DevonGlen Rabbitry

Pictures Cont.

2012-01-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

I forgot to add this lovely picture of my most favourite necklace ever! Handmade by a Shaman in Bracebridge. It's a long story how I received this specific necklace, some might call it fate. Perhaps I'll tell the entire story on here one day.

From our trip to Toronto to visit my older sister.

And how could I forget Nemo?

Pictures pictures pictures!

2012-01-15T20:26:00.000-08:00

I have to share a couple of recent photos. The first I was fiddling around with the remote for my camera. Usually when Crooks sees that my camera has the speedlight on it he does his best to avoid the BIG BRIGHT LIGHT by looking away or closing his eyes even to the point of avoiding me (my sister does this too). However he thought it was safe the crawl all over me when my camera was on the other side of the room. Much to his surprise as captured in this photo the camera started to move by itself as it focused. The flash blinked as it responded to a signal and BLAM we were both immediately blinded and this priceless expression of Crooks immortalized. I can honestly overlook the horror that is my unbrushed hair and post this picture because of his expression.

Next we're moving on to an updated picture of CHUCK the wonder Dutch.

Now some Cinderellie babies!

2012-01-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well I just started a new full time job and yet I somehow still have more than enough time for my 30 rabbits, dog and a social life. I can actually afford those 30 rabbits, a dog, and a social life now. A new job or baby I find is one of the worst reason to give up an animal. If you don't have a job you can't afford owning an animal and just image every farmer that gave up working their farm when they have a new baby?

In other words I think I've spent too much time browsing classified ads again.

I have 3 dogs between the ages of 8 and 16. Two we've had since they were puppies one was born here. I had someone asked how I could own a pet that long and not get bored of it. I told them they should never own an animal.

Oh in other news the other night I heard the yips and whines of coyotes right being my house. We don't normally have coyotes in town but since the bay has frozen over they walk across looking for food in the form of geese who are the bad end of natural selection and open rubish bins. I've been taking a good look at my rabbitry door. It doesn't seem to be so strong.

2012-01-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

Everyone makes mistakes right? One of the major problems I have been fighting with the Argente Bruns is the shoulders. Long low shoulders. And squared hindquarters. I have been going at it by culling hard which means I'm processing them and not selling any and breeding good rabbits to good rabbits and it's getting frustrating because of the lack of available genetics has put up a major road block. I have introduced Champagnes into my Brun line as a way to open up those genetics for good shoulders and hindquarters not everyone agrees with this, but since Bruns came directly from Champagne's I'm not hurting the breed any.

Now a made a rather big mistake. Poor Maple Bacon has terrible shoulders and not only that he's on the small side but my sister adores him so he stayed. Now I bred Maple Bacon to Cinderellie (a beautifully typed Brun Champagne cross) and was majorly disappointed they have her butt but they have his shoulders and slow growth rates. So the chances of keeping one of them is slim. However I bred Maple Bacon to a doe and this doe I had completely forgotten was his mother. I normally have no problem linebreeding like this but this case is different. He was fostered with his brother as a newborn to another litter and for some reason I had completely forgotten about it. Now I've taken a giant leap backwards because his mother was bred to Baron to improve on her shoulders and I got Maple Bacon who produces throw backs to his mother's type and now I've just did one heck of a bad line breeding.

Ohh well at least Brandy is due with a litter by Baron and she's one heck of a sturdy doe.

2012-01-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

Oh Joy. I have what has to be the world's fattest little Dutch baby living in my room. He only moves when he wants to nurse otherwise he just lays there on his back with his chubby little munchkin legs straight up in the air. This also makes him a nice subject to take photos of because he simply is too fat too move. I think I shall fear the day he decides he's going to start eating solid food.

So he is Chuck's latest portrait:

I support wearing real fur.

2011-12-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

Faux fur is made from blends of acrylic and modacrylic polymers derived from coal and petroleum that can take up to 1,000 years to break down in landfills. They are also non-renewable resources that pollute the earth. Add in the factory emissions and if that alone doesn’t convince you to give up the faux habit please continue reading. Faux fur is not able to keep snow from melting and re-freezing on the fibres which makes it less insulating and warm than real fur. Also because faux fur is not a natural material it does not allow the wearers skin to breath which leads to higher fungal and mildew growths which is a leading cause foul smelling garments. Is the price of this fashion really worth our planet?

Chances are if you wear faux fur you like that “fur” look. Fear not there is a sustainable environmentally friendly substitute! What is the name of it? Well it’s called “Real Fur”. It’s softer, smells a whole lot better, and more environmentally responsible. Oh it’s cruel you say? Of course we have all seen those videos of fur farms from foreign countries produced by animal rights groups where they tell you animals are beaten, skinned alive, and so forth. I for one can’t see skinning a feral animal alive even being remotely possible without serious personal injury, besides most videos I’ve seen from animal rights groups claiming animals are still alive while being processed is bologna. The tough truth is after animals are dispatched in a governmentally approved manner most will kick and twitch for up to several hours. Despite the videos I will tell you that Real Fur can be cruelty free. How do you find cruelty free fur if you’re uncertain? It’s simple, stay away from commercial fur companies and designer names. Know where your fur comes from. Buy fur from local farmers, hunters, and artisans somewhere where you can see how the animals were raised and treated and not just raised for their pelts but their meat and in some cases their manure. I’ll use rabbits as examples. Rabbits are one of the greenest animals you can own, you can feed them a natural diet of forage and in return you get one of the best manures possible for gardening. They’re also one of the healthiest meats and a by-product of raising meat rabbits are those luxurious pelts. Tanned only, a single pelt averages only $6. Most tanning only involves three ingredients: salt, alum, and water.

Real fur is the result of millions of years of evolution and certainly cannot be beat by manmade faux fur that has only been commercially available since the 1950’s.

2011-11-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have updated my blog :)

I'm probably just an irritable person but there is one thing I simply do not understand. That is the people who buy mutts because "they're the best pets" but the first question they ask about that mutt is "what breed is it?" Doesn't that defeat the entire point of owning a mutt? It's not a breed. It's a mix of breeds, most of which are unidentifiable as to which breeds contributed to that mutt. If you want a mutt why can't you be happy with a mutt? Why must you play 24 questions regarding which breeds it resembles the most? What is important is, whether you like the animal or not. I did a study where I made a cross bred litter out of three distinct breeds and had breeders guess what breeds they were at different stages of their life. Not a single person guessed correctly any of the breeds that went into those rabbits and those were people who have been in the rabbit industry long enough to be able to spot and name specific breeds. Now a pet person asking a bunch of other pet people what breed is it is guaranteed to be wrong.

Also if you don't buy a purebred from a reputable breeder that gives you a 4 generation pedigree attributing to the fact it is indeed a purebred, chances are it is A.) Not a purebred or B.) Not a decent example of the breed. Often times I see something like the following scenario Bobby goes to a farm, Bobby buys a baby bunny for $5. Baby bunny is black and white, of unknown origin. 1 year later Bobby is selling it as a "Rare English Spot Rabbit" and wilfully denies that this black and white rabbit is anything but an English Spot even when repeatedly told this rabbit is in fact a Dutch.

Lack of knowledge is one thing, it can be corrected. Ignorance is a whole other story. If you choose to ignore advice and proceed to go on about certain things you don't really know it makes you look like a fool to those who chose to educate themselves on what they didn't know. I learned to sex rabbits at 1 week old when I was twelve. There is no excuse for an adult to not be able to properly sex a rabbit when it's 6 weeks old.

2011-10-03T09:39:00.001-07:00

http://rabbitedsociety.webs.com/Rabbitmills.pdf

I highly recommend reading this.

2011-10-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

The clinical signs of Ivermectin poisoning are:

Less visible symptoms:

According to PIM 292, there is no evidence of increased birth defects in humans or mares subject to normal therapeutic Ivermectin treatment. But Ivermectin is teratogenic in rats, rabbit and mice at or near materno-toxic dose levels. The abnormalities are limited mainly to cleft palate.

Treatment is symptomatic and supportive in cases of overdose. Adverse effects are transient, but analgesics and antihistamines may be required. Since ivermectin is believed to enhance GABA activity in animals, it is probably wise to avoid drugs that enhance GABA activity (benzodiazepines, barbiturates, valproate, valproic acid) in patients with potentially toxic ivermectin exposure (MSD, 1988)

Animals with "White feet, don't treat".

2011-10-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Something I wish I knew two days ago: Dutch as a breed are highly sensitive to Ivermectin.

Since deworming all my rabbits both my bucks were dead within 24 hours and both my does are barely hanging on 48 hours later. The next person who tells me ivermectin is the best wormer can go shove it, I'm sticking with safeguard.

2011-09-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Diet in rabbits is one of those controversial topics it seems. Some people believe one thing and one thing only and will criticize anyone who doesn't feed the same way they do.

I'm going to post my personal experience with feeding rabbits.

-It is a common belief that rabbits have to be constantly eating. I have found through processing meat rabbits that a rabbit that is fed once a day still has a large amount of food in it's stomach after 24/hr of withholding feed before processing. I feed my rabbits a measured amount of feed once a day they're active, they're healthy, and they're fit. This is what works for me.

-Commercial pellets are cheaper because they're not wholesome enough for rabbits. I'm one of those people who reads the ingredients list on all rabbit feeds whether it's from a farm store, pet store, or grocery store. I have yet to find a pet rabbit pellet that can compete with the nutritional value of a commercial feed. More often than not I wouldn't touch pellets being sold in the pet market. They never have a decent protein or fibre count and it's full of sugars and filler ingredients that rabbits shouldn't eat. I have also found through processing rabbits that those who were raised on pet quality pellets have disgusting insides (Large amounts of fat, greasy, smelly) where as those rabbits raised on commercial pellets have perfectly healthy insides.

-Rabbit have to eat hay. If you're feeding pellets, rabbits do not have to eat hay. The pellet itself is about 90% hay. I don't feed my rabbits loose hay and I haven't done so in a while. I give them hay cubes on occasion but most just play with them instead of eating them. And guess what? My rabbits aren't dead. They're active, they're healthy, and they reproduce fine. I find hay just makes a mess, it gets wasted, and more often than not it can contain moulds that are harmful to rabbits.

-Rabbits have to have fruits and vegetables as part of their diet. No, just, no. As treats on occasion, sure. As a main part of their diet no.

To sell or not to sell.

2011-09-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

I've seen it happen a lot in the past 10 years of raising rabbits. Some breeders get out of one breed because there is no longer a pet market for them and then get into another breed for a bit and then get out of those because the pet market has become tougher to sell in. The question is why? Why does a pet market go from being easy to sell in to difficult? What happened?

The simple answer is supply and demand. If you mass produce rabbits to sell as pets then you're going to fill up that demand quickly. Thus there will be fewer people interested in buying. There are always going to be certain breeds that are more popular then others such as Netherland Dwarfs, Mini Rex, and Holland Lops but if you get several breeders in one area specifically breeding for pets even the market for those breeds will decrease drastically. With a flooded market you also get a lot of people trying to re-home pets, usually for ridiculously low prices which gives people the impression that a pet is something cheap and easily disposable once you're board of it. This causes a chain reaction for breeders whose first focus is producing show animals. They can no longer sell their occasional pet quality for a decent price because suddenly no one wants to pay more then $5 for a rabbit and they're also the ones blamed for the "over population" This is also how peoples view of certain breeds becomes completely distorted. I've had people tell me my BIS winning Mini Rex was not actually a Mini Rex because they had a Mini Rex so they knew what they were talking about.

I'll be totally honest I do not believe rabbits should purposefully be bred to produce only pets. I believe there are enough substandard rabbits produced through intentional show quality breedings that substandard rabbits shouldn't be bred on purpose. Anyone can breed a rabbit it takes actual skill and dedication to breed and produce a decent show quality rabbit.

I personally choose not to sell pet rabbits because of a lack of decent information available to pet owners. All information that I have found catered specifically to pet owners is horribly one sided and not actually backed up with real research. I've also seen "rabbit savvy vets" take advantage of people who don't know better. Often time rabbits are mishandled and end up scratching someone which makes them "bad" and gets them re-homed. None of which is fair to the rabbit.

2011-08-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you who raise rabbits and have facebook, you may want to watch who you ad as a friend. There are a lot of PETA/ALF/HSUS supporters going around and friending people and causing trouble. Oh and watch out for those Vegans too they are a huge pain in the arse.

I openly talk about the fact I eat meat on facebook with my friends, I am open about the fact I raise rabbits for meat and I often share tips or stories about processing rabbits. I am also a huge supporter of RAW for pet food.

Lately I had an incident where a vegan on my friends list took offence to the fact I raise and butcher my own meat rabbits and decided to cause some trouble after unfriending me. They sent an e-mail to a rabbit club I am not a member of over a conversation between a friend and myself where I had said I was sad I forgot to breed for a meat pen, and that I could always buy one. The whole thing was a joke over the fact not many shows have cash prizes and I "missed" my chance at one. I had no intentions of even going to the show in the first place because my main breed is not recognized my ARBA yet so there is no point driving 3+ hours to a show I can't show at. The e-mail is as follows (with name changes)

"Good Morning,

I am writing to you today as it has come to my attention, that one of your participants is in the habit of practicing underhanded submissions to the shows.

Devon Mary Ward has not breed for the meat pen for the Dorchester show and has publically announced this on her Facebook page that she is considering buying one instead for the submission to still have her chance of winning the prize.

Attached is a print screen shot of the conversation with another rabbit breeder "My friend" ("friend's husband's" wife) and participant in the area shows who is supporting her actions.

To ensure the rights of the other breeders who are abiding by the rules and regulations of the ARBA and associated Ontario Rabbit Organizations I am here by asking that you take action on this to ensure that we all have a honest and fair chance at your shows.

Thanking you in advance for your assistance in this matter.

Also, I would appreciate it if you would kindly keep my name and email address confidential in this matter, as I do fear the reprisals from this, where my children are concerned.

Regards

Not so intelligent vegan."

Seeing as rabbit breeders are a tight knit group of course I get the e-mail. I had a good laugh over it too.

2011-08-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Save the 6 Bell rabbits

What happened to this breeder was absolutely heinous. Please show your support to her so that she may get her rabbits back.

2011-07-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

Today is day 15.

My hands are tingling, my teeth feel funny, I have this unquenchable craving to buy rabbits, I feel borderline depressed, and I caught myself petting my blanket. What does this possibly mean? 15 days is the longest I have gone without seeing or touching a real rabbit in over 10 years.

Utter insanity it feels like. So just why haven't I seen a rabbit in 15 days and counting? Well the simple answer is because I moved away from home. About an hour away to be exact and now I no longer have anywhere to keep a rabbit let alone 20+

So now I don't have any rabbits but don't worry they're not all gone. Tristyn still has the Mini Rex and my mom is looking after the remaining Bruns.

So for now I'm rabbitless and there won't be very many litters at all.

2011-07-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure everyone at one point or another has come into contact with a vegan. I have met several some I can get along with very well because their choice to not eat meat is personal and they do not judge others who do. Then there are those numerous others who preach about meat is murder and how you're a terrible person for eating meat. That the act of using animals for food is cruel. I often am enraged by this point of view as it seems so illogical. Humans as a species evolved by eating meat "It was this new meat diet, full of densely-packed nutrients, that provided the catalyst for human evolution"..."Without meat, said Milton, it's unlikely that proto humans could have secured enough energy and nutrition from the plants available in their African environment at that time to evolve into the active, sociable, intelligent creatures they became. Receding forests would have deprived them of the more nutritious leaves and fruits that forest-dwelling primates survive on, said Milton." ..."Milton's paper also demonstrates that the human digestive system is fundamentally that of a plant-eating primate, except that humans have developed a more elongated small intestine rather than retaining the huge colon of apes - a change in the human lineage which indicates a diet of more concentrated nutrients." (University of California, Berkeley)

Through science and education now-a-days one can survive of a wholly vegetarian diet, but what about those who have allergies to meat alternatives such as soy, which is one of the most common allergies? Or suffer from ceoliac disease and have to have a glutton free diet which also means in order to get the proteins they need they would have to eat meat? Unless people who require strict diets heavily supplement with pills (which often contain animal by-products) and it seems most vegans are against big pharmas their quality of life would be greatly inpacted.

So is meat really murder? "The killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law...with malice aforethought." So no technically slaughtering animals for food is not "murder" yes animals are killed for meat. They aren't "tortured" like many vegans want you to believe. Animals bruise just like people do if they are beaten. Bruised meat is no longer human grade therefore the meat is no longer worth as much as it should be therefore several parties lose money (which no one likes to do). Therefore extreme measures are taken to ensure that the animals are perfectly sound before being slaughtered to ensure the highest grade of meat.

The slaughtering process has strict guidelines especially in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain methods allowed to slaughter animals are the following:

Chemical (carbon dioxide): This method is approved for sheep, calves and swine. The animal is asphyxiated by the use of carbon dioxide gas before being bled. As bad as the word asphyxiated sounds with carbon dioxide the animals simply just fall asleep. Anyone who has played with dry ice will know how it feels once minute you're awake the next you're not.
Mechanical (captive bolt): This method is approved for sheep, swine, goats, calves, cattle, horses, mules, and other equines. A captive bolt stunner is applied to the livestock so as to produce immediate unconsciousness in the animals before they are bled. Unconcious means also unfeeling. Therefore the animals are unaware of what is happening.
Mechanical (gunshot): This method is approved for cattle, calves, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, and other equines. The gun is used to render the animal immediately unconscious (and usually dead) before being bled. This is an instant death for smaller animals.
Electrical (stunning or slaughtering with electric current): This method is approved for swine, sheep, calves, cattle, and goats. The current applied is sufficient to ensure surgical anaesthesia throughout the "bleeding" of the animal.

Cervical Dislocation (breaking the neck/chopping the head off)
This method is approved for poultry and rabbits. The severing off the head from the neck ensures that
the animal is dead before being bled. This is an instant death

Each of these methods is outlined in detail, and the regulations require that inspectors identify operations which cause undue "excitement and discomfort" of animals. None of the methods torture or draw out the death process. However death isn't "quiet" usually after one of these methods are applied the nerves cause the animals to twitch and/or kick. This is usually what causes people to mistake the animal is still alive as they're being bled out and processed.

People also tend to forget that these animals are not pets. Humans tend to humanize everything, and forget how complex the human thought process and brain really are. Animals do not grasp the concept of "death" they don't think the way they do. They act on instincts which is something humans tend not to act on at all.

