"Altering"

I've seen this happen at so many shows I have lost count. People altering rabbits before they stick them up on the table. From something as simple as plucking stray white hairs, to spraying conditioner on the coat. Even people trimming coats to make them more even. It makes me wonder, have they ever read show rules before? Or maybe it's just will full ignorance.

What it is in reality is a BIG no no. The most common alteration I see people do, is spray a rabbits coat with a conditioner such as mane and tail. This makes the coat silky smooth and glossy. It can also get you banned from that show if you get caught. So most people trying to be sneaky will put the spray in a nondescript bottle and call it water. Since most people already spray their rabbits with water to prevent static and to removed loose hairs.

This really irritates me I suppose. As some people work really hard to get amazing coats on their rabbits without aid of a spray on conditioner, then someone comes along and cheats. Yes it is cheating. Breeding and proper nutrition can do wonders for a coat, but if it is not there genetically, then it is not there. Hiding it with conditioners only masks the issue temporarily.