The American Rabbit: An American Classic 

São tão fofos eu tive um pelo menos 8 anos ele foi muito bem cuidado! E São Maravilhosos ❤❤❤ ele dormia comigo e sabia usar o sanitário para fazer suas necessidades. Muito Dóceis

That's really cool and very unusual to find an American in a pet shop as they are huge rabbits. Unfortunately lots of pet store rabbits die to improper care. That's a big part of why we don't sell to pet shops. Congrats to you on saving her from potential neglect.

Thank you! I think the Standard info is important, because that standard is what separates a NZ from a Cal and a Palomino from a Rex. Without it we just have "rabbits". Silver Martens are really cool! I've only seen them in person at ARBA Conventions. We don't seem to really have any breeders in the PNW.

Good

Ditto on what Jim said.

I have two American rabbits. I have a buck and a doe. 💕🐰🐰

Unfortunately very few shelters actually have experienced rabbit employees or volunteers. One of the gals at the local shelter had said they literally just Google the color of the rabbit and find one that looks close. They don't usually even worry about size or body type. With Americans being fairly rare the chances are that she's not an American at all 😊. Thanks for watching!

@@SpragueRiverHomestead too funny. all I can imagine is my sassy goofball at 12 pounds 😂 good lord

Thank you!

Thank you so much 😀

☺️ Thanks! It's true for most breeds, and easier for folks to understand than saying "you want a well developed hind quarter and full loin". LOL

How did the buying experience go?

Thank you

There's definitely a lack of info on the web for most of the rare and heritage breeds. I have a friend who raises Silver Fox, and hope to get her help on a video about them as well.

Please don’t hurt them!

@@sarahtonin256 Do you really think anyone here would harm them. Even when they're dispatched it's done where they don't feel it.

Lizzie Higgs Well if someone is going to eat them it hurts them :(

I had terrible luck with white bucks spraying in the New Zealands, as did my friend who raised them. She had better luck with the reds and blacks not spraying as much. You'd be surprised how many breeds you can find within a couple of hours. Just within an hour of us here we have 20!

@@SpragueRiverHomestead I just knew you were going to say that lol! Well...I'm in rural Canada, sort of on the road to nowhere and the closest breeder I know of is over an hour away. I will see if we can get something other than a white buck though. We both like Silver Fox but the only breeder I know of up here is in Vancouver, BC.

I'm still scratching my head as to why color would make a difference in spraying?

Further to this, the breeder I know locally has just the white New Zealand.

@@kevinrowbotham545 that's an interesting question when it comes to spraying and the differences in the colors. Think of the colors as different breeds within the breed. You don't breed the whites to anything but white, blacks can only really be bred to broken black, black, blue and broken blue. Reds to red and broken red. This has to do with color genetics and the absolute havoc that occurs when the wrong color genes get mixed. Whites are the original color and have the best type. Other breeds were crossed in to make the different colors. With the whites, their sole focus was type and consistency for meat development. They didn't initially worry about things like temperament and habits. The colors were developed primarily for the show world (still great meat rabbits), so more focus was put on personality, handleability and habits. (And yes, some breeders really do cull for things like spraying, myself included.) This is why the whites tend to be more high strung, not as friendly and bucks have a higher incidence of spraying. The other colors are more laid back and friendly. It does depend on the breeder of course, and you may find that your local breeder has very well behaved NZ. All of my whites sprayed, as did my friend's. She bred NZ for show for a number of years, and I can remember helping her many times to try and get her whites clean enough to actually show. They were always yellow! 🙂

Sorry for the delayed response. I wanted to touch base with the TX breeder and make sure she was okay with my sharing her info. Stacie Grange of SLG Rabbitry is in Bryan, TX. She does travel some in state for shows, but I don't know where or when. She said she most likely won't have stock available until March, but you can contact her at slgrabbitry @ gmail.com or through her SLG Rabbitry Facebook page. I hope that helps! I've met Stacie several times and served with her on the national club Board of Directors. She has beautiful, quality animals and is very knowledgeable. Good luck!