I'm not implying that humans are anyway superior to animals I believe we're all equal but the world requires balance. Without out predators, prey animals would over populate and their food resources will decline rapidly. Everyone learns this in science class plant > herbivore > Carnivore. No one has the right to purposefully abuse or injure an animal. I just don't believe that people who eat meat should be judged harshly because of their choices and I also don't believe that vegans should be judged harshly because of their choices. Everyone has the right to eat what they want (as long as it's legal). I always recommend that you educate yourself find out where that meat you bought came from, where the animal was raised, what abattoir it was sent too same with vegetables. Ask yourself if you agree with how your food was made/treated before you eat it. Was that broccoli grown with harmful pesticides in China? Did that steak come from a factory farm? Look at your labels and do your research. If you can buy locally grown food so you can go see personally how it is raised.

Beware of:

2011-06-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

I do not sell pet rabbits anymore for a couple of reasons but the main two may seem like contradictions to each other.

Curious? The first reason is because people see rabbits as disposable. You can screen potential buyers all you like but you are always going to get people who are gung-ho about owning a rabbit and seem educated and nice, then a month later they just aren't interested in the rabbit any longer. Next thing you know it's for sale on some classified site and is constantly being re-homed or worse they just don't care about it and some nights it may not be fed, or it may not be cleaned for a week or two.

I realize not everyone is like that which brings me to reason two. People love their animals too much. Although it may not seem like a bad thing when you see how much someone just adores their pet. The truth is a lot of animals are literally loved to death. Confused? How about that special gourmet pet food fluffy gets, all those treats, and extra fruit and veggies he begs I get it. So he's a little fat it's better then being skinny right?

Actually it's downright deadly. Fluffy's insides are in turmoil as large amounts of mesenteric fat surround his major organs, slowly and painfully killing him from the inside out. Even scarier is a poor diet disguised by lots of excessive does not help Fluffy's insides a rabbit can have extremely high levels of mesenteric fat while being deceivingly fit on the outside.

What's worse then mesenteric fat? Does fluffy have a litterbox? Does Fluffy like to chew on his litter box or any other hard plastic toys? It's cute that he just ate nearly an entire litterbox? Well Fluffy is at risk now of dying from perforated intestines. It's a much faster way to go then being fed to death, but it's much more painful.

What's next? Fluffy doesn't eat all his food one night so it's an emergency trip to the vets who prescribes an appetite enhancer that costs $100.00 a but he tells you Fluffy needs it, then he says it also could be a small blockage so he also sells you another prescription for laxatives. Not to mention the $40.00 just to walk into the office. So you're now spending $200.00 a month throwing Fluffy's digestive balance off when the only thing Fluffy needs is a diet.

This is why I don't sell pets, people don't realize that they're hurting them with their love. People tend to forget that rabbits are animals and do not realize that rabbits do not hold the same morals and values as we do, and they definitely should not live like we do. They're animals and people always forget that because we tend to humanize everything which can be deadly.

2011-06-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

>>>>PLEASE CROSS POST WIDELY<<<<<
Official Call to Action from ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association)
Below is an official plan of action released this evening by the president of ARBA- Mike Avesing. He has sent out the following information (see below) and has urged every single member of ARBA to take action immediately to oppose SB 917.
Please do the following:
1.)Cross post this official ARBA call to action alert to every single rabbit owner and raiser you know. There are over 1,700 members of ARBA. They all need to see this message as soon as   possible. Encourage cross posting to as many concerned citizens as possible nation wide. This message needs to go viral within the next 24 hours to be effective. It is up to each and every single person receiving this email to step up and to send it on to as many folks as they can.
2.)Pease either fax or send your opposition letter as soon as possible to Senator Ted Lieu, Governor Jerry Brown, and all members of the California Assembly Appropriations Committee. All of the necessary contact information is contained within the ARBA action plan below. Also attached and embedded below is a sample letter that can be used. Just fill in your information as appropriate. Please feel free to edit to better convey your opposition message. Remember to include this phrase at the top of your letter: “I (name of organization or individual) strongly oppose SB 917 as amended and in any an all forms.” This is so your opposition to this bill will not be dropped should it be changed or amended.
3.)Next, get as many people as you can to likewise fax or send in their opposition letters. Remember that simply calling or emailing will NOT assure that your opposition will be heard and added to the official file. Have every single member of your family, your friends, co-workers, fellow farmers, etc. fax in their opposition individually. All animal husbandry will be ended in California should this bill pass. We want to literally melt down their fax machines and make it difficult for them to conduct their business as usual. Past experience has taught us that this is the only way to get their attention so they will hear us.
4.)Please, all of you from out of state, please join our opposition effort and fax in your opposition letters ASAP. As the saying goes “So goes California, so goes the nation”. The animal rights operatives behind this monstrous bill will replicate it across the nation if they are successful in passing it in California. This is their tried and true mode of operandus. YOU CAN BANK ON IT!

        We to Mike Aversing for his invaluable help in this effort.all should extend a big

From the American Rabbit Breeders Association.....

ARBA Action Plan – CA Senate Bill 917
The ARBA is very concerned with the potential impacts of SB 917 on our hobby and our members in CA. With that in mind, we are urging that every one of our 1731 California members contact their elected state officials to express their concern about the negative impacts of SB 917. Target the elected officials that represent you. Encourage your family and friends fax letters of opposition to the bill. 4H or FFA groups would also be impacted by this bill and would also we a great place to get additional support.
To make it easier for everyone to do that, we are providing the following to as many members as we can:
lA sample letter that can be sent to your elected state officials. (Separate email attachment) The letter should be useable by anyone. If you raise cavies, just substitute “cavies” for rabbits in the letter. 916-319-2181 Contact information for the members of the Appropriations Committee is also included in this document.
lContact information for CA State Assemblymen   (Separate email attachment)
lTalking points that you can use in discussions on the bill.   (See below)

“Melting down the fax machines” at the capitol was a very successful tactic we have used in the past to defeat other bad animal rights bills. WE NEED LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE sending in their opposition. At the bottom of this email is the contact list for the Assembly Appropriations Committee. When you have completed your opposition effort then it is imperative that we get others to do the same. These can be family members, neighbors, friends, fellow farmers and rabbit breeders, co-workers, etc. Please have those who reside out of state that you know do the same. SPREAD THE WORD QUICKLY. It is especially important to fax opposition letters to Governor Brown’s office and Senator Ted Lieu’s office.

Here is their contact information:
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 558-3160
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Senator Ted Lieu
Capitol Office
Fax: (916) 323-6056

The information we are providing has been supplied by many individuals within our membership. I don’t want to mention names for fear of forgetting someone. I’d sincerely like to thank them for their assistance and support.
Mike Avesing

Talking Points:
BENEFITS of the rabbit and cavy fancies:

lthe productive contribution the hobby makes in the lives of young people,
lcommunity service,
lwholesome food,
lthe green movement/sustainable agriculture,
lagribusiness/retail economy
lpromotion of responsible rabbit and cavy ownership that ARBA members support

Committee Members
District
FAX
E-mail

Felipe Fuentes - Chair
Dem-39
(916) 319-2139
Assemblymember.Fuentes@assembly.ca.gov

Diane L. Harkey - Vice Chair
Rep-73
916) 319-2173
Assemblymember.Harkey@assembly.ca.gov

Bob Blumenfield

Dem-40
(916) 319-2140
Assemblymember.Blumenfield@assembly.ca.gov
Steven Bradford

Dem-51
(916) 319-2151
Assemblymember.Bradford@assembly.ca.gov
Charles M. Calderon

Dem-58
(916) 319-2158
Assemblymember.Calderon@assembly.ca.gov
Nora Campos

Dem-23
(916) 319-2123
Assemblymember.Campos@assembly.ca.gov
Mike Davis

Dem-48
(916) 319-2148
Assemblymember.Davis@assembly.ca.gov
Tim Donnelly

Rep-59
(916) 319-2159
Assemblymember.Donnelly@assembly.ca.gov
Mike Gatto

Dem-43
(916) 319-2143
Assemblymember.Gatto@assembly.ca.gov
Isadore Hall III

Dem-52
(916) 319-2152
Assemblymember.Hall@assembly.ca.gov
Jerry Hill

Dem-19
(916) 319-2119
Assemblymember.Hill@assembly.ca.gov
Ricardo Lara

Dem-50
(916) 319-2150
Assemblymember.Lara@assembly.ca.gov
Holly J. Mitchell

Dem-47
(916) 319-2147
Assemblymember.Mitchell@assembly.ca.gov
Jim Nielsen

Rep-2
(916) 319-2102
Assemblymember.Nielsen@assembly.ca.gov
Chris Norby

Rep-72
(916) 319-2172
Assemblymember.Norby@assembly.ca.gov
Jose Solorio

Dem-69
(916) 319-2069
Assemblymember.Solorio@assembly.ca.gov
Donald P. Wagner

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Rep-70
(916) 319-2070
Assemblymember.Wagner@assembly.ca.gov

Sample Letter :
in any and all forms.

Dear Esteemed Assemblyman:              ,

I would like to convey my strong opposition to bill SB 917 pertaining to the topic of “animal abuse”.  I ask to be included in the count for the opposition to SB917.

This proposed law is a direct assault on animal husbandry in the state of California including, but not limited to, those who raise rabbits. SB 917 constitutes a direct assault on small farmers and intends to criminalize them simply for their responsible and ethical pursuit of animal raising. Those who raise rabbits and other animals will be forbidden to sell them anywhere except on private property. This requirement will inevitably impede both interstate commerce as well as live animal trade within California’s borders. Selling at shows and public on property, giving away animals as pets, and transporting them to be picked up anywhere on public property will be considered an act of “animal cruelty” replete with fines, seizure of private property (animals), and arrest as a misdemeanor offense. Furthermore, the natural and time honored farming practice of harvesting animals for food will be now be criminalized and potentially be classified as “cruel and intentional killing”, an act of animal cruelty, and, according to this law, a felonious crime.

The terms cruelty, abuse, and neglect are not well defined by this bill. As written, they are ambiguous terms subject to the conjecture and whims of the enforcer. Who is to determine what is cruel, neglectful, and/or abusive and what is not? What criterion will be used? None are set forth in this bill.  Normal farming practices may seem cruel to someone who has always resided in a city and has only owned pets that live with them inside their homes as many animal control investigators have. Because this law is so badly written and poorly defined, its enforcement will cause the inevitable abuse of power by those who choose to do so. Clearly, this bill will unavoidably lead to the criminalization of innocent farming and animal raising California citizens. Families will be prohibited from raising rabbits and other animals for food. Children participating in 4H and FFA will become instant criminals upon their 18th birthday simply because they raise animals. Small farmers, under the weight of such a draconian and ill-conceived law, will be forced to abandon farming in California and flee the state resulting in a massive loss of tax revenue and a vital food supply. All wrongly convicted farmers and animal raisers caught in this ill-conceived dragnet will be incarcerated in California’s already over-populated penal system. Rest assured, there will be legal challenges to this law which again will be borne by the California taxpayer. Additionally, this is an unfunded mandate whose implementation will be paid for by already critically cash-strapped local governments. . During these fiscally challenging economic times, California simply can not afford to make SB 917 a law. Please stand with our innocent farmers and animal raisers of California by opposing this draconian legislation. The last thought I would like to leave you with is- what will happen to California’s meat supply should this bill go into effect? We are one of the largest food producing regions in the world. How many people will be adversely affected by this law when the cost of meat escalates beyond affordability? Already cash strapped families will no longer be able to provide their children with meat based protein which is absolutely essential for normal human development. The ultimate costs of SB 917 are grave and far reaching. Thank you so much for your time and attention to this matter. Sincerely, (Your name/ position and/or organization here)

`Shit and animal rights`

2011-05-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

This is an article written by a friend of mine Helga Vierich that I really enjoyed.

This planet has a wide variety of life forms and incredible diversity BECAUSE most living things eat other living things, including ones we classify as "animals". Without the predation, there would have been no life, no evolution and no ecosystem. Without bird-shit, phosphorous would not be recycled, without ferns potash would not be drawn up and recycled, and nitrates would not move around throughout the soil without the actions of the vast underground net of the mycelium.

And without animals and their wastes, the nitrates and other complex organic
materials could not return to the soil through the actions of earthworms and
bacteria... and good soil is in a sense, vastly enriched by worm-poo. Without
the predators, the grazers would over populate and starve, without the grazers,
world ecosystems would not recycle nutrients as well as they do, nor would
individual species of plants get fertilized and their seed distributed far and
wide...

The lion will never lie down with the lamb unless the lamb is dead, and that is
how it should be, for the health of both the family of sheep and the family of
big cats.

We humans, the compassionate predator, entered into a contract with a large
number of species in the course of the past twenty thousand years (some think
longer), and species like the wolf (our domestic dogs), Bos Taurus (domestic
cattle), Tarpans ( domestic horses of all breeds today) and a legion of others
entered the relatively new ecological niche created within the sphere of the
world's first compassionate predator. Many of these species, of both animals
and plants, would never have been as successful had they not entered into the
contract.

Let us not be blinded by the evil results of commercialization of this age old
contract between us and these other species. Turning everything into money has
betrayed these plants and animals as much as it has betrayed all of what is
decent and compassionate about the human spirit.

When we turn our backs on the factory farms and the horrors they have
unleashed, do not also be tempted to turn our backs on our long history of trust
and co-adaptation that created the ecosystem of domestication. It is an
incredibly rich and rewarding ecosystem to live within, and one we have all but
lost in our miserably urban wastelands.

Sure, it is hard on the heart to put an animal down to eat it, but it is
infinitely better than to let these creatures be abandoned to the "wild". The
death and drawnout horror of being eaten alive by parasites or merciless
predators without any capacity for compassion is one of the reasons many now
think animals like sheep and goats and pigs sought out the human sphere in the
first place.

There are some that came early and were always under-appreciated like the cat
and the dog, or even reviled, like the mice and the rats. But now we know that
house mice by colonizing our ecosystem keep other kinds of mice out of it, like
the deer mice that carry the deadly Hanta virus. But now look at how mice and
rats have served us in research and still can be delightful housepets... (and
the story of the bubonic plague is not nearly as simple as some have previously
thought).

And what about house sparrows and chickens and starlings and crows? Pigeons?
Even set "free" they congregate around humans.

The most ancient vegetarian cultures in the world revere all these animals, and
certainly do not chase the domestic animals within their local ecosystems out
into the wilderness or consider it politically incorrect to allow such creatures
to breed and raise their young.

Please not be fooled by the vile "animal rights" arguments for vegetarianism.
Choosing not to eat meat should not immediately mean you must disapprove of
those who do, nor that keeping our place in nature, within a vast ecosystem of
symbiosis with numerous other species, must be rejected.

Animals have chosen to be part of our homes and part of the human ecosystem
niche on the planet, and we have no more right to turn our back on them than we
have to turn our back on the plight of the whales or the plight of the tuna.

The agenda of the present AR movement is an evil and ugly one. No pets to
snuggle in bed with at night, no glorious mornings to see the new calf just
born, no milking the cow while the calf takes the other teats, no playing with
puppies and mornings awakening to the happy crowing of the the rooster as he
calls his flock of plump hens out to feed. No sense of searing tenderness as
one is privileged to watch how carefully he attends the hen with the new family
of downy chicks, blinking in their first view of the morning sunlight world, and
makes sure these littlest one get the first crack at a tasty nest of ants...

Everything neutered. One generation and out. gone. No more poodles, and collies,
labrador retrievers, haughty siamese, cosy angoras, athletic family mousers, no
more pigs who love their backs scratched. No more omelets, souffles or angel
cakes, and no more milk or butter or cheese or yogurt or ice cream. No more
children wide-eyed with wonder to see the nest of baby bunnies for the first
time, no more horse crazy teenagers or watching your daughter ride her first
pony, with an expression of such incandescent joy that it almost hurts the heart
to see it--often through tears. Rescued by the rowdy happiness of the pony
himself, suddenly so careful to keep the novice safe on board.

Well, it is a long way from weeds and manure but it is all the same thing. I
offer it to you all freely. It is not really free, of course. You have to have
compassion and all the qualities that brought the creatures to offer themselves
to join our world in the first place. Care. Love. Wonder. Gentleness. Courage.
All the aspects that hunter-gatherers have, in caring for the animals around
them, drawing them as close as kinfolk and often keeping them from harm.

The road that led, in some times and places, to that one further step we have
come to call domestication.

There was no point when we conquered nature. We are still in nature.

The AR movement would sever that - or try to. Be very wary of this. It is
the last thing we can afford to do, both for the good of our species and for the
health of the planet.

See also the following for more along the same lines: http://thenewagriculture.blogspot.com/2009/07/domestic-animals-vs-vegetarian_12.html

As an aside to this main note, there is the following information, compiled by a staff writer at the New York Times:

Plants are actively intelligent: What does this mean for vegetarians?

Saturday, February 20, 2010 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Most vegetarians believe that by not eating animals,
they are preserving life. Everyone knows that plants are alive but
they are not viewed with the same level of intelligence as animals
are. As science continues to uncover the complex nature of plants, it
is becoming more apparent that plants are actively intelligent life
that pursue their continued existence in similar ways as do animals.

Research on the subject naturally flies in the face of strict
vegetarianism which often insists that eating animals is murder but
eating plants is just fine. Yet the facts illustrate that the
characteristics of animals used to argue that eating them is murder
also apply to plants. In other words, in order for strict vegetarians
to be consistent in their beliefs, they would also have to stop
eating fruits and vegetables.

Plants are very sensitive to environmental changes and they have many
built-in mechanisms to ward off attackers. They strive to find the
best resources and have been observed to actually anticipate hurdles
to survival and work to overcome them in advance.

According to Monika Hilker from the Institute of Biology at the Free
University of Berlin, plants are intelligent life that communicate
through chemical signals. They are capable of listening, talking,
seeing, and feeling, all senses for which most people think only
animals have the capability.

Linda Walling from the University of California agrees, noting that
animals actively ward off predators in order to survive. Many plants
release chemicals or other deterrents when a bug nips at their leaves
or stems, similar to how the immune system releases antibodies to
ward off infection or disease. Plants are also able to identify
nearby plant competitors and alter their growth patterns away from
other plants.

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University analyzed plant
responses to predators and found that in less than 20 minutes, a
plant being eaten by a caterpillar was able to convert carbon from
the air into a chemical compound designed to deter the caterpillar
from continuing. It appeared to perform this task entirely from scratch.

