General Update(pic heavy)

Alright, so, it's been a few months since I was last here.

I got rid of the velveteens. Things happened, I thought I was moving, I was really disappointed with size and their attitude. Whatever, I sold them. Still miss them now and then but remember how frustrating and high maintenance they were, and remember I am glad they're gone.

Just generally been busy, mostly with the Easter Rentals, and gearing up for market. Nothing amazing, just general drama.

Sooooo. Without further ado. These are the rabbits I currently have.


Alaska, of course. She recently had her first litter since October, so she's looking a little ratty, lol.


This is a Snow x Kenya buck I kept back. There's something about him that I like.


Stitch, my tort buck.


Elsa, my SM BEW doe. She's a bit of a diva(very thumpy, lol).


Sayuri.


Eddie, my NZR buck that my momma bought me for Christmas.


Chickpea, NZW doe. It was hard to get a photo of her, she kept hoping I had another strawberry for her.


Tofu(Pea's sister). The red is, of course, strawberry juice, lol.


Stella. Meat mutt. No idea what's behind her. I was kind of nervous breeding her to Eddie(he's 9lbs, she's about 7lbs) for the first time.


But she delivered 7 big, healthy kits and has been raising them well.


Oscar, my new Holland lop buck and


Tamara, my new Holland doe(her ears haven't lopped yet). They were gifts to me from a friend, who I gave Snow, Kenya and one of Kenya's kits.

So, that's my herd right now. Nothing else to really report, I'm afraid, just a lot of hard work and early nights.

It's good to see you back! Wow, your herd has changed! They're all gorgeous, but I just want to snuggle Sayuri so bad!!!

What gorgeous bunnies. I love sayuri

Thanks Sayuri is Stitch x Elsa. I was going to keep back a buck, but all of the double maned bucks were dilute.

Just because you two enjoyed Sayuri, I'll share her litter mates.


Single mane smutty orange buck. He has almost perfect dutch markings! Was disappointed he was single maned.


Single mane fawn doe. Lovely colour on this one.


Single mane smutty fawn doe. Only has the tiniest dot of white on her nose.


Double mane blue buck.


Double mane blue tort buck, with a nice wide blaze.


Double mane blue tort buck, his overall colour is nicer, but the markings on his brother are cuter.

And just in case no one has been feeding MSD's nekked side addiction...

Awwww! This makes me want to have more baby bunnies so bad! I wish I could have lionheads, they don't have any in New Zealand or Australia and neither country is allowed to import rabbits from any other country, so I guess we will never have them.

I really do love Sayuri and the patterns on her litter mates.

Alaska really reminds me of the coloring on my little shih tzu. There was a brother from another mother picture with a cat and a dutch rabbit on FB, Alaska and the Shih Tzu could pose together.

I bought Elsa on a whim in an online auction. I'm quite pleased with her, and very happy with her litter. I'm excited to try again, I'll be hoping for another nice DM doe to grow out. Then I intend to breed Elsa to the tort buck that I am growing out in hopes of getting a buck. That way, the 2 VM girls I've grown out are only 1/2 siblings to my vm buck. Take a little longer to get BEWs that way, but since I refuse to breed two SM's together...

The great thing about the VMs is how quickly they sell. They sell better than the brokens. I think it goes BEW, VM, Blanket Broken, Charlie broken in my area.

Just 3wks old and only one of those kits doesn't have its home arranged. <br /><br /> __________ Tue Apr 22, 2014 11:08 am __________ <br /><br />

squidpop":rzi3ykbp said:

Awwww! This makes me want to have more baby bunnies so bad! I wish I could have lionheads, they don't have any in New Zealand or Australia and neither country is allowed to import rabbits from any other country, so I guess we will never have them.

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Start selectively breeding. You should be able to make them, you guys have woolies and angoras down there, don't you? Start selectively breeding for rabbits with low fur on the saddle/back.

That's a very cute bunch of bunnies, Bad Habit!

So glad that things have been (mostly) going well for you. I know you're busy, but do try to drop in a little more often, just to say hi!

What a nice group of rabbits!

Too bad about the VLops not working out considering the time and expense involved in getting them- but there is so much variation in temperament among rabbit breeds that you are bound to run into breeds that don't suit you.

The HLops are a good choice for you, since they are smaller and better suited to your market. They sell like hotcakes at the shows here, and I'm sure direct to market too. And Oscar is adorable! I can't wait to see what he and Tamara produce!

Bad Habit":vtvxb8j0 said:

And just in case no one has been feeding MSD's nekked side addiction...

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No... *sniff!* no, they haven't.

See? It is your duty to come visit us more frequently to feed my cravings. :twisted:

MamaSheepdog":3q5a81qd said:

What a nice group of rabbits!

