My Rabbits

Hey! I realized I've done a lot of informational posts, but not a lot of fun ones. So this post will be an update about my rabbitry. (Containing pictures of course 😉) 

Things are certainly hoppin' at my place right now. I have a litter of four Mini Lop babies recently weaned, six weeks old. (Anybody want a bunny?) I have a litter of EIGHT for my first time Mini Lop mom! Technically she had nine, but I had a really really tiny kit that died. It was less than half the size of its smallest sibling. The other super tiny one survived though. Anyway, they're doing good. I have four brokens in that litter one lilac? and three black otter/silver marten??? babies. We have a Mini Satin first time mom haystacheing and due any day, and a Jersey Wooly veteran (6 litters, all survived and cared for) mom due Monday. We built a rabbit hutch, went to a few shows, updated our supplies, and switched to a different feed that's working MUCH better.

SO here's a few pictures of my six week old Mini Lop litter. Three bucks and a doe I think.

And here's a picture I doctored up a bit. 

Tips for Beginning Rabbit Raisers

I contemplated waiting to publish this article, seeing as I've barely begun raising rabbits myself, but I have learned a lot and made quite a few mistakes since I started nearly four years ago.

Mistake #1: For our first rabbits, we decided to browse craigslist and find some cute $10 bunnies. (Yes, I know. Yikes.) Fast forward to a bunny-filled garage. The people didn't know who the father was, and couldn't sex the babies properly. They simply grabbed two rabbits and plopped them in our arms. I received Willow the baby Dutch bunny and Jordan received Denali, also a baby Dutch.
Mistake #2: The rabbits were only 6 weeks old. Fortunately, we dodged a bullet; nothing went wrong.
Mistake #3: We put both adolescent rabbits in a hutch together. We were lucky and when puberty hit, nothing happened but a bit of missing hair.
Mistake #4: Once both rabbits reached adulthood, we noticed they were getting a little too friendly. Yep, you guessed it. Willow and Denali were actually doe and buck.

You may be wondering, what is so bad about all the mistakes written above? Well, to begin with, if you want to raise show rabbits, you should not buy the first cute $10 bunnies you see. You should research the breed you want, find a breeder, ask lots of questions, hopefully attend a rabbit show, and purchase a pedigreed, show quality rabbit. This rabbit should also be at least 8 weeks old; any younger age really is too young. Learn how to sex rabbits or take along a reliable friend who can before you look at the rabbits. Preferably, get a second opinion. Don't house two rabbits in the same cage. They may get along initially, but after young rabbits go through puberty many fight with each other. To me and many other breeders I've talked to, it is simply not worth the risk. Additionally, you obviously shouldn't house male and female rabbits together.

So what is the proper way to go about purchasing rabbits?

First of all, decide what breed you would like to buy. Would you prefer a small, medium, or large sized rabbit? Lop ears or regular, upright ears? Rex, wool, normal, or satin fur? Do you want to raise pet rabbits, meat rabbits, show rabbits, or even rabbits for fur? The ARBA Standard of Perfection lists all recognized rabbit breeds, or you can go to www.arba.net to view all recognized breeds. I highly suggest going to a rabbit show, looking at the rabbits, talking to breeders and judges. Once you've decided on your breed, find a reputable breeder. If you want to breed rabbits, purchasing a breeding trio of two does and one buck is often the best way to go. Before you buy the rabbits, look them over carefully. Check their eyes, ears, nose, mouth, feet, legs, belly, gender, tail, fur condition, and flesh quality. A healthy rabbit's eyes will be bright, ears will be clear, nose will be free of snot, teeth should be structurally sound(no malocclusion, butting, or overgrown teeth), feet should be well furred with no sores and all toenails(four nails on rear feet, five on front), legs should be straight, belly should have no sores or abscesses, genital area should have no sores or abscesses, tail should be carried straight; watch out for wry tail, dead tail, or broken tail. Finally, the fur should be clean and relatively stain free with a healthy luster.  (Unless the rabbit is molting) The rabbit should be of appropriate weight and flesh condition. When you feel the spine, the vertebrae should feel like gentle bumps, not bony spikes. Make sure the rabbit is of the appropriate weight for the breed and has no disqualifications either for its breed or in general.