Plants also send signals that are the equivalent of a cry for help,
often attracting predators of their predators who snatch up the
attackers and eat them. This is just one of many ways in which plants
communicate with the living world around them in order to survive.

Rather than serve as a point of contention, the facts about
intelligent plant life merely call into question the alleged ethics
of eating only plants rather than animals. Both are intelligent
creatures designed to maintain survival. Humans are even more
intelligent creatures, choosing to survive by eating plants, animals, or both

Colours and breeds

2011-05-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

There are a couple forums I am on that are really bad for this (they're mainly meat raising forums) where someone gets a rabbit that is a colour of a specific breed so it obviously can't be anything but that breed.

Just because a rabbit is chinchilla in colour does not mean it is an Am. Chin many other breeds have the chinchilla colouring and so that means obviously mutts can come in that colour. Unless you have papers stating otherwise then it is not anything but an "unknown" breed. New Zealands and Californians are others that are routinely picked on, it seems every white rabbit is a New Zealand and every cal marked rabbit is a Californian, again both colours are in almost every breed out there so logically it would be in mutts as well. Sables are also another that routinely crop up, Palominos, and every chestnut rabbit seems to be a flemish even though it's 3lbs.

So unless you bought said mystery rabbit from a breeder that breeds the breed in question, then chances are it is nothing but a nutt and not magically some (usually) uncommon breed.

2011-04-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm currently updating the blog from Computersaurus (one of the back up computers that takes ten years to do the simplest task, so if something tragic happens you know what to blame). Anyways the reason why I'm updating my blog and not my website is because... The only computer in the house that contains the program that I use to update my website currently has it's guts spread over the kitchen table as it receives a motherboard transplant and a few upgrades. Several days ago it had a virus and died a horrible death. However soon I will be getting a laptop (this weekend) that will have my website program as well as the computer so I can update wherever I go.

So until then I do have rabbits for sale. I have several Brun bucks (like aways) and I do have a doe or two available. For Mini Rex I have a ton of juniors available both bucks and does in a variety of colours.

I do not have any litters due, and will not have any due for a while.

I am now also on the board of directors for the Dominion Rabbit and Cavy Breeder's Association.

So that's it for now, I would ad some sort of picture but Computersaurus will not let me upload anything.

This post is not for pet lovers, or the squeamish.

2011-04-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

I've processed the following breeds:

Satin
Mini Rex
Argente Brun
Argente Brun harlequin cross.

From these few breeds I have found that the Mini Rex have a better dress out rate than the Satins and the Cross (mine you the Mini Rex are adults at the time and a max of 4lbs) The Bruns so far have been exceptional with not only their growth rates but their dress out rate. The meat! Satins have by far been the whitest meat. Followed by the Halrequin crosses, then Mini Rex then Bruns being the darkest.

I have also been doing a little experiment with feeding my meat rabbits same with a friend of mine. Free fed rabbits Vs. Control fed Vs. Naturally fed. Vs. fed with Pet store food and treats. Or essentially all you can eat (pellets treats etc) Vs measured pellets and treats. And natural as in hay and grains and greens, and how the average pet would be fed.

I did the free fed Vs Control fed and my friend did the naturally fed Vs. Pet store fed.

What we found was free fed and pet store fed had extreme levels of internal fat and external fat. In some entire organs were completely surrounded by fat. The meat (or muscle) was also lacking compared to the rabbits the other two programs.

Control fed and naturally fed had low levels of internal fat and next to no external fat. They both had great meat (muscle mass) however control fed had a better growth rate then naturally fed.

The experiment is still ongoing.

Starting to show some basics.

2011-04-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

So you've got your great rabbit awesome but is it as great as you think it is? What is the most common things rabbits are disqualified for?

Colour: In order to show a rabbit it has to be one of the recognized varieties within that breed. Take for instance Chocolate agouti, it is showable in Rex but not Mini Rex. Also make sure the colour you think your rabbit may be is actually the correct colour. Often times I see smutty sable points listed as Siamese Sables, or Chocolate agouti listed as Red or Castor. I've even seen Torts incorrectly labelled as Harlequin. The list is endless.

Brokens: Brokens have to have more then 10% colour on their backs with colour on their nose or whisker bed, and less then 60% colour on their backs (or they're booted). Less then 10% colour is referred to as a charlie.

Foreign or white patches. White blazes, white toes, white spots on solid rabbits. Will all be dq'd which includes all VM's.

Wrong eye colour: Check the standard most rabbit colours are supposed to have brown of blue-grey eyes depending on the colour. The only colour to have blue eyes is the Blue Eyed White. Blue eyes in any other colour will be disqualified. Marbled eyes are disqualified as well.

Breed: Make sure the breed you have is actually the right breed. Often times people sell Albino rabbits as New Zealand Whites even though they're mutts. People also seem to sell any large rabbit as a Flemish Giant.

Weight: Most often then not rabbits are Dq'd for being over weight especially in dwarf breeds where a lot of people neglect to check the standard and make sure their rabbit is the required weight for the breed.

Missing toenails: It happens sometimes rabbits pull a toenail, so checking toenails is always a great thing to do.

Illness: If you're rabbit is sick for the sake of everyone else showing don't bring it. You'll get a lot of people mad at you and your rabbit will not only be dq'd but will have to be removed from the showroom.

2011-04-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

Genus for Leporidae family

Genus: Oryctolagus

European Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus

*All breeds of Domestic Rabbits are descendants of the European wild rabbit, ‘Oryctolagus cuniculus’

Genus: Sylvilagus (Cottontails)

Swamp Rabbit, Sylvilagus aquaticus
Marsh Rabbit, Sylvilagus palustris
Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus
New England Cottontail, Sylvilagus transitionalis
Mountain Cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttallii
Desert Cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii

Genus: Lepus(Hares)

White-tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus townsendii
Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
Snowshoe Hare, Lepus americanus
Artic Hare, Lepus arcticus

*Both Snowshoe and Arctic Hares turn brown in summer, white in winter

Cottontail and Domestic rabbits cannot be crossbred, nor can hares and rabbits. This is because of differences in chromosome numbers between them.They can mate all they want, no babies will ever be produced.

When you see people who claim they caught a "wild" rabbit and mixed it in with their domestic rabbits. Most often then not they have caught a domestic rabbit that had been let loose, or they're lying.

How breeds are ruined.

2011-04-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

Last year at a fair show a woman was talking to me about rabbits. She said she owned a Mini Rex that she bought in or around the London area. She was also quite adamant that the rabbit I was currently holding was in fact not a Mini Rex. Her idea of a Mini Rex came from the one she owned, she stated that Mini Rex were supposed to have long ears and very fine bone. They were supposed to be 5lb-6lbs and their fur was supposed to be exceptionally silky and lay flat when they were petted. All in all she described what I pictured to be one very ugly rabbit. She had also said that I must have been confused because the rabbit I was holding was much to small, and much to round to be a Mini Rex and that it's fur was all wrong. The rabbit I was holding was a multiple Best of Breed Winner.

I can see how this woman was confused. When you look at a lot of the Mini Rex listed for sale in classified websites, or even some pet breeder's websites. You get the idea that a Mini Rex is some sort of big, long, ugly rabbit with no density to it's fur. When in reality a good Mini Rex is a very attractive small rabbit with luxurious fur. So how does this happen? How does a breed turn into some sort of monstrosity that lead people to believe what a Mini Rex really is is the complete opposite of what they're supposed to be.

People are the main reason for it. Certain breeders who give no heed to the standard and breed their rabbits willy nilly. People who only breed for pets, or are only in it because they think they can make a bit of money. When you stop breeding a rabbit to the standard it stops becoming the breed it is supposed to be. When enough people are breeding this to that, producing essentially "junk" animals and flooding the market with these rabbits then general consensus starts to believe that is what a Mini Rex is truly supposed to look like. The worst offenders for this are the people who only want to breed "rare" colours. When colour is only worth 15% in the Mini Rex standard a lot can go horribly wrong with body type and fur.

At the Royal when I was judging I had a few Mini Rex show up on the table that had I not been judging youth I would have disqualified for lacking in breed Characteristics. (The rule is no disqualifying youths we want to encourage them by giving constructive criticism and not outright dq-ing). Anyways, the rabbit was placed last and I could not find nothing good to say about this rabbit, even the colour was off so I ended up saying she was a lovely pet. After judging the mother of the youth came up to me and asked me why I thought it was a pet they had bought it from X breeder (a breeder I recognized but will not post) and were told she would be a great rabbit. I showed her the standard for the breed and then an example of what that is supposed to look like. She was actually very surprised about it, so I wrote down a few websites for her to check out to get a better idea of what to look for in a Mini Rex.

This holds true for other breeds as well, I have seem some gruesomely awful Holland Lops, and Netherlands that just aren't Netherlands, It seems every broken coloured rabbit is an English Spot or Checkered Giant Cross, every Chestnut rabbit is a Flemish Giant, and any rabbit with wool is an Angora. Most of which hold not discerning breed characteristics of any breed, but are being sold as Purebred and pedigreed.

Causes of new born deaths

2011-04-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

Let's face it the chances of a rabbit cannibalizing her young are slim to none. Touching newborn babies will not make a doe decide that she needs to eat her kits domesticated or other wise. A rabbit that accidentally over cleans a kit and takes off a limb will not get a "taste" for blood and cannibalize her next litter. All does eat their placentas (okay so not all, I a time or two have stuck my hand into a nest box expecting to pull out of baby and end up pulling out the gooey mass of a placenta) and a placenta is tissues and all that lovely gory goo that kits get their nutrition from so you could also say every doe is a cannibal as they ingest tissue of their own. When a doe has a litter, she's going to ingest blood no matter whose doe, or what her temperament. If a doe is cannibalizes her young chances are it was caused by an underlying issue whether she was OCD about cleaning her new kits, or has some sort of mental retardation. A doe is not going to up and decide that she is going to eat her kits because a human touched them. There is also not set age or size where if a doe does decide to become a cannibal that kits are safe. I have a doe who has always been a bit freaky who killed off her litter one by one and ate the kits and they were nearly 3 weeks old.

One of the main causes of death in new born kits is from the doe stepping on them. Whether it's accidentally while they are trying to nurse, or something startles them and they jump in the nest box. Most cases the kit will look perfectly fine.

There is also were the doe does not get her milk in and even though she tries to nurse them they'll all just die off, this is usually due to a lack of hormones and is not a good trait to continue breeding.

With dwarf breeds you often times get peanuts in your litter also known as double dwarf. This is where a kit inherits a dwarf gene from both parents. This is a lethal combo and there has only been a couple cases where a peanut has lived past 1 month old. Most die before they're a week old. You can tell a peanut right off the bat, they are smaller then the other kits with a bulbous head underdeveloped hindquarter and minuscule triangular ears. As the other kits grow the peanut does not and the difference in size becomes more noticeable.

Does do not kill off any weak or deformed babies nature does. A doe does not differentiate between a perfectly healthy baby and one that has club feet, or might possibly be a fader in a week or two. If the kit cannot compete for milk with it's siblings then it does not get enough milk to sustain itself and live. It is a simple form of survival of the fittest. People have come to believe that the only reason that they find dead babies that are deformed or ill is because the doe knew there was something wrong with them and killed them. If this were true there would be no "special" bunnies in the world.

Faders or failure to thrive. These are kits who reach three to six weeks and then just "fade" away despite eating and drinking like a normal kit. No one is quite certain what causes faders.

These are some reasons why kits die.

2011-04-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that rabbits who are easily over posed are normally undercut allowing their feet to be pushed forward more then they're supposed to because there is not full hindquarter to stop it.

And that is my thought for the day. That and baby bunnies are the cutest things on the face of the earth. I currently have baby bunnies coming out of my ears and most of them are at that insanely adorable age of 3 weeks where they're like mini adults.

And we currently have a pair of ducks out in the backyard, random I know :)

2011-03-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

I'm supposed to be writing an essay right now but I'm not. I'm writing this blog post and loading some pictures off my camera. Definitely have my priorities straight today.

Anyways the babies are getting huge and they're absolutely adorable right now, since it's still cold out trips out of the nest box have been brief. I have three does due in a week and I'm definitely getting excited for the Spring Bash Show

Bad luck.

2011-03-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

It seems I've been stricken by bad luck lately. I lost a doe and her entire litter of 6 thanks to a sneaky dog. And one of my other does has been picking off her babies one by one. At first one dead baby was considered a "It happens sometimes" incident. It was after the 2nd was found dead I began to become suspicious. It was until I walked into the rabbitry and saw her attacking and eating her own kit that it clicked. So the remaining two kits have been fostered and this doe although this is her first litter will not be bred again. My three strike system is for does with newborn litters, not 2 week old litters. The weird thing is she comes from a long line of excellent tolerant mothers who would do anything for their kits.

So anyways one of the two babies I saved is a charlie. A real charlie as in less then 10% markings on a rabbit out of 2 brokens (a charlie can only be out of 2 brokens). It has no moustache, very thin eye bands, mottled ears and a tiny little dot on it's back. The rest is white. It is the most adorable baby I have ever laid eyes on unfortunately it's not showable and it also happens to be a buck. He'll make someone a nice pet. A faux charlie is a rabbit with less then 10% markings out of a solid and a broken.

So yes bad luck but if things come in threes, I only have one more bout of bad luck to suffer before things hopefully turn around, but I really do hope the bad luck isn't going to be rabbit related.

Non dwarfs suck.

2011-03-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

If you have no idea how the dwarfing gene works I highly recommend doing more research especially if you're interested in showing Mini Rex.

a Dwarf rabbit's dwarfing gene looks like this Dd
a Non dwarf looks like this DD
a double dwarf (fatal, peanut) looks like this dd

So breeding a non dwarf to a non dwarf you will only get non dwarfs (nothing showable). Breeding to a dwarf, you will never get peanuts, but 50% of your litters will be non dwarfs and therefore not showable. Breeding a Dwarf to a Dwarf you do get peanuts 25% chance, you also have a 25% chance of non dwarfs, but a 50% chance of dwarfs which are showable*

Non dwarfs: We refer to these as Big Ugly Does (Buds) and Big Ugly Bucks (Bubs). For the reason that they're big and the lack of a dwarf gene tends to elongate features making them "ugly". A non dwarf is too big to be shown, and will never contribute a dwarf gene ever. Although people do try and pass them off as show quality by saying they have "summer ears". Summer ears is a term used to say "This rabbit has ginormous ears and is obviously lacking a dwarf gene but I'm going to pull the wool over your eyes claiming temperature can change genetics and sell it to you for double the price it is worth because you don't know any better."

The size of a rabbit's ears is determined by genetics and whether not they have a dwarfing gene. Rabbits with a dwarfing gene tend to have ear lengths under the maximum for the breed, and the exact length is an inherited trait. Not all rabbits with a dwarf gene have the same length of ears. Rabbits lacking a dwarf gene tend to have ears over the max length again exact length varies with it's genetics.

Extreme temperatures are not going to override genetic maximums. A rabbits ears are the first thing to reach maximum length. So for a time the rabbits ears will look out of balance with the rabbit however with a Mini Rex they should never be over 3.5 inches especially in a young rabbit. Saying heat will make a rabbit's ears grow freakishly long will also mean you will only get freakishly short ears in the winter. Which definitely is not the case.

In some cases people like to keep does with no dwarf gene because they do have larger litters. Personally I do not see how this is beneficial, you just have more kits born who are unshowable and slated for the pet market which gets you nowhere in your breeding program. Big bucks are just no. You shouldn't buy them you shouldn't breed them they're just big and will crush your does, and they'll hate you for it.

Selling Easter Bunnies.

2011-03-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

Rabbits are a novelty of Easter. When you think Easter you think rabbits. You think how cool would it be to get a bunny for Easter. The thought does not often go past "cool..." for the vast majority of impulse buyers.

What is an impulse buyer? They are the people who buy something because they want it then and there. They don't give any thought to how long it's going to live, or how much it's going to cost in the long run, or how much time they're going to have to devote to a pet. Once they learn there is work involved a short few weeks later they're selling the animal because they no longer have the "time" or "money" to care for it.

Most people interested in buying rabbits for Easter are impulse buyers. Those who really want a rabbit for a pet won't mind waiting a week or two to get the rabbit.

This is why in the weeks following Easter there are so many rabbits being listed for sale on classified websites, or on shelter websites. Someone bought a novelty pet and the novelty wore off.

This is why I do not sell rabbits during the time before and after Easter. Unless it's to another breeder I know personally. When I do sell pets they're going to people who have done their research into owning a rabbit and are aware how long they're going to live and how much work they are. They've also completed my pet owner survey. People who are unlikely to dump the animal on someone else when they get bored of it.

pricing.

2011-03-11T20:15:00.000-08:00

Pricing is really person specific. This is how I price my rabbits.

Pets $45.00 even
I price pets in this range because I dislike doing pet sales. I have received a lot of e-mails from people who are indecisive and flakey in the past. Pricing them in a higher price range tends to weed out those people are are impulse buyers and flakes.

Brood- I don't believe in "Brood" quality. If it is not something I would show, why would I want to breed it? It's like taking a step backwards. Sure it can produce better, but guess what the kits they produce will produce throwbacks to their "brood" parents.

Prospective show rabbits. These are rabbits I have deemed show-able but have not been shown. they're usually priced between $50.00 and $75.00

Show Rabbits. These are rabbits who are show quality and have done well in shows. They're $80.00+

All prices reflect my personal opinion of the rabbit. If you don't agree no one is forcing you to buy the rabbit.

The importance of a good herd buck

2011-03-11T19:16:00.001-08:00

Herd bucks are the most important part of a successful rabbitry. They can make or break your herd. They have the biggest influence on your future generations.

This is a post about how to choose a herd buck (or a buck you want to breed your does too) in a breed like Mini Rex.

Never use pet quality bucks or "brood" quality bucks. For your herd buck if you would never show it you should never breed it. Also bucks with the same faults as your does, or DQ's. You want a buck to be as close to the breed standard as possible.

1.) Stay away from big bucks, or bucks lacking a dwarf gene. For Mini Rex the max weight for a buck is 4lbs 4oz. A buck lacking a dwarf gene is characteristically having long ears, and a longer face, as well as longer type and will be over the max weight. You should try and stick to bucks no more then 4lbs to be safe.

2.) Bucks with lots of faults should be avoided. If you have a problem with does having long midsections you need a buck with a short midsection. Breeding two rabbits with the same faults will not improve anything.

