Hoppy Days’ Chinchilla Rex Program

It all started when…

The chinchilla variety over the last decade has seen a slow decline. What used to be a popular variety has become exceptionally difficult to find. I don’t normally enjoy breeding agouti colors, but I have a secret love for chin. I think it’s the most stunning pelt color and as I become more interested in developing the tannery side of the hobby, it has driven me to slowly work on this variety. What originally started as peer pressure from friends to help improve the national quality has actually turned into a passion project.

Our Goal

Due to the small gene pool, we’ve found that most of the variety struggles with the same structural faults, which are very, very hard to correct. The goal is to correct the structural shortcomings and build a program that is built completely differently, more like our main herd program.

SALES

Within the next year, we’re hoping to show more nationally and offer more trios for other breeders. Due to the extreme amount of work that was put into the program to correct the structural faults so commonly found in the variety, we will not be selling singles. That would be a lot of work wasted by being bred down to animals with the same faults we’ve already fixed. Its going to be a lot more productive for someone else’s program to provide them with all the pieces and tools they need to be successful. The point is to improve the national quality overall and add some genetic diversity. Im much more interested in selling an entire program to a committed rabbitry (5-8 rabbits ideally).

HOW’S it going?

We were given a free starter doe from another breeder. The first few years, that was the only line we worked with. However, decisions were made to cut out all but one animal from the line after years of work. We purchased another chin from convention and have had much greater success changing up the direction of the program. As of 2026, the program has finally made significant strides and is being expanded. We’ve had very respected judges make comments that our chin were some of the best they’ve ever put their hands on. We’ve finally broken through many of the structural faults often found in the variety, so now we’re working to build up from there.