RABBIT VOCABULARY
Breeder: Someone who raises a
certain breed or number of
breeds seeking to match the to
the Standard of Perfection for
the given breed
Breeding Certificate: A certificate
written by the owner of a stud
buck that includes its pedigree
and the date of breeding to a
certain doe. This is used as half
of a pedigree for the anticipated
offspring
Buck: Boy Rabbit - An intact male
rabbit
Dam: The mother of a rabbit
Doe: Girl Rabbit An unaltered female
rabbit.
Kindling: refers to the birth and
raising of babies.
RABBIT VOCABULARY
Kit: The proper name for a baby
rabbit.
Nest box: A box in the doe's cage
where the kits are born and live
in for the first few weeks.
Sire: The father of a rabbit
Trio: 1 buck and 2 does bought or
sold together for breeding
purposes.
Type: refers to the body conformation
of a rabbit. The general
description of the physical
makeup of the rabbit
Tattoo/Earn Number: A permanent
method of identification in the
rabbit's left ear. This is required
for a rabbit to compete in an
ARBA sanctioned show.
TOP 5 RABBIT FACTS
• Newborn rabbits have no fur, are blind, and helpless at birth
• The only 2 animals that can see behind it without turning its
head are the rabbit and the parrot. Each eye of a rabbit sees
more than half a circle, together seeing in every direction.
• Rabbits generally live between four and twenty years.
• Rabbits have six incisors, or front teeth, four on the top and two
on the bottom.
• Rabbits are herbivores who feed by grazing on grass, forbs, and
leafy weeds.
MINI REX
NETHERLAND DWARF
HOLLAND LOP
SATIN ANGORA
DUTCH
NEW ZEALAND
REX
MINI LOP
JERSEY WOOLY
CALIFORNIAN
RABBIT REPRODUCTION
• Gestation period: 30 days
• Doe’s are ready to breed at about 6 months.
• Bucks are ready to breed at about 7 months.
• They have between 4 and 12 kits each time.
• You put the female into the male’s cage because female’s are
very territorial.
• Females nest to protect their babies when they are born.
RABBIT USES
• Companion animals
• Meat animals
• Fur production
LLAMA VOCABULARY
Banana Ears: A term used to refer to
a particular ear set in llamas
where the ears come up and
curve inwards similar to the
shape and size of a banana.
Dung Pile: A designated area (usually
decided upon by the llamas)
where llamas urinate and
defecate. There are usually
several dung piles within any one
field or pasture.
Dust Pile: A bare area on the ground
which llamas use for rolling.
Gait: A type of movement or
locomotion. The gaits used by
llamas are walk, pace, trot,
gallop and pronk.
Kush: The term for the act of a llama
laying down sternally or the
actual position a llama is in
when it is laying down. It may
also be used as a command to
get a llama to attain this
position.
Maiden Female: A female who has
not been bred to a male yet,
usually because she is too
young.
LLAMA VOCABULARY
Open Female: A female who is
not pregnant.
Packer: A llama who packs
seriously with large loads
for longer distances. These
llamas usually have light
wool coverage and are
bigger in size.
Woolies: A term sometimes
used to refer to llamas who
have heavy wool coverage.
Three-in-One: A common term
used to refer to a pregnant
female llama who is sold
along with her unweaned
cria. You are purchasing
three llamas for one price:
the female, the cria, and
the unborn baby.
Weanling: A llama who has
been weaned from the
mother but is under one
year of age.
TOP 5 LLAMA FACTS
• Life span: About 20 years, Average height: 45" at
shoulder, 5-6' at the head.
• Llamas are hardy and well suited to harsh
environments.
• Llamas are smart and easy to train.
• Llamas are vegetarians and have efficient digestive
systems.
• Llamas don't bite. They spit when they're agitated, but
that's mostly at each other.
LLAMA USES
• breeding stock
• wool production
• pack animals
• Guardians
• Therapy
• driving animals
• pets
LLAMA REPRODUCTION
• Average gestation: 350 days
• Females are first bred at 14-18 months of age.
Llamas do not have a heat cycle but are induced
ovulators (ovulation) occurs 24-36 hours after
breeding). Thus they can be bred at any time of the
year.
• Average birth weight is 18-35 lbs. Babies are normally
up and nursing within 90 minutes. They are weaned at
about 5-6 months.
LLAMA HISTORY
•
Llamas were first domesticated and used as pack animals 4,000 to 5,000 years
ago by Indians in the Peruvian highlands.
•
Llamas started to become popular in the United States when an Oregon couple
decided to promote them as domestic livestock and made them available to the
general public. Little was known at the time of the many functions that we would
later find they served.
ALPACA VOCABULARY
brightness [of fleece]: the
quality of alpaca fiber that
reflects light
camelid: mammal family to
which the alpaca belongs;
also includes camel, llama,
vicuna, and guanaco
cria: an unweaned camelid
baby; from old Spanish
word for "create."
crimp: the wavy crinkle of fiber
strands from a Huacaya
alpaca
fiber: the product of shearing
an alpaca; interchangeable
with 'fleece;' never referred
to as 'fur' or 'wool.
guard hair: the longer,
medulated single hairs
interspersed with the finer
fiber on a huacaya alpaca
or llama
hembra: adult female alpaca
herdsire: adult male alpaca
used for breeding
huacaya (wah-KI-yah): one of
two types of alpaca, with
thick, fluffy fleece
suggesting the 'teddy bear'
look
humming: the most common
audio communication
between alpacas; a
melodic, purring sound that
indicates nervous
attention, as a mom calling
to her cria, or an adult
separated from the herd.
junior herdsire: intact young
adult male alpaca, not yet
mature for breeding
macho: adult male alpaca
maiden: young adult
female, not yet bred
micron: one-millionth of a
meter; referring to the
width of single fiber of
alpaca fleece
micron count: the
average of
measurements within
a fiber sample
roving: fiber that has
been cleaned, carded
and rolled (much like
a clay 'snake'), ready
for spinning
sire: male parent
Suri: one of two types of
alpaca. Fiber is silky,
no crimp, clings
together, "pencil like'
locks.
TOP 5 ALPACA FACTS
• Alpacas are camelids, related to the even rarer vicuna, the llama
and the camel.
• They are modified ruminants.
• They come in 22 natural colors.
• Alpacas are the environmentally-friendly livestock investment you
don't have to kill for income. But they ARE livestock, not pets!
Although some are quite "huggable." They come with the tax
benefits of other livestock.
• Alpacas are shown for their fiber, body conformation, ability, and
in costume.
ALPACA TYPES
Huacaya ('wah-KIyah') — dense,
crimped, wooly,
water-resistant
fleece. About 90%
of all alpacas in
the North America
are "teddy-bear"
huacayas.
Suri ('SUR-ree') —
very fine and
lustrous fiber
which grows
parallel to the body
in long, separate
locks. Only 10% of
the alpaca
population in the
US are suris.
ALPACA REPRDUCTION
• Females are "induced ovulators"; the act of mating and the
presence of semen causes them to ovulate.
• Females usually conceive after just one breeding, but
occasionally do have troubles conceiving.
• The gestation period is 345, and usually results in a single
offspring, or cria.
• Twins are rare, occurring about once per 1000 deliveries.
• After a female gives birth, she is generally receptive to breeding
again after about two weeks.
ALPACA HISTORY