Conditioning For Show

​The best time to start conditioning your rabbits for a show would be months before that show begins. Here are some tips on how to get your buns in excellent show condition!


1.) Weight. First and foremost know your standard weight requirements!!! Throughout the year be sure to regulate your rabbits food intake to insure that he/she maintains a healthy weight for his/her breed standard. Weigh your rabbit often to keep track of the weights and adjust feed intake as needed. And most importantly, water water water!!! I cannot stress this enough! If your rabbit does not have an ample supply of fresh water, your rabbit will not eat. Your rabbit, when not eating does not maintain a proper weight and can be subjected to a lower immune system.


For overweight rabbits I personally have always found it best, and easiest to adjust their weight by simply removing pellets for 24-48 hours. No they are not fasting. In return I provide them with all they can eat fresh green alfalfa/grass mix hay, and of course water. Then I reduce the amount of pellets provided in their daily rations. Check their weight a week later. Has it dropped enough? If so, check the over all body condition.


You should NEVER feel a rabbit's vertebrae (backbone) and the hip pins should NEVER be visible or promidantly felt. If you feel this after an attempt to help your rabbit reduce weight to be within weight requirements for a show, then I am sorry, you have a large boned animal and it would be best to increase the food to bring your animal back to a healthy weight and retire it's show career to simply being a brood animal. (Breed down to a smaller boned animal either right at or slightly below required weight)


For underweight animals, slightly increase their food rations. Also I would worm. Take a fecal sample to your local vet and ask them to check for worms. Do not just blindly worm your rabbits without knowing exactly what type of worms your rabbit potentially has. You do not want to de worm for pin worms and give your rabbit this medication when in fact your rabbits have tapeworms. This is not going to help your rabbit rid itself of its worm infestation, and it could eventually help your rabbit build up an immunity to the de worming medication for the other type of worm, therefore making it useless if ever in the event you need to rid your rabbit of that particular type of worms.


2.) Grooming. Here in Montana show season starts in March. Of course that is also when the weather starts changing from cold to warmer temps. This also means that wonderful Molt. That rabbit you kept from last falls litters that you are so excited to show, is now molting. Hair is everywhere and it appears that your rabbit is trying to impersonate an angora! It never fails!


Regular brushing will help remove all this dead hair. Not only does this help the coat look nicer, but your rabbit is going to thank you for it in the long run! For the Mini Lops, and other regular furred rabbits we use a simple cat sized slicker brush. For those in horrible molt, we use a de-shedding tool. This is great, but do not use it for long legnths of time as you will cause an irritation on the skin. For the Mini Rex, my daughter uses a grooming stone and for removing dead hairs, duct tape or a lint roller.


Brush your rabbit a few minutes each day during the heavy molting times. Dont over do it. You dont want to break down the coat, cause skin irritations or bald spots.


For regular furred rabbits a spray bottle with witch hazel or even simple plain water will help break free those dead hairs and make grooming a bit easier. This also removes static from the fur. Use a misting setting, and only spray lightly. Dont soak the poor bunny! :) I even carry this bottle to the show for final touch ups before table time.


Do Not bathe your bunny! Shampoos and conditioners can leave a residue, leave the fur feeling unnatural and points can be deducted for this, or your rabbit can be disqualified. For buns with super dirty bum bums or feet I take a single hole carrier without the bottom pan and place it in the tub. I fill my tub up with enough water to rise slightly above the floor of the carrier. This will allow the bunny to sit and soak a few minutes, and not have to worry about him/her slipping and hurting him/herself in the tub. Most of mine simply relax in the carrier. I use either an oatmeal shampoo for those really hard to clean bums, or for white rabbits, a whitening shampoo. After freeing the dirt and poo clumps, I brush and even trim the longer hairs around the bum and gentials. Allow your bunny to dry. You can put the pan back on the carrier and let it sit in the house until dry. Unless its a nice warm day above 70 degrees, dont put your rabbit back outside, wet. Also, you are not going to want to do this the day before or day of the show. Your rabbits fur will need time to dry completely and naturally, so be sure to check your bums, and only bathe if neccessary at least a week prior to the show.


