friends of ours have recently got a pair of angoras, and while I understand the Woolies are much smaller, how much time a day/week/etc. do you spend taking care of their fluff?

My family homeschools, so while we are at home quite a bit we do have lots of animals other then the rabbits to look after (horses, dogs, chickens etc.) so it's important that whichever breed we decide on, if we do get another, isn't overly time consuming.

Also, who do you mainly sell your JW's to? The majority of the market around here is for pets, so any I didn't keep would pretty much be sold as pets. Another reason I'm not too sure about the time it takes to look after their wool.

The Mini Rex I havn't heard much about at all, being fairly uncommon in NZ as far as I know. Which is one of the reasons they appeal to me I think, as they have a beautiful fur of the Standard Rex but in a smaller more manageable size. Another friend of ours has Standard Rex and they are so big, strong, and 'feral' that their kids literally aren't able to handle them much at all.

So I don't really have any questions about them, but if you are able to point out anything to watch for when looking for breeding stock etc. that would be great

Ok, last thing- two rabbitry's I've found who have Mini's and Jerseys. Neither have many photos, but what do you think of their stock?

Mini Rex:
http://therabbitshack.tripod.com/id4.html

Jersey Wooly:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/pets-animals/r ... 138186.htm

http://breedingbunnies.webs.com/ourdoes.htm

Thank you!

 

[SableSteel]

The mini rex are nice, and if you are used to dwarfs, then they should be relatively easy. The main thing to watch for health-wise is the feet - the short guard hairs on a rex make it very easy for a rabbit to get sore hocks when they have thin fur, and some lines of mini rex (especially larger, thinner boned, softer/thinner furred ones) are predisposed to sore hocks.

About JWs though, they have very similar temperaments to NDs (they come from the same ancestors after all), and the ideal jersey wooly coat is very heavy with guard hairs and therefore low maintenance (lower maintenance than angora wool, and not just because of the size)... poor quality jersey woolies are a whole different story though, but if you have access to high quality ones, I wouldn't dismiss them so easily. (This is by ARBA standard for the wool - not sure if its different in NZ)