A Case of Accidental Rabbitosis Aquireosis

[Demamma]

I am working on getting a Jersey wooly for youngest daughter and trying to find a buck.

There are a bunch of shows scattered around CA in the next couple of months- I'm sure you could find a really good one if you made a trip to a show.

Sundew had a really nice false dwarf JW doe with amazing type and wool for sale, and I was able to exercise Rabbitosis Resistosis despite having a hay filled hole available. You have no idea how hard that was.

I have been in touch with Sundew about that same doe. If all goes well I hope to be able to pick up at the Red Bluff show. I will look there also for a Buck.

 

[BlueLove16]

omg i am so jealous!!!

 

[ZRabbits]

She's lovely.

Karen

 

[OneAcreFarm]

She is LOVELY Sistah! Don't you just LOVE That color?

 

[MaggieJ]

What a sweet and beautiful bunny! Her colour is so rich too. She reminds me of Buffy, the bunny MidnightCoder had when he was young. Glad she is so friendly... and thereby escaped becoming snake food.

 

[Miss M]

Glad she is so friendly... and thereby escaped becoming snake food.

Yes, she looks like she's such a sweet bunny! And such a deep bluuuuuuuuuuue.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I'm not sure what Barbi was thinking with that... it is my understanding that breeding black to blue is okay, but throwing BEW into the mix can cause VM marked kits.

I have made contact with Barbi via email, and now have answers to that question. I knew she must have had good reasons!

She says that for beginners, breeding blue to blue, black to black, and BEW to BEW is best. But BEWs (of any breed) too closely linebred are prone to a seizure disorder. Black and blue crosses improved ears, bone, and eventually hind quarters. Chocolates are necessary to get the light violet blue color known as "vihar smoke" that is preferred for show- when you breed black to blue, you get darker blue like Rex and Americans. So the preferred "blue" is actually lilac. The VMs are good to breed back to BEWs to strengthen the gene pool. She has also found that the mix of colors has resulted in better growth, with most litters reaching 5lbs in 8-10 weeks!

 

[Stormy]

Thanks for sharing what you learned from Barbi, as I was about to share what I knew, from similar conversations with her. First off,
WELCOME TO THE BEVEREN CLUB!!! Yes, I too stumbled into this breed and our little Bijoux has us laughing over her goofy postures and antics as she runs about the house. She is so darned cute I ordered a buck from Calloway via the convention transporters. I had never known about this breed - its a big secret! Not only are they huge rabbits - wonderful for meat production - but they are VERY attractive rabbits, with classic round and plump and fluffy rabbit lines, with a cottonlike tail pinned to the back like a cartoon! They have inquisitive fun personalities to match. I remember Barbi speculating the reason they almost went extinct is that they had too much personality and no one wanted to raise them for meat. So we shall see how it goes.

As testament to their suitability for meat production, the buck I got from Calloway was a 9.5 lbs at 5.5 months - wow. He is huge. I look forward to finding out what the litters are like. These blue eyed whites are real special...tricky genetics, as you mention- and I believe its where that BEW gene comes from in all the other rabbit breeds, as this ia a really old breed. I have been eying the blues/lilacs and chocolates too. They are all gorgeous. Problem is that I have already a bunch of starter kit rabbits so I need to see which breeds I want to stick with before marching ahead with more colors!! Hope to make it to one of the shows soon - before I breed my doe - to find out where she lands (got her from Barbi) and the buck too - so please keep me posted if you decide to go to a show with her hope to meet you sometime.

Sounds like this breed is catching on slowly one by one as the news spreads I learned about them from a Belgian breeder, who had just one at the time - more now - Beveren are about the opposite, goofy where Belgians are elegant. Nice compliment.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

WELCOME TO THE BEVEREN CLUB!!!

Thanks!

Acquiring Cedar was a happy accident, that's for sure! Barbi offered to take her back from me because her dam is one of her favorite does.

I would love to meet you in person sometime. I will be attending the Chino show on December 8th and I may try to make it to either the Fresno show on the 15th or the Santa Barbara show on the 22nd... but we are always swamped around Christmas, so realistically Chino will probably be it for me, with Fresno a maybe... but it sure would be nice to make all of them and GC at least one of my rabbits! In January I will be attending the Bakersfield show, and there will be a show in Lancaster in March or April but it is not yet scheduled.

