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)

My racks are made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My racks are made.

All I have to do is put in cages and bunnies.

My racks are made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will take pics and post them.

BUT my racks are made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

I like it when.....

Mom's come by with little boys to show off bunnies and look for a particular bunny.... and little boy spots a different one and immediately falls in love with it.

A lady came up yesterday from Waterloo with her little boy. Was going to look at my hand-raised bunnies. Looked them over, looked over my lops, looked over my other meat bunnies and then little boy (doing what little boys do...wandered around the yard a bit while mom looked a bit more). He saw this little white boy that I had gotten at the market last Saturday... and little boy just fell for that bunny. Wouldn't let it go. Carried it well and everything. Mom spotted my white meat boys and fell for one of them. They came for one tiny meat rabbit and left with one big meat rabbit and one i'm not sure what it is white rabbit. Both happy.

Mom's been a rabbit person before so she knows what she is getting into so all is good.

New Girl's Littles

So New Girl had died when her babies were just 13 days old.

That meant I had to bottle raise 11 babies. From what I read I would be fortunate to save half of them so my goal became to save 5. I managed to save 4. I had thought for a good while that I would save 5 but one mysteriously died on me. I say mysteriously because it was sucking away on a bottle then jerked off the bottle and died. Nothing unusual in what it had been doing. It had been eager to drink and had been quite busy and happy during the day, so it was rather odd and disturbing.

Who we have left are Sheila, Little Bit, Mopsy and Squeakers. I'm hoping to take pics of them later today or this weekend.

I am grateful to a church family who gave us oodles of goat milk for these babies. :)