# Do my rabbits qualify for showing?



## morganandbunns (Apr 25, 2015)

I don't have any pictures yet, so I will describe them.

The sisters are both purebred lionheads, double maned. One is tort and the other is black/grey and both have Vienna marks. The tort's ears are quite small and her saddle coat is thick where it shouldn't be. But her sister's skirt is quite long and she has fairly good proportions. They both have blue eyes and are about 1 pound and 9 ounces, they are young.

Anything holding them back from completion?


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## Minilopbun (Apr 25, 2015)

I don't know how to tell if a rabbit is show-quality but I do know you would need to post properly posed photos for others to be able to tell you


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## Azerane (Apr 26, 2015)

I could be wrong, but I believe vienna marked rabbits are generally unacceptable for showing in all breeds (except for Dutch rabbits).


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## woahlookitsme (Apr 26, 2015)

Their color is holding them back. Azerane is right that Vienna marks are not showable. Currently the only two accepted varieties are tort and ruby eyed white (REW). 

Check out the Breed website for more information
http://www.lionhead.us/


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## Beesandbuns (Apr 30, 2015)

You can show them if the variety has a COV out, they are unable to win awards though (if you are in the united states). I'd suggest getting in touch with a local lionhead club and talking to another older breeder about it.


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## woahlookitsme (Apr 30, 2015)

There is no COD (I'm pretty sure that's what you meant) for any sort of Vienna marked rabbit. The vienna gene comes from blue eyed white rabbits and has come up in a lot of breeds but none are able to be shown. As far as I am aware they cannot ever be because the pattern for a Vienna marked rabbit varies so much that there is no way to make a clear definition in a standard for the pattern. ARBA likes to be VERY specific in their patterns (like with Dutch and harlequins) that they most likely won't ever accept the pattern/color. 

This is why in a blue eyed white program breeding with a colored rabbit should almost be totally avoided.


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## Beesandbuns (May 1, 2015)

woahlookitsme said:


> There is no COD (I'm pretty sure that's what you meant) for any sort of Vienna marked rabbit. The vienna gene comes from blue eyed white rabbits and has come up in a lot of breeds but none are able to be shown. As far as I am aware they cannot ever be because the pattern for a Vienna marked rabbit varies so much that there is no way to make a clear definition in a standard for the pattern. ARBA likes to be VERY specific in their patterns (like with Dutch and harlequins) that they most likely won't ever accept the pattern/color.
> 
> This is why in a blue eyed white program breeding with a colored rabbit should almost be totally avoided.



COD is used for new breeds, a COV is used when developing a new variety of rabbit. 

Vienna might never be able to be shown, but I've known local breeders who take advantage of Vienna marked rabbits to better the type of their Blue eyed whites, so if the Vienna animal has good type it could be a good brood animal.


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## woahlookitsme (May 1, 2015)

Beesandbuns said:


> COD is used for new breeds, a COV is used when developing a new variety of rabbit.
> 
> Vienna might never be able to be shown, but I've known local breeders who take advantage of Vienna marked rabbits to better the type of their Blue eyed whites, so if the Vienna animal has good type it could be a good brood animal.



This may be true but I would differ in saying that a Vienna carrier or vienna marked rabbit must be of great type or have what your blue eyed white rabbits lack instead of just good. I only have a pair of BEW polish and it's safe to say when introducing a VM or VC rabbit you need more space and more resources for the ones you cannot show

Also there is no such word as COV. From ARBA it's just called a variety certificate of development (Variety COD) https://www.arba.net/news.htm


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## Beesandbuns (May 1, 2015)

woahlookitsme said:


> This may be true but I would differ in saying that a Vienna carrier or vienna marked rabbit must be of great type or have what your blue eyed white rabbits lack instead of just good. I only have a pair of BEW polish and it's safe to say when introducing a VM or VC rabbit you need more space and more resources for the ones you cannot show
> 
> Also there is no such word as COV. From ARBA it's just called a variety certificate of development (Variety COD) https://www.arba.net/news.htm



Huh, I thought I had seen in the first issue of Domestic Rabbits 2015 the use of the abbreviation of COV.


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## majorv (May 2, 2015)

To the OP, if they are Vienna marked they are not showable. Just curious, do they have blue eyes?


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