What do you wear to a show?

How do you prepare the rabbit?

Do you need your own cage?

How do you enter a show?

I want to go to a show in Seguin on the 18th but I am not sure if I should enter Leo. I am not even sure how. It is an ARBA show hosted by; SAN ANTONIO RBA... I am not sure what RBA stands for either...

Here is what the details say;
Location : SEGUIN,TX
Start Date: 3/18/2006
End Date: 3/18/2006
Club: SAN ANTONIO RBA
Secretary: MACK C KELLER
5027 LANCELOT
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78218
Show Type: YOUTH ALL BREED SHOW
Contact: 210.590.7460

So I need to contact the above number?

How much do I pay to get in the show or is that a question I ask him?

How long do shows usually take?

What am I going to need to bring?

I can answer some of these questions for you

What do you wear at a show? wear something comfortable. long sleeves to avoid being scratched. he will probably be nervous and more likely to scratch you
How do you prepare the rabbit? to prepare you rabbit make sure the fur is clean and in good condition. make sure the nails are clipped and make sure he has his left ear tattoed. Sometimes you can find someone at the show to tattoo him for you.

Do you need your own cage? You do need a carrier for him with food and water. he will mostlikely be in the carrier all day.

How do you enter a show? IF the show starts at 9am be there no later than 8:30, 8:00am would be best. you will then find a table to sign him up at. most people who go to these shows will be more than willing to help you fill out the paper work or answer any questions you have. you will be filling in his ear #, breed, sex, variety and you info

Location : SEGUIN,TX
Start Date: 3/18/2006
End Date: 3/18/2006
Club: SAN ANTONIO RBA
Secretary: MACK C KELLER
5027 LANCELOT
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78218
Show Type: YOUTH ALL BREED SHOW
Contact: 210.590.7460


So I need to contact the above number? If you don't know the address I would call the # and ask Mack the address. you can also pre register over the phone and ask how much per rabbit it costs.

How much do I pay to get in the show or is that a question I ask him? the shows around here ar $2.00 per entry(rabbit) but if you are going to call for the address he can tell you for sure how much they charge.

How long do shows usually take? I've been to shows that end 3pm and others that ended at 5pm. it just depends on how many entries they have. if the MR are earlier in the day and he doesn't place you can leave then instead of staying the entire time.

What am I going to need to bring? Take food for you and Leo(that way you don't spend extra money on food for you), a jug of water from home for Leo. That way his water will taste the same. towels are always good, a brush to brush him down just before he is put on the table, babywipes, nailclippers if you don't have time before you go. right now I can't think of anything else.

I am really worried because I thought that I was completly compared but on another forum someone told me that I am going to need a solid bottomed cage... Will I need one? Is that another question to ask when I call him? What if Leo doesn't have an ear number? He cant be shown right... :( Well, I might just have to wait till the April 8th show if I cant get him tattooed before then!! And I have to buy a carrier!! The one I am using is one that has the different colored animals on the side that is plastic and fabric and has 2 little windows on both sides made of screen.

the reason Leo needs an ear # is so he doesn't get mixed up with any other rabbits. It can be any thing you want and it needs to be 3 to 5 letters or #'s or both. as for the carrier I use one that has the wire bottom with the tray underneath it. If I were you I wouldn't want a solid bottom because he will, of course, have to relieve himself and then you'd have that mess to clean up. I did start with a plastic pet carrier and it worked just fine but like I had mentioned I had a mess to clean up (I did have bedding in the carrier but he still stepped in it :P ) before I put him on the table. You need to take a deep breath and relax. :D It's not as bad as it may seem. If you have 2 shows comming up soon then maybe, if you would feel more comfortabel, go to the first one and just watch then take him to the second one. If you only have the one then just take him. If you can't find someone to tattoo his ear for you, then just watch if you can find someone to tattoo his ear then put him in. I really think you would enjoy it. I was a little nervous ((ok alot :innocent: )) and then laughed at myself because it was really fun and I realized I had nothing to be nervous about except for "is he going to win" jitters. :lol:

There's no 'regulations' as to how long the tattoo has to be. The tattoo can be as simple as an H or as complicated as BarbaraAnn. You just have to remember that you can't stick 'long tattoos' in small ears. But you could easily make Leo's tattoo LEO. :D Just remember that if you use a BatTat (electric pen tattooer) that you need to write in capital letters so it's easier for the judges. The tattoo also needs to be in the LEFT ear and is required for ALL ARBA shows. :D

Yeah, you definitely don't need a solid bottomed carrier! I use all wire carriers with wire bottoms. They look like this:


You can probably find someone to tattoo him at the show before his class. If you have a local rabbit show breeders yahoo group, you could post on there and ask before the show. I am jealous of Jodi's $2.00 entry fees! Ours are usually $5.50 each rabbit.

Ohio and Indiana average at $2.50 a rabbit. :innocent:

THanks, I will try and relax (maybe...) I just have to get him tattooed plus a small water bottle, a bowl for hay, and a carrier that is going to be small enough (right now all I have is the cage he is living in plus a black coated one that has a tray botton but is big *for rabbits to live in*) Where do you think I can buy a carrier? Thank you for your help!! I also have to buy nail clippers because Leo's are packed (along with his pedigree, healthy diet list, poisinious plant list, nail clippers, brush ext.) And what type of brush would you brush a mini rex with?

