My opinion about buying an Angora Rabbit off Craigslist

I was recently talking to a good friend about people buying Angora rabbits from Craigslist. My personal opinion is that Craigslist should not be the place to go to purchase a Show Quality English Angora. Now, I a biased and I admit it.


I do not see a problem with Craigslist as a whole. I love Craigslist and have found many awesome, items, and animals there. Yes, I bought two horses off Craigslist some time ago. I did not have any issue with them. However, I had to give them to my brother due to issues beyond my control.

Angora rabbits, well. I do not believe I would purchase one from Craigslist. I believe that now, in Texas, we have several reputable breeders of this breed and can easily find them in blogs, webpages, and even Facebook. Unfortunately, some people do not want to pay the prices some of us might charge, but the problem is they do not take into consideration the time and effort it went in selecting the proper breeding, feeding and maintaining the rabbits and then showing the rabbit. These are very expensive things to do. Also, one has to always take into consideration the reputation of the breeder, the years of investment in the breed, and the knowledge to continue striving to Standard of Perfection.

A craigslist breeder of the Angora rabbits, might not necesserily take all the aforementioned things into consideration. Some just want to sell a "cute" rabbit without letting the buyer know in advance the work and dedication that goes into this breed. I do have to admit, a $40-50 angora rabbit seems like a great bargain, but many times, one gets what they pay for. Often one will purchase an animal because it is "cute" and then get tired of it, then ends up neglecting it.

I always warn about doing these types of deals on Craigslists when it comes to Angora rabbits. I know that other rabbit breeds do not necessarily need the extra attention of these high maintenance rabbits, and some good, reputable breeders or said breeds sale on Craigslist. I am not talking about any other breed, but the Angora.

I know my friend's point of view is, "never buy from Craigslis". My point of view is regardless of where you purchase an Angora rabbit, do the research. Find out as much as you can about the breed. Figure out what you want the rabbit for, is it to show, pet, or fiber? Then, once a person knows the reason for getting an Angora rabbit, decide where your best place to purchase it is. I always say, "buyer beware", then again, even reputable breeders of Angoras have some time or another lost their way and sold rabbits just to "make room for new ones".

There, this is my opinion about Craigslist buying of Angora rabbits.

The most beautiful witch in Texas

This is the most beautiful witch in Texas! My mother, Tommy, along with my cutie nephew, dressed up for Halloween!
I tell you, my mother is one strong woman. She has had some strokes, and is on dialysis, but her spirits are always high and strong! She always says that when she "died" and then came back, because she flat lined several times, she realized that the Good Lord was giving her an opportunity to continue enjoying life and she does it to the fullest! I pray that I can have her will when I get to be her age.

Breeding Decisions

One of the toughest things for me to consider in my program is choosing the proper buck and doe to breed. These past few breedings were productive and I have 3 Juniors that are very promising, two in show coats and showing and one barely growing her coat. I am excited to see how they develop.

I already started choosing carefully which does are worthy of breeding. Quite frankly, I only keep the best rabbits I get from breedings and cull heavily. This has given me the opportunity to get some nice rabbits for showing.

Talking to friends, I notice the pressure to begin breeding in December for the ARBA Convention in November of 2014. The awesome thing is that the Convention will be held in Texas this year and I am ecstatic about it. I, like many other Texas breeders of the Angora rabbit, are feeling a bit of pressure since we want to present some wonderful rabbits that will compete at this National level. We all want to show everyone that Texas is able to produce show quality rabbits that can win at the table. This is a feat that we hope can be accomplished next year.

At RTA, I always look at the qualities I need to improve in my line and carefully plan how to do it. Having a very small herd is not tough, though it is mind bogling thinking of what each individual rabbit has to offer and how to pair them together is not as easy as one may think. While other individuals will breed "nilly willy" and hope for the best, I do not believe in that system, nor do I condone it.

When I am asked about planning breedings, I always say that I take my time, look at each rabbit, evaluate them carefully, and think very clearly what I want to accomplish with the breeding. I try my best to keep it simple, though at times, one gets more colors than one wants to work on.

I will see how these breeding decisions pan out...

December Shows

December Shows I plan to attend before the New Year. I trust my good friends that show Angoras will be there, too. I'm missing 2 shows in November, so I have to make up for it.


12/6 & 7/2013                               TEXAS RBA   http://texasrba.net/

KILLEEN, Texas

KEN MCCRACKEN
13550 SPRING CYPRESS
CYPRESS, TX 774290000 832-260-2398
CALTXRAB@GMAIL.COM



12/13 & 14/2013                                 JOHNSON COUNTY RBA  and SOUTHWEST RBA


CLEBURNE, Texas

GAY SPARKS
1051 COUNTY ROAD 491
DE LEON, TX 76444 254-485-4452
FBBARN@GMAIL.COM

November Shows

There are two shows I will miss in November because I am going on a week-long Carnival Cruise to the Mexican Riviera!  I was hoping to make the Shiner, Tx., show, but I checked my itinerary and I will be at sea that day, returning to LA.

I will have to plan for December shows to attend.

In the mean time, everyone is encouraged to attend and support these awesome shows and clubs!