Hi Rebecca, we are very much in the same boat as you. We are in east Texas, north of Tyler on a family homestead. I'm willing to travel for good stock and though we mainly need meat, I only want to breed quality animals and maybe our kids would show if things ever fully open back up. Good luck on your hunt.

I've had someone ask me for a video on evaluating Americans, so I hope to be able to get something together and posted in the next month. Waiting for our weather to mellow out a bit, as I really nees to film it outside.

@@SpragueRiverHomestead that would be absolutely wonderful! I will be looking for it 😊

Looking forward to that because that will help me look at the fur quality.

Chances are pretty good that your buck is a NZ and just long in the shoulders. With Americans being a rare breed, breeders usually won't sell them without a pedigree of some sort. Feel free to email me pics. There are some subtle features that should tell me what he is. srhomestead@yahoo.com 😊

I'm not sure off the top of my head who all is out that way. You may check with the Breeders of the American Rabbit, NSC. I'll be driving out to Indiana in late April for the Harlequin National show and currently have a pair of young blues available.

Sprague River Homestead Thank you! I’ll have to check into schedules, but that would be wonderful if I could get up there. I have been thinking about getting rabbits again for awhile, will be working on a new building this spring with rabbits and/or chickens in mind. I really thank you for your videos, I have learned something from every one I’ve watched.

I forgot to ask how much you are selling them for? Lol

@@crzynrs100 they are $50 each. Full pedigree, tattooed, and they'll be breeding age by that time.

I'm most likely done until spring. All of my does are currently being bred, and my bucks are all over the weight limit.

Could be literally anything. Americans are also not the only mandolin shaped rabbit, so there's no guarantee that it has any American in it at all. More likely to be a Flemish/NZ cross of some sort.

Currently there are no breeders in Utah. There are several people on my waiting list for rabbits later this spring/summer that should start producing offspring in 2022. You can reach out to the Club Secretary of the Breeders of the American Rabbit National Specialty Club and see who they recommend near you. There are several breeders in CA, though you may need to find transport.

Yes, both breeds have what's called a fly back fur.

No idea. Americans are supposed to have blue-grey. I've never seen one with silver so unsure of what that could be. Sorry I can't be of more help.

I don't bree them. The only breeder I know is Annie Wilson in Washingston state. She could refer you to someone, or check with the national breed club.

It'll vary some by line, but in 2 equal sized animals the American loin is longer and larger in my experience.

I don't do breed videos on any breed I don't have first hand knowledge of, or friends that raise them locally. Sorry.

Sounds like some sort of meat mutt that maybe used Americans along the way. They definitely cannot be Americans with those colors. They are also not producing litter sizes that we see in the American breed.

Yes! Highly recommend Vickie Parsons. There are a few others in MO but she's the one I'm most familiar with. Just talked to her today and she has litters due this week and should have juniors in February/March

@@SpragueRiverHomestead thanks so much. Do you have any suggestions on learning how to show? We've showed cattle, goats and hogs but rabbits would be a new venture.

@@247rug the best way to learn is to attend some shows. I'm not familiar with which states are having them and which aren't with the different levels of shutdowns. The ARBA website should have a list of upcoming shows.

@@SpragueRiverHomestead thanks again for the suggestions. Merry Christmas.

@@247rug Merry Christmas to you as well! And may your 2021bring you many blessings!

If you don't have pedigrees on them they could be anything. Oftentimes you'll get long meat rabbits that are New Zealand crossed out to Flemish Giants. It's not impossible that they are Americans, but with so few breeders it's less likely.

@@SpragueRiverHomestead thank you for your reply. Is there a way to find out what I have? Like a test or something?