3.) Keep the amount of bucks you have limited. a 1:5 ratio is a great place to start. I keep the amount of bucks I have very limited I have 18 does and only 2 bucks for Mini Rex. Line breeding with an excellent buck will keep the good genetics are the forefront.

4.) When looking for a buck don't fall for a breeder's bias check him out yourself. Try and avoid falling for things like "He's from the States" you can find a lot of great rabbits in the states but for every great rabbit there are 200 really really bad ones. Just like here. In Ontario the quality of rabbits is no different then in the USA. You've got you bad ones, and you've got your absolutely stunning ones.

If you're unsure of a buck go for proven and ask the breeder if they have any pictures of his offspring to give you an idea of what he can produce.

Baxter? Barrie? Barrie Spring Bash.

2011-03-11T12:51:00.001-08:00

So this year the Baxter show is not in Baxter it's in Barrie at the Essa Valley Feed Services (AKA the Feed store we go to every other Monday).

So Yeah It's April 16th, just thought I should warn everyone not to show up in Baxter and expect a show :)

As for shows and showing I'm uber excited. I have this little black doe who is almost out of her ugly stage (although she was never that ugly). I die every time I touch her. Since they day she was born she had super curly dense fur, so did her brother and sister, but her brother and sister had normal Pre-Jr fur by 8 weeks. Not this little girly, she still had curly fur at 14 weeks. So by that time I'm freaking out, I have this great little doe type wise but her fur although dense and having excellent texture was curly which obviously is a no-no when showing. So I was biting my nails (nasty habit, yeah). When all of a sudden I go out to to rabbitry and she had exploded! Her fur was everywhere ! About a week later the curl was gone, by the end of the month my gloriously typed doe had glorious Jr fur!

Her sister is glorious too. Her brother went to a pet home even though he was a solid tank of a nice rabbit. Then there are the lovelies that are Mona Lisa's litter. They've been glowing since day one and I can't wait until they're old enough to show. Which unfortunately will not be the Spring Bash as they're only 9 weeks (luckily that's the perfect age for doe and litter).

Litter news and other things.

2011-03-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

So I'm excited I gave out 6 nest boxes last night to does due on the 12th and 14th

This morning 5/6 had made nests, pulled fur, and then hoarded all their toys into the boxes.
Ohhhh the anticipation of new babies !

Some of you may not know this but I am an avid music fan with tastes ranging from folk to thrash metal, although I hate rap. Can't stand it enough said. So you can assume I also play an instrument or two.

Correct, but what does this have to do with rabbits?

One of the instruments I play is acoustic guitar, I have it hanging up just above my desk in my bedroom (on a cool treble clef guitar hanger). Well Elvis seems to have taken to her name quite well and has taken a fancy to my guitar. She discovered digging on the strings produced sound, and apparently she liked what she heard because now she'll do whatever she can to play my guitar.

Another instrument I play, and this one is my all time favourite is my Irish Wooden Flute. No I'm not going to tell you a rabbit discovered how it works. I'm going to warn you, if you have baby bunnies running around on your bed, do not sit on your bed to practice the flute. My flute is made out of Maple, which is wood (as the name suggests). Bunnies like wood. So in they end they will want to eat it. Now babies are really fast and have no boundaries yet. So they will literally climb up your body to get the wood. And if you move they will jump off the bed and follow you around trying to climb up your legs. It's actually terrifying be mauled my 3 little babies.

Dealing with a small Gene Pool

2011-03-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

I've been running into the same faults with my Bruns in every litter. The gene pool is very limited so it's really hard to breed out certain faults as it's almost guaranteed to be carried by every other Brun out there. Line breeding heavily tends to suppress things like max litter size potential, and max weight potential. So what do you do when you've hit a wall? Out cross your herd, carefully.

I've run into the problem that my Brun does are producing 3 kits per litter (not very impressive). All my does also seem to have the same PH level that makes it all the more friendly environment for the Y chromosome, which results in a greater number of bucks being born, surprise it's not the bucks fault.

So how do you out cross while maintaining the breed characteristics. You could potentially find a large chocolate rabbit, and use it and then work your tail off getting the proper silveringbody type, and fur back or you can take the easy route. Use Champagne D'Argents.

At the base of it all Champagnes and Bruns are self coloured rabbits with the silvering gene. The only real difference between them is colour and size. Which are two very easy things to fix. The type is already there, the fur, and the silvering. All you're doing is opening up a blood line and changing the colour and size.

Lets talk genetics for colour: (the underscore is where recessive information can be filled in if known)

A Champagne is: aaB_C_D_E_sisi . A Brun is: aabbC_D_E_sisi

A=Agouti
aa= self
Aa= Agouti that carries self

B=Black
bb=Brown (chocolate)
Bb= Black the carries brown (Chocolate)

C=Normal colour (like black)
ch= Himalayan
cc= Albino
Cc= Normal colour that carries albino

D=Dense colour (black, chocolate)
dd= Dilute colour (blue, lilac)
Dd= Dense colour that carries dilute (Chocolate that carries lilac, black that carries blue).

E= Extension series. E is normal (ie Black)
e= Non extension (like tort or red)

Si= Normal
sisi=silvering
SIsi= Normal that carries silvering (this is an incomplete dominant gene so carriers often show silvering).

So that's genetics in a nut shell. I'll also point out lowercase letters are recessive. For instance bb (chocolate) when two chocolates are bred together they cannot produce black.

So lets take aaB_C_D_E_sisi . A Brun aabbC_D_E_sisi

You breed a Brun to a Champagne you're offspring will genetically look like this : aaBbC_D_E_sisi a black rabbit that carries chocolate. Bred back to a Brun or another black rabbit that carries chocolate you'll get 50% chocolate and 50% black in the litter.

Chocolate and Black are two of the most compatible colours out there, They in no way shape or form interfere with each others colour negatively. In fact it is widely believed that using blacks in your chocolate breeding program keeps the chocolate colour rich and prevents it from fading and turning greyish. (All my black Mini Rex carry chocolate).

Let's say you want to fill in the genetics of a Brun and your Brun has produced a lilac, and a rew and no non extensions. That rabbit would look like this genetically aabbCcDdEEsisi

Size between Bruns and Champagnes is not that different but different enough to worry about. You have to be very selective. My Brun bucks tend to be on the smaller side of the scale for a Brun, so I crossed one with a wondrous Champagne Doe who also is small for a Champagne but has fantastic type.

I have one breeding age out cross doe she just had her 2nd litter of 9 kits (all of which are fantastic looking Bruns). So far out crossing has increased litter size and increased the number of does I get per litter. And for this litter 3/4 of their pedigree is pure Brun.

I'll talk about silvering later. It's late and I still haven't done chores. I hope this post made a bit of sense.

Dude guess what?

2011-03-04T13:38:00.001-08:00

I finally built up the courage to sex my latest Argente Brun litter because well, I'm so tired of getting all bucks. There are 9 of them and I was seriously dreading sexing them and ending up with 9 bucks. I usually sex them at 1 week right on, but I waited a bit this time.

Well I ended up with 4 bucks and 5 does. This means this is the first litter in which there were more does then bucks. It may actually be a cause for celebration. I'll actually have does available!

Hmm

2011-03-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

I'm the least creative person when it comes to thinking of blog titles.

This blog is about the fact that I have seen far to many people using a plural of Mini Rex such as Mini Rexes, or Mini Rex's.

Mini Rex's is possessive not plural. Using this in a sentence form would look like "That Mini Rex's coat is fantastic."

Mini Rexes is just wrong. Even spell check says it's wrong.

The plural form of Mini Rex is Mini Rex. It's the same as the singular form. Not Mini Rexes or Mini Rexs, or Mini Rex's. Just Mini Rex. "I raise Mini Rex." Sounds much better then "I raise Mini Rexes." Just as "I have 12 Mini Rex." Sounds far better then "I have 12 Mini Rexes."

Studding out bucks.

2011-02-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

I don't do it ever. The simple reason is STD's

Yes rabbits get them the main one is Vent Disease aka Rabbit Syphilis. Of course you can check the doe over thoroughly but you're not going to see anything if the doe is merely just carrying the disease you breed her to your buck then breed a buck to a couple of your does, and the next thing you know all those does have VD.

I once bought a doe pretty thing, she came bred checked her over everything was healthy looking she had her litter. Then the next thing I know her litter starts developing little wart like things on their nose and the corners of their eyes, check the mother and sure as shootin' she's got VD and because her kits are nursing and what not they've got it as well. So I treat them all (It is curable). This was her first litter too, so I can assume the buck she was bred too carried it and gave it too her. Had it not flared up I could have very well bred her too one of my own bucks, and then bred that buck to another doe and had some sort of outbreak before I even realized what was going on.

So I simply don't stud out my bucks because of the risk of catching VD without it even being noticed is there.

Another thing is I don't see why I have to share something I either spent a lot of time to breed (10 years) or spent a lot of money too buy. They belong to me, their offspring have my name on them because it's my work. I don't have to share it. If you want a breeding buy a buck off me.

Values.

2011-02-28T19:23:00.000-08:00

Values values values: relative worth, merit, or importance. To consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance. To regard or esteem highly.

I know what you're thinking "I don't understand, what do values have to do with rabbits?" Hold your horses that's why I'm posting this blog. That and it's a break from rant blogs.

Something that is free is not considered to be of any value, something that cost $5.00 again not that valuable. Even $25.00 isn't considered too valuable. When people are constantly bombarded with animals that are free or relatively cheap in the grand scheme of things those animals are no longer considered important.

Animals and breeds that are considered valuable are constantly seen at unusually high prices for the species. Take Angoras for instances. More often then not you see them listed at $75.00 or higher for pets alone with show quality animals being bought for $300.00+ the general assumption of the entire breed is that they are important and valuable and thus people have more interest in them.

Other breeds like Mini Rex are far to often only sold for $25.00 yes there are a lot of breeders who raise them so there is competition when trying to sell them and usually the cheaper the price gets the sale. This is highly damaging to how people view the breed. They are cheap therefore less valuable which means there will be less of a market for them.

Confused? Let me explain why there is less of a market for a cheaper breed. It all has to do with values. The more you see rabbits listed for free or really cheap the general consensus is that they're not a very important animal thus do not have much value. The more you see rabbits listed at higher prices seems to change the general idea to these are important animals and someone will be more willing to spend more money to buy one.

Now I'm not saying everyone should go and jack up their prices, but you as the breeder should not have to sell your animals for cheap because the general going price for your breed is cheap and you want to compete in the market. You have to consider the amount of money and time you put into the rabbit to raise it. That's not all most breeders have a huge amount of work put into their herds and it's almost insulting to spend years working on your rabbits only to be able to sell a great rabbit for $25.00 because that's the most common going rate.

If you don't value your own rabbits to begin with no one else will. Selling rabbits is not like selling inanimate objects where you can out sell your competitors by selling your item cheaper. Rabbits are living breathing animals, and the cheaper you sell the more likely the rabbit you sell will end up in the home of an impulse buyer who will get bored of it in a month. Not all do, but it happens.

Why...

2011-02-26T13:08:00.000-08:00

This should probably be posted with the title Angry Rant #189536

A pedigree does not mean a rabbit is show quality. It means that someone kept track of it's family tree. Any rabbit can have a pedigree. It in no way shape or form means the rabbit is of show quality. Brood animals have pedigrees, rabbits sold as pets can have pedigrees. Do not mistake "pedigreed" for kick arse show rabbit.

Deep breath !

Breeding for pets, you make a pretty website. Why for the love of fuzzy critters do you pose your rabbits in a show pose? If you're not breeding for show, or to the standard it is unnecessary to pose them, and most pet buyers don't understand this.

Mass escape !

2011-02-24T18:30:00.001-08:00

Last night when I went to go feed the rabbits, and close the rabbitry up for the night I had quite the surprise.

3 mature Brun bucks, and a three week old Brun buck all cavorting about the rabbitry. Yep three mature bucks and a baby all loose running around together. Usually mature bucks loose together spells fighting and other disaster (fur, blood, and urine everywhere). Mix in a baby and that baby wouldn't stand a chance. Luckily baby MacGyver is small enough to get under cages where the big guys can't get, which in this case wasn't necessary as they were all getting along to my great astonishment.

So putting my great detective skills to use I pieced together the events that transpired for this mass escape.

Baby MacGyver has been getting out for the past week through a small hole I keep forgetting to cover up. He's the hardest to catch because if he doesn't want to go back yet he can move FAST and get into all the little places I can't. Baby MacGyver isn't big enough to let the others out so his escape is unrelated and he's just a delinquent in the making.

Monaco, and Vegas had their cage doors wide open. They're on ground level cages with latches that can easily be opened if you're on the outside of the cage whether or not you have hands or paws.

Boo on the other hand did not have an open cage door. Boo's cage is also a 2nd tier cage. Boo discovered the spring latch on his door is fun to play with and if enough force is applied the door it can open. The spring on the door had been stretched enough to let him squish out.

Boo opened the cages of his two accomplices (also his litter mates) and the three had a party with baby MacGyver. Not that is was much of a party, they pretty much just slept beside the heater as there was no mess or even stray poops anywhere.

Monaco and Vegas were easy catches, they wanted their dinner. Baby MacGyver gave himself up when his Momma decided it was time to nurse the hoard. Boo put up the biggest chase but ultimately gave up when a handful of hay went into his cage, the temptation was too great for him.

And as for today there has been no more attempted escapes.

Qualities.

2011-02-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

Often you see on a for sale page a rabbit listed as Brood, Show, or Pet quality.

What does that mean? Generally it's just what it looks like the rabbit is either a pet, good for breeding, or good for show. Not always. What?! Allow me to confuse you some. When a breeder lists a rabbit for sale with one of those three titles, it is that breeders interpretation of the quality of the rabbit. Different breeders interpret things differently, two breeders may have a rabbit with identical features (lets say clones). One breeder lists that rabbit as brood quality, the other lists it at show quality. The rabbits are identical so why the difference?

The people make the difference. Everyone has a different opinion about everything. Just like in previous posts it's because people interpret the standard differently and thus create disruptions in a simple process of whether or not a rabbit is pet, show, or brood. People also label rabbits for show pet or brood based on where they are in their breeding program. For someone just starting out they may list a poor quality rabbit as show quality because it's one of the better ones they produced where as a breeder who has been showing for years would sell the exact same rabbit as pet quality. Confused yet? let me explain further.

A pet quality animal by show standards is usually a rabbit that is of poor quality compared to the standard of perfection or has a disqualification that either may or may not be genetic.

A brood quality animal by show standards is usually a rabbit that does not quite cut it as a show rabbit, or may have a non genetic disqualification that prevents the rabbit from being shown. A brood quality also has the potential to produce better then itself. Thus being slated for the breeding market.

A show quality animal by show standards is as close to the standard of perfection as possible, and is free of any disqualifications.

Not all rabbits are bred from a show standard. So from a pet standard, a pet quality rabbit is any rabbit they produce, that fits the bill as being a friendly sociable pet. Brood would be the cute rabbits that they sell to other pet breeders because they think that rabbit will be able to produce well for the pet market. I personally don't believe people who specifically breed for pets should ever list rabbits as show quality as they're not breeding to a standard.

So yes things are interpreted differently by everyone so you may find a nice rabbit somewhere listed as brood, or a poor rabbit listed as show. It's up to the buyers discretion which rabbits they buy.

Starting to show part III

2011-02-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Bad attitudes in the showroom. Shows are fun, and should not be taken too seriously. You should be serious about your rabbits though. What do I mean by this?

The judge says something about your rabbit you don't agree with. Don't go around trash talking that the judge doesn't know what they're talking about, they're a utility judge not a fancy judge and so on. You don't become a judge by only knowing about one breed. You also have to know all judges interpret the standard differently, just like how I interpret the standard is different then how you may interpret it. Take the comments and apply them to your rabbits, if you don't agree you don't agree. Trashing the judge isn't going to change it.

A breeder brings a rabbit or two for sale to a show and you buy one and enter it in the show. Then it doesn't place well at all. Don't go talking trash about the breeder about how their rabbits are crud. You were the one who bought the rabbit, you had the opportunity to look it over and decide whether you wanted it or not. A breeder cannot guarantee the rabbit will place well and bashing the breeder is not going to help you any. This one is all on your head you made the decision and handed over the money.

Talking to the judge while they're judging a class is also a big no-no. If you have a question regarding how your rabbit placed talk to them after the class is over. Telling the judge which rabbits are yours is also another no no. Showing is supposed to be fair an unbiased.

Another thing that is upsetting to people at a show is joking about sabotaging or killing rabbits to get rid of your competition. Even if it is a joke, it's not funny to people who have put pretty much their entire lives into their rabbits. It's upsetting and mean.

Another thing is if you feel the need to threaten people to get your way, you're in the wrong hobby. Wrestling would be a much better fit for you.

Starting to show part II

2011-02-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

Now that you have decided to show, and uncluttered your herd you're ready to buy your first show rabbits. This is always a very exciting part in raising show rabbits, there are so many gorgeous rabbits out there! How do you choose one? Then you see the price tag...and suddenly this exciting part becomes horribly daunting.

Buying online: This is not the best way to purchase a rabbit, you are buying based off a picture or two so you really have to trust the person your buying from that the picture is in fact an accurate representation of the rabbit. It is also a great way to find a rabbit you probably would never have seen in person. It opens up your selection a great deal. So how do you pick a rabbit online? Find one you like, then get a second opinion from someone you trust to give you a straight answer, and if you do decide to get it based on the picture don't forget if it is not as nice as you thought it would be you still have the right to refuse the sale, don't feel trapped because you inquired about it.

Buying in person: This is always the best way to buy because you can get a hands on feel for the rabbit. If you're not sure what you're looking for ask the breeder to explain the strengths and weaknesses of the rabbit, and if you're still not sure find someone to give their opinion.

Cost: You may be tempted to throw caution to the wind and assume that a rabbit with a $200.00 price tag will be absolutely hands down amazing. Don't let the price make up your mind for you. Just because a rabbit is listed at $200.00 does not make it worth that much, often times you can find excellent quality rabbits for sale for $25.00 that will beat the $200.00 rabbit on the show tables. It's up to you to look over the rabbit first and then decide if it's worth the price that is being asked.

Band wagons: Often times in an area one breeder will buy a rabbit or two from a certain breeder and they do well in a show once or twice and suddenly everyone in the area is going to that breeder for rabbits and more often then not they end up with not so good rabbits because they were led to believe this breeder is absolutely amazing. Always be cautious when buying, you may think you're getting a great deal when in reality it's not the best.