11/8/2013 and 11/9/2013                    LONE STAR RABBIT & CAVY SHOWS,INC.
KILLEEN, Texas

KEN MCCRACKEN
13550 SPRING CYPRESS
CYPRESS, TX 774290000 832-260-2398
CALTXRAB@MSN.COM

and

11/16/2013                                          SOUTH TEXAS RBA

SHINER, Texas

DUSTY WENSKE
126 COUNTY ROAD 414
YOAKUM, TX 77995 361-293-0275
DUSTYWENSKE@GMAIL.COM

Macumba wins!

Road To Angora "Macumba" Jr. Buck, wins Best Opposite Sex at the Angora Specialty Show in Belton, Texas, sponsored by Southern Angora Rabbit Club!

Up and coming Junior Hopefuls

These brother and sister team made their debut at the Belton Show on October 26, 2013. They received very good comments and placements. I'm excited for their continued development and see how they do on their next show in November.



Road To Angora "Talisman" Jr. Doe "Lilac Tort"





Road To Angora "Macumba" Jr. Buck   "Tort"





Ramblings

I got online and realized that I have not posted on this blog in a long time. I decided to ramble a bit on things I've been up to.
First, the heat in San Antonio is unbearable! We've hit the triple digits, though my rabbits are still doing well. I moved the babies into the house, though, to ensure they don't stress out too much.
Currently, I have 7 babies, well, some are over 1 1/2 month old, and others are almost 3 months. I am SO looking for a show to go to. I do not believe that my rabbits will be ready this month or September. I am hoping I will have some nice juniors by October to begin showing.
About this year's Convention, well, I am still thinking of it. I have to go attend a Conference the week Convention begins, so I could possibly make it late. Then again, I am going on a week-long Cruise in November, so I am still debating what I need to do.

Other events in conjuction with TRBA

Sometimes ther are other events going on in conjuction with shows. Next to the TRBA show, there was an equestrian show. Unfortunately, it was not free, but I managed to snap two pictures before I had to leave or pay the $30 fee.

Sweepstakes recognition

It was very nice to receive recognition for Sweepstakes by the TRBA!

SARC's decorations for anniversary celebration

Below are some knitted bunnies created by Kelly Flading. These soft, nice bunnies might be available for purchase by contacting Kelly.

Below is the SARC tee-shirt, order yours today by contacting SARC!

SARC recognizes special accomplishments...

Southern Angora Rabbit Club recognizes Kelly Flading for the wonderful work and dedication to the club:

SARC celebrates its 1st Anniversary of existence!

On of the highlights of the TRBA Show was the celebration of Southern Angora Rabbit Club (SARC) first anniversary! Below are some pictures of the setup and some of the members and directors:

Highlights from the TX RBA continued...

Here are some highlights of the TRBA show weekend. Pictures of angora breeders, judges, and rabbits.

Ricardo grooming Coqueta

Judge Nita Boatman judging Himalayans!

Highlights from TX RBA Show

TRBA had two shows in addition to the Saturday, State show. The shows, Friday and Sunday were as equally fun and exciting!

Road To Angora "Coqueta" won BOB on Friday night show.

Below, Judge: Conall Addison:

Texas Rabbit Breeders Association Show

On Saturday, March 23, 2013, the TRBA had it's annual Show. There were so many breeds represented.
We had several Angoras Shown and the competition was stiff. However, we are proud to say our 1 year old Road To Angora "Coqueta" won BOB!

Below is Judge Nita Boatman:

Barn Blind

Lately, I’ve heard a lot about “barn blindness” in the rabbit show circuit and I decided to post a bit of my own interpretations of this term and the imperativeness of taking it seriously.

Barn blindness is a term we use in the rabbit show circuit about a person’s inability to find any new faults or find excessive amount of faults in their herd. Therefore, they appear shocked or confused with their rabbit loses or wins.

Typically, we as show persons, tend to be our own worse critics. We work with our rabbits daily and love them so much that, unfortunately, we see things that are not there. We might become immune to see the best or the worse in our rabbits.

I believe that we all suffer from barn blindness at one time or another. However, only the true breeders will be able to discern the issue. One way to avoid or combat this situation is by showing rabbits with enough competition. If one person shows their own stock over and over and has little to no competition, that person might get blinded by their wins.

Furthremore, just because we purchase stock from very well recognized lines does not mean all our rabbits offspring are “superb”. We need to take a step back and fully evaluate our stock.
I firmly believe that it is imperative for people to show their animals. That way, one not only does one get independent judges’ opinions, but if competition is there, they can compare to the rest of the breeders and see what a rabbit is lacking or exceling in.

Show competition is tough and being "barn blind, can either make us or break us. We all should strive to reach the Standard of Perfection in a rabbit. We need to objectively evaluate and allow others to evaluate our rabbits so we do not become blinded by our stock. In fact, we should not be blinded by anything, after all, all that sparkles, is not always gold.

See you at the Show!

TRBA STATE SHOW - Triple 3 Day Show

March 22, 23 & 24, 2013 -- BELTON, TX

Road To Angora "COQUETA"