I have rehomed two British Giant rabbits and a Lion head rabbit over the week end and was wondering if there is any other way apart from micro chipping or tattoing to identify the rabbits if they get lost or escape? Can they wear a collar the same as a dog or cat? I dont really like evasive surgical measures but i would if that was my only option.Any help would be much apreciated.
Thanks. :)

They should have BRC rings around their ankles by which they are identified with the BRC.  these have a letter denoting the ring size and numbers. You don't register Rabbits by name a bredr purchases rings.  If the rabbit is sold then the new owner needs to change the details for that ring number.

Oh right.They did have rings and are registered but when we took them on the lady removed the rings.Should i call her and ask if i can have the numbers to re register them then? I really do not know how you go about it.The larger and older of the two rabbits is now a retired stud and the younger one,his son,was not used for stud and kept as a pet because he is noisy breathing.He has a flap of skin over his nasal cavity that rattles when he breathes hard and they did try showing him but every time they put him on the table he would snort.Needless to say he didnt win any shows so he was retired.:) He has had a good vets check and it will not affect his health in any way.The couple that have the rabbits breed and show and the poor old bunnie was no good for either.They had kept him as a pet for nearly two years but as the chance of a good family home became available they thought they would pass him on. :)Thanks for the advice,im on to it now. :)

If they are not rung anymore if you think there is any chance of them straying then get them chipped, but as you are going to keep them in a hutch then I don't see the point.

Don#t know why the breeder would have removed the rings as it would take some doing to cut them off.

I dont know how she did it,she just cut them off.Ive since called the BRC and spoken to a lady there and she says that the rings are put on as babies and if they were taken off the chances of getting another on are slim so thats that idea out of the window.I was going to carry on showing him,the older one,but i cant if he hasnt got a ring. :( I can still join the BRC and the lady has taken my name and address to enable her to send forms through.Its amazing what you learn when you chase up all the info on the web and telephone.I dont show my dog so it might of given me a hobby but with no ring i can only show him in the pet class :(
Do you breed rabbits too? You seem to know alot about them. :) Thanks once again for taking the time to reply to such a wiered question on a dog web page :D

I used to breed and show English Rabbits, in the least popular chocoloate colour.  I showed them in the 80's until 85 when I got maried.  it is a lovley hobby, very much like showing dogs, but a lot more scope for breeding, as the generations go much faster.  If you make a mistake it is down to you, and the ones not destined for show make good eating. 

With a marked breed like mine their future was cast at birth and I had no problem between deciding which were pet/show stock and which were for the freezer (fed and looked after but not made pets of and given the chop at 12 weeks).

Could never eat the adults, so when I disbanded my Rabbitry they went to other breeders.

You can have a lot of fun in the Pet class, and I showed my crossbred Aghouti right to the end, and kept him even when the others were gone.  theya re judged on condition and temperament, and you get to see all the other Rabbits being judged and volunteer to steward (hold a rabbit or two on the table so it doesn't run off or try to fight/hump the others.

If you bought to show and made that clear, you should complain. The rabbits would have to be rung AND you should have been supplied with a signed ring transfer form at the time of sale.

Yes only babies can be rung, what age depends on breed -some have to be done very early, others a bit later but it wuld be impossible to ring an adult. I bougth a rex in a petshop once and managed to ring him so I could show him, but with say a dwarf lop it would have been impossible.

Yep with the English you needed to ring them at about 12 weeks.  You had to take care not to rign themn too young as sometimes they lost the ring and then you might notice too late and not be able to get a new one on if they were more than 14 weeks old.

I didnt buy them to show just rehomed them as they were no longer used for breeding or show.I just thought that it may be a good hobby to get into one day and the reason i asked about rings is purely that it was a means of identification if the rabbit ever wandered or escaped anyhow.I like to get all angles covered before rather than wait and hope that nothing goes wrong.Im a very forward thinker and like to cover everything. :)