Our BEW buck is finally here! I've only been waiting a few weeks for him but it felt like forever. We had him transported from a show in back to South Boston by another breeder. He was sweet and gentle the moment I picked him up and so far has not been the least bit scared about his new environment. We put him in a nice wire bottom cage to help keep his white fur clean. He has been giving us so many kisses and purrs and I am totally in love. Loving on Willow and giving her so many kisses. Miss grumpy pants loved him too. I can now say our BEW program has officially started! Willow and Prada are both being bred to Mr no name (we haven't decided what to call him yet) And we're hoping for babies next month! Prada is a possible VC which means she might have some Blue eyed white (BEW) babies herself in early May! :)
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A question I am asked all the time is "should I spay/neuter my pet rabbit?"
There isn't really a yes or no answer to this question. There are pros and cons. In this blog post I'm just going to over the basics: Neutering is an operation performed by a veterinarian. For males it is called "castration" and it is simply the removal of both the testicles. In females it is referred to as "spaying" and the vet will remove both the ovaries and the womb. The obvious reason neutering is done to prevent your rabbit from breeding another rabbit. The saying "breed like rabbits" is used for a reason. Rabbits can reach sexual maturity some times as young as 3 months old. They are only pregnant for about 30 days, and can be re-bred within 72 hours after giving birth. They will normally give birth to 3-7 babies. This is one reason why you would not want to house in tact males and females together. As you can imagine, you would have a nearly constant amount of baby rabbits. Most people think of this as the only reason to neuter their rabbit and in turn don't think its important to neuter their single pet rabbit. But there are many other reasons to neuter your family pet, or companion rabbit. Here are some good reasons: 1.) Neutering is good for their health, especially for females. Ovarian cancer very common in adult female rabbits, and there are very few if any symptoms when it occurs. Males and females will often live much longer lives when they are neutered. 2.) A neutered rabbit is a calmer, happier, cleaner, and more easily litter box trained when neutered. You can handle them better, and they are better behaved outside of their cage. When a rabbit is feeling particularly hormonal they can be grumpy, and males will often spray urine. Neutering will keep those hormonal feelings as bay and results in a friendlier rabbit. 3.) Rabbits love company. They will bond to another rabbit and it will completely change their attitudes. They will be less bored and depend on you a little less (perfect for those of you who work long hours and cannot spend lots of bonding time with your rabbit). But they cannot be housed together if neither, or even if only one of them is neutered. A neutered male and a neutered female get along the best. There are cons to this operation as well though. First of all, there is always a risk involved with neutering them. It is generally safer to castrate males than it is to spay females. But there is still a small risk associated with neutering a male. The anesthetic can sometimes (uncommonly) cause death in a rabbit. And of course there is the fact that it is an invasive surgery and it is very stressful for them. Most rabbits are neutered around 4-5 months. And in a young healthy rabbit the risk is minimal. The other disadvantage is that the operation can be quite pricey. It depends on where you live but here in Massachusetts it is usually somewhere around $300 in total. You can call veterinarians around your area and get a quote for yourself. And your vet will walk you through the process. In conclusion, despite the risks, neutering is a wonderful option for your rabbit. If you can afford it, and you have a young, healthy rabbit from a good breeder, then by all means go forward with it. If you do not choose to spay/neuter your rabbit, that's ok too. Your rabbit can still have a good, long, happy life. *Be cautious not to let your pet rabbits breed. If you are interested in breeding please do all the research you can beforehand.* Exciting things are happening in the rabbitry! On April 1st we're bringing in a Blue eyed white Buck! And I am in search of a BEW doe for him. This meas that next month we will be starting our Vienna program Here is our new guy! Photo taken by his current owner
The Vienna gene is a special gene that some rabbits possess. It can cause a rabbit to be all white with blue eyes, called a Blue eyed white or BEW. But it can also cause a normal colored rabbit to have random patches of white, and/or blue eyes, called Vienna Marks or VMs. The random patches of white create a beautiful, uniquely colored rabbit. If you haven't yet I strongly recommend searching the internet for "Vienna marked Holland Lops" so you can get an idea of what we're going to be breeding! I'm very excited to be reopening this color program (we started one a few years ago but didn't have the space) Stay tuned while we bring in more bunnies and have some great litters this year! Prada and Posie's babies are 9 weeks old! We ended up with three girls!! We have a broken blue tort who is currently for sale: broken blue tort A broken orange who is going to be staying with me for now. broken orange And the tiniest little rabbit I have ever seen. This little broken chestnut is the cutest little baby I've ever seen. I am a bit concerned about her because she is just so tiny! But she'll be staying with me until I am confident she is healthy, and she may stay forever because honestly I am in love. I just love her sweet little face!!