Is Leo Pedigreed? If so, there should be a ear number on the pedigree. Some breeders prefer you use the ear number they assign. Some dont mind if you change it provided that Leo didnt sire any litters or wasnt shown by them. If he's not pedigreed it doesnt matter what you put in his ear as everyone else said. If he is you should use the one assigned or ask the breeder if it's ok to change it.

Does Texas have a RBA (That stands for Rabbit Breeder's Association) message board? If they do you could post there asking if someone could tattoo Leo the morning of the show. A lot of breeders would probably be willing to help.

The carrier shouldnt be too expensive. My 3-hole carries cost me around 25, and the one hole carriers that I've priced around here usually run around 10 dollars. You could try feed stores. They might have one.

Most Mini Rex breeders reccommend NOT brushing them. It ruins the show coat.

Here is the list of things I am planning on bringing... Let me know if I dont need any of this or if I need something else.
Buy: Nail Clippers, Polishing Cloth (what is this? Where can I get it), Soft Brush (Lanna says I wont need it so maybe I shouldn't get it?), Carrier with wire bottom and tray, small travel bottle for water

Bring: Above, Money, change of clothes

Bring all in backpack. Leo is pedigreed but there is not an ear number on it for him. His father had one but his mother didn't. I dont have teh pedigree because it is packed. Should I be unpacking and looking for it?What is a 3-Hole carrier or a 1-Hole carrier? I took care of the tattooing as someone that is on the boards is going to show and said she was bringing her tattoos and would help me with mine.Leo has sired one litter but they are not being shown.

Heres a carrier I found at petsmart... Super Pet Take Me Home Travel Home
$7.99

Product Information:
Designed with travel in mind for your small animal. This compact carrier is made of translucent plastic and epoxy-coated white wire. Perfect for toting your small pet. Approximately 10" l x 5 3/4" w x 6" h.
Well, I will try to put a picture up. The problem is there is no wire bottom with trays there. Only the plastic floor!!

Heres one that is from Petco.. I cant tell if there is a bottom floor (it doesnt say but the picture looks like there is)

Small Animal Kingdom Small Animal & Bird Carriers
Transport your pet in safety, comfort, and style in our Small Animal & Bird Carrier. This practical and functional carrier features an easy-to-clean deep plastic base, an epoxy-coated wire top, large access door, and carrying handle. Offered in a variety of sizes.
Plus there is a blue one and a pink one!! If I have to get a plastic floor I might get this one... But its for a bird so I will have to see if Leo would fit anyways.

The judges here like them to be at least 3 letters so no there isn't a 'regulation'. as for saying up to 5 letters or # i said that because I haven't see a tattooer that holds more than 5 so I guess I just assumed that was the limit not to mention my bunnies ears aren't long enough for more than 5 letters :P . sorry for the missguidence. :)

bunnylover a 3 hole carrier is just a carrier that is sectioned into 3 parts. that way you can take 3 rabbits with out them being able to get to eachother, where as a 1 hole carrier is just that. It holds one rabbit. It may be big enough to fit 2 rabbits but then you run the risk of them chewing on eachothers fur before the show.

If the pedigree doesnt have an ear number on it..you can do one of two things.

1. Contact the breeder and ask if she/he has an ear number...or if she'd like to assign one. Or if she/he'd mind if you made up your own.

2. Give him your own.

Personally...I would contact the breeder if possible. That would be proper etiquette. If you cant contact them though...then I think it would it be ok to use your own ear number.

Theres no way I can contact the breeder (change of number/address aparently) so I guess I could go with LEO!! I couldn't find a carrier anywhere that looked like the one above and I looked at Tractor Sopply, Petco, Petsmart, and Tomlinsons!! There were some that were plastic bottom carriers though but I didn't buy one. Today I just bought a soft brush (even if I dont use it on Leo Luke will need one) and I bought nail clippers. Plus a toy for Luke (Leo doesnt like the kind I bought!!)

The carrier thing doesn't matter, really. As long as you can transport him safely to the show, and keep him clean. They're not judged in the carrier. I've seen pet taxis, regular cages, and even cardboard boxes! If you want a carrier like the one I posted, there's usually a cage vendor at shows where you can buy one. But really, there's no carrier regulations. I've stuck a bunny in a rat cage because I didn't have enough carriers, then when I got to the show I bought a carrier and quickly stuck him in it. :)

Oops, forgot to mention that you don't really brush show mini rex. You don't want to mess with their fur too much. The only thing I've seen breeders do is spray some water on it and quickly run their hands back and forth a couple times. They don't even really want you to even pet show mini rex. Their motto is like "hands off the fur" or something. :lol: See, I'm a meddler, that's why I love my Woolies. It's like the Dr.Suess book says "Girls who like to brush and comb, should have one of these at home".

In that case I would just put whatever you'd like. I just wanted to make sure you didnt offend the breeder...and in showing and breeding it truly is a small world. Personally I wouldnt care if someone changed one of my tattoo numbers...as long as they didnt have any litters/legs. Some breeders are very picky about it though.

I wont worrie about the carrier and just might purchase one at the show... I had to give Leo a bath because he thought it would be funny to roll in the mud yesterday!! Dummy!! <_< Well, he is all clean with new clipped nails and is happy to eat his hay without getting mud on him!!I cant wait for the show and am aloud to go as long as we dont close the house on the 16th-18th!!