What goes on a rabbit pedigree, box by box
A rabbit pedigree gives the rabbit's name, ear number, breed, variety, sex, birth date, weight and any registration number, then one box per ancestor with its name, ear number, variety and weight.
Add the breeder and owner, and each ancestor's registration and grand champion numbers where it has them; a name can be just the ear number. The page ends with the breeder's signature and date. The pedigree maker prints every one of these boxes.
The rabbit itself
| Box | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The call name you gave it | How people refer to it at the table |
| Ear number | The tattoo in the left ear | The show rules ask for a permanent left ear mark; it is the rabbit's real identity |
| Breed and variety | For example Mini Rex, Castor | Registration needs an accepted variety and the same breed throughout |
| Sex | Buck or doe | Planning pairings and checking grand champion legs |
| Born | The kindling date | Age, and when it becomes a senior |
| Weight | Its current weight with the unit | Registration looks for senior weight |
| Registration and GC numbers | Only once issued | Proof that a registrar or the grand champion process has seen it |
| Breeder and owner | Rabbitry names or people | The breeder is the owner of the doe when she was bred |
Each ancestor box
The registration instructions ask that every ancestor show a name, even if the name is only the ear number, plus the variety and the weight, and that the registration number be added when the ancestor was registered. A rabbitry name on its own is not enough, and neither is an ancestor marked only as an import.
Grand champion numbers are worth adding when they exist, because buyers look for them. A grand champion certificate is only issued once the rabbit has legs from at least three shows under at least two judges, one of them won as a senior or 6/8, and after it has been registered.
Where things sit
Each pair of boxes has the sire above and the dam below. Moving right, every box has its own parents beside it. On a three generation chart that is 2 parents, 4 grandparents and 8 great-grandparents: 14 ancestor boxes.
The foot of the page
- Your rabbitry name and a way to contact you, at the head or the foot.
- A certification line: the breeder's statement that the pedigree is correct to the best of their knowledge, signed and dated.
- A line saying it is a breeder's pedigree, not registration papers.
The 4-H rabbit production record from Oregon State University has the same pedigree block, which is a good sign a youth member's pedigree from the herd will fit a record book.
Worked example: the sire's box on Clover's pedigree
In the demo herd, Clover's sire box prints as: Sire, Bramble MR38, Castor, 4 lb 4 oz, Reg R-6012. That is a name, an ear number, a variety and a weight, plus a registration number, which covers everything the registration instructions ask of an ancestor.
Across all 14 boxes of her three generation chart, the maker's check found 0 boxes missing something. Try it on your own rabbit in the pedigree maker: the Before you print panel lists any box that lacks a name, an ear number, a variety, a weight, or the same breed.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the variety blank on an ancestor because it is obvious. It is not obvious to a registrar or a buyer three states away.
- Writing a rabbitry name in the name box instead of the rabbit's own name.
- Mixing breeds in the chart. A cross in the third generation means the pedigree will not support registration.
- Recording a junior weight for an ancestor that has since matured.
- Swapping the left ear and right ear numbers. The left ear is the breeder's tattoo; the right ear is for the registration mark.
Make the pedigree now
Type one pedigree by hand and print it, or explore the demo herd to see ancestors fill themselves in. Your herd stays in this browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no account.
Frequently asked questions
Does a rabbit pedigree need the date of birth of every ancestor?
No. The registration instructions ask each ancestor for a name (the ear number will do), the ear number, a variety and a weight. Birth dates of ancestors are useful breeder practice but not required.
Can an ancestor's name just be its ear number?
Yes. The registration instructions accept an ear number as the name. What is not accepted is a rabbitry name alone or an ancestor listed only as an import.
Who counts as the breeder on a pedigree?
The owner of the doe at the time she was bred. The 4-H rabbit production record uses that definition, and it is the common one.
Sources
Last reviewed 27 September 2026 against:
- FAQs, American Rabbit Breeders Association, dated 14 February 2025, read 27 September 2026. Used for: What each ancestor on a registration pedigree needs, and the same breed rule.
- How to Register a Rabbit or Cavy, American Rabbit Breeders Association, revised 17 July 2023, read 27 September 2026. Used for: What registration asks of the animal and of its three generation pedigree, the registrar's examination, the right ear registration mark, and typed pedigrees attached to the application.
- Grand Champions, American Rabbit Breeders Association, undated how-to sheet, read 27 September 2026. Used for: How grand champion legs add up to a certificate, and that the animal must be registered first.
- Official Show Rules, American Rabbit Breeders Association, effective 10 December 2025, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The permanent ear mark in the left ear for rabbits, ear marks or ear tags for cavies, and grand champion legs.
- 4-H Rabbit Production Record (761-00R), Oregon State University Extension Service, May 2014, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The pedigree block a 4-H member keeps, and the definition of the breeder as the owner of the doe when she was bred.
This guide is our own summary, not a registry's rule book. If it disagrees with the current documents, the documents win. Hutchline is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the American Rabbit Breeders Association, the American Cavy Breeders Association, The International Cat Association, the Cat Fanciers' Association or any other registry or breed club.