Before You Buy Rabbits

Join ARBA

ARBA is the American Rabbit Breeders Association. It is the primary rabbit organization in the United States. I recommend that everyone join ARBA at least for their first year of raising rabbits. The membership fee is nominal, and the fee includes a great little book on raising rabbits. Membership in ARBA also includes a subscription to the Domestic Rabbits magazine which publishes wonderful articles on raising rabbits. ARBA has a breeder directory of breeders who have paid to be listed, so odds are they take their rabbit raising seriously. If you ever decide to show your rabbits and earn enough points for a grand championship, then you’ll need to be a member of ARBA in order for your rabbits to be registered and get their certificate. Having a grand championship can increase not only your rabbit’s value, but also their offspring’s value. You don't have to be interested to show to join ARBA; there is still value in a membership.

You can visit the ARBA site at https://www.arba.net/

Purchase a Standard of Perfection Book

Every breed has its own ideal qualities and it can take a lot of practice to learn exactly what to look for. Standard of Perfection (SOP) is the basis of the rabbit judging system. SOP is used to create an image of the ideal animal for every recognized breed. Each breed will have a detailed explanation of the ideal rabbit as well as faults and disqualifications and guidelines on how the point system is broken down for each breed, with the most points being placed on the items of greatest importance for that breed.

ARBA publishes their Standard of Perfection book which may be purchased on the ARBA website for $20. Everyone should at least read the current copy of the SOP for their chosen breed or breeds, since it sets out the standard for your rabbits. If you plan to show, look up which colors are accepted by ARBA and which are not. Know your facts before you even consider buying your first rabbit. Even if you do not plan to show, the Standard of Perfection was designed as a guide to produce the perfect rabbit for its use. So the SOP for meat breeds, therefore, is designed to create the most meat on a carcass. If you plan to sell offspring from your rabbits at any time in the future, then as a breeder yourself it is your responsibility to produce rabbits that meet the Standard of Perfection as completely as you possibly can, whether your rabbits ever set foot on a show table or not. That means that your foundation stock should always be prime examples of their breed so that you will have a good base toward producing litters with good type and quality. It is my opinion that every rabbit breeder should own a current copy of the SOP book.