Wavering commitment...

[TF3]

About a month ago, my husband asked me if I was ready to be done with rabbits.
Um, no. :shock:
I finally have stock I am happy to build on, and we had a great first year.

He really doesn't want to do the work... and it ties us down completely as our location makes it tough to get someone to provide care if we go visit family etc. so it really curtailed our freedom.
Because he drives truck long haul, his time home is short.
Because my work leaves me with terrible issues with wrists and elbows, it is better if he does the clean up.
And in the last month, my allergies have taken a terrible turn~ I am on puffers and can't set foot in homes with cats (my closest friends), I am avoiding heating with wood (our main source) as the smoke gets me.
Of course, the fact that I am allergic to the rabbits, which I thought I was managing well (we are very good about no contamination in the house LOL), only exacerbates my lung issues.
And not cleaning daily, or close to it, makes it worse. Catch 22.

And we have been spectacularly lucky to have had almost no freezing weather so far this year (we should have had a good 6 weeks of winter by now),
and even so, the cleaning and so on has been a challenge.
Plus I have Raynaud's phenomenon, so even just above zero, spending any time with bare hands on bunnies gives me pain.

LOL It sounds so pathetic, I know! :x
I'm really a healthy person LOL
Honest!

I love my buns.
I love the planning and the care.
But the market hasn't really borne out like I hoped it might.
And my daughter simply doesn't hold up her end.
So now it is *me* thinking about letting it go.
I told hubby to give me until the spring sale (late May) to decide when he brought it up.

And now I am thinking of that as my end goal.
It isn't like we can't do it again.
Or keep a couple pets.

I'm planning some big changes in my business this year, and we are working on a slow re-entry (over the next couple years) of my daughter into school,
so my plate *is* full enough. And I have a lifelong habit of adding that one thing too many.
So it might be the rabbits... we'll see.

In the meantime, I hope for our first new year litters mid-January :lol:

 

[ladysown]

Totally understand...you need to be mindful of what is best for you and him.

and if daughter isn't helping out and you had counted on the help (to help with the allergies and what not) then taking the winter to see if it's the end seems like a wise decision.

Doesn't mean you can't stay as part of us here though.

 

[Homer]

:yeahthat:

I finally have stock I am happy to build on, and we had a great first year.

That should make it easier to sell. Maybe contact your local 4H group/s and see if they might be interested and a group project. Don't think I'd wait till May though.

...
And my daughter simply doesn't hold up her end....

Does she have a favorite rabbit? Set her down and tell her what your thoughts are about her not helping. Let her know you think you'll get rid of ALL of them. It really doesn't sound like you can handle it all by yourself.

opcorn:

 

[MaggieJ]

Lori, keeping rabbits can be a joy, but it can also become a burden. I finally had to give it up because I can no longer handle the chores. I'm still interested and still like to share my experience here on RT, but I don't regret my decision.

I'm not sure how many rabbits you have at present. Would it be a possibility to keep just a trio of the best and breed them only for your own table? That might make the rabbit project manageable for you and it would mean you could rebuild your herd if you find you can do more later on. Just a thought.

Whatever you decide, I hope you will remain a member. I enjoy your posts very much.

 

[TF3]

I appreciate the understanding
I'm thinking I might hang on to a couple -- for table and just to enjoy.
We'll see how the spring goes along.
My daughter will have to step up if she wants to keep her specials, for sure! <br /><br /> __________ Sat Dec 19, 2015 10:20 pm __________ <br /><br /> You know how sometimes the answer is clear? LOL
First, I was talking to a semi-local rabbit person, and found a new home for my crazy Rex doe with her (with full disclosure).
Then, I happened to see a FB post from someone looking for does in my area, as she was travelling through on Saturday...
I thought I'd offer her a choice among my young does I kept for breeding for the spring, figuring I could spare one or two... she wanted all four and we made the connection today...
So i went from 14 to 9 rabbits almost overnight~ got what I wanted for them, homes and price.

I still have 5 breeding does, 3 have been bred.
And 4 bucks (LOL I like my boys!)
Plenty to keep us hopping through the spring and we'll see how things roll out.

{the hardest part of letting my 4 young does go was how awesome they are! I haven't picked them up in a few weeks and the two out of my Cali buck blew me away... meat bricks! Ah, well. }