to name or not to name

[GBov]

Studies have shown that named animals tend to do better than unnamed animals. It seems to be true for me at least, I find I spend longer talking to and petting one with a name than without.

And while it takes me aaaaaages to pick a name any stock that hangs around long enough gets a name.

Right now we have.......

Captain Rex
Nya
Asoka
Blue Bell
Snow Ball
Tiger
Stripes
Coco
Bloody Useless
Bloody Stupid
Boom-a-rang
First
Honey
Patches the second
Twitchy
Surprise
Jet

All of them named either for a trait or color or, with the kids rabbits, for favorite tv shows.

We do still eat them, named or not, but caring for them is more fun when they have a name.

 

[UK-backyardbunnies]

I would name the does if I could think of anything :s

 

[SuburbanHomesteader]

We only name our breeding stock or any animal we plan to keep. All rabbits get tattooed. Allows me to keep track of who went to "freezer camp" and when or who was sold to whom and when.

 

[Barton's Big Bunnies]

All our animals get a name unless they are for sale. They are all spoiled rotten & loved on daily, including the ones for sale.
Right now we have...

Stretch
Stormy
Bubbles
Bean
JellyBean
Piggy
Snowball
Torch
Pebbles
Meadow
Springs
Willow
Moe
Lollipop
Licorice

As for our tattoos. We do a letter for the buck, letter for the doe, number of litter kindled from the dame, number for the kit. We were thinking about adding B3 for our rabbitry: Barton's Big Bunnies

 

[Sinnfox]

I tend to name all my rabbits...even the ones I only take in to rehab that leave soon after. helps me keep track ...triggers my brain to sort who is who better...but at one point I have almost 50 (fewer currently an no plans to have quite that many again) and knew who was who and where they were from and various other info off the top of my head because I got my brain trained to sort it by name learned the trick when I was about 13 and was breeding rats (over 100 at a time and knew all their blood lines and names, yes they all had names ) but its a nice skill...mostly it helps my poor husband keep better track...if I say feed _name here_ he knows who I mean since i help him learn the names of the ones I have currently...so if I'm ill and one needs something special it is easier for him to know whom I mean...eventually I will tag all the cages with name tags also to make it easier for him if I get ill...also to be fair I have the numbers dyslexia thing...so numbering them wouldn't work for me I tend to only name them once they are out of the nest box though if its ones I bred...and call the lil ones that are still box bound the squirmers or wigglers...or blinkers when they open their eyes...once they start hopping around driving their mothers crazy they get names

 

[dragonladyleanne]

I have learned not to name the little ones, since it seems to jinx them (I was calling one Lacey from its head pattern, when rats or a possum attacked the litter and tore up Lacey), but that's just me. My breeders are all named, and one who survived the predator attack with a missing leg (Trike), and now babies are just called "x's popples" or "weanlings". My adult rabbits are Spot, Belle, Quartz (does), D'Artagnan, Patches, George and Hairy (bucks). Yes, that's too many bucks, as I had to cull 2 does, Schatzi and Baby Bel, due to abscesses. Within a month, I will probably have to cull a buck or 2, depending on litter outcomes. It's a little hard to do in a named animal, but for me, it has been about putting the does to good use after euthanizing.

 

[DarayTala]

I named all my breeders at first. Now I've learned to wait until they've had a few litters and we are sure we are keeping them before they get names. I also seem to like to name by theme.

My partner named two of the first four I got:
Face (NZ/Flemish doe with huge ears and a very expressive face)
No-Face (NZW doe with no real defining features)
Volkswagon (NZW buck that I named because of the Volkswagon rabbit )
Midnight (NZ/lop doe that came to us named)

My American Blues, named after Jeeps:
Patriot (buck)
Liberty (doe)

My mini rex or mini-rex mixes, named after Once Upon a Time characters:
Rumplestiltskin (tri colored mixed buck)
Red (red purebred buck)
Snow (magpie mixed doe)

We also have two NZW does and a NZ/harlequin buck that do not yet have names.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Ahem... Sistah... do the poor bucks deserve no mention?

Yes, but I got tired of typing.... :twisted:

Big Blue (Blue Cal)
Four (OB4... :roll: )
Samson's Brother (OBS8)
Dutch (Choco Cal)
Mr. Nibbles (Broken Black Rex)
Cadbury (Chocolate Rex)

and various Jr. bucks growing out.....

There, are you satisfied Sistah? :lol:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Yes.

 

[Basenji43]

I dont give our meat rabbits names because they will either be people food or dog food at some point and I dont want to make it harder on myself. My breeding stock (all three of them get numbers. Girls are odd numbers and boys are even numbers. So right now by does are #1 and #3 while my buck is #2. The kits dont get names or numbers they are refered to as babies, bunnies, or kits.

 

[carebear]

My buck has a name, Mr Peabody, for his tendency to pee in his food crock, no matter where I put it in his cage, and regardless if he has a litterbox. Franken-Doe has been shortened to Frankie, and #1 and #2 haven't been named yet. The chicken are 1-5, as in, '1,2,3,4....where's number 5?" #5 is usually a redhead that likes to get on the back porch even though she knows she's not supposed to; she bit me the other day (!) when I picked her up, so I grabbed a broom the next time. I think there is some kind of species memory re chickens and brooms....she totally freaked and squeezed through the rails of the porch, wailing the whole time, even though I hadn't come near her! lol! (and I wouldn't have swatter her with it or anything)

 

[skysthelimit]

My buck has a name, Mr Peabody, for his tendency to pee in his food crock, no matter where I put it in his cage, and regardless if he has a litterbox.

Reminds me of the puppy I call Mr. Nasty Pants. Soils the crate.

 

[PistolPackingMomma]

Haha, "Princess Fussy Pants" and "Bloody Useless" made me laugh!

I plan on naming my breeding stock alphabetically, and their progeny would be named in a similar fashion. So all of Doe A's kits would have A names, etc.`

But that will only be for keepers; all of the ones destined for the plate will most likely be named after food. That would be one way to figure out my meal planning in advance, haha! Things like "Cathy Cacciatore", "Grillin' Gus", "Spaghetti Sal" and "Stew".

Or maybe I'll keep it really simple and just name them all "Yummy!" :twisted: :lol:

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Haha, "Princess Fussy Pants" and "Bloody Useless" made me laugh!

I plan on naming my breeding stock alphabetically, and their progeny would be named in a similar fashion. So all of Doe A's kits would have A names, etc.`

But that will only be for keepers; all of the ones destined for the plate will most likely be named after food. That would be one way to figure out my meal planning in advance, haha! Things like "Cathy Cacciatore", "Grillin' Gus", "Spaghetti Sal" and "Stew".

Or maybe I'll keep it really simple and just name them all "Yummy!" :twisted: :lol:

We had a buck named "Stu".... :lol:

 

[Wheels]

I named ours breeders but in general when speaking to them (you all talk to your rabbits, right?) I call the does 'momma' and the Bucks are 'Buddy'. eaters are referred to as 'dumplings'

Our doe Muffin had only 4 kits the first time and we named them, tabasco, biscuit, pot-pie, and toast. Pot-pie and Toast got ate, Tobasco and Biscuit are going to Camp next week.

 

[wsmoak]

The big commercial rabbitry I visited uses the first letter of the name to track buck lines. If a doe is bred to Frank, then any kit kept from that litter will have a name beginning with F.

I haven't named any yet, but as all the Californians look alike, I need something to help me keep things straight.

-Wendy

 

[coffeenutdesigns]

kinda kicking around names for the terminals, too:

Stewie
Noodle
Friar (fryer)
Chilly
Nugget

Still thinking on some more.