Cabe's Rabbitry

Cabe's Rabbitry LOCATED IN MT. CARMEL, IL

Rex rabbits are my main focus and my passion.....specifically chocolate b I actively show, and absolutely love the rex community.

My name is Chris Johnson and I raise rex rabbits.....specifically chocolate based varieties with a side project of white. My passion is with amber, and my goals are to see the variety grow and thrive. I'm 100% dedicated to show quality rex, therefore I do not sell pet/meat quality animals.

For those of you that need a tutorial on how to make the most deceitful posed pics possible in order to boost your follo...
01/11/2026

For those of you that need a tutorial on how to make the most deceitful posed pics possible in order to boost your followers and/or sell rabbits, I've provided a step by step method that tends to work out best for some.

First pic, you take out your rabbit and get it on the table. Second, you take a pic as high and far back as possible. Next, you crop it down and turn it to straighten it up as best you can. From there, sit back and wait for the likes, comments, shares, and ISO comments to come.

The best thing you can do for yourself if you are in search of nice rabbits or looking for a standard to breed for is to learn that most pics in FB land are not real life in the world of breeding rabbits.

As always, thoughts are always welcome, and props to anyone more creative than me that can make a meme using these pics or your own to make light of the situation.

We've got a nice castor sr buck available on the other page if anyone is in need of one.Don't forget to jump over and fo...
12/06/2025

We've got a nice castor sr buck available on the other page if anyone is in need of one.

Don't forget to jump over and follow our new page, Ataraxia Rabbitry, for further rabbitry updates.

I'm curious, what is the number 1 eye appealing trait on a rabbit for you? There's no wrong answer here.Is it fur? De...
11/24/2025

I'm curious, what is the number 1 eye appealing trait on a rabbit for you? There's no wrong answer here.

Is it fur? Depth? Peak? Shoulder height? Shoulder depth? Bone? Etc?

Also, what are deal breakers, and why? What traits do you refuse to work with? What issues are easier to fix, in your opinion, and why?

HANDS UP! Well then, that brings me to my next question up for discussion....I once commented on a very well known and ...
10/21/2025

HANDS UP! Well then, that brings me to my next question up for discussion....

I once commented on a very well known and respected breeder on how a posed pic with the elbows up off the table can make said rabbit look deeper, shorter, better, and an appearance of a more correct high point. I was, of course, told I was wrong. Maybe I am? It's just my opinion, after all.

I believe angle is also a culprit for deceptiveness, but not as much as a rabbit smashed to the point of having it's elbows an inch or more off the table. After all, we are going for a natural pose, right? Isn't natural hand in hand with "comfortable" for the rabbit being evaluated? I'm curious on everyone's thoughts.

Here's the next question up for discussion, if y'all don't mind to continue to be open and interactive here. How do you...
10/15/2025

Here's the next question up for discussion, if y'all don't mind to continue to be open and interactive here.

How do you feel about pedigrees, and would you ever buy/use a rabbit without a pedigree in your lines?

I'm liking the interaction from the conversational posts as of late, so why stop now? I'll continue to use this page fo...
10/12/2025

I'm liking the interaction from the conversational posts as of late, so why stop now? I'll continue to use this page for that purpose, unless that fades out. And yeah, eventually I'll change the name. As of now, I'm apparently to old and stupid to figure it out 😆.

And again, all thoughts are always welcome. This forum is an open book.

The question of the day is, do you think it's inside the boundaries and/or rules to breed your rabbits to a differing breed in order to improve type/other qualities? (Example - rex x Californian....or any other cross between two separate breeds). Do you think it's inside the moral compass as a breeder of a certain breed? Do you frown on it? Would you ever consider doing it yourself and/or obtaining stock from a pairing such as this?

10/11/2025

Today was the first time our rabbits hit the table since the move and the merge, and we couldn't have asked for a better outcome!

Show A - Lady BIS, Hex BOSB
Show B - Lady BIS, Hex BOSB

This doe beat some very nice animals, and we are super proud, pleased, and excited 😁 Thanks go out to Mad River Valley R&CBA for a well-run show, and to judges Nita Butler, Chris Hayhow and Kevin Bogan for recognizing our rabbits.

Hey there. It's me again 😬....As most know, rabbit pics and evals have been moved to Ataraxia Rabbitry. We have lots co...
10/02/2025

Hey there. It's me again 😬....

As most know, rabbit pics and evals have been moved to Ataraxia Rabbitry. We have lots coming soon, I promise.

As I sit here today, I continue to try to find a way to use this page if it doesn't necessarily involve weekly updates on kits. So, how about a good old fashioned Q and A? I'm up for it if y'all are.

Any and all questions are welcome. Hit me with it. Ask me anything from genetics to thoughts, or even personal. This post is an open book. If you don't feel comfortable asking in public, my inbox is open.

What do y'all want to see here moving forward? I'm more about discussion vs direction, as we all know rabbits will take you on a roller coaster.

Hey all. Here's yet another pic to make the F B gods actually show people my post. Once again, I appreciate any and al...
10/02/2025

Hey all. Here's yet another pic to make the F B gods actually show people my post. Once again, I appreciate any and all that contribute to the convo.

