11/20/2025
Some things we did this year for convention that really seemed to help out rabbits stay in good health. Plus a few tips for out mental health 😅
1. We brought out own feed/hay
There is typically big name brand feed at the center and we used that last year. However we fought rabbits staying on feed last year. Different batches of feed and hay taste different and smell different. So we made sure to bring what they were used to.
2. We brought enough water for the first few days and used the Rowe electrolytes at home , on route to the show and at the show. We did of course run out of water but they switched to the water there just fine. This may seem silly and like more work but it’s something we learned showing hoof stock. Think about when you travel how different water taste in other places.
3. Every rabbit had a riser. This is for sure a huge difference in the cleanliness of our rabbits. I never cleaned out from under the riser but when we picked up I noticed it was rather smelly in there. So next time I’ll clean these out throughout the week.
4. Cage markers We were blessed to have lots of reds being exhibited. But honestly they all look the same in the coops even having matching food/water cups they can be difficult to locate. We had personalized coop tags made which was a game changer for finding our charges quickly and effectively.
5. Transport rabbits. We were responsible for bringing back 19 beauties to Oklahoma. Last year we brought a handful back to help offset fuel cost. But check out day I didn’t know they took all the breed signs down. This made it extremely hard to find the transport rabbits. So this year I put a blank purple tag with my initials on it at the top left corner. Super easy to spot the tag on the coops we needed on checkout day.
6. Plan better!! Even simple daily goals for the week make big things happen. Some days Wyatt wasn’t up to being at the barn so I left him with friends at the air bnb and let him just relax. That gave me more time to take care of duties without having to worry where he was. Don’t worry he had his guard dog on standby 😅
7. I participated in two auctions this year. I’m pretty fluent in how auctions work so I felt pretty comfortable in that situation. Last year we spent time looking for breeders and asking what they had for sale still a good method and opportunity but I didn’t really have any solid leads this year. So I looked at the Californian and New Zealand auction rabbits. I found several that will help us move our barns forward in these breeds. Not comfortable in an auction setting? There are auctions everywhere and you can even see some online. Yes the auctioneer talks fast, yes you can spend more than just going to the breeder, but these auctions are used to benefit the clubs and the scholarships they offer so what better way to help our youth!
8. Air BnB versus hotel. We stay in both throughout the year. But for convention and Air BnB is just more comfortable. Nobody walks through the halls at night, no noise from the next room in all hours of the night 😳, plus you can get enough rooms everyone has their own space just to relax. We also bought food for meals. I cooked pork chops one evening for the house saving money and no travel to a restaurant 🤩
We could just relax which made the trip home pretty nice to not just be burnt out from the week.
Hope you find this helpful for your future adventures. Back to the real world tomorrow.
