Pedigreed vs Registered

Pedigreed Rabbit
A pedigreed rabbit is a rabbit that comes with a pedigree certificate. Okay, so what's that? A pedigree is a written record that gives information on your rabbit as well as three generations of its ancestors. A complete pedigree must contain the name or ear number of each rabbit as all varieties and weights for all animals on the pedigree as well.

Registered Rabbit
A registered rabbit is a rabbit that has a complete pedigree and it has been examined by an American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) licensed registrar. Animals that are registered are purebred and were free from all disqualifications at the time of registration. Just because an animal is registered doesn't mean it's a great show rabbit - it just means it is showable, or was so at the time of registration. 

Filling out your own pedigrees.
All breeders need to keep good records of their rabbits and offspring. You can track such information through the use of pedigrees.

Name
Each animal will have two parts to the name. There is the surname and the call name. The surname is sort of like a pre-fix. It tells who the previous breeder was for that rabbit. An example would be as follows:

If you happen to get a rabbit with no name information filled in, which is common when purchasing young rabbits, you should not use your name or your rabbitry's name as the surname. The pedigree should have the name of the breeder that bred/raised that rabbit. You can however fill in your own call name. Using your name or rabbitry as the surname is unethical and can cause problems when registering animals. So say you purchased a young rabbit from R&R Rabbitry but when you received the pedigree there was no name information filled in. You decide to name the rabbit Bubba - so you need to put "R&R's Bubba" in the name filed. However, if a call name is already given for the rabbit on the pedigree, do not change it. The previous breeder has that name in his or her records and it would again mess up registrations and so forth in the future. You can call the rabbit by a different name, but it must remain the name the breeder chose to put on the pedigree.

Ear Number
An ear number should be tattooed in the left ear of the rabbit and it should match the ear number given on the pedigree. Again, sometimes with purchasing young rabbits the breeder doesn't get a chance to tattoo the animal before it's sold. If the breeder has a tattoo number on the pedigree, when you decide to tattoo the animal, you must use that number. If there is no tattoo in the ear and no number specified on the pedigree, you can tattoo the animal as you please.

Sex
The sex of the animal must also be specified as Doe (female) or Buck (male). 

Breed
The breed of the rabbit must also be filled in on the pedigree. Some pedigrees are breed specific and will state "Netherland Dwarf Pedigree" or "Dutch Pedigree" at the top of the pedigree. If they do not, there is usually a field where you can fill in the breed.

Color/Variety
The variety (color) must also be filled in for all of the rabbits in the pedigree. The color doesn't have to be a recognized color for that breed, but there must be something in the field. Some breeds only come in one variety such as the Californian, so "standard" is sometimes used to fill in that field. If you don't know the variety of your rabbit, find someone that can ID the color for you.

Weight/Wt.
The weight field can be left blank until the animal is at least 6 months of age. This field should reflect the adult weight of the animal, not the weight of the animal at the time of purchase. Always fill the weight in as pounds and ounces. Some pedigrees have a space for lbs and oz, others just say weight. If you have a rabbit that weighs 5 1/2 pounds that translates to 5.08 lbs or 5lbs 8oz. Do not write the 5 1/2 lbs as 5.5 which translates to 5lbs 50 oz, or 5.8 which translates to 5lbs 80oz. 

Reg #
This is the registration number for the rabbit which is explained more in the next section.

Legs & Winnings
There is sometimes a field for legs, or the breeder may write something like "6 Legs" in the winnings field. This does not mean the rabbit had 6 legs. A leg is like a point that is won at a show. You can receive a leg for placing first in your class, winning Best of Variety (BOV), Best Opposite Sex of Variety (BOSV), Best of Group (BOG), Best Opposite Sex of Group (BOSG), Best of Breed (BOB) or Best Opposite Sex of Breed (BOSB) - granted there are at least 5 rabbits in the class and at least 3 different exhibitors. 

GC #
The grand champion number can be given to any rabbit that has at least 3 legs under 2 different judges and one of those legs must be won in a senior class. The animal must then be registered. Once the rabbit has met those requirements, the breeder may send in 3 legs the rabbit has won to the ARBA and they will receive their Grand Champion certificate and number.

Other Terms
You will also see the terms Sire, Dam, G.Sire, G. Dam, GG. Sire and GG. Dam. The below table shows what these terms mean:

Need a pedigree? I've created two for you to use!
[Printable Version]   [Click, Type Print]
Requires Adobe Acrobat

Registering Your Rabbit
Rabbits can be registered only after 6 months of age and it must meet all senior requirements as stated in the Standard of Perfection. All registered rabbits have a complete 3 generation pedigree, but this doesn't mean that all pedigreed rabbits are registered.Registering rabbits is different than dogs. With dogs, pups born to registered parents are automatically registered themselves. This is different for rabbits. The ARBA only allows those animals exhibiting proper characteristics for that breed and that are free form disqualifications to be registered, only after they have been carefully examined by a licensed ARBA registrar. By doing this the ARBA has made sure that only animals with desired characteristics are registered.

In order to register your rabbit you must have the following:

• An active membership with the ARBA & your ARBA card
  If you are not a member, or your membership has expired, you may register or re-register with the ARBA registrar when you go to register your rabbit Your Rabbit (at least 6 months of age - meeting all senior requirements)
• A complete 3 generation pedigree with all names and/or ear numbers, weights and proper varieties filled in. The colors in the rabbit's ancestors do not have to be recognized colors, but the proper names must be given. For example, you can not list the color "Agouti" on the pedigree - it must be more specific than that. It should say Chestnut Agouti, Chinchilla, or another specific color.  The animal must all be pure-bred (all animals on the pedigree must be of the same breed).
• $6.00 -There is a $6.00 fee for registering your animal with the ARBA.

Upon registration the registrar will examine your rabbit, checking it for proper weight, color, and making sure it's free from disqualifications. It will also examine the pedigree to make sure the necessary information has been filled in. Once the registrar has decided the animal is fit to be registered, the will record all of the information from the animal's pedigree and it's current weight. They will also tattoo the rabbits right ear with the registration number, or the registration insignia (circle with an R in it). The registrar will mail the hand written form into the ARBA and you should receive the registration papers within a few weeks.

Article written by Mindy Borer
Rabbit Registrar #RR473
www.TranquilAcresRabbitry.com