Thoughts about a Velveteen Lop?

[The_Dutchess]

You may know that I was considering acquiring a Velveteen Lop rabbit to see if I like them. Well, ironically enough, a breeder I'd been contemplating purchasing from recently messaged me saying he had this tri buck for sale, that he was selling the buck for about $100 less than I'd expect to purchase a V-lop for, due to allergies (hay allergies, I think). His rabbitry page on Facebook contains pictures of clean cages and rabbits, and from what I can tell about the Velveteen Lop type so far, the tri buck looks pretty good! So I'm really excited, but I thought I'd post a picture of the buck on here and see what ya'll think. :bunnyhop:

 

[SableSteel]

When I did vlops I never paid more than $75, and these were from one of the top breeders in the nation. $100 bucks less than I'd expect to buy one for would be negative price. Be careful that nobody is overpricing these things because of their 'novelty'. I'm not sure if you mean the breeder or the rabbit had allergies, but vlops have enough health problems overall that if you do get a rabbit with allergies, I wouldn't breed it if I were you.

His type is pretty good for a velveteen lop from this picture, but before you even start worrying about type, fur & ears, you need to find out the ear length & weight. I'm not quite sure what they're going for with the current standard, since the last COD just failed, but there was a huge problem with ear length and weight. In the last COD, the ears needed to be at least 15 inches, and the weight under 6.5 lbs. The smaller rabbits would have problems with ear length, the larger would have problems with weight.

 

[The_Dutchess]

Good to know that the prices shouldn't be sky high. Most people are charging $150 for one that's brood quality and $75 for a mismarked pet where I am. I found this one for $50 since the guy wants a quick sell-out due to allergies. I don't know what his weight is yet, I just asked that question but no response yet (it was only a few hours ago). Ear length is 15". The new standard has ear length at 14" min. and I'm not sure about the weight. I asked the former COD holder what would be changing in the new standard, and she replied "Nothing except for the ear length will now be 14 inches." So... I guess that's it?

 

[Prisma]

He looks nice. Here if you find an otherwise show type one, you are looking at $100.00 to $200.00 or so. You have to go to PA or OH to get, MD or even VA/GA otherwise you end up with clunkers that look like F1's unless you find some one that's already brought in. That's how I have my doe, I can't part with her even though circumstances say I probably should. She's bigger then WSOP and ear length is right at min (she's a blue harlequin to boot but alas I'm not showing VLs any).

Check him over really well, make sure his feet are missing NO fur or have any bald patches. Look for dry skin like areas around the nails and at the end of the foot pad really well. Some lines are prone to bad feet still, no matter how nice he is if he has bad feet it isn't going to do you any good. If he's so far off you can't examine before pick up, ask for pictures of his feet so you can see that they are still well covered. Some breeders can be really snippy about it though, but I figure if its too much I really don't need that rabbit any way.

 

[faiththequeen]

I know this is a little old, but did you ever end up with the bunny?

His type is pretty good for a velveteen lop from this picture, but before you even start worrying about type, fur & ears, you need to find out the ear length & weight. I'm not quite sure what they're going for with the current standard, since the last COD just failed, but there was a huge problem with ear length and weight. In the last COD, the ears needed to be at least 15 inches, and the weight under 6.5 lbs. The smaller rabbits would have problems with ear length, the larger would have problems with weight.

Yes to all of this! Showing and breeding our velveteens was quite frustrating!! They were mostly sweeties though. And beautiful rabbits. They had a lot of weird health issues, though.

 

[The_Dutchess]

Unfortunately due to craziness (getting the call that your house is flooding while you're on vacation is super fun ) I did not get this beautiful boy, even though I'd already named him Yoda. Because of lots of financial issues I wasn't able to make the 5 hour round trip I would've had to go on since we didn't get him while on vacation like the plan was. He has since found a loving home with another family.
I'm now looking to purchase a single (or maybe a trio?) from the current Velveteen COD holder. She's been friendly and helpful, and I can't wait to pick up a bunny (or three :mrgreen: ) from her once she narrows her herd down a bit before she presents at convention.
Now... I currently only have cage space for one rabbit, but I'm slowly selling all of my Juniors. (7 down, 4 to go.. anyone want a Mini Lop junior buck? Or four?) By the time it comes time to pick up my V-Lops, I'll be able to make some space for a trio. So my question is, should I continue with my plan to just get a single and see if I like the velveteens, or take up this lady's offer to find me a nice trio? Pros for the trio are: the breeder lives far away, so it will be very difficult to go back and get two more rabbits if I decide I like the one, and I'm getting a nice, show quality trio from the same breeder (a reputable breeder at that). Cons are: If I decide I'd rather focus on my Jersey Woolies than breed Velveteens, I'd be stuck with 2 extra rabbits I don't want, also if Velveteens don't get accepted at Convention I'm stuck with non-showable rabbits. Pros for getting a single Velveteen: Herd mascot, yay! I'll have a nice, show quality pet to show at ARBA shows if the Velveteens get accepted at convention. And I can start with one which is easy on cage space and feed bills (although I do have the cage space and feed bills to get more than one).

My raging rabbitosis says bigger is better, which is why I need some sane opinions, please.
Thank you!

 

[faiththequeen]

Lorrie has great rabbits! If you can get a trio from her, I say do it! She's very knowledgeable and honest. They're very sweet and beautiful rabbits. Quite addicting as well Breeding and health issues can be frustrating with them, but you'd be getting good stock to start with.

 

[The_Dutchess]

I did talk to Lorrie to begin with, but she's sold out of Velveteen Lops, because unfortunately the breed failed a showing (I'm still figuring all this out) somewhere along the line. It's now been passed on to the backup team, and Lorrie referred me to Megan, the now-current COD holder, who is presenting at convention this fall, I believe. So I'd be getting rabbits from Megan.

 

[faiththequeen]

Ah, I see. I knew it failed to pass this last time, but I didn't think the COD transferred until 2019. I'm totally out of the loop! LOL! Still sounds like it would be a good idea to get a trio :mrgreen:

 

[The_Dutchess]

Thank you, Faith, for your rabbitosis-enabling answer. :lol: Seriously though, advice is much appreciated. I think I'll play it by ear and if I like the breeder's set up, have enough cash, and have enough cage space, I'll get a trio.

 

[SarniaTricia]

getting a breeding trio from the same breeder is always a good idea.... sometimes a breeding group from different breeders just doesn't work.

I vote for getting the trio (or at least a pair!)

I DO NOT Have a rabbit problem.... but I do admit to being an enabler