Nails. Ugh, the dreadful and most forgotten part about grooming! Oh how I hate going to shows and seeing people put rabbits up on the show table with 4 inch long needle point claws! Granted trimming nails can be an interesting event. Chances are you are going to come out of it with a battle scar or two. However, with regular trimming your rabbit will be used to it and after some time will not put up a fight. Nails if left untrimmed can be harmful to not only the rabbit but you! Rabbit nails are thin and very sharp. A rabbit's defense mechinism is to scratch. The back feet are especially strong.


Using cat nail clippers are the easist. Trim back to just infront of the quick. The quick is the pink soft center of the nail. Try to avoid this area. If you accidently cut it, your rabbit will bleed a bit, and it is slightly painful for him/her. Have some basic white flour, cornstarch, or even quikstop on hand just in case. If you nick the quick, you can dab the nail in the powder to stop the bleeding.


Regular trimming of the nails will in time shorten the quick and allow for shorter nails, which in the long run will prevent battle scars. :)


3.) Supplements. You can add supplements to your rabbits daily pellet rations. But be careful! If you over do it, your rabbit will become over weight! Supplements such as Show Bloom or Doc's Rabbit Enhancer require only an average of a teaspoon a day. Other supplements such as Black Oil Sunflower Seeds give an extra shine to the coat. Whole Rolled Oats help loosen dead hair. Regular oatmeal add an extra layer of fat/flesh for a beefier bunny. But again, dont over do it.


Over the past few years I have tried many supplements to give my buns that extra umph on the table. I have given this supplement mixed into their daily ration. But in turn this caused them to start scratching out feed and going in for the good stuff that they consider treats. Since I feed pellets in the morning, I give the supplement feed in the evening. I personaly do not use Doc's or Show bloom, but have my own special top secret mixture for my Mini Lops.


Another supplement you cannot go wrong with is hay. Fresh green hay. I found it best for my Mini Lops to use an alfalfa grass mix. I only provide small amounts at a time so none gets wasted. To keep the cage clean, and prevent the hay from being spread all over the cage floor, peed and pooped on, I use releasable zip ties. Take a handful of fresh hay and zip tie it to the corner of the cage.


4.) Practice Posing. There is nothing like a wild rabbit at a show. A rabbit that no matter what will not sit correctly and show itself off to the judge. Or a rabbit that absolutely refuses to sit still in a coop while awaiting its turn. I have seen many a rabbit fly out of the coop, or even out of the judges hands. At times I have even seen judges attempt over and over again to get a rabbit to sit up correctly to best evaluate it, but end up giving up on it and judging the only way it can, in a bad pose.


The more you work with your rabbit and practice the more its going to show off its good points. A rabbit that sits up properly and comfortably on its own pleases a judge more, and makes his/her job just that much easier.


Take 5 minutes a day, or even less and bring your rabbit out. Set him/her up into a good pose. Place the feet and head correctly. Dont force a pose. Dont hold the head down. You want a natural relaxed pose. If the rabbit wants to explore the area, allow him/her to do so for a short minute, then pose. Pose to the left and pose to the right.


While you have your rabbit out for practice this is a great time to go over it for disqualifications and grooming!


5.) Check for DQs. Go over your rabbit and check for basic disqualifications such as broken or missing toenails, mismatched toenails, broken tail, weight, broken, growing, or unaligned teeth. Unless you absolutely want a judges opinion on your rabbit with a DQ, or it's being used as a class filler. There is really no point in putting your rabbit through the stress of traveling and showing just to get Dq'd at the end. Read your breed standard and learn your breed specific disqualifications.


Double check the sex. If you accidently, and trust me this has happened to all of us, enter a buck in the doe class, and its caught, DQ'd, then that takes away from the availability of earning a leg in that class. Also, double check your animals genitals for red and inflamed vulva's, blisters or worts, split penis, etc.




No matter how much you groom, how often you practice, or how much supplements you give it all boils down to the quality of the animal itself. You cannot take a poorly breed rabbit, supplement, pose and groom it into championship. Know your standard and always set your goals high. Listen to the judges, take notes and improve!