Ivory Kindles and Dies - Dec 22

Ivory, my blind mini rex has been causing me to be concerned about her for the past two weeks.

This morning found one dead kit on the wire, and she had another while I did chores. Stuck that one in with Ruby's kits to stay warm. Noted that Ivory was doing a lot of circling behaviour, bleeding copiously and just not looking good.

Went to the house to wash my hands so I could see if perhaps she had a stuck kit, when I got back she was lying down looking like she was dying.

Dispatched her and found one VERY large kit inside, and a ruptured tummy. Pulled six kits out of her living. Stuck them in with Ruby. On December 23 brought those kits to Jesse's as he had two does that had kindled and I figured this would give them a fighting chance. Five kits at Jesse's. Of those five I think three? are still alive. I had hoped to put them with Roxie but Roxie was full up with the number of kits that she had already.

All the kits are dark...so expecting blacks or blues. Will have to wait and see what she has. Have told Jesse if he wants to keep one he can. He may or may not, he's yet to decide what he'd like to do.

Roxie Kindles - December 23, 2008

Roxie kindled this morning.

9-10 littles. Most look dark. Think I spotted one or two brokens, but nothing definite yet.

I'm hoping for Chocolates...but we'll have to wait and see. :)

UPDATE: 9 kits. Castors, broken blacks, black with white tip and foot, and solid blacks.

UPDATE: 3 solid black, two almost black...one with white belly, one with white nose and feet, three castors, one broken black.

the whole works

Solid blacks

White Spots, mostly black

Broken black, Broken Vienna Black (?)

Castors (the one in front...bouncey!)

Reese - pups - December 16

SOLD
girl

boy

SOLD
boy

boy

sometime between 530 and 900 a.m. Reese gave birth to four pups. one looks quite a bit like her.

Miss Mew - pups - December 15

boy

boy

SOLD
girl

Miss Mew had three pups born this morning between 7 00 a.m. and noon.

black and white and tricolours. Very pretty. Look to be crested just like mom. They are tiny compared to Annie's littles.

Nest made...but not due yet...

So my Little Miss decided last night to build this lovely, lovely nest.

She's not due until December 23...she was supposed to give me Christmas babies....
So not sure what's up with the nest. Hope she didn't miscarry or reabsorb or have something odd happening. I hope I didn't mix up dates but mentally in my head I know I have those dates right. So not sure what's up. She missed last time I bred her as well.

Annie - pups - December 11, 2008

SOLD
boy

SOLD
boy

boy

three pups born to guinea pig Annie.

white and tan. named rainbow
tan. named clarabelle
brown/tan/black mix - two white feet. named scurry the binnie pig

Have no thought on genders yet. The tan is very easy to catch, but is quick to explore. The white and tan is the smallest. The mix colour one seems most like mom at this point.

Justin thought he should name them.

Ruby - December 9, 2008

Ruby Kindled during the morning chores. 6 babies. one dark, one broken, the rest light.

Didn't pull very much fur so added some from summer litters.

This will be her last litter probably...will have to see. She pours a lot of herself into her kits. If she loses as much condition as she did last time, not sure that I want to wait minimum four months to rebreed her. She's not a big eater so it takes a long time for her to regain lost weight.

Lop-Hop the dad.

Carmen's own

Five chestnut, three large, two small

Two Chinchilla, one large, one small

one good size black

two large white, one small

lela's babies

November 27 pictures.
no genders given at this time, suspect three boys and five girls..but at this age, subject to change without notice. and no...can't remember who I think might be what.

broken chestnut agouti

broken chestnut agouti

Chestnut agouti

black

broken black

broken blue

broken blue

Blue

Midnight - November 27, 2008

Midnight has kindled. Red is the dad. This will be her last litter.

This doe has been making and destroying nests for the past two weeks. Silly rabbit.

She usually comes in early, but this time she went a day longer. I was really starting to wonder what was up with her. She's had difficulty with this litter. One DOA, one on the wire, and six shivering in a pile. Normally she kindles eight nice sized babies with all babies nice and warm in a nest.