Too bad about the VLops not working out considering the time and expense involved in getting them- but there is so much variation in temperament among rabbit breeds that you are bound to run into breeds that don't suit you.

The HLops are a good choice for you, since they are smaller and better suited to your market. They sell like hotcakes at the shows here, and I'm sure direct to market too. And Oscar is adorable! I can't wait to see what he and Tamara produce!

Bad Habit":3q5a81qd said:

And just in case no one has been feeding MSD's nekked side addiction...

Click to expand...

No... *sniff!* no, they haven't.

See? It is your duty to come visit us more frequently to feed my cravings. :twisted:

Click to expand...

I'm particularly fond of the bunch of them. The NZ does are starting to come looking for attention - they have always been reserved, but I've not had them too long yet. When I got them they were 6mths and over 10lbs, so I'm hopeful that they will turn out very suitable for my meat program. Stella is quickly becoming a favourite - both because of the level of adorableness that is her babies and because she's warming up to me as well. She came out of a colony, had never been handled before she came here and put a nice mark in my arms when I first got here. She's now looking for pets, fine with me handling her babies, and getting better about picking up and nail trims. I had her sister, Oreo, who was a gold tipped steel booted broken, but had to cull her due to abscesses. You guys would be so proud, found an abscess, thought it was a wound for about 30s til I found 3 or 4 more abscesses, and culled her right away. I even tried to save the meat to make dog food, but it was disgusting, so that was a no-go.

Yeah, I think in a couple years, when the VLops are more reliably close to their breed standard, I might find them a better fit. They were just too big, too messy for in the house. I love them, super personable, but having a small herd, and then babies on top of it?? I just couldn't handle. Sold the whole kit and caboodle to a friend, it paid for the bew lionhead doe, the tort buck, transport for the pair of them, and then money left over besides. The woman who bought them told me when she gets rabbits that are maturing around the 5lbs they're supposed to be, she'll set me up with a nice pair.

Once Oscar is matured, I intend to get him a well suited broken blue otter doe. I actually got them because I was constantly being asked for small lop eared rabbits. I will admit to preferring Oscar to Tamara, but figure it's because his ears are down and hers are not.

I'm also discussing with my friend that she "lend" me a mini rex for a little while, to see how I feel about the breed. Kyle said he thinks I might not like them, because they have a lot of the same irritants that the vlops had, but I'm hoping the smaller size makes them easier to handle. Otherwise, I can just focus on the LH's and HL's.

Yeah, I think in a couple years, when the VLops are more reliably close to their breed standard, I might find them a better fit.

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I like mine so much I'm awfully tempted to move towards more v-lops instead of playing with the meat mutts. I think they might be a perfect fit for a color loving, temperament focused, heavy culling, meat raiser like me.
It will take more of them to fill the freezer...a perfect excuse to keep more rabbits and have more litters!

Maybe in a few years I'll have some v-lops that you won't be able to resist

The rest of your buns are adorable. I think Alaska's my favorite

Bad Habit":3jpelfq2 said:

I'm also discussing with my friend that she "lend" me a mini rex for a little while, to see how I feel about the breed.

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I'm getting into mini Rex, too!

I have a friend who raises Satins and she and I go to shows all the time together to share expenses... she has a few top of the line mini Rex, and Queenpup and I are going into partnership with her on them. Queenpup has been showing a little broken otter doe in youth, and has been doing really well with her.

Our hope is that we can sell the babies at shows and therefore make our showing "free", or at least offset the cost somewhat.

I currently have only one doe here at the house, and she is due to kindle in early May. She is a little skittish, but most of them are really sweet. I'll work with her when she has her litter, and hopefully she will tame down nicely with the help of the miracle hormone "prolactin" and will bond with us.

*sigh* Alaska.....

and then Sayuri *sigh again*

Glad to see you back.

Zass":3vjf3ipq said:

Yeah, I think in a couple years, when the VLops are more reliably close to their breed standard, I might find them a better fit.

Click to expand...

I like mine so much I'm awfully tempted to move towards more v-lops instead of playing with the meat mutts. I think they might be a perfect fit for a color loving, temperament focused, heavy culling, meat raiser like me.
It will take more of them to fill the freezer...a perfect excuse to keep more rabbits and have more litters!

Maybe in a few years I'll have some v-lops that you won't be able to resist

The rest of your buns are adorable. I think Alaska's my favorite

Click to expand...

Small!! I want small!! I was told 5-6lbs. I expected 5-6lbs. I tried to go on with the 8-9lb rabbits, really I did. But they were too messy-smelly for the house, and entirely too high maintenance. Couldn't have them outside, couldn't have them on wire, they'd go out of their way to roll in wet, smelly poop, or refuse to use a litter box, or they'd randomly forget how to use a water bottle. AND HOW MUCH THEY ATE OH MY GOSH. I couldn't afford the feed bills! They ate more than my meat rabbits at that point did. I still love the look of them, but when I think about owning them?? GAH, sets my blood boiling.