They have been living inside but now that the weather is warming up I'm transitioning them to an outdoor cage and they are loving it. More breedings are happening this week! So stay tuned!! . Happy new year! It's been fun around the rabbitry lately. We have a beautiful litter of three in the nursery. They're three weeks old, curious, so playful, and so so cute. Before Christmas we spruced up all the babies the cages. My son helping paint :) All painted and drying We painted the doors gold We added the roof and got a huge tarp that covers the back of the cage, and the front for extra warmth.
We have two empty cages in the left stacker waiting for some buns to fill! I'm currently looking for a Blue eyed white buck, and a VM doe. Hopefully we'll find a couple soon and have some more beautiful babies! :) And we're back for our second blog post! This post is just going to be photos of bunnies on their backs! Because there is no better way to view a bunny! Burdock! Posie Herb Robert looks so awkward on his back! Prada Willow!
Obviously rabbits are cute in any position. But I think they look the cutest on their backs! In my next post I'll show you how we gave the rabbit cages a make-over! The bunny blog is up and running! And for our first post I'm going to quickly introduce you to each rabbit, then show you their houses and how we keep them! This is Posie, my main man. Out of all my rabbits I've had him for the longest. He's a Holland Lop. He's a two year old Holland Lop. I've had him since he was 9 weeks old. He fathers the majority of my litters and he is one good looking boy! He definitely has a lot of personality and he loves to snuggling on laps. Favorite treat: Apple skins My English Lop, Herb Robert. This is my big 12 pound boy who is a best friend to everyone. He is so sweet and laid back. He loves to run and binky and those ears of his just make him so lovable (that face too) He is 1.5 years old. Someday I will get a girlfriend for him but for now, he's just a much loved pet. Favorite treat: Anything he can get his paws on. This is Burdock. This little Holland Buck is my silliest, naughtiest rabbit. He's 1.5 years old and is a stubborn little guy. He takes after his dad Posie a lot. especially in looks and so far he has not fathered a litter (but his girlfriend Opal is currently 2.5 weeks pregnant with his babies!) Favorite treat: Dandelions Opal! This is Opal at 3 months old, she is now 7 months and pregnant with her first litter (by Burdock) She's a big Holland, definitely a brood doe, but she has great bone and she's as sweet as can be. She loves kids and loves to be cuddled. If you put your hand in her cage she demands pets and will place her head under your hand to make sure she gets them! Can't wait for her and Burdock babies!! Favorite treat: Dandelions and rose petals. These are twin Holland does, Willow (left) and Plymouth (right) They are sweet little sisters who have just reached 6 months and are ready to have their first litters. I'll be breeding them this week to Posie. They are clever little girls and they will be great mothers. Favorite treats: Apple skins and raspberries. And last but not least, Prada, our tiny chestnut Holland doe. Weighing in at just under 2 pounds, this is the sweetest, gentlest rabbit you could imagine. She is awesome to handle and just as relaxed as can be. She will also be bred this week to Posie. Favorite treat: She prefers hay. That's all of my bunnies! They are all sweethearts and loved members of my family, Now that you know who is who, on to the cage system! These are the cages. We just moved to a new place, and so all the bunnies are in a new yard. Herb Robert has settled in the fastest but he always does! He's more like a puppy than he is a rabbit! Currently we have 8 holes, and each one is taken. As soon as Lotta leaves though I will be looking for a Blue eyed white Holland buck or doe to start a Vienna line with! That will be really exciting so stay tuned for that. The cages are placed in a very sunny spot (which isn't great when you want to take photos) but it's perfect for the winter time. They are also placed under a lot of trees/bushes which helps to keep them more sheltered. We don't plan on keeping the cages like this for the winter. My husband is going to build some better walls and a shingled roof. Aren't handy husbands the best? When it rains/snows they get covered with tarps to help keep them warm, dry and comfy. I've already received a lot of complaints from our new neighbors who insist they will be too cold this winter. THEY WONT! Rabbits do much better in the cold than the heat. Summer is when you need to be really concerned. They stay very warm in the winter we make sure of it! The cages are cleaned every 2-3 days. The litter boxes are emptied, bowls washed thoroughly and floors and walls are washed down and dried. Posie in the exercise pen The rabbits are exercised every day in the house, or in the pen, depending on the weather. They are also taken for walks on the leash. Look at that silky fur! Every time his cage is open he begs to come out and get cuddled! If you look you can see Opal sticking her tongue out for the photo Plymouth <3 All my babies are fed a good high quality food which we keep in a water and rat safe barrel underneath the cages, Under Herb Robert's cage, we keep the food, the hay, and the litter. We give them fresh water mixed with apple cider vinegar twice daily.
I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction and rabbitry tour! We will have some more fun posts in the future (especially once babies come) so please check back soon! |
AuthorHi! I hope you enjoy reading and scrolling through these photos and posts about our beloved herd of rabbits! Each one is part of the family and very much loved! --Harmony Archives
April 2017
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