After warming the one on the wire in my arm pit, I stuck them all in with Carmen's litter to warm up. Carmen has 11 babies and that nest is VERY warm. 1/2 an hour later I had squeaking babies so I put them in the nest Midnight has built but hadn't actually used.

Will be keeping a close eye on her as there was more blood than normal in the nesting area.

Three black and four harlequin coloured.

In the middle of the afternoon we have seven warm babies with full tummies so, at the time of this writing, so far so good. :) Lost one at weaning.

Rescued rabbits

So...rescued a whack of rabbits over the past couple of weeks.

26 the first visit. Meat rabbits, dutchie cross, dwarf (ND/polish cross), holland lops.
11 this visit. Meat rabbits, dutchie baby, black ???, and rex.

5 worth keeping out of the first batch. Had to take one back as I'd been given the wrong one. Figures it had to be the one that my buggy really, really liked.
2 perhaps in this batch.

Bugs me when folks can't take care of their critters well.
If you can't house them properly... don't have them! Just makes me angry it does!

Carmen (formerly brown meat girl)- November 14, 2008

Brown Meat Girl kindled last night.

She has 11 or 12 babies. At least three white, the rest look dark. Hoping to have at least one chin in the mix. Yes...for some reason i like that colour. :)

She built a good nest.

I'm happy enough. :)

Lela Kindled! November 12

Jim tells me that Lela kindled.

I haven't gone out to check.

AH!!! I want to see them! :)

This will be my first litter of pedigreed lops. So I'm hoping for much!

UPDATE: seven babies. no peanuts. five broken, two potential solids. I'm happy, happy happy!

another update: eight all together : three solids, the rest broken.

this is turning into a marvellous boy

lovely little girl, she became my keeper

Rabbit show In Rockton

So I went to the rabbit show in Rockton.
Jesse came along with me. He picked up a little holland lop buck (broken black) from Mandy (local rabbiteer), and a chestnut agouti (broken) holland lop doe from ??????

I went to pick up a chocolate mini rex doe and a harlequin doe. Got the chocolate mini rex, the harlequin wasn't there due to misunderstanding. I wasn't clear enough in my email...but he'd also had a really stressful week.

BUT I got tempted by a blue eyed white buck and a castor mini rex. Both in the satin variety. $35 for the two of them. Really pretty rabbits.

I found this lovely little black and white holland lop. I'm hoping I can show him in the spring.

All pedigreed.
All look like nice animals.
Jesse wants the white buck very very much. :) I'm thinking we'll end up sharing him. :)

Things I learned
1. how to set up a buck for showing in HL classes
2. what to look for in a good HL buck. rounded back, no boneyness, short body not long
3. how pretty SATINS (as a breed of rabbit) are. Very soft, very nice sheen to their coat.
4. polish bunnies are very nice rabbits
5. how many harlequins have trouble making good size. they are shown as a commercial breed so need to get commercial weights on them. How there are THREE harlequin breeders in Ontario. that one can breed 200 babies and get 2-3 that are actually showable.
6. how to pick up mini rexes so you leave no finger traces on their coat. Hand under their tummies so they stay relaxed.

Rabbit toys from a toddler perspective

BUNNIES...PLAY WITH YOUR STICKS! They are not for eating. They are for playing with. Your teeth are strong enough. PLAY with your STICKS!

BUNNIES listen!

"mom...do bunnies like cat balls too?"
yes Justin they do.

HONEY! Play with your ball! stop eating hay. play with your ball!

Blue!!!!! Stop stealing brown girls stick. she like her stick! she's playing with it! BLUE!!! STOP IT!

What's left from New Girls' Litter

Mopsy (M)

Sheila(M)

Squeakers(F)

Little Bit(M)

some pics of my rabbitry

the boys (and growers underneath)


The ladies with littles


I have hay too!


And the ladies in waiting (still growing, or just bred)