I like the little guys. They sell well, they're small and cute and easy to handle. The smell/cleaning load in the house isn't too much for me to handle, but they're hardy enough that I can stick some outside without worrying about them freezing their poor little ears off!!

MamaSheepdog":3vjf3ipq said:

Bad Habit":3vjf3ipq said:

I'm also discussing with my friend that she "lend" me a mini rex for a little while, to see how I feel about the breed.

Click to expand...

I'm getting into mini Rex, too!

I have a friend who raises Satins and she and I go to shows all the time together to share expenses... she has a few top of the line mini Rex, and Queenpup and I are going into partnership with her on them. Queenpup has been showing a little broken otter doe in youth, and has been doing really well with her.

Our hope is that we can sell the babies at shows and therefore make our showing "free", or at least offset the cost somewhat.

I currently have only one doe here at the house, and she is due to kindle in early May. She is a little skittish, but most of them are really sweet. I'll work with her when she has her litter, and hopefully she will tame down nicely with the help of the miracle hormone "prolactin" and will bond with us.

Click to expand...

I just like little cute things. And I adored the rex fur. I was looking into plush lops, but, again, hard to find them in the size they're supposed to be. I'm just paranoid now that any new breed is going to be another vlops fiasco, where I go to all that time, trouble, expense, and find out that they're not a breed I enjoy owning, just a breed I enjoy looking at. So from now on, when I'm thinking of a new breed, I'm just going to get one. See how the breeds behaviours mesh with me. I seem to be a fairly accurate judge of what the local market wants, as well, the breeds I like tend to sell well.

Marinea":3vjf3ipq said:

*sigh* Alaska.....

and then Sayuri *sigh again*

Glad to see you back.

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Thank you... but I wonder if you're more happy to see Alaska back . I've had offers on her from breeders buying from me. A couple of them seemed downright astounded when I said that I have no intentions of ever selling her. I think she'd stay here even if she couldn't be bred any longer, she's definitely my favourite. I've also discovered that she's a makeshift paper shredder. Give her anything that can be torn up, and she'll have it in 1cm squares in 15 minutes or less.

I can't wait to see what she produces bred back to the buck I held back(he really needs a name.) Counting down the days til he's 6mths and I give him his first doe!!!

Small!! I want small!! I was told 5-6lbs. I expected 5-6lbs. I tried to go on with the 8-9lb rabbits

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My own foundation rabbits are 6.5 and 7 lbs. This can work out better than I expected. I can eat the biggest ones.

they're hardy enough that I can stick some outside without worrying about them freezing their poor little ears off!!

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That is something I have worried about. I would need a proper heated bunny barn if I wanted to have more v-lops. The silverfox and their crosses ARE very cold hardy. It would be a huge trade off in that area. I think my meat would get a whole lot more expensive for a while. I would have to deal with the pet market some to even out costs. Not something I'm looking forward to.

Zass":bp4sztjv said:

Small!! I want small!! I was told 5-6lbs. I expected 5-6lbs. I tried to go on with the 8-9lb rabbits

Click to expand...

My own foundation rabbits are 6.5 and 7 lbs. This can work out better than I expected. I can eat the biggest ones.

they're hardy enough that I can stick some outside without worrying about them freezing their poor little ears off!!

Click to expand...

That is something I have worried about. I would need a proper heated bunny barn if I wanted to have more v-lops. The silverfox and their crosses ARE very cold hardy. It would be a huge trade off in that area. I think my meat would get a whole lot more expensive for a while. I would have to deal with the pet market some to even out costs. Not something I'm looking forward to.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't even consider the Vlops for meat, even with the large sizes I had... They ate too much!! When an open doe is eating more than a similarly sized doe who's on a litter? There's a problem. At max, I was going through 55lbs of food a week. A WEEK!!! I know that doesn't sound like much, but before I had the velveteens I was going through 55lbs a month. No thank you.

Feed efficiency will be something to cull for. I've heard others have had an awful time getting their velveteens to maintain good body weights as well.
And I know of one well fed doe under veterinary care (for over a year) that still was said to have died of nutrient deficiency.

Mucky camps out next to the fridge. She has an iron stomach.
I'll admit...
She gets ALL sorts of things I'd never feed the meat rabbits or recommend others to ever feed their buns
For example, if I have a gluten-free cookie, Mucky always gets a bite.) She also get fruits and veggies in quantities that are much greater than I would ever feed to the other rabbits. Perhaps all the "junk food" is exactly what she needs :shrug: ?
She's been maintaining her weight well without costing me too awful much (if I fed pure pellets I suspect she would eat a lot more), at least she's never ever had any digestive troubles.