"Long post warning" is probably a good way to start, along with the fact that I'm currently hiding in the bathroom to actually find the peace from kids and life to actually make this post.

Y'all ready to actually get to the point? If you keep reading, I'll take it as permission to dive right in.

For years, I have taken a small space in this hobby with the entire purpose of bettering the space, specifically the breed of my choice, which happens to be rex. Have y'all ever noticed that a lot of "breeders" in that space actually seem to strive to cut the hobby down? It's super weird. It makes no sense, to me anyway. Have you ever noticed that most "top breeders" eventually decide to not sell? I mean, I did when I first started. I remember being frustrated in the beginning because not many that had success chose to sell or help a nobody like me. Have you ever stopped and thought about the why behind that? I have, lots.

Let's all stop and take a second to look at FB land and how the hobby appears on the surface. It seems, to me, that all breeders that sell, give away, or help anyone at all eventually have an issue with a breeder down the road that claims their "lines" have some sort of issue. Mooneye, split p***s, snowball, chin, non extension, malocclusion, etc. The list never ends. And yet, a lot of people also complain at some pt that "top breeders" don't ever sell or even answer when someone asks? Can we all just take a second and connect those dots?

Ok, deep breath.....phew. Here we go.

It's all very very simple, again, IMO. Every single breeder has issues pop up. Every single ethical breeder finds those issues, and strives to work them out. And, every single breeder should do their research and actually attempt to put their stamp on the hobby vs reading one comment on FB and taking it for the absolute truth. Where is the research on certain topics? Why are there so few breeders that actually chase those answers? And why do so many breeders base their answers on such little fact?

I can answer that, somewhat. Maybe?

Let's just get this out of the way. I'll guess on percentages, so yeah, it's my opinion.

70% of opinion online is from people that have bred rabbits 2 ish years or less.....mostly less. 15% is from people that have bred rabbits over that time frame and want to truly help. 14.99999% are from people that have more time in but w**d out the nonsense and still try, and the rest don't even try to discuss much at all past their inner circle.

None of that is meant to be a knock on a single person that breeds rabbits and participates in this hobby. It's simply meant to be blunt and make the case for those that are here for the right reasons to keep on going and ignore all the crap that goes along with it. The choices are simple. Refrain from sharing anything at all on social media and continue showing rabbits, share on social media and regret it eventually, or quit the hobby. I choose to share and brush off the nonsense, and I truly appreciate all the others that do as well.

This isn't a business, and for those that know, you know. It's not hard to spot the crap.

Hey all. I posted an old pic of an otter doe because, well, a pic tends to make posts seeable to your followers in the...
09/24/2025

Hey all. I posted an old pic of an otter doe because, well, a pic tends to make posts seeable to your followers in the FB algorithm. This post actually has nothing to do with the otter though. I kinda just wanted to have a discussion. Is that ok?

Lets talk about malocclusion, shall we?

I am of the opinion that this is caused for a multitude of reasons. I also think that, yes, it can be a genetic issue, but is it a genetic trait that can be purposely made? Can it be methodically repeated with success? Is it a true traceable trait?

As y'all know, (if you've followed me a while), I dove head first in studying, learning, and testing "mooneye" traits in rabbits. Honestly, I enjoyed it. The amount of backlash I received was insane, but I liked it. It simply meant that people were paying attention, and hopefully learning. I had a ton of people that understood and agreed, and I had some that didn't. That's ok. What wasn't ok was the few that came at me with literally ZERO experience with it with disagreeing ideas, ranging from newbies, long time breeders, and even judges. After almost 3 years of dedicating several breedings, countless cages, and uncountable hours of time into the research, I'm more confident today in my knowledge in it than I've ever been. At the same time, I'm always open to a conversation no matter where you stand on that subject.

Today, I want to talk about another issue. One that I have not tested. One that I have not had an issue with. One that I am absolutely no expert on, but one that I have thoughts on. That issue is malocclusion.

My discussion pt today is, what are your experiences with it? Is it genetic? Is there a proven way to test for it? Is it something that just happens, or is it a recessive that can be bred out? Will affected rabbits always pass the trait? Do affected rabbits mean both parents carry a gene? Is it fixable? Is it a cullable offense? Has anyone bred 2 malocclusion rabbits and got 100% malocclusion kits in a litter? I'm here to hear all the things, but .....please include in your comments if it is theory or a proven fact based on your experience.

I encourage you all to have input. This is a safe zone for making the hobby better. It always will be.

That otter though! Yeah, this is weird for me to post otters, opals, and white. It's not chocolatey things,BUT, at leas...
09/09/2025

That otter though! Yeah, this is weird for me to post otters, opals, and white. It's not chocolatey things,BUT, at least 2 for sure carry chocolate!

The otter is from Cabe's Aspen bred to ROR Ziptie. Aspen is a white that is genetically a chocolate otter that carries dilute and self. Ziptie is a broken castor that carries otter. The white is out of Cabe's Nutella that is a broken chocolate doe. The opal boy is a ROR breeding that I'm growing for the cause.

Ataraxia Rabbitry

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Mount Carmel, IL
62863

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