This page is dedicated to the breeding and showing of the Silver Fox



Silver Fox are a very easy rabbit to raise. They have been developed for production, and are very prolific. They breed easily, and raise large litters of fast growing young. Because they are so docile, they rarely lose any young by abandonment, or stomping due to stress.
I use a very large nestbox for these big does. I build mine from plywood using my own pattern. They are 11 inches wide, by 12 inches tall, by 16 inches long. The front lip of the box is 7-8 inches high, and the back half is covered. I then drill 24 quarter inch holes in the bottom for drainage. These work very well, especially in the colder weather as they seem to keep the kits warmer. For bedding, I use an inch to an inch and one half of pine shavings, then I pack the box with a good quality grass hay. I usually give the boxes to the does on the 25th day of gestation.
I have found with Silver Fox does, that if they mess and wet in their box before kindling, chances are that they are not bred. This is not 100%, but something to consider.
When the bunnie's eyes open, I tip the box on it's side for another week or so before removing it. You may need to clean the box and rebed it from time to time. A dirty box is the leading cause of eye and respitory problems in young kits. When I finally remove the nest box, I clean it thoroughly, and disinfect it, so it is ready to use the next time.

Keep in mind these are the things that work for me. Everyone has their own way, and what works for me might not be right for you. If you are happy with your results, do not change. You need to keep things as routine as possible.

I, like most Silver Fox breeders, are dedicated to breeding quality animals, and continuous improvment of the breed. There are many ways to accomplish that. I am a firm believer in line breeding for certain characteristics. Line breeding is the program where you breed related animals like mother/son, father/daughter, half siblings, and so on. This is the best way possible to strengthen the desired traits you have in your herd. By using this technique, and a good culling program, you can reach your ultimate goals successfully. Out crossing is when you breed two unrelated animals within the same breed. This is a good way to expand your gene pool, or to introduce a desired trait. Do not be disappointed if the first generation is not what you expect. Sometimes different bloodlines do not blend well. You need to then take the offspring from this cross and linebreed them back to your own stock. By doing this you should get the results you are looking for.
In my opinion, I do not approve of crossbreeding. This is the crossing of two seperate breeds. This is a great tool to use when developing a new breed, or a new variety, but can only hurt a well established breed like the Silver Fox. I think you would be much better off, and farther ahead to line breed, and cull for the traits you want... you can be assured of success this way.
I have mentioned culling your animals... there are several ways to get rid of these. You can sell them as pets, you can ship them commercially, you can dress them out yourself, but, PLEASE, PLEASE, do not sell your culls as anything but culls. To do otherwise not only gives you a bad reputation, but damages the intregity of the breed and the other breeders! Be honest with yourself and with your customers... It pays off in the end!

There is no such thing as a perfect rabbit, but through dedicatation we can all come close.
Silver Fox are still rather rare on the show table in most areas. This makes it hard on the Judges as well as the exhibitors. Judges do not get the chance to become familiar with the breed, and we all know that the better they know a breed the better they can judge them. For breeders, it gets worse...not only do they end up with a judge that is unsure of the breed, but we have to struggle to get them established in new areas and that is hard to do when there is no competition. It is frustrating to be the only one showing them. This is however the best way to promote the breed. When people see them with their wonderful docile temperaments they eventually fall in love with them. I know that from experience. The popularity of the Silver Fox is growing rapidly, and they are fast becoming one of the best 6 class rabbits for youth and 4-H due to their versitility and temperaments.

With the rarity of the Silver Fox being shown in most areas, there seems to be some question as to posing and judging them. I will attempt to give some common basis for judging them.
What body type does a Satin have?
What body type does a Californian have?
What type does a New Zealand have?
Are they posed the same way?
Now...
What type does a Flemish Giant have?
What type does an English Lop have?
Or an American?
Are they posed the same way?
Are they posed like the commercial breeds?
The Silver Fox is a commercial breed, and should be posed accordingly.
What sets them apart from all other commercial breeds is their Wonderful, Thick, Plush, Heavy coat of fur, with it's Stand-Up quality. When you pose a Silver Fox, the last thing you should do is gently, and Slowly stroke the fur from tail to head. This makes the pelt stand up as it is supposed to. When you get it standing, Please do not stroke it back down again as you would on a Satin coat... The breeders have worked very hard to get that quality, and feel that the fur should be shown to the best advantage, just like you would for the Rex coat, or Angora wool.
The length is also very important to the pelt on the "Fox". Ideally the fur should be one and one half inches long, and some of us try for an even longer coat.
The silvering on the "Fox" should be about 15-20%. More emphasis is on the evenness, rather than the amount, as long as the animal is not so silvered as to appear gray. When considering the evenness, keep in mind that the fur on the face, legs, and tail is much shorter, and therefore will appear less silvered, even at the same percentage as the body.

The Silver Fox has come a long way back: on it's road to recovery. The many dedicated breeders have worked hard to bring the type, and fur up to the quality that it should be.
Please when judging Best 6 Class or Best in Show, give them the same consideration as you would more popular breeds. Take a moment to pose them and stand their coat up... I have heard from too many "Fox" breeders that say when it comes to that point in the show, the fox are passed over without ever being posed.
Give the rare breeds a chance... You might just be surprised!

Please remember that everything I wrote in this article is my own opinion, and not everyone has to agree with them. I do hope you will consider giving our lovely "Fox" a chance.

This article was written and copyrighted by Susan Origer 2000

If you need additional information you can contact me, at the following address:

havafox@uslink.net

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