@@keiladavis there is no genetic testing available for rabbits. However, if you want to email me pics I can give you a pretty good idea. Head shape, ear length and other factors can give is an approximation. What I would need is weight, sex, side profile shot, front face with ears and a side head with ears. Ears and how they sit on the head are a huge indicators. Our email address is spragueriverrabbits @ Gmail.com.

I will do that thank you so much!!

Global pedigree is not a registration, it's just a web based pedigree system. If a blue has white nails they will pass it on regardless of what color they are bred to. White nails is caused by a gene. I've bred blues with white nails together and still never had a litter of more than 50% white nails. (For meat only) Having a white parent would not give your kits white nails, and it's really strange to have a litter of kits that all have white nails even if both parents have the gene. How old are they? Some times in younger blues their nail color with be pretty light until 12+ weeks. A blue with any white spots or nails cannot be shown, and isn't advised for breeding other than meat.

Are you in Echo, Oregon? I show in Hermiston twice per year. I probably won't have any for the spring show in March, but should have some for the September show.

Echo Oregon near Pendleton Oregon

@@russellsmith3855 if you aren't in a hurry I should have some this fall. I usually go to the Hermiston show in September and could bring some there.

Sprague River Homestead ok would like some then. I am still getting our homestead up and running. Finished the shop, barn restore land worked for crop cow we have chicken goats thurkeys etc ... building built in 1907

I will be breeding my doe most likely next month. I am expecting a litter a month after that. I will be looking for homes around April/May. 🐰🐰💕

Rabbits don't ship well. Occasionally I'll send with transporters, but of course no transporters are working right now. If everything gets back on track I will be making a trip out to PA in late October.

For Americans, there are no breeders in the Dakota's. For any other breed you might want to check with the national breed club. Unfortunately I don't know anyone out that way.

@@SpragueRiverHomestead that would explain the problems I've been having. As a kid, some 30 years ago, now, I did do New Zealand Whites and Californias for our own consumption. I always wanted to do them again, so am now starting. In Nebraska, we had a good place to go, but theyve since "retired". I may ask more....

We find ours are at the 5# live weight by 8-10 weeks. If we want bigger buns for grinding or whatnot, they'll be 7#ish by 12-14 weeks. We do have bigger lines than some folks, but the numbers should still be around the same.

You'll have to find someone to import them into your country.

We don't shop but do work with transporters on occasion. There's several that run from the west to east coasts during the year. Right now my waiting list extends into about August. If you want to chat about Americans or inquire about being added to the list please email me - SRHomestead@yahoo.com

Thanks a lot 😊

For dispatch we use the cervical dislocation method, via a Rabbit Wringer. Far more consistent and easier than the broomstick method. I don't recommend NZ for beginners. While they can be fair producers and have a good growth rate, they are not the best mothers, tend to be more high strung and have flighty personalities. If you do decide on NZ, stick to reds or blues. They are not as efficient as Whites but the difference in temperament and mothering ability makes up for it.

???? They are no more bendy then any other breed.

Of the three you mentioned I would start with whatever you can most easily find! All three tend to have "pockets" of breeders, and you may find that one or more aren't easy to come by. Any of them would be good choices. Lilacs are smaller; Fox are the most laid back; Americans have the best growth rate (typically).

@@SpragueRiverHomestead Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! God Bless!

When I have some available I do. I have a pair of blues right now, and a litter of whites that are two weeks old now. I just bred several does, so should have some available later this spring/early summer.

Also, you have a breeder in Texas - where in Texas?

@@gingerreid8569 Stacie Grange at SLG Rabbitry is in Bryan, TX

Americans have a better growth rate, and tend to be bigger (Beveren does run 9-12# where the American range is 10-12#). Americans tend to have better muscling and larger litters (Beverens list as 8-10, Americans 10-12). For pelts the Beverens are a little harder to work with due to a longer fur. They are also a completely different shade of blue, being more lilac than the American deep steel blue.

Wow does are bigger

They can get pretty big for sure.