Always remember not to rush and buy the first thing you see. There are always great rabbits hiding just around the corner.

Starting to show part I

2011-02-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

So you've been raising rabbits for pets for a while now and have decided you want to show. How would you proceed to do that?

First of all DON'T sell anything. Bring a few of your rabbits to a couple shows and see where you stand show wise. I say a couple because judges opinions can vary a little bit and too get the best idea of where you stand it's best to get a couple different opinions. Don't worry if you don't place well hardly anyone wins First when they're first starting out. Listen to what the judges are saying about your rabbits; are their ears to long? What are their shoulders like? Are the pinched or undercut? What about their fur. The only way to see how a show works and what it takes to place in a show is to go to a show and experience it first hand.

Ask breeders that raise the same breed as you to explain what to look for in a rabbit, or how they choose what they keep and what they sell. Most will be more then willing to help you out.

Look online, there are plenty of articles about how to evaluate some of the more popular breeds. Check out websites of people who often win in shows and see what their rabbits look like.

By now you should be getting an idea of what to look for in your breed which will help you evaluate your own stock more efficiently. This is why you don't sell everything first, who knows you may have a diamond hiding in the rough and you may have sold it if you didn't take the time to learn how to properly evaluate your rabbits.

Now that you have a basis to evaluate your rabbits on, it's time to sort through your herd. In order to be competitive in shows, who can help your breeding project and who will harm it. Start by finding everyone with the negatives you heard from the judges at shows they're not going to help much. Don't be upset if you don't have anything show worthy everyone has to start somewhere, and starting with a clean slate can be a very good thing (unlike how I started with complete crud and eventually worked my way up).

Just remember doing well in shows does not happen overnight, it takes hard work, lots of time, and making the right decisions with your herd. Everyone makes mistakes and no one will judge you poorly if you don't have the best rabbits when you're just starting out.

2011-02-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

This blog is completely random, and will probably have nothing to do with rabbits. So here is a pciture just because this is my rabbitry blog and every post should have at least something with or about a rabbit in them: So here is a picture of a kit from one of my current litters (that you people don't know about because it's a biiiiiig secret litter)
So what is this post about? MUSIC one of my other loves besides writing stories, and raising rabbits. So music I'll start by saying I have a diverse amount of genres I like from folk, to Heavy Metal, I am a huge fan of classical music and I happen to play two different types of flute (Concert and Irish Wooden Flute). Any how I like what I like, but earlier in the day a friend of mine introduced me to a band that I would have completely ignored if they weren't around. I'm really a polite person, so I have trouble saying no to things. Anyhow they said it was this great new age band. First thought was along the lines of hippies doing yoga, and Enya. Not that I have anything against hippies doing yoga (I do yoga...) I just have a full library of yoga music at the moment. Anyways I gave it a listen and I was certainly surprised. It was great ! It wasn't the typical new age stuff, but it wasn't really anything else either. It was strangely unique and well now I want to buy their CD's.

So the moral of this post is, you shouldn't assume anything.

Angry Rant (again ) lol !

2011-02-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

Ethical = Being in accordance with the accepted principles of right and wrong that govern the conduct of a profession.

So what is it with the definition of Ethical above? Well it seems to be a forgotten term among people today. I'm not talking about how someone cares about their animal (although I hope they do it well) I'm talking about how they market them. Outwardly lying to buyers is not ethical. Lying about your rabbits on your website is not ethical. Telling people they shouldn't buy from someone because you don't like them personally is not ethical. Basically falsifying anything about the animal your selling is NOT ethical, whether you're lying about weight, or making up a fake pedigree.

Whatever happened to honesty? Raising animals is not a competition over who can sell the most. Sure you can spruce up your add a little by adding in fancy adjectives or going very in depth about the rabbits personality that's not lying that's creative honesty. Lying would be selling a 7lb rabbit to someone claiming it's 3.5lbs or saying it's a rex coat when it's just a regular coat.

An ethical breeder will never claim that a certain colour is *Rare* just to sell an animal. Rare usually means it's an unrecognized colour no one wants, so they're going to pawn it off on the unsuspecting pet owner who thinks that they're getting a great deal on something unique.

Not cool. Not cool at all. There is no good reason to lie about anything.

Allergies and other excuses.

2011-02-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

I browse classified ads a lot, and a huge majority of people getting rid of their animals always have the same few excuses.

1.) Allergies.
2.) Moving
3.) New Baby

Allergies, the dreaded sneezing, itchy eyes, wheezing, and hives. Many people have them, including myself. I'm allergic to the dander on rabbits, the oils in wood shavings, and hay that's been treated to prevent mold (also pumpkin, but I prefer not to talk about that because it's just depressing). I have around 35 rabbits at any given time sure I keep them outside in their own building but I do have a retired doe, and a doe with a litter in my room, in cages with shavings, and they get hay that's been treated to prevent mold. Three things I'm very allergic to, do I care if I sneeze a little more then normal? Have itchy eyes? No, in fact ever since I started keeping rabbits in my room my allergies have become a lot less severe. I can almost make it an entire day at a rabbit show without having to take an antihistamine. Before if I didn't load up before a show I wouldn't be able to breath at all. So automatically giving away your pet because of a stuffy nose is a little bit on the wuss side.

Moving. Where are you moving too where your pets can't come? Mars? Face it most places allow you to keep animals, in fact a landlord cannot deny you rent because you have a pet (it's considered inhumane to the animal). I know numreous people who have moved some across the country who have brought their pets with them. I know people who live in high rises with numerous pets, townhouses, and bungalows. Getting rid of your pet because you're moving is a lame excuse. In fact I think less of people who use it. I managed to move with 4 dogs, and 20 rabbits, to a town without an issue. It's not that hard to do.

New Babies. I do think people who use this excuse are just lazy individuals. You're not the first person with pets to have a baby and you won't be the last, in fact farmers have been looking after animals and popping out babies for centuries without an issue. They don't sell all their animals when they're expecting a new baby. So selling your one dog/cat/rabbit/fish/gopher because you're going to have a baby is not an excuse.

And of course the first thing I think of when I see any of these three excuses is: The person doesn't want to admit they just don't want the animal anymore.

Angry rant 2 !

2011-02-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Another rant on pet breeders !

I don't show because I breed for health and temperament first ! (I usually read this is a high pitched obnoxious voice) There is usually a bit more but in the end they're basically making out that they're better then show breeders, and that show breeders don't care about their rabbits.

Which is absolutely incredibly juvenile to think. Someone who shows is going to make darn sure that their rabbits are healthy, or guess what that rabbit can't be shown and if it is it'll be kicked off the table which defeats the point of showing. Temperament, a rabbit that is hard to handle or bites does not make a very good pet or show rabbit (ooh surprise surprise). A show rabbit has to be use to being handled by strangers not just their owner, they have to be able to stay calm in stressful situations, and most of all a rabbit who bites will be kicked off the show table (who wudda thunk it?).

Further more, a show breeder is going to go to extreme lengths to keep their rabbits from being bored, a bored rabbit chews their coat, and can be destructive, and destructiveness leads to pulled toenails. They also want to keep that rabbit in prime condition, which means they are the most picky people for a quality feed, supplements, and treats for their rabbits. Show rabbits get handled daily, they're spoiled but kept in condition (we do not like fat rabbits or skinny rabbits). They're basically treated better then pro athletes. After all the amount of time and money put into them would not be worth it if they were all sick and mean.

More often then not a retired show rabbit will make the best pet rabbit.

So what is the real difference between a show breeder and a pet breeder? A pet breeder purposefully breeds sub-standard rabbits for the pet market. A show breeder hardly ever sells pets.

Angry Rant !

2011-02-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

Let's talk about good ethics, honesty, and the most overused phrase on the internet.

For instance if I were only breeding pet stock rabbits, and smack dab across the front of my website I had "Quality not Quantity" in big flashing letters. That makes me look like I have great breeding ethics and quality stock. It also says I have no imagination as every other website out there has that exact phrase.

Not everyone sees the same way I do so it's a catchy thing to see on a website. Anyways Lets say I have a few pet rabbits for sale since I'm breeding for the pet market. I am contacted by a person who is new to rabbits and is interested in breeding and showing. They're looking for a trio of show quality rabbits too start with as they believe I have show quality rabbits after reading (Quality not Quantity!). I have no idea what too look for in a show quality rabbit as I'm a hypothetical pet breeder and have never shown a rabbit in my life. So what do I do?

Do I tell them that I'm just a pet breeder and don't breed show quality rabbits, but I would be more then happy to point then in the direction of a breeder that does show? Or do I become a big fat liar because I know this person has no idea what they're looking for and I can pawn off some rabbits on them after all a sale is a sale?

Most likely the latter. And it looks bad. No matter who you are, when you falsely sell a rabbit to someone; more specifically take advantage of a new breeder and sell to them under false pretenses because you can. Not only does it look bad on you, it's hurtful to the person who bought the rabbits, they bought those rabbits on faith that they weren't going to be ripped off, and it really discourages them at a show when their "show quality" rabbits are first off the table and they don't understand why.

All it takes is a little honesty and good ethics. Sure you may not get the sale but you also don't get a bad rap for taking advantage of people.

If you breed for pets, pleaseeeeeeee don't have full disclosure with your buyers that they are PET rabbits. Don't try to pawn off pet rabbits as show quality for an extra buck.

Signs you may have a possessed rabbit.

2011-01-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

1.) You don't even like the rabbit but it exists in the rabbitry like some sort of entity that if you try to get rid of you know something very bad will happen. So it stays in the rabbitry just existing.

2.)The rabbit was the calmest, sweetest, quietest, rabbit you've ever had. It has all the toys in the world and 2 hours of play time each day. It gets more treats then any other rabbit and you find yourself bending to it's every whim.

3.) Suddenly you find yourself in the cold dark glare of this rabbit. No matter where you are or what you do this rabbit is watching your every move. Staring deep into your soul...

4.) The rabbit develops a twitch, usually in the lower back. It twitches as it watches you.

5.)You cover the rabbits cage but even then you wake in the middle of the night feeling those cold dark eyes on you boring into your very soul.

6.) Then the noises start. The scratching noises, the non stop scratching of nails on plastic/metal. You think it can't get any worse until the gnawing starts. Teeth scrapping across the bottom on the cage. It's enough to drive you to drastic measures !

7.) Then the unthinkable happens. Without any warning, no growl, or pinned ears. The rabbit lunges sinking it's razor blade teeth deep into your flesh as you give it your nightly peace offering of gourmet food and special treats. You wrestle free and find yourself nearly missing an entire limb, and the bleeding doesn't stop for hours! Worse yet the rabbit is calm and eating like nothing ever happened! You think you're going crazy....until you catch the evil gleam in those dark beady eyes.

8.) No one believes you when you tell them whats happening so you suffer in silence unaware of what to do to prevent this from occurring.

Rabbit Agility.

2011-01-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

I've recently delved into the world of rabbit agility after one particular house rabbit decided that she loves to jump and will do just about anything for a treat.

Rosetta (The pink wonder) is the Mini Lop I found in my backyard, who at the time of being found was dyed pink, her natural hare colour is white. Rosetta loves to jump, she would fly around the house in huge leaps and run up and down the stairs for fun. She was also incredibly smart so smart in fact she knew how to open her cage, that mixed with her love of jumping ended up with a couple of nights where I awoke with a rabbit in my face.

The day I learned just what Rosetta would do for a treat was the day I was reading a book in my room, after hearing a series of odd noises I looked up to see Rosetta working her way up my bookshelf. She was climbing the shelf because on the very top was a box of apple treats. I watched stunned as she made it to the top knocked the box down then jumped down to the floor (the shelf is 6ft tall) she didn't stop there, she grabbed the box and dragged it under my bed.

So with this fearless treat oriented jumping rabbit I figured why not try rabbit agility, so that's what I did and boy is it fun.

History of raising rabbits part 3.

2011-01-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

The Champagne D'Argent

The Champagne D'Argent rabbit are among one of the oldest rabbit breeds originally developed in the the Champagne Province of France over four-hundred years ago. What if that was not the case? What if the Argente breeds we know and love today have an even older history one that is not so well known but ten-fold more interesting then anyone could ever dream up?

I'd like to thank Harvest Moon Rabbitry for all the hard work they've put into researching the Champagne D'Argent rabbit http://www.pet-rabbit.netfirms.com/

The Silver colour could have very well come from and originated in Siam. Where there was a breed of "silver" rabbit that was known to exist for thousands of years.

We'll start with the original 6 founders of the St Bruno order of the Carthusian monks. In 1084 Bishop Bruno and six friends began the order of the Carthusian monks. It was in 1127 that the "customs" or Carthusian ways became in full effect. In 1096 - 1099 The People's Crusade - Freeing the Holy Lands. 1st Crusade led by Count Raymond IV of Toulouse France. The Champagne D'Argent Rabbit is thought to have been developed approximately 400yrs ago. Rather this is when it gained popularity and acknowledgment from those out side of the monastery. It is important to remember that the Carthusian Monks did not socialize or trade with anyone other then themselves and their brother group, the Knights Templar. There for it could easily have been hundreds of years before the out side world set eyes on these rabbits. Notably when the Templars fell and the Carthusian Monks were thought to have been killed as well for their support of the Templars, this would have been when outsiders could have entered the monasteries and gained access to what was in side. This is certainly the case with the Carthusian family of Andalusian horse. The Monks were targeted because they had a close friendship with the knights as they supported each other in many ways.

One now has to ask, we have a working idea on how the rabbits got to France, we don't know why only the Carthusian monks and not the general public or even royalty had access to them. The only silver breed that emerged in all of France was the French Silver rabbit, or the Argente De Champagne. This has to bring ones mind back to the crusades. The most famous and most powerful participants of the crusades were the Knights Templar. The Knights and the monks had such a close knight fellowship that on that fateful knight of Friday the 13th when the knights were thought to be wiped out and killed forever, the monks were also running for their lives. It was the monks that those knights who escaped, went to see and entrusted them with items yet unknown. It was the monks that were their closest allies in their darkest hour. Would it not then make perfect sense that the reason that the general populous did not have rabbits with the silver fur was because they were given as a special gift to the monks by the knights from their journey to the middle east. It is suspect that they had made gifts of religious treasures, why not rabbits? This was a time that food belong to the king, not the people. Hunting just like today was only allowed by royalty in the kings forest. A gift of a food source makes sense. Knowing the love for genetics that the monks had, a rare gift of something unusual and unseen before that time, makes even better sense. The dates, the time line, it matches perfectly.

Now we need to look at how the silver gene reached France and when to know for sure how and when the Champagne D'Argent or French Silver as it is also known, actually came into being. Romans carried out significant trade with India and beyond through their Egyptian Red Sea ports. As early as 165 AD. This is well before St Bruno was born. By 1405 the number of foreign traders was so large that an area of the city was set aside for them. Later, Canton would remain China's main point of contact for Europeans. This brings us much closer to when or how Champagne D'Argent could have entered France. A number of Europeans, many of them Christian missionaries, had sought to reach China, the most famous being Marco Polo (1254-1324). But these journeys had little permanent effect on East-West trade because the Turks controlled the eastern Mediterranean and allowed only minor exchanges with Asia. This is important because the Turkish people also have a rabbit that did silver. The angora. The Angora had also been known in Turkey for thousands of years prior to European interest in rabbit breeding or Roman influence. The first known trade routs set up by France to India was in 1700-1750. England was also part of these routs. England also about that time came into the possession of the "silver" rabbit as it is known today. We know that French and English colonization did not start with the spice trade routes but in America in the 1600s. This indicates it was not the French, but someone the French traded with that was responsible for bringing the Silver coated rabbit from Siam to France, thus the Carthusian monks come into play. This is if and only if they were not brought over during the first crusades.

History of raising rabbits part 2.

2010-12-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

Since man has been raising rabbits for meat and fur for more then two millennia one question often arises; how did they keep them? There were three main systems used historically.

1.) Rabbit warrens
2.) Rabbit courts or gardens
3.) Rabbit Islands.

Warrens: A warren was a walled or a fenced area that allowed the rabbits to burrow and live as "Wild Rabbits" some warrens spread over many acres. In fact in Norfolk England large tracts of land were said to be more profitable under rabbits then cultivation.

Warrens were often divided into different sections. One section was for rabbits to be taken as food and fur, one section was for rabbits raised to be deliberately set loose in the wild to be hunted for sport.

The warrens that kept rabbits for food and fur were a substantial source of income for their owners for many generations. The warrens that kept rabbits to be released for sport hunting continued right up until just after the 2nd World War.

Warrens were wiped out after the disease myxomatosis effected most of the rabbit population in the 1950's.

Rabbit Courts or Gardens: Although very similar to warrens the rabbit court was a much smaller affair. In the "court" the rabbits were allowed to run free within an enclosed area while a large degree of management was applied to control the production of stock. We know from historical records that rabbit courts had been employed in monasteries since before the 5th century, and it was in these courts that genetic selections began to take place as different colours an mutation occurred. If you want to pin point the history when the domestication of wild rabbits started you should look to the papal edict issued by Pope Gregory the Great in 600CE

Pope Gregory decreed that rabbits (more correctly the unborn young or pre-furred young) were not to be classed as a meat and therefore could be eaten by the monks during Lent. Thus the monks could adopt the Roman habit of eating unborn or newborn rabbits which were called laurices.

Since the rabbit was an ideal source of protein and the fur could provide warm clothing for the monks in their closed societies both these desirable features were doubtlessly being selectively bred in the the types of rabbits the monks kept, as well as one more important feature: Tameness.

Rabbit Islands: The raising of rabbits on Islands in a warren setting was easy; no walls, hedges, or fences needed. Most rabbit islands were very successful and their histories and effects of the isolation on a rabbit population have been the subject of numerous studies.

Pens: Some sort of pen (cage, or hutch) has been used to confine rabbits since the days of the Phoenicians, who took rabbits on their sea journeys as a self-replacing source of meat. Following Pope Gregory's papal edict of 600CE that monks particularly in France started the process of domesticating rabbits in a combination of rabbit courts and pens. With the pens the monks could selectively breed for size, colour, coat, or body shape. As well as genetic mutations that started to occur the Monks would keep the ones that appealed to them and continue to breed that mutation into future stock.

Seeing is not always believing.

2010-12-14T18:26:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been browsing a couple rabbitry websites (mainly Mini Rex) so of course I want to see pictures, scope competition etc. I make my way to the does page or the bucks page, and the for sale page. My first reaction to the pictures is whoa! That is one heck of a nice looking rabbit, mine cannot compare to that. My second impression is that something with the picture is slightly off. There is a slight distortion in the picture had I not been immersed in the world of photo-editing I probably would have passed off as a bad quality photo.