I am very excited to start working with this breed, and am looking forward to getting her on the table and finding out what the judges have to say about her.

 

[Stormy]

That's funny Barbi tried to take her off your hands...
she is a very beautiful rabbit! Good luck with her. I am not sure on which shows I'll be able to make yet for next month but who knows... Beveren folks usually put a shout out it seems, to find out who else is showing otherwise its not worth showing up if yours is the only one! Still too rare.

Funny that I had a similar Aquireosis affliction at the last show I was at in Santa Rosa. I just stopped in to get some cages and ended up with a Harlequin who was "going in the stewpot" in my empty carrying cage I'd just bought
Then of course I had to find a doe... so I can see this is a very dangerous disease! Now that I've spotted adorable broken sable Lionheads I am not sure what is going to happen to me, and my home if I ever run into those at a show... please let me know if you find a cure! And quick!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Beveren folks usually put a shout out it seems, to find out who else is showing otherwise its not worth showing up if yours is the only one!

That's good to know! I believe the lady I met at the show (that offered the services of her buck) will be there, as well as the owner of my buck-to-be, and myself, so there will be at least three exhibitors. Once I start breeding, if I bring five Bevs and list the kids as owners of some of them I will be able to get Legs anyway.

Funny that I had a similar Aquireosis affliction at the last show I was at in Santa Rosa.

It's a pandemic!

I just stopped in to get some cages and ended up with a Harlequin who was "going in the stewpot" in my empty carrying cage I'd just bought

Uh-oh. Poor Cedar was stuffed into my 18" carrier, so I will need to purchase larger carriers myself... let us hope there are no bunnies with tragic stories awaiting me in Chino!

Now that I've spotted adorable broken sable Lionheads I am not sure what is going to happen to me, and my home if I ever run into those at a show... please let me know if you find a cure! And quick!

I'm afraid you are doomed... there is no cure. The only safe course is strict isolation from the outside world, up to and including access to the internet and those old-fashioned "newspapers".

 

[Stormy]

That's good to know! I believe the lady I met at the show (that offered the services of her buck) will be there, as well as the owner of my buck-to-be, and myself, so there will be at least three exhibitors. Once I start breeding, if I bring five Bevs and list the kids as owners of some of them I will be able to get Legs anyway.

where's "there"? Chino? Much too far for me... in fact Fresno is too... Santa Rosa show is coming up mid-Jan is that too far for you?

Uh-oh. Poor Cedar was stuffed into my 18" carrier, so I will need to purchase larger carriers myself... let us hope there are no bunnies with tragic stories awaiting me in Chino!

I hear you... at the next show I will especially NOT talk to the American Chinchilla people, and not visit the Rex, and not look at Harlequins or American blues, or Angoras, and avoid all those folks with Blue Beverens - whoops, hope we run into each other is some rabbit-free zone!

I'm afraid you are doomed... there is no cure. The only safe course is strict isolation from the outside world, up to and including access to the internet and those old-fashioned "newspapers".

Oh, this sounds heavy!! But I think you may be right, the only cure! The latest intrigue with Lionheads all started from an innocent ad magazine enclosed with some supplies purchased online. They slam dunked me with a ridiculously cute bunny photo. The reality is I can't raise 5 breeds well, so I really am going to have to pick my favorite 1 or 2... or 3?
...it all started by getting ONE Belgian Hare... it just takes one "gateway" rabbit to bring down the house.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

it just takes one "gateway" rabbit to bring down the house.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :nothingtoadd:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Much too far for me... in fact Fresno is too.

Santa Rosa is 380 miles distant. I just googled directions from both our locations to Fresno, and for me it would be 158.62 miles, and from the center of Occidental, it is 158.60! :lol: You can't get much better than that. Maybe we could plan it for next year when we have Beveren babies to trade.

it just takes one "gateway" rabbit to bring down the house.

Ain't that the truth. I thought I was safe since I started out with Rex, "The King of Rabbits"... what could possibly compete? Yeah- that worked out well. :roll:

 

[Stormy]

Haha! Do you still raise Rex? Or what do you have now?

I used to raise Rex 25 years ago as a kid. I LOVED them but I thought I'd first start by exploring the endangered breeds... I wasn't supposed to get ALL the endangered breeds...

