Rex rabbit breeders of Castor, Black Otter and Broken varieties.

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Final Standings: 2007 Open Otter - 9th - James Alderson / 2007 Open Broken - 8th - Steve Waddle & Kristi Alderson. What a great year...

Welcome to Montana Rex Ranch

We are an ARBA Registered Rabbitry raising Rex rabbits and are located in the beautiful Flathead Valley in North West Montana. We raise the "King" of rabbits - the Rex. Raising quality Rex rabbits is a family affair. My husband Steve and I raise Rex in Castor and Broken Castor. Our son, James raises the Black Otter Rex variety.

Rex means "King" and they are, of course, the "King" because of their amazing fur. Their fur is shorter than normal furred breeds and stands upright. Good Rex fur should be dense with a lot of push to it like high quality plush carpet. Good Rex fur will also have a smooth texture, not silky and flat or course and straight. Excellent Rex fur will have a balance of density and texture that creates an incredible feel to the touch.

It is our goal to breed and raise quality show stock. We are registering most of our breeding stock and will eventually breed only registered stock. We also show and work towards a Grand Champion certificate for most of the rabbits we raise. Our goal is to produce healthy, vigorous individuals that meet the ARBA Standard of Perfection for the Rex Rabbit. We hope to be able to Grand our show stock before retiring them for breeding. Eventually we hope to establish our lines by having Red, White and Blue registered animals. We want to produce show quality stock with a proven, quality pedigree.

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Following is a description of the Rex Rabbit as set forth in the ARBA Standard of Perfection.

Varieties: Amber - Black - Black Otter - Blue - Broken Group - Californian - Castor - Chinchilla - Chocolate - Lilac - Lynx - Opal - Red - Sable - Seal - White

Schedule of Points

General Type			45
	Body	35
	Head	3
	Ears	3
	Eyes	1
	Feet & Legs	2
	Tail	1
Fur			40
Color			10
Condition			5
Total Points			100

Showroom Classes & Weights

Senior Bucks - 6 months of age and over, weight 7 ½ to 9 ½ pounds. Ideal weight 8 pounds.
Senior Does - 6 months of age and over, weight 8 to 10 ½ pounds. Ideal weight 9 pounds.
Junior Bucks - Under 6 months of age, not over 8 pounds. Minimum weight 4 pounds.
Junior Does - Under 6 months of age, not over 8 ½ pounds. Minimum weight 4 pounds.

Note: Juniors which exceed maximum weight limits may be shown in higher age classifications. No animal may be shown in a lower age classification than its true age.

Note: All Rex rabbits are to be judged to the Rex standard, not to the standards for normal furred rabbits of similar colors. The distinctive characteristic of Rex rabbits is the fur structure. As compared with normal rabbit fur, Rex fur is short and blush like, stands upright, and has guard hairs almost as short as the undercoat.

General Type

Body - Points 35: The ideal Rex is a well proportioned animal that will give the impression of balance and uniformity. The animal should exemplify meat producing qualities, having medium body length, well rounded hips, well filled loin, ribs, and shoulders that balance with the rest of the body. The body is to have enough depth to balance other portions. Top body line should rise in a gradual curve from the base of the ears to the center of the hip and then fall in a smooth curve downward to the base of the tail. Legs must be short enough to dispel any appearance of raciness or of being rangy. Bone is to be medium. General body type consists of body, head, ears, eyes, feet and legs, and tail.
Shoulders - Shoulders are to be well developed and well filled, balancing with rib spread and hips. They should be slightly narrower in width and slightly lower than the hips.
Back & Sides - Back and sides are to be broad, firm, and meaty, carrying as much flesh as possible on both sides of the spine and throughout its entire length. Side line should taper slightly from hindquarters towards shoulders. Side appearance should be of good depth to conform with width of body. the belly should be firm.
Hindquarters - Hindquarters are to be broad, smooth, and well filled with solid, firm flesh. Lower sides of hips and back are to be well developed. Hindquarters are to be slightly larger and deeper, but balancing closely with the shoulders.
Faults - Narrow shoulders; long, narrow body; pottiness; extremely short coupled body; chopped off and undercut hindquarters; fine bone.
Disqualifications from Competition - Extreme raciness or ranginess.

Head - Points 3: Head is to be broad and set close on the shoulders. Head is to be in proportion and harmonize with the body.
Faults - Narrow head; pointed nose; small head that does not balance with body.

Ears - Points 3: Ears are to be medium thick, well set on head, and in proportion to size of the body. Ears are to be carried erect.
Faults - Thin ears; large ears that do not balance with body.

Eyes - Points 1: Eyes are to be bright and bold.

Feet & Legs - Points 2: Feet and legs shall be medium bone, straight, and rather short in length. Toenails in Black, Black Otter, Blue, Castor, Chinchilla, Chocolate, Lilac, Lynx, Opal, Red, Sable, and Seal are to be dark. Californian are to be horn color and dark as possible. Toenails in Whites are to be white or flesh colored. Brokens are not to be disqualified for one or more colored toenails. Feet should be well padded.
Faults - Long legs, giving the impression of raciness or ranginess; too fine in bone.
Disqualification from Competition - Toenails not matching on same foot and on corresponding foot. (Except on Broken varieties.)

Tail - Points 1: Tail to be well carried, in proportion, and harmonize with size of body.

Fur - Points 40: Fur is to be extremely dense with length no less than 1/2 inch or more than 7/8 inch, ideal length 5/8 inch. Fur is to be straight, upright, and as nearly as possible, the same length and texture over the entire body. Fur is to have a lustrous appearance. Guard hairs are to be very plentiful and evenly distributed, but not too noticeably protruding. Fur is to be of good body and plush like effect, offering a distinct springy resistance to the touch. It should feel extremely smooth to the touch, but must not have a soft silky texture, which would destroy the springiness.
Faults - Dullness or lack of luster; noticeably protruding guard hair, particularly if curly; coarse, harsh, or wiry texture; wavy or uneven appearance; soft or silky texture; lack of guard hairs, causing fur to lie flat when stroked.
Disqualifications from Competition - Any of the above faults, if severe enough to destroy typical Rex appearance. Average fur length less than 1/2 inch or more than 7/8 inch.

Standard of Perfection. Bloomington, IL: American Rabbit Breeders Association, Inc., 2006. 182-184.