The short answer is we didn’t really choose Rex, the opportunity just fell in our lap, but I don’t think it was simply fortuitous. As I explained in a previous post, we had a friend who needed to sell her animals because her husband was sick, and we had been looking for an animal that we could raise on our small neighborhood lot. Raising animals in a neighborhood can be challenging, because of space, noise and smell issues. We hadn’t considered rabbits, mostly because we didn’t know enough about rabbits, particularly Rex, to realize how good of a fit they were for us.
I do think that if we had started our search from scratch, and started researching rabbits on our own, that Rex probably would have been one of our top choices, if not our number 1 choice. So, we do believe that being nudged in that direction was an answered prayer.
Why Rex?
Rex rabbits are a great multi purpose breed. In no particular order are our reasons for preferring Rex:
First, Rex are an ARBA recognized breed, so they’re showable. Showing and caring for animals (something besides our dog) was something we wanted our youngest son to do. Cows, pigs, and even goats just don’t fit on our half acre lot, and rabbits weren’t something we had considered until now, so this fit the bill.
Second, Rex are a good meat rabbit. If you ask the average person what the best meat rabbit would be, Flemmish Giants are most often mentioned because they are giant rabbits, which naturally means there’s a lot of meat, but if you do some research you’ll find that the meat to bone ratio for a Rex, compared to other giant breeds is better. We weren’t as interested in growing bones, as we were in growing meat. There’s a couple of other breeds that have faster grow outs, and better meat to bone ratios, but their temperament and coat helps to sway us towards the Rex.
Third, Rex have a pretty docile temperament. If you’re going to have a large rabbit, whether for show, or ESPECIALLY for pet, you want one who isn’t a jerk. Rabbits have SHARP claws and STRONG back legs. In the wild, everything wants to eat a rabbit. They are pretty much at the bottom of the food chain, so they’re naturally nervous and skittish. Plus, rabbits do have individual personalities. Some are playful and affectionate, while some are skittish or downright mean. But, through good and careful breeding, we try to limit the bad personality traits to breed docile and friendly animals. *Christina wants to add, temperament was and is our top priority for our rabbitry.
Fourth, Rex have an awesome coat. A mutated rex gene is not only where the Rex rabbit gets its name, it’s what gives the rex rabbit its unique, soft, thick and velvety coat. Even someone who has never held a rabbit will instantly know that Rex fur isn’t like anything else. While animal furs have generally fallen out of style, there is still a market for Rex pelts. The simple fact of the matter is, no matter how hard you try to sell all of your rabbits, whether for pet, or show, if you chose to breed rabbits, you will have culls. We do not believe in wasting anything, so if we can find a use for every part of a culled rabbit, we will take advantage of it.
Fifth, Rex don’t require a lot of room. While other animals need room, like a dog or a cat, rabbits don’t necessarily move around a lot. Over the years, we have had a couple of escapees. They didn’t go far, even after dark, remaining within just a few feet of the hutch. As I stated earlier, almost everything in the wild wants to eat a rabbit, so they don’t move much, unless they’re forced to. We keep ours in 24″x24″ cages, and they seem just fine.
Sixth, They don’t make any noise. Rabbits in general are pretty quiet, not just Rex. They only noise I hear from them are when they bang their ceramic bowls together.
Seventh, Rex don’t stink… well, not if you take care of them. Rex do produce a remarkable amount of manure for their size which our garden beds love, But, unlike other animals, the smell isn’t so bad, as long as you clean regularly. With our hutch setup, we need to clean about once a week. Don’t get me wrong, if you wait too long, things can get ripe, but as long as you don’t let it get too deep, you won’t be getting phone calls from your neighbor about the smell.
As an added bonus, rabbit manure is one of the few (if not the only one) types of manure that you can put directly on your plants. And, its a great manure for your garden. You don’t have to sift it, dry it, or age it, like you do with other types of manure, which means you can put it directly in your garden without fear of burning your plants. If you’re the industrious type, there’s a market for rabbit manure, just check your local Craigslist. I’ve even seen it on Amazon for $14 for a 2 lb bag.
One more additional bonus, Rex rabbits have 16 different recognized acceptable colors. Other rabbits such as Californians or Chinchillas only have 1 standard. Even Flemmish Giants only have 7. When we started, we had blue and lilac, which to us are just different shades of grey. While they are pretty, having 8 cages full of grey rabbits was a little dull. We enjoy a little variety. So, we have expanded and currently have red, chocolate, black, lilac, harlequin and tri colored rabbits in our stable. We are currently working on our own line of tri-colored rabbits.
