If you have gone to a rabbit show, and the rabbit you are looking at has been shown, it has been checked for disqualifications by the judge. But they go over many rabbits and some things can be missed, and not all rabbits at the show site will have been shown. So you should look over the rabbit before buying.
One of the first things to notice is the overall condition of the rabbit. Is it alert? Are the eyes nice and bright with no runny discharge? Is the rabbit sneezing or have a runny nose? These can be signs of serious illness, and it would be best to not get a rabbit showing any of these signs. (If it is a hot day, some rabbits may be panting, and be slightly wet around the nose. But if they are drooling or wet down their front, this can be signs of heat exhaustion, which can be fatal if not treated immediately.)
Next check the insides of their ears for signs of ear mites. The ears should be clean with no scabs. Then check the front teeth. The top two teeth should slightly overlap the bottom two teeth. Misaligned teeth will not wear properly and will cause years of problems. You might even have to have the teeth trimmed every three to four weeks to keep them from growing until the rabbit cannot eat. This can also be an inherited factor, causing many young to have bad teeth also. However it can also be caused by an injury, where the rabbit broke a tooth off and it came back out of line. (Rabbit teeth grow continuously.) But whatever the cause, misaligned teeth or "malocclusion" are a disqualification from showing. |  |
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