Making your own pedigree

[Somebunny2love]

I have read that if you start your rabbitry with rabbits that do NOT have a pedigree, you can breed 3 generations and make your own pedigree. Is this correct, or is it vitally important for a new breeder to buy rabbits that come with a pedigree?

 

[BeltaineRabbitry]

I would say that yes, after three generations you can make your own pedigrees, technically all a pedigree is showing who the parents of said rabbit are, what breed they are and color, weight, ear number and birthday, however, you need to be as honest as possible on these pedigrees. The problem I have seen happen is if you have a rabbit of questionable breed, you write on your pedigree it is a particular breed, then later down the line it can cause problems if you happened to be mistaken. Depending on what your plans are for your rabbits makes a difference in if you need a pedigree. Technically for shows through the ARBA, the rabbit showing does not need a pedigree to be shown, the pedigree is for the breeder and buyers of the rabbits, to help keep track of records and to prove breed and show colors in past generations (also weights etc), the ARBA only requires that the rabbit be a good representation of that breed. If you are planning on using the rabbits in shows and hope to sell to other breeders or start your own line then your best bet is to buy from a reputable breeder who shows and has good quality (pedigreed) stock. Not only are you going to be getting a better quality rabbit, if you are wanting to sell and can show other well respected breeders names on the pedigrees it will help with moving your stock.

If you are looking into something such as meat rabbits or fun rabbits pedigrees dont matter so much, unless you plan on doing like I do and breeding a purebred rabbit, and only selling/keeping the best of the best and eating the rest. (that is a lot cheesier sounding than I ment it to be lol )

 

[kfacres]

You can make your own pedigree at any time, or after any generation, the problem will be it will have blanks in it that are unfillable...

 

[Bunnylady]

A pedigree is really just a record-keeping tool. And, to some degree, a brag, if you have the right sort of animals on there.

The one time a pedigree is critical, is if you want to register your rabbit. In that situation, you must have a complete 3-generation pedigree, with ear number, weight, color for all of the animals on the page. They must all be the same breed. If they are registered themselves, you must have the registration numbers right, because the ARBA will check on that. When you register your rabbit, the number of registered generations on the pedigree determines what color seal is put on the certificate of registration.

Of course, if your rabbit is really top-notch, that pedigree is vital to it becoming a grand champion. Because, you see, a Grand Championship is only rewarded to a rabbit that is registered, and you have to have that complete pedigree for registration. I had a rabbit a few years ago that got the necessary wins for 3 grand champion legs, but didn't have a complete pedigree, so she couldn't become a grand champion. I had bought one of her grandparents from someone that never sent me the pedigree, so I didn't know what those two great-grands were. If I were an unscrupulous person, I could have changed the name of the purchased rabbit, and made up a couple of fictitious parents for it, and nobody would have known - but I would have, and I'm not that sort of person. So, in a way, pedigrees are a thing you do for other people down the road, not just yourself.