District 8 Report

Julie Aversa jtaversa@gmail.com

Regions Represented:

Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Manitoba & Ontario

TidBits. . . Show Etiquette

Stand back from the table while judging is going on. Do not discuss rabbits that are on the table. Do not lean on the judging coops or reach over for your rabbits.

District 8 Report

“I have a Facebook district page, so if you are reading this and not currently a member of our NJWRC District 8 page, shoot me a message so I can add you.” ~Julie Aversa

Hello fellow Jersey Wooly breeders. With RHD rapidly spreading this spring, we need to be ever vigilant on our biosecurity. The article that was in the fluff written by Cheryl Loesch can be found on our website njwrclub.org under the more tab and then education. District 8 shows are starting to get back to normal, and I just want to reiterate ARBA’s rule that if you travel through an RHD hotspot, you should not attend an ARBA show for 60 days. We all need to work together, not against each other, on this important topic. This month I would like to talk about transparency and show etiquette. Transparency: the condition of being transparent. Transparent: having thoughts, feelings or motives that are easily perceived. When I think of transparency in regards to our hobby of rabbits, the first thing I think of is telling the truth on pedigrees. If you have a fuzzy dwarf in the pedigree, you should mark it with ND on the pedigree. Be truthful about: colors you know the rabbit to carry, the faults of the rabbit, any disqualifications the rabbit may have or carry. Recessive colors, nonextension, and chocolate can hide beyond a rabbit’s pedigree, and not be visible in the 3 generations shown. Stray whites should not be bred to brokens; the stray whites will still show up in the solid part of the rabbit and you will still get solid rabbits that have stray whites. White spots are another issue, and should not be in your breeding stock. White nails or mismatched nails, be transparent. I understand a lot of AOVs and dilutes can have light or mismatched nails due to age. It is one of the things that should be worked on, and if you are able to, you should only keep rabbits with good colored nails as it can haunt you in future breedings. Be transparent when selling stock. It is no fun to acquire someone else’s problem, and have to cull your purchase. The old saying pops into my head that my Mom drilled into me, “Treat others they way you want to be treated.” I purchased a doe for $300 at convention, I was told it was being shown. When I received the said doe, she was bald and 4 pounds. We ended up culling said doe. Nobody likes to waste their money, and a reputation for selling rabbits with issues will travel amongst our small community. Next is something I think we are all guilty of from time to time: poor show etiquette. First, I would like to talk about the rabbits themselves. A show rabbit should be presented groomed, with nails trimmed. A matted, foul smelling, or a rabbit needing a manicure is disrespectful of the judge and hobby. The tattoo in the ear should be easy to read, if it is not, please retouch your tattoos. Hard to read tattoos can slow the show down. Do NOT change the appearance of an animal or use anything but water on your rabbit, right before they go on the show table.