Take a trip down the rabbit hole at this year’s fair.
Today, rabbit judging is at the the Allen County Fair.
Even though the fair is once a year the 4-H’ers spend all year taking care of the rabbits, which are less like fair entries and more like pets.
Allyson and Annika Hobbs have been entering rabbits into the fair for two years. They each have a new breed of rabbis called lion heads — the name coming from the lion-like mane around their heads.
A lot of attention and care go into the rabbits especially during the summertime when the heat is reaching into the triple digits.
Shelby, Zoi and Gracie Yoho also show rabbits at the fair. Zoi has a Dutch rabbit, Gracie will be showing a New Zealand rabbit and similar to the Hobbs girls Shelby will be showing a lion head.
Jenna Wilks, who will be showing rabbits at the fair for her eighth year, will be showing a lion head and a mini rex.
The rabbits can be shown in the Allen County Fair but are not yet accepted at the state level for competitions, according to the Hobbs girls.
The Hobbs girls said they did most of their research online on how to care for rabbits.
All the girls agree about the importance of taking care of the rabbits during the high heat. They all change the water in the rabbit’s cage a couple of times a day and even give them frozen water bottles that the rabbits can lay near.
Some, like the Yoho girls, have an automatic feeder that keeps the rabbits fed, but if they don’t have the feeder then they make sure the rabbits always have alfalfa blocks or rabbit pellets in their cages.
To get ready for the fair the girls make sure the rabbits have an identification number tattooed on the inside of their ear, clipped nails, shaved teeth and brushed hair.
They also have to rub the bottom of their bellies if the rabbits have yellow spots.
“If their feet have yellow that is OK because that is where they walk, but if they have it anywhere else then we have to clean them,” Jenna said.
The Yoho girls use baking soda and peroxide to get the yellow coloring off. The rabbits cannot be submerged in water because it will cause mites on their skin.
During the show the judges check for “the bottom teeth to be under the top, they straighten their legs to check for broken bones, they make sure the rabbits have five back toes and four front toes, they rub their stomachs for broken ribs, check the tail and see if it is a girl or a boy,” Shelby said.
