In his first year showing rabbits, Brodie Wheeler took grand champion for his Pen of Two Roasters Monday morning at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

Wheeler, 16, is part of the Kountry Kids 4-H Club and has shown pigs for many years at the Delaware County Fair but said he was looking for something different this year.

“I’ve done pigs for so many years, so this year I decided to switch something up and decided rabbits would be interesting and more fun,” Wheeler said. “They’re simpler creatures.”

Wheeler, a junior at Big Walnut High School, said when he learned he won grand champion for his two rabbits, he was “full of excitement.”

“All my emotions flowed free like a river,” he said. “It was enjoyable. It was simple but hard work.”

Wheeler said the rabbits were born in May, and he’s been raising and carrying for them since July.

“It’s all about making sure their weight is accurate,” Wheeler explained Monday morning. “I was weighing them every night or other night. You want them to eat well always and want their skin and hair to be nice and fluffy, but you don’t do a whole bunch with them. We used a dog brush and pig brush to brush them to make sure their coat was even.”

Wheeler said pigs could take two hours a night to care for, but rabbits were simpler and only took about 30 minutes.

“Pigs are a lot harder,” he said. “They are a lot more time consuming. Pigs are a driven animal, and you have to be dedicated to them. With rabbits, you have to be willing to learn.”

Wheeler said raising and showing rabbits was a learning experience.

“You really learn a lot more with rabbits,” he said. “There’s always something new every day. I’ve learned more things about rabbits every day I’m in the barn. Learning from older people helps a lot.”

Wheeler said the Pen of Two Roasters was his only show for the fair, and he was excited to have won and done competing.

“I’m ecstatic,” Wheeler said. “My dad told me not to get a big head.”

Wheeler said he’ll likely show rabbits again next year but is also considering goats.

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903.