Those waskily wabbits: Skillathon opens up the world to those showing rabbits at the fair

Published 8:12 am Thursday, August 8, 2019

Showing animals at the Mower County Fair isn’t just about competition. It’s about learning. About gaining further insight into the animals the kids are working with.

Rabbits are certainly no different and one event is helping those showing the rabbits.

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On Wednesday, in the Rabbit Barn, kids involved in showing rabbits went through the 4-H Rabbit Skillathon, a five-stage process to not only test kids on what they know about the furry carrot nibblers, but to gain insight on how to better care for them.

Joseph Christians demonstrates how 4-Hers check for the sex of the rabbit during the 4-H Skillathon.

“It’s a learning activity,” said Diane Stundahl, who oversees the Rabbit Barn. “They learn more about the rabbit and hopefully learn something different.”

Each station looks at different tasks, which includes but is not limited to, determining the sex of the rabbit and taking a test to see what each participant knows about things like rabbit diseases and all around health.

“They can learn about taking care of their own rabbits and it also helps them to raise healthier rabbits,” Stundahl said.

Showing rabbits in general is one of the most popular show animals of the fair according to Stundahl. Their small size makes them ideal to care for and opens opportunities for showing to kids who may not necessarily be from a farm family.

Toria Strampe works on an examine during the 4-H Skillathon Wednesday at the Mower County Fair.

Sixteen-year-old Toria Strampe of Austin, a member of the Enterprise 4-H Club, is in her fifth year of showing rabbits and she said the opportunity was perfect for her.

“I’ve always wanted to show, but because I live in town it’s as hard to show a horse,” she said. “A rabbit I can have in town.”

Thirteen-year-old Joseph Christians from Waltham, a member of the Red Rock Rangers 4-H club, got into showing because he started out with a rabbit, making the choice easy.

“I got a little pet rabbit and then started showing,” he said.

In total there are 49 breeds of rabbit recognized by the American Rabbit Association, another aspect that’s beneficial to those that show because there are so many different varieties to choose from.

Rabbits, it seems, are just a great opportunity for kids to be involved in 4-H.

“It’s really good for any age,” Stundahl said. “You can live in town and still show in the fair.”

Rabbits and projects are displayed together in the Rabbit Barn