I have also had a couple fellow breeders mention after buying a rabbit from a picture, that when they got the rabbit in their possession no matter what they did they could not get the rabbit to pose as nice as the picture they were sent of said rabbit.

So what are people doing to their photos to make them look better? I did a little experiment to see what someone with a bit of photo editing knowledge can to to enhance a picture, and how easy would it be to do it.

The test? Use an editing program that is available for free download online, one I am not familiar with (or it wouldn't be that much of a test). Then see how fast I can edit a photo of a mediocre rabbit to make it look better then what it really was.

The original photo:

Not the prettiest pre-junior out there. A grand total and I'm not kidding you: 3 Minutes later she looked like this:

A grand total of 3 tools had been used. "Resize" "Smudge" and "Blur" and voila suddenly this rabbit has depth a short midsection and smaller ears, and a more finished looking coat instead of the wooly Jr one.

The moral? People are not always honest, as I just demonstrated a simple knowledge in photo editing can go a long way to make someones stock to "look good on the internet"

And when purchasing a rabbit it is always a good idea to see it in person before committing to it, or at least have someone you know and trust see it in person if you can't.

Common questions I receive.

2010-12-10T12:21:00.001-08:00

I receive a whole variety of questions on a weekly basis, so I'll be posting some of the more common ones I receive with their answers.

1.) I bought a rabbit with a full pedigree, but when I entered it in a show the judge said (s)he wasn't all that great. I don't understand.

A.) A pedigree does not in any way guarantee that the rabbit is show quality, it is just a record of the rabbits lineage.

2.)Do I need a pedigree to show my rabbit?

A.) No, as long as the rabbit is an accurate representation of the breed you can show it. A Pedigree is not necessary but it helps to have one when trying to sell rabbits for show or brood, and if you wish to register the rabbit a pedigree is required.

3.) I saw a rabbit I really want as a pet, but it is listed as "show quality" can I still inquire about that rabbit.

A.) Yes, often times you'll find show rabbits make excellent pets because they are well socialized from being handled by many different people (judges) at shows, as well as easy travelers. Most "pet qualities" have never left the rabbitry and are only use to certain people handling them.

4.) Can I breed my pet rabbit?

A.) Can you? Yes. Should you? No. There are enough sub-standard rabbits born to show rabbits you don't intentionally need to make more.

5.) If I buy a rabbit from you and breed it; will you take the kits I don't sell?

A.) No. If you choose to breed a rabbit you bought it's your responsibility to look after the kits.

6.) I want to show rabbits where do I start. http://drcba.ca http://arba.net.

History of raising rabbits Part 1.

2010-12-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

(116-27 BCE) Varro, the Governor of Spain wrote in his treatise on farming (De Re Rustica) the following description for rabbits "Everyone knows, too that if you put but a few rabbits of both sexes the warren will swarm with them in a short period of time."

it is believed that the rabbit actually originated in Spain, or at least in the Iberian Peninsula. It was the Romans who discovered rabbits kept in cages could successfully be bred, which gave them a portable meat (and fur) for their armies. Which ensured the rabbits distribution all over the Roman Empire. Seeing as the cage to house a rabbit is relatively small it made it ideal for transportation on ships as well to feed crews and again armies because the journey on ships were lengthy and a rabbits gestation period short, the meat supplies could be replenished during the voyages.

(Romans are equally responsible for the spread of the Pheasant, Quail, and edible door mouse).

The two theories of the domestication of the rabbit:

1.) Caged rabbits (and tamer) rabbits lived longer thus having more litters, so it is in fact caged animals that are continually breeding, thus furthering the domestication of the species. Therefore caging enhances the development of the domesticated rabbit.

2.) But if the caged animals are killed for food and fur, then it is these tamer animals that will continually be eliminated, leaving the wild rabbits to proliferate. Thus caging does not enhance domestication.

Which ever theory you choose to believe (or even if you theorize your own) It should be considered that rabbits have been managed by man, and thrived, in a variety of situations for at least the last two millennia.

2010-12-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

I could have sworn I knew what I was going to write before I signed in, now that I have I cannot possibly remember what it is. So I'll just ramble on a bit until I remember it again.

ohhhh yes Now I remember !

The Silvering gene ! The great debate on the silvering gene. This is kind of really bugging me right now. Every genetic website and genetic wiz I've talked to about it is absolutely irrevocably convinced that the gene is recessive. From what I have witnessed and I'm sure several others have as well, that is definitely not the case the silvering gene is dominant.

Case #1 : Brun X Harlequin the cross resulted in 8 chocolate kits all of which silvered (I have pictures !)

Case #2 : Brun X Harlequin X Satin (1/4 Brun) 8 Kits, 2 black 2 chesnut 2 Jap Harlequin 2 Magpie Harlequin. All 8 Started to silver before they left. I don't have any pictures but I can track down the man I sold them too if need be.

Case #3 : Champagne Netherland Dwarfs. All F1's HAVE silvering. I can provide links if needed.

I could go on but my point is, I think some genetics need to be re-examined before it is stated as the absolute truth.

Update update update !

2010-11-23T06:44:00.000-08:00

Alright so I really don't have an update so I'm just going to ramble on about whatever rabbit related things come to mind.

So yes, I have 2 Brun does bred. We'll be attending the PA state convention in February and offering transport @ $15.00 a hole. Exciting stuff.

I had an Awesome time judging at the Royal, but I did manage to pick up a little virus there so my posts may seem a little less then enthusiastic right now.

I'm also training a very promising little white Mini Lop for rabbit jumping, after she scaled my bookshelf and showed she preferred sleeping on beds rather then in her cage. The girl can JUMP.

So I think I'm going to go take some medicine now and go back to bed.

2010-10-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

Okay I will be getting pictures tonight I promise :)

Anyhow once again the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is creeping up on us. I believe we have a very promising bunch of rabbits we'll be taking and I'm very excited about them this year, mainly because I have not been able to make it to very many shows at all this year because they interfere with my work.

Anyhow my only litter right now is a very messed up mix. A Red Satin for a father, and a BrunXHarlequin for the mother. Unfortunately they're not as cute as they sound, I have come to realize Satins have possibly the ugliest babies ever. Although it's quite a collection of colours in that box. 2 jap Harlequins, 2 magpie harlequins, 2 Blacks, and 2 chestnuts, all of which have the possibility of getting silvering. How cool is that?

I won't be breeding any Bruns until after the Royal so I won't have any available until the End of January beginning of February. Although I currently have 5 Brun bucks available 3 Jr's, 1 sr, and a 6/8 and no I cannot make a trio that requires does, which I scarcely have.

2010-09-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Last week I finally got around to processing a couple fryers. It was the most frustrating day of my entire life.

Do to neighbours and a lack of privacy in the backyard it would be unwise to dispatch fryers outside which means the only place with a sink big enough inside is in the kitchen. Usually not an issue. Now add in two sisters. Both of which are highly against using rabbits as meat. You see where it starts to get frustrating. Two sisters, I told to stay out of the kitchen while I was processing fryers. Of course it's not going to happen.

Start with fryer one: Place fryer on the ground get everything ready and then. "STOP. I need advil!" so I stop what I'm doing and give her the bottle of advil. "WHAT is Nemo doing?" I look out the window, and Nemo is being is normal mental self. So I turn back to what I was doing and guess what? The fryer is GONE.

Gone, as in no longer there where I left it in the kitchen. What I had completely forgot about was in the corner beside the dishwasher there is a hole that goes under the counters were the baseboard was missing. Yep that rabbit went in the hole. I tried bribing it with food, I tried poking it out with sticks, I tried reaching in and grabbing it, I tried sending a dog after it, I tried leaving it be and hoping it would come out. I finally gave up and processed 3 more fryers, meanwhile I have sisters complaining the entire time to "hurry up" and "it smells" and "You're so mean" all the while that rabbit is still in the hole.

So I had enough even though I still had 2 other rabbits to do plus this rabbit in the hole. I'd just wait for a day when they're not home. So I cleaned everything up and they stopped whinning. My only problem was, that fryer went in the hole at 11am. It was still in the hole. So I gave up and at 3pm my mother came home and we tried again, only to find the rabbit was no longer in the hole, but in the dishwasher where the motor and all the wires are. Lovely. Yet we still couldn't coax it out. My dad gets home at 6pm and we try again literally taking the entire dishwasher apart, and by 7pm we finally got that rabbit out.

That rabbit was in there for 8 hours. How frustrating is that?

2010-09-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

This past year the only thing I really wanted in my Argente Brun litters were does. I tell you, I tried breeding by the moon phases for does, I have tried breeding by Zodiac signs, I've tried folklore remedies and old wivestales. Heck for amusement purposes I may have even tried tribal dances, and processed my fryers in the name of the diety that promises does.

Why am I so desperate for does? Consider this, this year so far, I have had not one, not two, but three Argente Brun does born. Yes you read that right t.h.r.e.e. as in 3 I am quite frankly so desperate for does I literally tried every trick in the book to ensure I got them. Not that it worked, of course that's just silly, but it was fun.

So my herd mainly consists of bucks right now, very nicely typed bucks at that, very nicely typed bucks, with great fur and colour, bonus. So it does not bug me right now that my buck to doe ratio is so embarrassing that I won't post it. Heck I usually don't have more then two litters at a time anyways. So in the grand scheme does it matter I didn't have very many does born?

Yes. 1000x YES. Bucks are great but they can't have litters to help promote the breed and sell to new breeders.

I've come to terms with the fact I will be bringing in a new doe hopefully by the end of the year.

Update, finally.

2010-08-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

So my website hasn't been updated in forever because of a complete computer meltdown and the only computer I had access too all summer does not have my update program on it. Everything is almost fixed though so my website will be updated VERY SOON I promise, so until them please bear with me.

Most of the rabbits on my for sale page and litter pages have been sold, but I do have some unlisted ones for sale all you have to do is e-mail and ask.

Please note, most days I don't get home from work until 9pm and I usually don't turn the computer on because I have other chores to finish. Then depending what time I work the next morning, I may not reply right a way and it may take a few days to get a response so if you don't get one within 4 days e-mail me again because my e-mail has not been working 100% on my backup computer either, and it's better safe then sorry.

Right now technology and I are not getting along.

Also, I will Not be attending any more rabbit shows this year until the Royal Winter Fair, as I work weekends, and rabbit shows don't tend to happen on Wednesdays and Thursdays (my days off). Tristyn will be going to the shows, so delivery will still be available to most shows, just not me :(

2010-06-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm really impressed with my current crop of kits.

The just weaned Bruns (7 weeks) are silvering really well, all are between 3.4 and 4lbs. I should expect them to start to thrive, size wise now that they no longer have to compete which each other for food. There are a couple that just really stand out from the rest. Sonata and Prima Donna will be re-bred soon.

With the Mini Rex, Mercedes kits are just phenomenal. The type and fur on these guys is just mind blowing right now. Not to mention they are as friendly as all get out.

Boston's trio is fantastic, the fur is so dense, the bodies nice and compact and the personalities just complete the package.

Sancta Terra has 6 lovely kits all right now are equal quality wise, it will be really hard to decide who stays and who goes, because I cannot keep all 6.

Au Contraire's Kits are feisty little guys and I'm excited to see how they'll turn out.

Meridian's 11 are doing great, I have my eye on a couple right now who are sure to be show stoppers.

Speg, had 4 babies, and they each have a Je Ne C'est quoi about them.

Updates, it has been a while.

2010-05-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Seeing as it's been quite sometime since I've posted something. I'll start with litters. I currently have 3 litters on the ground out of Donatello that I am very excited for, they will be prime junior age for shows in September and October, and I have a couple litters due in the beginning of June that will give me some prime juniors for October and November shows.

For a couple of my Does, they're on their last litter here, because I do have several replacements out of them, so they will either be retired to pets, or conditioned back into show shape. For a couple of my show does, they have been retired from shows and have been put into production. So currently my show team consists of 2 Mini Rex bucks, 2 Satin Bucks, and 1 Brun Doe. Extensive isn't it?

New stuff. Well I went to Mini Rex Nationals, mainly to deliver some Bruns, and pick up a new Mini Rex buck, who I had pre-bought and everything. I ended up bringing a couple of rabbits (even though they were molting). They got great comments on their bodies, didn't place to well because of their coats (Figured that would be the case).

I purposely made sure I didn't bring an excess amount of money, because I didn't really need anything seeing as I now have a bunch in the nestbox of course that means I'm going to find something with something I need that fits into my tiny budget...Which I did. I ended up buying a black doe, with 2 legs. For $40.00... that's not it, she's bred to a black otter GC buck. Can you say DEAL?

But, that's not all folks. I get a message, from a friend asking if I can pick up a doe for him, so I do, and she's gorgeous (and if you decide you don't want her, she's more then welcome to stay here...) I also picked up a buck for another friend, and that buck has had a couple dates with a couple of my does, so all in all, I didn't need to spend big bucks for a couple rabbits all I had to do was pick up a couple for other people, and instead of charging a boarding fee, I get a couple breedings, and kits back. Which seems like a win win situation for me.

2010-04-30T16:02:00.001-07:00

I have grown a considerable amount raising rabbits, seriously, when I started I was only about 4'5" now I'm 5'9". All jokes aside raising rabbits have taught me some of the best lessons I have ever learned.

1.) Patience. Waiting for a rabbit to have babies, those babies to grow up, and become prime for show does not happen overnight, and sometimes those babies you've watched closely don't turn out the way you want, which means back to the starting point.

2.) Responsibility. Rabbits are not going to feed and clean themselves, and it is not something you only have to do sometimes, it is an everyday thing.

3.) Independence. Rabbits are my responsibility, I should be paying for them, which means I need a source of income, because they aren't always going to pay for themselves, and I should not expect other people to fund my hobby. I need a job. (And right now, I need a better one).

Through raising rabbits, I have made many wonderful friendships. I've had a few heartbreaks, many more moments of pure joy, and I have learned to appreciate the finer things in life.

2010-04-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

Grooming short haired rabbits.

2010-04-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

Not many people think to groom a short haired rabbit, and often are told "they don't need it" they don't get matted like wooled rabbits, and they don't get wool block either.Well they do. And it's particularly important to groom when a rabbit is molting, removing the loose dead hairs so the rabbit doesn't ingest them while grooming, which can potentially lead to wool block.

My favourite tools for grooming short hair is a pumice stone, a comb, a spray bottle & water, and my own two hands.

What I do is, I'll comb the coat get the hairs all separated and standing up. Then I'll take the pumice stone and pull it through the coat starting at the base of the neck, and working my way down with slow stokes pulling up a bit at the end of the stroke. Going in the direction of hair growth, this removes any dead fur from the top coat.

Then starting at the tail, I'll use the pumice stone and go against the direction of hair growth in short strokes, to remove the dead for from the under coat

Once that is done, I take the comb through the coat again, then mist my hands with water and drag them through the coat to remove all the loose hairs. Then comb again.

If the rabbit is molting really badly, I usually repeat a couple times.

2010-04-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

Um Hi. I have no idea what to blog about. I was bored, and figured, hey, why not blog? Well not such a good idea when you really have nothing to talk about.

Um well, I lost another Brun Kit. Sonata is down to 5 babies now, Prima Donna is down to 3, which Sonata is fostering. The thing is with the fostering is, Sonata's kits are all solid chocolate, 2 of PD's have big white streaks on their heads, and well the third doesn't so to tell him apart from Sonata's I coloured on him with Sharpie. He has black on his forehead, his right ear, inside his left ear, on his tail, and on his right hind leg. So if all that gets cleaned off I'm in trouble.

The Wiz is out in the exercise pen again, he loves it there.

Ice T is sleeping under my feet, he has free reign over the entire upstairs, yet you can always find him in the same place, under my computer desk, asleep or eating socks.

There is a week and a half until I have any litters due. 2 weeks until Mini Rex Nationals. So not much going on. I need to go to the feed store tomorrow if that's news?

Some observations

2010-04-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Observation between, Purebred and cross bred litters I have had.
Disclaimer: This is done with my own rabbits, and not to be taken to seriously because rabbits all have different personalities and different lines mature at different rates. So it won't be the same outcome for everyone.

Purebred Argente Brun litter:
-I have very similar sized kits in the litters. No runts, all sturdy kits.
-Really great meat qualities. No boniness what so ever.
-Fast growing. 5lbs by 8 weeks. (It's funny seeing an 8 week old baby larger then my biggest Mini Rex)
-Silvering comes in patches.
-Very friendly rabbits.
-Does not eat that much compared to size.

Cross Litter (Argente Brun X Harlequin)
-All different sizes, runts, large guys, and some in between.
-Very Weedy, lots of bone. Not very sturdy rabbits.
-Some were fast growers, some not so fast. None of them reached 5lbs at 8 weeks.
-Silvering came in strange. Like scattered hairs through the coat.
-Definitely not consistent in anything but personalities. (Very sweet rabbits).
-They eat a TON, actually more then a ton, yet they aren't growing that fast at all.

Purebred Mini Rex Litter
-All similar sized kits.
-Matured fast.
-All similar personality wise.
-I was able to accurately guess their mature weight while still very young.
-Eat A lot.

Purebred Jersey Wooly Litter
-Similar sized kits
-Matured at the same rate
-Accurately able to guess mature weight when kits still.
-Does not eat that much
-Very Reserved

Jersey Wooly X Mini Rex litter (raised by a Mini Rex)
-Very rangy, unusual for Mini Rex and Jersey Woolies.
-Matured slower (Like a Jersey Wooly).
-Shy personality (Like a Jersey Wooly).
-Typed like a Mini Rex
-Really strange fur.
-Did not eat that much (Like A Jersey Wooly)
-Died when I hit some bad feed, even though his cage mate who ate like a pig (Mini Rex) Lived.

Purebred Netherland Dwarf
-Small, similar sized kits
-Very Energetic kits
-Slow to mature
-Eat quite a bit compared to their size.
-More independent rabbits, didn't necessarily like human contact.

Jersey Wooly X Netherland Dwarf
-Very skittish babies
-Different sizes
-Very Slow to mature
-Ate quite a bit for their size
-They all had Wooly heads (if you've ever seen one without wool)

What I've learned from this is: You can't breed two different breeds together and assume you'll only get the good traits from each breed. Genetics don't quite work the way and you can have a completely random outcome the next time around.