Well how about that Fresno is halfway - good to know - I may be game for that baby trade in a year For me, 4.5 hours of driving to a rabbit show... I am not that crazy yet. Maybe if I have some litters of rabbits I'm trying to push off on unsuspecting passerby, then I will be Right now I just have my starter kits of one male one female and no one is old enough to breed, but I do want to get them in the show ring soon just to see what I'm starting with! I'll put Fresno on my calendar... I just know I couldn't drive down and back in one day that is a really long drive...

I also like your idea of how to compete against yourself... wish I had more kids! Do they all have to be present in order to show their rabbits? I just have my BF, I don't think I could get him to go to a show though...

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have Rex, (lots and lots of Rex!), two Craigslist LionHeads that must be mutts because they are huge, a trio of Jerswey Woolys, and the lone Beveren.

For me, 4.5 hours of driving to a rabbit show... I am not that crazy yet.

YET being the operative word. :mrgreen:

If I went to Fresno, I would probably arrange with a neighbor who has cavies and Palomino rabbits to share a hotel room. If the show runs late, it would be too much to have to drive all the way home, only to have to unload rabbits on top of it all. You might be able to make a similar arrangement if you have any friends who show.

I just have my BF, I don't think I could get him to go to a show though...

Your BF doesn't have to attend the show. In fact, I showed a doe I had arranged to sell under the new owner's name, and she was not related to me at all. My Hubs and three kids are also listed as owners of my Rabbitry which is registered with ARBA.

 

[Stormy]

I have Rex, (lots and lots of Rex!), two Craigslist LionHeads that must be mutts because they are huge, a trio of Jerswey Woolys, and the lone Beveren.

...a bit hesitatingly... which colors of Rex?

...Lionheads...Craigslist? hmmm... uh-oh...

YET being the operative word. :mrgreen:

uh-oh

Your BF doesn't have to attend the show.

Well that is smart. I guess that is one way to create your own competition for these shows <br /><br />__________ Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:33 pm __________<br /><br />

it just takes one "gateway" rabbit to bring down the house.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :nothingtoadd:

:lol: If I'm not the only one... and MamaSheepDog isn't the only one... that means there might be a whole bunch of us... and this could be a serious problem.

I think there may need to be a new subsection on this forum, called "Rabbits Anonymous". We can check in each morning BEFORE we start our day, BEFORE hunting Craigslist for unwanted Lionheads, BEFORE heading to the rabbit show where people will threaten to put cute rabbits that are not ours into stewpots, BEFORE heading to Barbi Brown's rabbitry to pick up supplies and accidentally view all the different colors of near-extinct breeds of rabbits she has for sale, even before opening ads for pet stores that have rabbit pictures in them. We could be mutual support to stay strong, to stay focused, to spend more time with the rabbits we already have and less time looking at other amazing rabbits! This has got to be a serious issue, like an online porn addiction. But with rabbits. It is just hitting me how much time I spend researching rabbits, breeds, treatments for diseases, cage designs, etc.... I think I spend more time on this than anything else in my life, and I am a busy woman.
The first step is admitting there is a problem...

 

[skysthelimit]

Ain't that the truth. I thought I was safe since I started out with Rex, "The King of Rabbits"... what could possibly compete? Yeah- that worked out well. :roll:

A king needs loyal subjects. My breed count is five, and I'm sticking to it!!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

...a bit hesitatingly... which colors of Rex?

Black, blue, opal, castor, REW, and I recently got a pair of lilacs from OAF, so I should have chocolates as well. I have broken in all varieties except the lilac since they haven't been bred yet.

I guess that is one way to create your own competition for these shows

The first show I attended there was only one other exhibitor. The second show there were two others, so I squeaked by. I decided that it wasn't worthwhile to make the drive if I couldn't earn legs. If none of the animals merit a leg the judge will withhold it, so it isn't a hollow award.

A king needs loyal subjects.

Nice spin, Sky! I think we'll keep you around!

 

[skysthelimit]

Ain't that the truth. I thought I was safe since I started out with Rex, "The King of Rabbits"... what could possibly compete? Yeah- that worked out well. :roll:

A king needs loyal subjects. My breed count is five, and I'm sticking to it!!

Ok, so I was wrong. I may secretly replace those hollands with some mini lops :bunnyhop: