# Rabbit Pelts?



## Blair (Sep 3, 2007)

What do you all do with your rabbit pelts? 

Do you sell them and if so, who to? 

Do you tan them yourself and then make things from it and if so, what do you make? 

What breed of rabbit do you prefer for the pelts and why?


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## Kyah (Oct 29, 2007)

I used a home tanning kit the first time called "Tannit", which I believe was simply a combination of salt, alum and such. 

For my second go-round however, I'm leaning towards a homemade receipe from my book, which is supposed to produce durable supple furs that can take hard wear and tear. This is it:

Make a paste made from:
One part washing soda (crystallized sodium carbonate) - Available in laundry section of many Supermarkets
Two parts salt
Four parts Alum 
Mix with enough soft water to make a thick paste. Apply to the flesh side and leave for two or three days. Scrape off and apply a fresh coating. Repeat three more times, then rinse.

Wash out any remaining tanning solution by rinsing in a mixture made by dissolving one pound of borax in every gallon of water. Rinse the pelt for ten minutes, stirring, and working with your hands to make sure the borax water removes all tanning solution. 
Then rinse again in several changes of clean, soft water. 

Anyone tried this method? 

I've always enjoyed handicrafts -toll painting, wood working and such... and I'm really looking forward to creating some fur projects. Here are some I'd like to try: scarves, hats, cushions, pillows, mittens, and in time, maybe a small blanket. I did make a lovely seat cover for my dh from a small beaver hide years ago. It turned out much nicer than the rabbit skins. 

Kyah


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

What do you all do with your rabbit pelts? 
Ones that are on the rabbits for people food get tanned.
Ones on the rabbits for the dogs get eaten by the dogs.

Do you sell them and if so, who to? 
No. I give them to friends and family and keep some for ourselves. We are all crafters.

Do you tan them yourself and then make things from it and if so, what do you make? 
Yes. There are many tanning agents on the markets. I use different tans for different purposes like if its for a garment, then I use one of the many tans specially for garments. There also is hair on or hair off tans.
Some Tans are better for sued if thats what you want and so on.
We all make all sorts of things. Imagination!!! My friend makes spirit sticks and uses pelts with them. Lining for homemade jewelry boxes... Sew together for blankets... Hats, muffs, scarves... Gosh the list can go on forever.

What breed of rabbit do you prefer for the pelts and why?
I breed only rabbits I like for dual purpose, Rex and Stain. Both have nice meat and excellent pelts.

My angoras are for spinning fiber, so thats all together different since they dont get eaten and tanned. Culls go to the dogs for dog food after they have been sheared.


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## Pat Lamar (Jun 19, 2002)

Blair said:


> What do you all do with your rabbit pelts?
> 
> *Do you sell them and if so, who to? *
> 
> ...


Unfortunately, there is very little market for tanned pelts in the U.S. simply because we can buy the imported tanned pelts at retail prices for less than it would cost us to tan them. The only real market for U.S. pelts would be for the Rex pelts, and they have to be prime. "Prime" pelts simply do not come from fryer-aged rabbits, although there is a "junior prime" which occurs around 3 months of age. Otherwise, you're looking at 6 to 8 months of age for a prime pelt... and that makes the rabbit too old for the prime meat market wanting young, tender fryers (which cannot be over 12 weeks of age). However, the pet food market sure doesn't care about the age of the rabbit, eh?

Pat Lamar
"Commercial Rabbit Industries"
http://revolution.3-cities.com/~fuzyfarm


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## Terry W (Mar 10, 2006)

Pat Lamar said:


> However, the pet food market sure doesn't care about the age of the rabbit, eh?
> 
> Pat Lamar
> "Commercial Rabbit Industries"
> http://revolution.3-cities.com/~fuzyfarm


 Neither do a couple of my individual 'from the farm' customers-- the way they cook the meat-- it becomes tender if it wasn't to start with!!!


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## Pat Lamar (Jun 19, 2002)

Rabbit meat comes in classifications, just like chicken: Fryers, roasters, stewers... and there even used to be capons, too. Stewing an old rabbit (or chicken) will naturally make it tender. Parboiling can also help.

Pat Lamar


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