I wish I had a video camera...

2010-04-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I finally bought a Satin buck (two actually). Except this story is regarding the one my Mom likes to call "Charlie Sheen" a handsome broken blue. I've had him outside all day in the x-pen and he was enjoying himself quite well, eating grass, sleeping in the sun, and random bursts of running and jumping. He was quite the content guy...

...Until I went to bring him back to his cage. My mom and I decided that since he was relaxed and out anyways we should cut his nails. He let us cut them fine, then I had him on my lap patting his head and the dog wanders over and sniffs his face, (now that she's been freshly groomed she's not that much bigger then he is). Well he didn't like that at all, so he leaps off my lap to get away from her. My first instinct is to grab him, which would be fine if he were a 3lb Mini Rex, not a 9lb Satin with giant feet and freshly cut nails except thankfully for me my reflexes weren't quite as fast as a scared rabbit on the run, and I merely received two scratches on my wrist.

He sent a flat of pansies flying, which when they hit the deck were really loud and scares him even more, so he just takes off like a mad man on the run. There we stood watching him run off, the sun glinting off his coat spectacularly as he thundered through the neighbours yard. It was quite impressive watching him move, zig-zagging through the grass. We were sure of one thing as he ran away, we were not going to catch him while he was running. He hasn't even been here that long so he doesn't really know us. We were certain we just lost him.

That thought lasted all of two seconds, as he came to the neighbours yard 2 houses down, and stops running, and starts nosing around in the grass. So, wary of frightening him again, we sneak up on him, my mom going to the left, myself to the right as we go around the neighbours shed. And there Charlie looks at us like "What?" So I get on my hands and knees scoop him up, and we walk back home. He's just hanging in my arms exhausted from the effort. I stick him back in his cage and he flops on his side.

And that is why poor Charlie is a domesticated rabbit, and would never make it in the wild. The whole incident couldn't have taken more then 2 minutes, but it will definitely be in my memory for a long time.

St Hyacinthe Quebec Results.

2010-04-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

Elvis Ain't Dead: 1st black senior doe. BOV, BOS
Noirette: 2nd black senior doe
Nuit Insensee: 2nd black junior doe
Born to Be Wild: 1st black junior buck. BOSV
Sancta Terra: 1st Chocolate senior doe.
Au Contraire: 1st Lilac Senior doe. BOV
Rendezvous: 1st Otter Senior doe. BOSV

Righty Vs. Lefty

2010-03-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

A good portion of the population is right handed, and would thus pose their rabbits with the head at their left hand, and the back end at their right hand. This is how the rabbit would be then evaluated. When I evaluate a rabbit, I feel the body, I look at it, and 9 times out of 10, I don't look at the right side of the rabbit since being right handed and having the left hand side facing me, that will be the side I evaluate.

So I put this rabbit into 5 shows. 4 Shows it does extremely well. The 5th time the rabbit completely bombs. Upon investigating why, I find out the first 4 judges, like me are right handed therefore will pose the rabbit and evaluate it form the same side I do. The 5th judge, is left handed, and is seeing the rabbit from a different perspective. Remember, you can only feel so much when visualization is your main sense.

This is where the saying "Get my good side" for photographs comes in. Rabbits like people, may have a "better side" because one side, may not be the exact mirror image of the other, and this tends to be overlooked, because lets face it, trying to pose a rabbit with the hand that isn't dominant, is hard. So what can you do? Well you can have a friend evaluate from the opposite side, or you can do it the easy way, place a mirror behind the rabbit and get a good look for yourself. You may be surprised.

Pictures and video :)

2010-03-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

heh heh oops

2010-03-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

Never name your food right? How about never let random strangers passing by know that those 7 fluffy little bunnies on the front deck are going to become food.
My mother wanted to see the Harlequin doe and her litter, so being a nice day I stuck them all out on the front deck since the dogs were out on the back deck. So there they are, a enormous white and brown striped Harlequin doe and 7 solid brown babies all running around like lunatics on the deck. Of course it is going to attract people walking by, it's almost Easter, who can resist baby bunnies? So this lady comes up and starts oohing and awing over them. She asks questions like how old are they, is the striped one the mother, do we own the father...4 weeks, yes, yes... Then the "What are you going to do with them?"
"Eat them, duh." Which I said in my head, I almost said it out loud, almost. I must have stared at the lady awkwardly for a few moments before mumbling something about "pets". Had it been one of my neighbours I would have probably shrugged and said have a nice BBQ. Except I had never seen this lady before, and you just never know who you meet on the streets. It would have been rather daunting to have to explain why anyone would want to eat those cute babies.

All I have to say is, they're not as cuddly as you think.

Bucks...

2010-03-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

So this morning I went out to the rabbitry to turn the light on, and Donatello was soaking wet and his water bottle was empty. He apparently spent all last night pacing which involved rubbing against his water bottle and thus creating a curly disgusting mess. I can't really blame him though, he was right smack dab in between two lovely does. Now he's a rather annoyed buck all by himself on the bottom row. At least now I have two does who will no longer be annoyed.

Just a little update.

2010-03-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

I live with a 7 year old Mini Rex buck in my room, he's currently running around like a terror in my parents' and sister's rooms, occasionally stopping back in my room hoping for a treat. His treat of choice? Not the $3.00 pack of yogurt drops I bought for him. Nope, he wants Vanilla Shreddies. He'll do anything for those Shreddies. Rather he knows how to make me give him Shreddies. Having a rabbit lick you is cute right? Not when he's licking your toes while you're trying to work on the computer, and will not stop. Or how about when he climbs my leg, hops into my lap and stick his big ol' mug in my face. If that doesn't work he'll run circles around me and will not stop. I've learned that in order to be a happy owner, you need a happy rabbit. In order to have a happy rabbit you have to appease him and bend to his every whim. Who owns who?

Scarlett's litter. Some of you may not be aware of who Scarlett is, she is a chocolate magpie Harlequin doe. I bought her to be a meat production doe because my Aunt and Grandma are feeding their dogs the RAW diet. I realized that with my Bruns I wouldn't always have a steady supply being that I want to keep some to show, sell some to promote the breed, which leaves me with not very many for meat. So I bought this harlequin doe, Bred her to my Brun buck. She currently has a 3 week old litter of 7. 7 little brown babies 6 does, 1 buck. Except two are slightly different. One has a white streak on his head, the other has what looks like a white VM on her nose which I find interesting. From what I've gathered about the silvering gene in Argents these babies will most likely all be Bruns when they're older.

My First all Brun baby, is starting to get his silvering in. Each time I go out and look at him he has more and more silver. Prima Donna has been re-bred to Santos, and this time I hope for more then one baby.

Next Weekend I'm going to the DR&CBA memorial day auction and meeting. I don't have anything to put in the Auction, since I have pre-sold 5 rabbits leaving at the auction, and have another 5 pre-sold for my first show of the year which will be in St. Hyacinthe Quebec.

I have 2 Mini Rex does due In a week. One has been bred to my Shreddie monster, the other bred to my new buck.

So that's pretty much what is going on right now. The rabbits are definitely enjoying the nice weather. I know I am.

Seeing past colour

2010-03-09T15:54:00.000-08:00

This is for Annette :)

My tricks on evaluating Mini Rex based on type and fur alone:

Sit at a table, on each side of you have a basket. One for those who make it past round one and those who don't. Put all the ones you wish to evaluate on a table. Close your eyes or put on a blind fold. Choose a rabbit.

As you feel this rabbit if you feel narrow or long bony shoulders, if your hand catches hugely at the hips. Or just overall rangy and boney. Put it in the "pet" basket.

A keeper should feel very solid and smooth, you shouldn't get caught on any hips or feel any pin bones or narrowness.

Once you go through all the potentials this way, put the pets back in their cages then go back to the keepers. (You can take the blind fold off too).

Evaluating potential keepers:
1.) Fold one ear down the nose, if it is longer then the face stick it in the pet basket. (Most likely oversized, ears out of balance)
2.) Sit the rabbit facing away from you. Place your hands on either side of it following the hip lines. If your hands point out in a V stick the in the pet basket.(Pinched). Your hands should sit parallel
3.) Pose the rabbit. If you can get two or more fingers between the base of the ears and the rise. Place it in the pet basket. (Long Shoulders)
4.)Keeping the rabbit posed (making sure the hind toe is in line with the hip and all 4 feet are flat). Place a finger between the ribs and the hip. If you can get more then one finger between the ribs and the hip place the rabbit in the pet basket. (Long midsection)
5.) Now place a pencil at the hind toes vertically. The highest point of the black should be in line with the hind toes. If the highest point is infront of the pencil the rabbit peaks early and you tend to get a flat spot over the HQ. If the highest point is behind the pencil the rabbit will tend to have a longer midsection. The highest point should also be higher then the ears.

to be continued (with pictures later)

2010-03-05T12:46:00.000-08:00

When I breed to rabbits together, I don't do it for the purpose of selling babies and making money. I do it to improve my own herd which means I get first pick. Because they just happen to belong to me I don't have to sell any in the litter at all. I cannot stand when someone gets angry at me because I will not sell a baby to them. I'm not being mean, by not letting them have it I'm just doing what I intended the litter to be for in the first place. My personal use. First pick does not mean I am only keeping one, it means I get to choose whatever ones I want to keep, and if there are any left over those will be the ones I sell, if you don't like the ones I'm selling it is not my fault feel free to go elsewhere.

I keep the best and sell the rest, and sometimes I'll keep an entire litter it's why I don't have a waiting list. I recommend people to other breeders instead of making them wait.

"Altering"

2010-02-21T10:25:00.000-08:00

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.

Naming

2010-02-18T11:25:00.000-08:00

I love naming my rabbits. The more unique the better.
Except what if you buy a rabbit, and it has a name you do not particularly like? Or a name you already have in your rabbitry. Is it rude to change it? I know it is different for most people, yes some will always change it, no some will leave it as is.

With my rabbits I tend to name the babies for potential buyers can more easily identify them. It is much easier for someone to say I am interested in "Oasis" then the blue-ish, white-ish, brown-ish one with the most blue-ish out of Mercedes. It is much easier especially when you have two or more of the same colours. The names I give my rabbits are not set in stone, I don't care if you change it to something that suits you more. The tattoo numbers on the other hand are. If I sell a rabbit that is not tattooed I always have a tattoo # listed on the pedigree, and that is the tattoo it will get if you decide to tattoo them. I'm usually good about having them tattooed just sometimes especially if there are no upcoming ARBA shows I tend to overlook it.

For rabbits I buy, if I absolutely don't like the name, or I have had a rabbit with the name before I will change it. Or if I don't know the name until the pedigree arrives I will name it myself. Generally I don't change the names.

ayee

2010-02-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

As some of you may have noticed, I have an extreme lack of Mini Rex bucks right now. Lucky me? Eh Not so much. After nearly two years, everything seems to be either out of Ice T, Odie, or Mon Dieu. Not to to bad the only issue is Mon Dieu is the grandson on Odie, Odie is the grandson of Ice T. So that leaves me with very limited room to move genetic wise especially if I need to fix certain faults. So I brought in a new buck, I do not have his pedigree yet so I'm not sure if he is related to what I already have. Time will tell. Now my issue is I still could use another buck, one I was hoping to get out of Mercedes.

Have you ever tried breeding by the phases of the moon? Sounds silly does it not? I was desperate for a buck so I said hey why not and gave it a shot. Well, considering my shortage of bucks, I only had one buck remotely compatible with her, this buck prone to producing does, Just my luck eh? Well Mercedes gave me five babies. The chances of at least one being a buck, when I bred for bucks according to the moon phase chart, seemed reasonable. There are 5 babies after all. At one week I sexed them, and prayed I was seeing something wrong because it appeared to be ALL does. Two weeks, I sex them again, still all does. Now at almost 3 weeks, without a doubt every single one is a doe. So much for the moon phase chart.

I can't give up on it yet you say? Well Mercedes was not the only one I tried to breed for bucks. Noirette's litter, and Au Contraire's litter I bred for bucks. On the Contrary had 4 Babies two chocolate does, two black otter bucks (Woot!) Unfortunately we lost a chocolate doe, but she still counts. Noirette, had 4, two bucks two does. Out of 8 babies half are bucks, half are does. So maybe it did work after all. I can't be sure. I really can't see how the moon effects what you get in a litter, especially the quality.

Quality is not something you can pluck out of a hat. If it is not their genetically you will never get it. So I don't see how breeding at certain times of the month will enhance this. It is probably just me but I'm a known cynic.

So yeah we have two more litters due. Protege and Ice T and Boston and Donatello.

2010-02-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been busy, Saturday we drove down to Schomberg to pick up my new buck (Thanks Uli!!) He is absolutely adorable. He is a broken black Mini Rex, about 5 months old and he is just TINY. I mean teeny tiny. Then today we made the trip to Orillia to pick up DevonGlen's Boston a Blue Sr doe out of Sundown. (Thanks Marina, I love love love having her back here)

The babies are all doing great, and are adorable (as usual!!) They are also turning out much nicer then I hoped so when it comes to decide who stays and who goes it is going to be really tough. I might just keep them all make it easier on myself.

So that is pretty much it. Nothing going on until March 20th (The DR&CBA Memorial day meeting plus live auction and silent auction).

Bunny shuffle!

2010-02-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

I have hay and shavings in places hay and shavings should not be. I sat in a bin full of loose hay while trying to get two dividers out.

I did some re-organizing in the rabbitry today. I took out 2 dividers and now instead of four empty 18x24 cages I have two 36X24. Prima Donna and her kit are in one, and Scarlett is in the other. Which gave me two 30X24 cages open, so I stuck Au Contraire in one, and Sundown in the other, which in turn gave me two 24X24 cages free, so Epiphany and Elvis were put into those ones. For some reason another 24X24 was not in use so I put Miss Ren in to it.

In other news, the babies are all doing well. There is one in particular in Mercedes litter that really catches my eye. I'm getting a new Mini Rex buck tomorrow ! and on Sundown Boston is coming home, so no doubt over the next few days there will be lots of pictures.

Pricing

2010-02-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

Pricing sale rabbits has to be the largest conundrum in raising rabbits. People are worried about not getting sales if they charge too much, or not getting sales by charging too little.

Charging to little? How would that effect a sale you ask? Well the common mindset of people today is that the more expensive = the better, but if you charge too much = probably not worth it. So the trouble is finding a ground between too cheap and too expensive.

So automatically a $25.00 = crap right? Not necessarily. $150.00 = amazing? No.
There are a lot of people out there who will try to fleece people into buying their culls buy pricing them just as high as their show stock. Just as there are a ton of people who feel bad about charging to much, and price their good stock for what some consider "pet" prices.

So how do I charge for my stock? Well I start at a base price, to what I feel the quality of the rabbit is worth quality wise, then for every leg the rabbit has one I add $10.00 onto the original price. This was suggested by a fellow breeder after a discussion on pricing.

The most expensive rabbit I have bought was $150.00, and could not beat my home bred stuff for the life of her. The best rabbit I have ever bought cost me $30.00 had a couple legs and won me a BIS or two.

Shelters

2010-02-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

Shelters, are they good, or bad?
Most people say they are great, I won't disagree with them. I think it is lovely that they are standing up for abused animals, taking in abandoned and injured animals that people have so ignorantly discarded. Whenever I am out shopping, and there is one of those donation boxes for a shelter, I always put my change in them. Or fundraisers where a volunteer is standing in the bitter cold, I'll give them all my change, because someone should be there for the animals.

What is the bad thing? It is the people who take advantage of a shelter. Those who buy a pet for the glory of having it, then dump it at a shelter when they are bored of it. Dumping the animal at the shelter is a quick way of solving your problem by making it someone else's problem. You do not want it any more, it is far cheaper to dump it at a shelter then have it put to sleep or take the time to find the animal a new home. So having a place available to take in unwanted animals, makes people think that animals are disposable, when they are not. If people were unable to dump unwanted animals in a shelter, that would make them think twice about getting muffin the potbelly piglet, because they saw one in a movie and "wanted" one.

Of course you have a legitimate reason why you need to dump muffin. Like you are moving and you cannot take Muffin with you. Where are you moving? Mars? Most places allow animals nowadays. Your landlord cannot say "no animals" if you already have one unless that animal is certifiably deemed vicious.

You developed allergies to Muffin. Haha yeah right, you developed allergies to cleaning up after Muffin. Chances are if you are not allergic to them when you buy them, it is very unlikely you will develop an allergy after, in fact you have probably had a big 'ol boost to your immune system from owning muffin.

You have a new baby. Muffin is a living thing too, dumping a pet because you do not want to take them time to get them use to your new "addition" makes you look bad. What is going to happen when your baby grows up and needs to be potty trained? Getting rid of a pet because you had a new baby is like saying, "well I just had a new baby, I do not need my 4 year old child anymore, lets sell him"

You can no longer afford to look after Muffin. My question is WHY did you get it in the first place. Anyone can tell you the cheapest part of the animal is buying the animal itself. How you seen the price of pet food? Or the cost alone to walk into a vets office? If the price of a vet trip makes your mind boggle, chances are you should not buy a pet.

Your 2nd aunt twice removed cousin's uncle's stepdaughter's niece past away. Unless they are the ones looking after the animal this is no excuse.

So please before you buy a "pet" do not dive headfirst into it. Look down the road, can you picture yourself with in 6 months down the road, 10 years? Can you afford to even look after it? And please if the reason you want it is because it is a cute baby, DO NOT BUY IT. If you saw one in the media and you want it DO NOT BUY IT. If you have carefully taken the time to research the animal, and are financially stable, to support an animal for its entire life, and you can picture yourself with it say 10 years down the road, then yes you are ready for a pet.

There are many legitimate reasons for not being able to care for a pet anymore, but do not sugar coat it, or lie about your reason because you simply do not want it anymore it makes you look like an idiot. And if you can avoid it do not dump it in a shelter, take the effort to find it a good home because the animal deserves that much.

colour, colour, colour, BAH

2010-02-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

Dude, I love colour, colour makes my world go round, but it doesn't make my rabbitry go round. One thing people notice is, I have a LOT of blacks, so I must love black right? Well, yes I do on a good Mini Rex. Is it my favourite colour? No. Well I get the question, why do you have so many blacks then?

Simple answer, because I am breeding for show rabbits. When I look at a litter I do not decide that I'm keeping the chocolate because I like that colour. That will get you nowhere especially if the chocolate happens to be the worst in the litter. When it comes to choosing a baby out of a litter, I go colour blind, I do not care anything about colour unless I have a tie quality wise between two rabbits, then I will pick the one that is more pleasing to the eye, and that is the only time I let colour come into play.

