email interview

I got an email from a girl asking if she could do an email interview (for school) with me. I thought I'd go ahead and share it on here~

1. What is your name?
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Ashley Trask

2. What types of rabbits do you breed?
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Mini lops and Holland lops.

3. At what age do you wean the kits from their mother?
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7-8 weeks of age - never under 7 weeks.

4. How do you select the Doe and the Buck for breeding?
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I'm going to use a Holland lop pair for an example. Okay, lets say I have a buck that has the most gorgeous head, but his body lacks a lot of depth and is a little long in the shoulders. I have a doe with a really nice body, but has a bit too narrow of a face, and a bit too long in the head. That would be a great pair to breed, then pick out the best in the litter (the one that kept it's great head from daddy, and great body from mommy) and keep him/her for future breeding.
Pretty soon, you'll have really nice bunnies by breeding that way, but keep looking for those little complementing strengths and faults and breed likewise.

5.What traits do you look for in the Doe and Buck?
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The ARBA Standard of Perfection is the book to go to in helping you to understand what all the different breeds and both genders should look like. For Mini lops: bucks should have bigger bulkier heads, and short deep bodies, does should be just about the same, except for slightly bigger than bucks, and can have more narrowness in their faces. Ideal weights: 5 1/2 lbs for bucks, 6 lbs for does. For Holland lops: both should be the same, short and stocky, square, thick heads (no V-ing - narrow face, should be square)  with short ears that set close to the eyes. Ideal weights: 3 lbs for bucks and does.

6. What in your opinion makes a good show rabbit?
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I go by the Standard of Perfection (from the American Rabbit Breeders Association) in determining whether or not my rabbit is a good show quality rabbit. If my bunny meets the descriptions that characterize that particular breed in the book - is good on general type, fur, color and markings, and condition- then that is a great show rabbit! 

7. What kind of food do you feed at your rabbitry?
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Grass hay in the morning and Manna Pro-Formula Premium Feed pellets at night. For treats (only given in SMALL quantities only about every 2 weeks or so) I will give them carrots, bananas, apples, and oatmeal. I have read that greens (lettuce, cabbage, etc.) can cause diarrhea, so I don't give them any green veggies. They also love grass of course!

8. How do you provide a pedigree for the rabbits you sell?
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Right now I am writing out the pedigrees using the ARBA pedigree book. I am working on making my own pedigrees at the moment, and then will print them off as I need them.

9. How long have you been in the breeding operation?
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Since 2005, but I really got serious in 2010.

10. How do you tame your rabbits?
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I hold them all the time! Cuddle with them a lot, and most are handled from day one. And I also have 7 younger brothers and sisters that range in age (the ones that are able to hold the bunnies) from 2-12, that love to hold them too, so most of my babies are calm, cuddly, kid-friendly bunnies.

11. In your opinion, does a rabbit show better if it is a inside rabbit or an outside rabbit?
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Inside

12. How do you register a rabbit?
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The rabbit must be examined by a licensed registrar, must be free from heritable defects and must meet the specific breed requirements that are in the ARBA Standard of Perfection.

13. How did you get involved in rabbits?
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I met a girl that bred rabbits and showed in 4H. I home school, and I met her at a home school thing. I talked to her a lot and looked at her rabbitry/bunnies, and I really liked the idea of having a rabbitry. I had always loved bunnies before too. My Mom and Dad joke and say they decorated my nursery with bunnies, and look what came of it! :)

14. How do you tell if you have a good quality rabbit?
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The Standard of Perfection is an ARBA book that shows all of the breeds of rabbits, lists their colors, and the characteristics that each of those breeds should have. It shows their schedule of points in showing, expounds on those points, and explains faults and disqualifications.

15. Is it a hard business to start?
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That depends! It depends on if you already have a building for them, if you are able to find used but good cages, make cages, or just find new cages and everything. You will have to order some things most likely, and fix up things. Once you pick a breed(s) that you want to work with, then you need to find rabbitries that have that breed(s). You can go to the ARBA website for a big listing of breeders: http://www.arba.net/
Really get your name out there! Make a website, ask other rabbitries to put you on their links, register your rabbitry with the ARBA, make business cards (VistaPrint has great deals) and put them up, just to name a few thing that can help in making your rabbitry well known!

16. How much money do you think you have invested in your rabbitry?
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 I really don't know. I'm starting to keep track of all that better, expenses and profits. Probably over a thousand dollars for sure. Cages, rabbits, feed, bedding, feeders, waterers, etc.

17. Have you ever had a litter that you have messed with daily for several hours a day turn out to be mean, snippy, agressive, or try to scrach or bite at you?
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No.

18. If so how have you corrected their behavior?
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I hold my babies everyday so have never had that problem.

19. Why do you do what you do with your rabbits?
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Because I love them!? :)

20. Do you have any advice for a beginer rabbit shower, or any advice on how to begin a rabbitry?
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For a beginner shower, really prepare before the show! You can't be over prepared! Do all that you can before the show, so that the show isn't stressful and is a good time. Ask a lot of questions too, you can learn a ton at a show. And I have found that most (not all, but most) rabbit people are very helpful and are very willing to answer your questions and help you out! Most of all have fun! :)

A few things on how to begin a rabbitry: The cages you start out with don't need to be expensive and fancy, just funtional, easy to clean, sturdy cages that are the proper size for the breed (about 1 square feet per 2 lb. rabbit weight). Example: Holland lop - 4 lbs. - 24 inch by 24 inch cage, a little smaller is okay for bucks and dry does though.
Make sure you have a clean, ventilated place to keep them, and make sure you start out with good pedigreed rabbits that are a good example of their breed.
A huge thing is cleanliness. Clean cages frequently, trays, nest boxes after each use, water bottles/crocks, feeders/feed crocks, toys, etc. often. Really read up on everything you can get a hold of on rabbit care.

Ashley