To show again?

Last week was the Mountain State Fair. This week is the Greensboro Show.

90% of my rabbits look like they fell out of the molty tree and hit every branch on the way down.

That leaves me very limited options as to who I want to take and show. Should I show some of the same rabbits I took last week? Should I just take the older ones and leave the juniors that showed at home?

There are two schools of thought on that.

One group says don't show them continuously back to back. It makes them more prone to stressing, increases the chance they'll get sick or die and is just too much for the rabbit.

One group says it doesn't matter one way or the other, show what you want to show.

I think I fall somewhere in between. My normal preference is to not show the same rabbits on back to back weekends. However, in a case like this where I have no other options, I'll evaluate them on an individual basis. Did the rabbit lose a lot of condition from the previous show? Did they go off feed? Did they have soft poo or show signs of stress?

If the rabbit looks healthy, feels healthy and is exhibiting healthy behavior, I will consider them for the show table this weekend. If they seem even the slightest bit stressed out, or that they didn't jump right back to their routine immediately on getting back home, they'll stay home. Points and trophies aren't worth compromising the health or life of any of the show herd.

Really though, in a case like this where it is one single back-to-back weekend, everyone should be fine. Just really consider not making it an every weekend type thing. I know I'd not be happy doing a show every single weekend and I don't have to be the one handled by an unfamiliar person!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry