MamaSheepdog
Well-known member
Yesterday I attended a show in Lancaster, and brought 5 Rex and 3 Jersey Woolys in two 4-hole transport cages and one 2-hole cage. The JW's have been in quarantine in the house, so I didn't want to mix and match bunnies... so the Woolys were in a 4-hole, with hay stuffed in the empty hole to feed every bunny, and the Rex were in the other cages, with one hole empty in the 2-hole carrier. I purposely left my other transport cages at home, because I was not, repeat NOT going to bring any new rabbits home. :nono:
I was minding my own business, watching the judging of some enormous BEW and self Blue rabbits at the table where my JW's were scheduled to be exhibited. I was trying to figure out what the breed was by the list posted so I would have an idea of when I needed to be ready.
"Look at all the meat on those rabbits," I mused. :dinner: "Those blues are very pretty. Imagine a quilt made out of those pelts."
I decided I was probably looking at Americans, since they come in blue and white and the rabbits were of mandolin type.
A lady I had met the prior year approached me, with yet another huge blue rabbit in her arms. One of her mini Rex does had surprised her by kindling at the show the prior year, and I had fixed a hot water bottle and impromptu nest with some of my hay for the kits. I asked if they had survived, which they had.
At this point, the rabbit commenced to struggle, and she was having a hard time keeping hold of it, since it was roughly half her size. She looked very distressed, and the rabbit was clearly about to launch itself to freedom, so I offered to hold it for her. Once in my arms, the rabbit settled itself, and hung like a big blue stuffed toy.
"Look how she stopped struggling right away! Thank you for holding her- I'm not used to handling big rabbits." I stood stroking its comical huge ears and plush coat while we watched the judging of the class.
"Do you have Beverens?" she asked. "Er- no." says I. "I raise Rex for meat and have a trio of Jersey Woolys." "Oh, too bad," she said, looking crestfallen. "I'm looking for a home for this doe. I'm only asking $5. Otherwise she is going to the snake man for $3."
Horrified by the prospect of this snuggly bunny being munched by an Anaconda, I clutched the rabbit just a bit tighter to my chest. "Wont you take her? They are a meat breed, and she really likes you."
A great inner struggle began to occur. Cage space is limited. I need to cull a bunch of rabbits as it is. But my Sistah OAF has Americans, and she says the loin is longer. Crossing a Rex to a Beveren (not an American after all!) would just be too weird... but... what if...
I turned to the lady on my opposite side and asked if she had any blue bucks for sale. She did not. I explained the situation, and told her I might take the doe, but only if I could also acquire a buck. Apparently, Beveren exhibitors are few and far between, so the prospect of ensnaring me as a breeder was too good to pass up. She offered to breed her buck to her instead. :roll:
As it turned out, the doe was not quite ready, but she contacted another breeder and found an intermediate buck for me. He placed second at convention. I will be getting him December 8th from a show in Chino- if I don't go myself, I have some friends that will be attending and they offered to bring him home for me.
The breeder looked at her papers, and told me she is out of one of the top lines in the country- Calloway's- and it turns out she was bred by Barbi Brown. Small world, eh? My buck to be also carries Calloway's.
So, without further ado, meet "Cedar"...
Here she is, wisely kissing up to Hubs:
Our cat Jigsaw was appalled at the size of this new interloper:
Here she is lounging:
I was minding my own business, watching the judging of some enormous BEW and self Blue rabbits at the table where my JW's were scheduled to be exhibited. I was trying to figure out what the breed was by the list posted so I would have an idea of when I needed to be ready.
"Look at all the meat on those rabbits," I mused. :dinner: "Those blues are very pretty. Imagine a quilt made out of those pelts."
I decided I was probably looking at Americans, since they come in blue and white and the rabbits were of mandolin type.
A lady I had met the prior year approached me, with yet another huge blue rabbit in her arms. One of her mini Rex does had surprised her by kindling at the show the prior year, and I had fixed a hot water bottle and impromptu nest with some of my hay for the kits. I asked if they had survived, which they had.
At this point, the rabbit commenced to struggle, and she was having a hard time keeping hold of it, since it was roughly half her size. She looked very distressed, and the rabbit was clearly about to launch itself to freedom, so I offered to hold it for her. Once in my arms, the rabbit settled itself, and hung like a big blue stuffed toy.
"Look how she stopped struggling right away! Thank you for holding her- I'm not used to handling big rabbits." I stood stroking its comical huge ears and plush coat while we watched the judging of the class.
"Do you have Beverens?" she asked. "Er- no." says I. "I raise Rex for meat and have a trio of Jersey Woolys." "Oh, too bad," she said, looking crestfallen. "I'm looking for a home for this doe. I'm only asking $5. Otherwise she is going to the snake man for $3."
Horrified by the prospect of this snuggly bunny being munched by an Anaconda, I clutched the rabbit just a bit tighter to my chest. "Wont you take her? They are a meat breed, and she really likes you."
A great inner struggle began to occur. Cage space is limited. I need to cull a bunch of rabbits as it is. But my Sistah OAF has Americans, and she says the loin is longer. Crossing a Rex to a Beveren (not an American after all!) would just be too weird... but... what if...
I turned to the lady on my opposite side and asked if she had any blue bucks for sale. She did not. I explained the situation, and told her I might take the doe, but only if I could also acquire a buck. Apparently, Beveren exhibitors are few and far between, so the prospect of ensnaring me as a breeder was too good to pass up. She offered to breed her buck to her instead. :roll:
As it turned out, the doe was not quite ready, but she contacted another breeder and found an intermediate buck for me. He placed second at convention.
I will be getting him December 8th from a show in Chino- if I don't go myself, I have some friends that will be attending and they offered to bring him home for me. The breeder looked at her papers, and told me she is out of one of the top lines in the country- Calloway's- and it turns out she was bred by Barbi Brown. Small world, eh? My buck to be also carries Calloway's.
So, without further ado, meet "Cedar"...
Here she is, wisely kissing up to Hubs:
Our cat Jigsaw was appalled at the size of this new interloper:
Here she is lounging:
