Rabbit Pedigrees and Ethics

What the new breeder should know about pedigrees

Pedigrees are very important for future generations of rabbits produced! The pedigree records a
rabbit's ancestry going back three or four generations and shows the parents, grandparents and great grandparents of a rabbit (sometimes great great grandparents too!) The name, ear number, weight and color of each rabbit is recorded, and sometimes other information, such as legs, registration number, Grand Champion Number, show wins and genetic info, is also listed.
The pedigree offers a lot of information to help future breeders determine anticipated colors and other genetic info of offspring. It is important for all breeders to maintain accurate pedigrees and to record their own pedigrees correctly!

Preserving The Breeder Prefix
A Breeder's Prefix is usually the rabbitry or breeder's name listed in front of the animal's name or number, on a pedigree. If you've purchased a show, breeding or 4-H rabbit, you should always give the breeder who produced your rabbit, his or her due credit for that rabbit. Keep the breeder's prefix in front of the rabbit's name if you list the rabbit on a web page, registration papers, public listings and on pedigrees generated by your breeding operation. Of course, you may name rabbits actually produced in your rabbitry, any way you wish, but their pedigrees must list background animals (parents, etc) accurately, with the original breeder's info.

We have seen people buy rabbits from other breeders, then go on to proudly picture them on websites, pedigrees, and business cards, but exchange the original breeder's prefix with their own rabbitry name! This is not the right thing to do - you should always leave the pedigree name and breeder prefix as is listed on the original pedigree!

Sometimes, this is done innocently enough, with a new, inexperienced breeder assuming that since they bought the rabbit they can change the name-but this is not right-and if you are reading this...now you know it is not right!

Although you should never change a breeder prefix or leave it off, some breeders will allow you to assign a "call name" to the animal and sometimes even allow you to list the new call name on the pedigree behind the breeder prefix.

Using our rabbitry pedigrees as an example, some of our rabbits do not have a 'call name" and we may list a rabbit simply as "LaReau's 53LL" Most breeders would allow you to change the name to "LaReau's Sunny" if you intend to call the rabbit "Sunny". Now if you take it a step farther and change the name to "Sam's Sunny", taking away the breeder prefix "LaReau's" and replacing it with your own name- you have crossed the line into unethical territory - don't do it!

Accurate Pedigrees
As you move along in your breeding program, you will most likely be making pedigrees for rabbits born at your rabbitry. It is very important that you make your pedigrees accurately and thoroughly - copying the background rabbits' information onto your own pedigree form and double checking to make sure you've made no mistakes. Leaving off info or recording wrong info, such as weights, colors and ear numbers can cause problems and may prevent someone from registering the rabbit or it's offspring, down the road.

When you record your rabbit's personal info, correct information is essential! Don't guess at your rabbit's age or ear number.

Don't guess at your rabbit's color - ask an experienced breeder, even a couple of them, what your rabbit's color is. It will also help future owners who may be trying to determine genetics, if you list the full color variety...for example...instead of writing just 'tortoise', write 'black tortoise, or blue tortoise' or whatever variety it really is. If your rabbit is a steeled color, please write that in also with the correct color (chestnut-steeled, black steeled, etc) most breeders want to know if there is a steel gene present as this gene can crop up unexpectedly as it is!

If you are using a computerized pedigree program that has genetics capabilities, don't assume it has recorded the correct genetic information - look at it and if you feel there is an error, you should be able to manually override the program and enter the correct genetic information.

And..if you hand write your pedigrees, please print and make sure they are legible to anyone!

If you have questions about pedigrees or renaming - you can always call the original breeder for answers and advice.

Making Pedigrees; Pedigree Forms
Ready-made pedigree forms can be purchased and handwritten or you can click here for a printable form. If you have more than a few rabbits and own a computer, it generally is worth the money (usually $40-$80) to purchase a rabbit-tracking software program to keep track of your rabbits, breeding's and pedigrees - these make quick work of printing accurate pedigrees!


Adapted from lops and cavies