I would gladly keep an excellent tort otter, over a mediocre chocolate. I may night be able to show it, but I can breed it and get somewhere, instead of running in a circle of having mediocre rabbits because I am driven by colour alone

So you see that someone who has nice rabbits has a litter with the colours you like in it. You immediately jump up and ask for a baby. What happens if that rabbit grows up and simply sucks? Who are you going to blame when the rabbit bombs in shows? The breeder right? After all they sold it to you. When who is really at fault? You, you jumped the gun because you saw a colour you wanted, you did not wait to see if it turned out nice. The breeder cannot control how a rabbit turns out.

So what is my favourite colour? Broken black. Do I have any? No, have I had broken blacks born here? Yes, but they weren't the best, so why would I keep them?

So what is the simple way to buy or select a show rabbit?
1.) Ignore the colour, colour is not your friend.
2.) Age, hang on to those promising Jr's until they mature, or buy a mature rabbit. No surprises about quality then
3.) Read the breed standard, ask questions, get opinions from others.

Looking at colour alone will get you nowhere. Harsh, yeah, but it's the truth.

Ramble or Rant? Hard to decide

2010-02-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

I do not know about other people, but I love when I go to a show and someone I sold rabbits to is there, and they either A.) Beat me with one of my own rabbits. Or B.) Beat me with a rabbit out my my rabbits. It makes me feel proud that I can say, hey I sold them a good rabbit, and they're doing great with it. They also feel like they weren't ripped off. There is a selfish reason to this too I suppose, I mean it gets your name out there saying hey so and so sells great rabbits. Where as if you only ever sell your culls to people it is like oh them they never sell anything good. So what would you rather have as feedback? Postive feedback does wonders for your reputation, and sometimes it is that that makes or breaks you in the show world.

Another thing is, when you see show results for a rabbit, and "Fluffy" Won 3rd. Not a bad placing right? What bugs me is when the person neglects to mention Fluffy won 3rd out of 3 rabbits. It is not being dishonest, because the rabbit did win 3rd, what it is doing, is being misleading. I'm not ashamed to say that one of my rabbits won a 10th place, I am actually very proud of it. He won 10th out of 42 in his class, I consider that a way better placing then 7th out of only 14. Bragging does not bug me at all, heck I have been known to brag a lot. What irks me is when someone starts bragging about a Best of Breed they won, and neglects to mention that that Best of Breed was won by default, being the only breeder with that breed, and only 2 rabbits in that breed were entered. I'm not going to say that rabbit didn't deserve to win, because obviously something has to win (as long as it isn't dq'd) but gloating about winning a BOB when realistically the only person you beat was yourself, just to make yourself look better to potential buyers, well that is low. To each his own, I suppose.

This brings me to shit lists. Yes I have one, lots of people do. Basically it is just a list of people you will not sell rabbits to, not because you're worried about them beating you, but because you are concerned about the welfare of the rabbit you are selling. Mine is very short, and I will not publicly announce anyone on it, I am not out to ruin reputations, I just really care about where my rabbits go. This is not to make anyone suspicious, or paranoid, but if you are reading this the chances are you are not on my list.

I am not trying to be mean to people, or judgmental but when I get an e-mail that has words purposely misspelled, or lacking any form of grammar, the first thing that comes to mind is: if they cannot take the care to write a simple e-mail, can I expect them to take care of a rabbit? Unintentionally misspelled words are fine, not every one is perfect, and I'm not a spelling Nazi, it is just when I get an e-mail like this "u haf ne bunys 4 sale" this makes me cringe, and it also really wants to make me reply "No, but I do have a book on writing in the English language you can borrow." I do not expect a 50 page essay on why you will be the perfect owner for one of my rabbits, just a little care when writing out an e-mail is all I ask for, or else I am expecting some sort of uneducated hillbilly (no offense to the educated hillbillies) to show up at my house, and that thought scares me just a little.

Not to be all cryptic but this just really irritates me :)

Baby update

2010-02-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

Well Mercedes had babies on the 30th, and that's when I counted 3 brokens 1 solid. Turns on there was one hiding in the box I didn't count so that brings up the total to 4 brokens, 1 solid. I'm guessing broken black, 2 broken blues, and a broken chocolate? As well as the solid is a black. Anyone of those brokens can be a broken otter, it's very hard to tell right now.

So this starts the Countdown to Rendezvous, and Au Contraire Babies in hopefully 1 weeks time. Can you say otters otters and more otters? (Oh and chocolate and lilac?).

Noirette's litter is doing great, are first draft for what is staying here is complete, from the looks of it right now we will be holding on to the black doe, and a black buck. Meaning a black buck will be available, and the conundrum of the chocolate otter doe, I received 6 e-mails in one day alone regarding this doe, amongst countless others I quite simply have no idea what to do about her yet.

The Argente Brun Baby, is well, and very very adorable. Pictures have been posted on my facebook, and for those who can't see them there I'll post them later on my website. He is quite the looker, and has this cute white streak on his forehead already.

2010-01-25T21:23:00.001-08:00

What else do you do at 12:23 in the morning besides blog?

Ha, well the Brun baby is doing great. Noirette's litter is doing amazing (they are so cute). Not much else on the baby front, besides I'm positive Au Contraire took as well as Mercedes, I suck at palpating but I think I may have felt something. I'm not sure about Rendezvous yet...

Besides that, today was another one of the cage cleaning days such fun! I also rearranged a bit and I know how a grand total of 6 30X24 cages in the rabbitry after digging two out of the snow. So know I have a couple of very happy does who are due soon. On that note, I counted my empty cages inside the rabbitry and there are currently 12 open holes (holy moleee). Then curious I counted the cages not in the rabbitry, and I have 6 out behind the bike shed, then by chance I stuck my head in the bike shed a low and behold, 5 more cages giving me a grand total of 23 open holes. How did that happen? You may be wondering how many holes are in use right now...the answer would be 27. For a grand total of 50 holes. That is a long ways off from the 4 I started with 7 years ago.

Now that I've completely exhausted myself through that strenuous math I have a bed calling my name.

Brun News

2010-01-20T11:17:00.001-08:00

I had my first litter of Argente Bruns born on the 18th, Prima Donna had 1 bouncing ball of already slightly furred baby Brun. Yep Just one. She's being a good mother too now that she's calmed down a bit, yesterday she would hop into the nest box whenever someone went into the rabbitry, today she wanted treats and mellon rubs.

Not much more news besides that, I'm going to be breeding Scarlet soon (My Harlequin doe in case I forgot to mention it. I bought a Harlequin doe for meat production). Just under two weeks until Mercedes is due, and I really hope she doesn't have harlequin marked otters.

2010-01-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

I hate snowmobiles. I really do. Last night I lost a Wooly doe who spooked when a snowmobile fired up to close to the rabbitry. This isn't the first time I have lost rabbits to it either. Last winter I lost an entire litter when the mother spooked and stomped them (She was a $$$$ Doe too, so I was looking forwards to that litter) I absolutely hate winter right now.

On a happier note Noirette's litter is doing great. We also managed to breed Mon Dieu to two does last night (Rendezvous, and Au Contraire). I am super excited, those two does are Gorgeous!!!!

Today I also had 3 rabbits leave to new homes, and I picked up a Harlequin Doe for meat production.

So I guess good tromps bad right now.

Late night :)

2010-01-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had that split moment of panic when you have misplaced a pedigree? The "Oh shoot" followed by "I can always ask the breeder to send me a new copy..." Then the doubt "Wait, will that make me look bad?" So instead you, in a panic start looking for it, in all those strange places you know it will not be? On top of the fridge, in the washing machine, under your bed... You do not find it anywhere. So bucking up you start an e-mail to the breeder explaining when, low-and-behold...Half way through a cleverly typed e-mail, you spot it. Exactly in the place you knew you had left it.

Yeah... Me either.

So... Once again I attempted to breed Sundown to Mon Dieu. He must be really frustrated by now. I have done everything I can to stimulate Spring in the rabbitry. The light is on longer, I have a heater out there, I put her in a new cage that previously held a buck, she's currently housed beside one of my randy Wooly bucks. She gets a special diet, but will she breed? NO. Will my other does? YES. I bred Mercedes to Odie, (nearly the exact cross of her previous litter). I also bred Panache to Odie (for Jesse, I hope she produces something awesome for you!). Do I have a compatible buck for my other does? No, I could hypothetically breed Au Contraire to Mon Dieu... And the same with Rendezvous...Except Tristyn would murder me. Oh but a crop of babies for the fall shows would be great....

That should be it and I really ought to start going to bed before Midnight, but it's really hard when I shut the rabbitry light off at 10:30, then get sidetracked...

Oh I should also mention. I am working on Mini Rex tutorial videos. So videos on how to pose, select, and choose breeding pairs for Mini Rex.

Mini Rex, "The fur issue".

2010-01-06T11:23:00.001-08:00

A lot of people when they think of a Mini Rex the first thing they think of is that plush velvety fur. As is the key aspect of the Rex breeds. Though many new breeders have the wrong idea of how the Mini Rex fur should be, they choose the softest, silkiest they can find, which is not what you want at all.

Mini Rex fur is recessive meaning that in order to have Rex fur the rabbit must have 2 Rex genes, only one Rex gene will result in a normal furred rabbit. Now you won't have to worry about that if you breed to Rex together. Now what makes the Rex different from other fur? Basically, it was a mutation seen in wild rabbits in France during the late 1800's that caused the fur to stand away from the body instead of laying flat. It also caused the guard hairs to become shortened to the same length as the undercoat.

So what should you look for in a good Mini Rex coat? What should you stay away from? Here are a few questions you should ask yourself when choosing that perfect coat.

1.) When I look at the coat, does it appear to be standing straight up? Is it even? Does it look polished? When you look at it you don't want to see any variation of lengths, you want the rabbit to have the look of a mink pelt (as if the coat had been evenly shaved) You do not want to see longer guard hairs. The coat should appear as one smooth surface (Picture a solid glass surface, smooth right?).

2.) When I touch the coat do I feel a resistance? Or does it just feel smooth and gives under the pressure of my hand? A good Mini Rex coat when touched should be springy, like it is resisting the pressure of your hand. When you press your hand down on it's back, do you leave a hand print, or does the coat regain it's shape? A good coat will instantly regain it's shape. A poor coat will have an imprint left on it. When you pat the rabbit one way does the fur return to an upright position, or does it stay smooshed? You want it to return as is, just like with the hand print

3.) Does the coat have density? Is it even all over? Density refers to the amount of hairs per square inch. The more the better in Mini Rex. A good way to test density is to pinch the fur between your index finger and middle finger. If it were not for the fur would you fingers touch? Or does it feel as if you cannot get a good grip and the fur is sliding out from between your fingers. If your fingers almost touch, the rabbit is lacking density. If you feel a resistance of the fur the rabbit has good density. Now try pinching the fur on different sections of the rabbit (Back, Hindquarter, middle, hind leg) You should be feeling the same resistance all over, if not the coat is uneven.

4.) How long is to long? The simple way to test this is to take a dime. Stand it in the fur, and pinch the fur against the coin. Does the coin disappear? Or can you still see the top? If the coin disappears the fur is too long. Now try this on different spots of the rabbit, the fur should approximately reach the same point of the time no matter where you place it.

5.) Texture, texture is a tricky thing in Mini Rex, if the fur is to coarse you have to many protruding guard hairs, if it is too soft, you don't have enough guard hairs. The key is to remember, you don't want silk, you want velvet. Unlike silk velvet has bite. You should feel a kick when petting a good Mini Rex coat, not the usual "It's soft" reaction.

So in point a good Mini Rex has a coat that is resistant, springy, dense, short, stands straight up, even, smooth, and velvety.

A bad Mini Rex coat, is soft, uneven, long, silky, thin, unresistant.

And remember, a curl should make you hurl.

2009-12-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

This is something I have seen a lot of. A rabbit placing 1st in show A and dead last in show B.

This can confuse people especially new breeders looking to better their herd. So where do you start when you're not placing consistently among the same animals? Different judges have different styles or "expectations" of a breed.

Here is what I recommend doing if you're not sure how or why you rabbit placed as it did one show and differently the next. Take a look at your comment cards. I'm going to use a made up rabbit as an example.

Show 1, on his card it says he has an excellent head/ear. Good shoulders/midsection. Rough over the hindquarters. excellent density and texture of fur, good colour. 1/5

Show 2, on his card it says : Good head/ear. Fair shoulders. Good midsection. Rough over the hindquarters. fair density and texture. Excellent colour. 4/5

Show 3 : Excellent head/ear. Fair shoulders. Good midsection. Fair hindquarters. Good density and texture. Excellent colour. 2/5

Taking those comment cards you can do one thing. Claim the judge didn't know your breed, or take it as a learning experience. Compare comments from different judges, first of all find all points in common, for instance this rabbit has a good head/ear/midsection/ and nice colouring. What it also tells you is the rabbit is lacking in the hindquarters, and could possibly use better shoulders. As for the fur well it appears two out of three judges liked it, but why not the 3rd? Well you have to seriously consider is the rabbit moulting? Past Prime and about to moult, or just getting over a moult, that can effect comments as well. You have to compare similar comments from different judges and eventually you'll see what needs to be worked on in your herd and what is just fine.

So next time you don't place as well as you were hoping don't blame the judge, don't blame your rabbit. Use it as a learning experience.

Designer Breeds

2009-11-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

Everyone has seen them. It happens in all types of animals not just dogs, but what are you really getting when you dish out all that money?

A mutt that's all a designer breed is. People take two different breeds, cross them, then give them a (in my opinion) stupid, lame, and uncreative name. Then they jack up the price to five times more then the actual worth and call them designer. Here is the problem.

You can't pick and choose genetics. When you take a low shedding dog (trust me all animals shed no matter what the breed, if they didn't if you pulled their fur out it wouldn't grow back) [like a poodle] and breed it to a dog they say has a great temperament but sheds a ton (i.e. a Retriever). Then say its a non shedding very friendly dog. The only problem is, both parents are donating their genes you also get the worst traits from both the parents as well. I have a friend who bought a "designer" dog. The Golden Doodle, was supposed to be a laid back non shedding friendly dog. It was a poodle with a loosely curled coat that shed like crazy. Not at all what they were told it would be like. When you start crossing breeds you have no idea what you're going to get.

A designer dog cannot be considered purebred. To start with to legally be able to call an animal purebred the breed has to be registered with the animal pedigree act. It has to be able to breed true, meaning that if you breed a golden doodle to a golden doodle you get a golden doodle, not a poodle, or a lab but the exact copy of the parents. Also a purebred animal should have a 3 generation pedigree of only that breed that has bred true. So anyone claiming purebred shi-poos or golden doodles or jack-a-poos are big fat liars.

In my opinion a purebred animal IS a designer breed. Someone is working hard to keep that breed alive and as close to the standard of perfection as possible. They work hard to produce good showy animals and they deserve credit for it, not the people who ruin the breed by trying to add something unnecessary in.

There is a breed out there for everyone, and if you don't want a purebred (for stereotyped reasons I'll post about later) Then don't be fooled by someone trying to make a quick buck off of their "mutts" go to a shelter and adopt one who wasn't bred on purpose, and please for the love of animals if you want a cross bred don't ask what breed it is, it only makes you look like a hypocrite.

New layout

2009-11-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

Yeah it's changed (again) the last was just temporary until I finished this one, which I'm really proud of how it turned out. I used a total of six different pictures all taken by me. They've all been cut and stitched together.

On the other news front The babies are all doing great. In Epiphany's kits Ghost Rider (Chestnut) and Elvis Ain't Dead (black) are looking great. Miss Ren has a couple of noisy buggers, but they sure are cute.

4 days till the Royal I'm super excited.

I'm in the process of switching foods to Floradale, and compared to the stuff I'm feeding now (starts with a P, ends with an A) it's amazing, it smells fresh it looks fresh and the rabbits are picking it out and not eating the other stuff.

What's the deal with Legs?

2009-11-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

Everyone has seen them rabbits with "insert number here" Legs. Now the first reaction most people have is "Shouldn't they have 4?" A Leg is a little certificate stating that the rabbit won it's class (of at least 5 rabbits, shown by at least different people). Now you have the wow what an amazing rabbit comment.

Now lets see. The rabbit won it's class, meaning at that show is was better then the ones being shown against it, it doesn't mean the rabbit itself is that great, it just means it was better then the other ones brought to the show that day.

Nearly 7 years ago now I had a little tri-colour Mini Rex doe, not the greatest rabbit in the world and now looking back I have to say to myself what was I thinking?! That rabbit I brought out to a small now extinct, ARBA show she was one of 9 Mini Rex that showed up that day. She ended up winning BOSB and recieved a leg. She was an awful Mini Rex, she was just a little better then the other rabbits that happened to show up.

So a rabbit that has a leg is always good? You got it, no way.

More recently I bought a Jersey Wooly buck, he has 3 legs, he is a nice rabbit, his son on the other hand has a total of 0 legs, and has beat him in every show they have ever competed against each other in. Now why is that? Well when he is at an ARBA show there aren't enough exhibitors, or rabbits, or he is either molting and not able to go. Meanwhile at DR&CBA shows (which are basically the same as ARBA shows same people showing, basically same standard) this rabbit has gone on to win Best Fancy Etc over his father.

So don't let the glory of a rabbit winning legs fool you. When buying a rabbit make sure you know what you're looking for don't buy a rabbit just because it has a leg or two. It seems just because a rabbit has a leg under it's belt it's a good excuse to jack up the price.

This doesn't mean the rabbit is awful either if a rabbit has a billion legs there is probably a good reason for it :)

2009-11-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

Well, hi there, I'm excited, not because I've overdosed on sugary goodness that was Halloween, but because SunnyHeight's Epiphany kindled two babies a black and a chestnut 3 days early, ON Halloween. I foresee some Halloween themed names in the future of these two. I'm really looking forward to how they turn out, Lunatic has yet to disapoint me with his outstanding quality produced in his litters (As well as his personality)

Or right the next show I will be attending is the Royal Agricultural Winter fair, my all time favourite show of the year. I have only entered a couple rabbits (My two Argente Bruns, Lunatic and Mrs Lovett) I did do Tristyn's entries but I can't remember for the life of me what she entered, mostly likely her Otter buck and doe, two black does, and lilac doe, but that's just me guessing.

So I hope to see everyone there. Have a Happy November :)