As you breed your rabbits, one important thing to remember is, Keep the best and cull the rest. To cull means to remove a rabbit from your herd. Evaluating your rabbits is something that takes some time to master but is very important. If one rabbit doesn't follow the standard as well as others or simply doesn't follow the standard at all, cull it. I think it is best to get a second opinion when evaluating, even if you know what to look for. A fresh pair of eyes almost always helps.

This is all I can think of right now, but I will add more tips to this post as I go. Good luck with your rabbit raising adventure!

WARNING: ALL RABBIT BREEDERS

I have an important announcement to make. Recently I went to a rabbit show, and it was a lot of fun. BUT really, a rabbit show is fraught with danger. Here's a list of things to watch out for.

1. Cute bunnies. This is the most dangerous problem of all. SO MANY FLUFFIES! You will NOT be able to walk away. Resistance is futile. (I almost bought 3 rabbits that I had ABSOLUTELY no use for. I even tried to justify buying them 😂)
2. Nice people. If I had stopped to chat with every nice breeder there, I would have been gone all day! 
3. Bunny Supplies. TOO MUCH USEFUL STUFF. I bought a pedigree book, a nest box, rabbit carrier latches, a Standard of Perfection, and almost bought approximately 30,000 other items. 
4. DID I MENTION THE BUNNIES???

Bottom line, is unless you want to leave with exactly ZERO DOLLARS in your wallet, don't go to a rabbit show.

(Actually what I'm saying here, is go to a rabbit show, have fun and buy ALL DA BUNNIES)

There ain't no such thing as too many rabbits. 

Diseases: Myxomatosis

Myxomatosis is a disease caused by the myxoma virus that affects rabbits. Myxomatosis causes skin tumors and sometimes blindness, followed by fatigue and fever. Affected rabbits usually die within 14 days of contracting the disease. Myxomatosis is spread by direct contact with an affected rabbit or by being bitten by fleas or mosquitoes that have fed on an affected rabbit. There is no treatment for rabbits suffering from myxomatosis and it is best to euthanize the rabbit to end its suffering. However, myxomatosis can be prevented by an annual vaccine.

Is it really worth it to join ARBA?

As someone who has asked this question myself, I decided to answer it for you all in this article. First of all, for anyone who isn't aware, ARBA stands for the American Rabbit Breeders Association. It is currently the largest domestic rabbit organization.

For me, this question was a dilemma at first, because my rabbitry is extremely small. (I only have four rabbits, two are bred) Is it really worth it to join ARBA, especially if you have a small, low producing rabbitry?

From my personal experience, the answer is yes. When you join ARBA, you get a subscription to the Domestic Rabbits magazine, which is chock full of useful tidbits. You also get the Guide to Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies, which covers every topic from getting your rabbits show ready to supplies you should obtain. You also get an ARBA membership card, which allows you to participate in ARBA Convention.

Join ARBA today!
https://www.arba.net/join.htm

Rabbit Terms: Disease, Virus, and Parasite

Disease

A disease is "a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms, or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direst result of physical injury." Bordetella, coccidiosis, conjunctivitis, and enteritis are some examples of diseases that affect rabbits. 

Virus

A virus is "an infective agent that typically consists of a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat, is too small to be seen by light microscopy, and is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host." Myxomatosis, rabbitpox, rabbit fibroma virus, calcivirus, and papillomatosis are all examples of viruses in rabbits. 

Parasite

A parasite is "an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host's expense." Some examples of parasites in rabbits are fleas, ear mites, ticks, etc. 

The Dwarf Gene

One of the most challenging problems many rabbit breeders run into is the unfortunate case of peanuts. Peanuts are babies much smaller than the rest that do not grow and always die. Because they are so small, they are usually unable to nurse or disfigured. Some breeders choose to put them out of their misery humanely, while others decided to simply let the babies die naturally. This is one of many reasons why rabbit raising is not for the faint of heart.
Peanut babies are malformed because of genetics. The dwarf gene causes this malformation. Rabbit breeds that carry the dwarf gene are Mini Satins, Polish, Netherland Dwarf, Holland Lop, Dwarf Hotot, Mini Rex, Britannia Petite, American Fuzzy Lop, and Jersey Wooly.
***Note: There may be others I forgot to mention***
Dwarf rabbits come in three types: true dwarfs, false dwarfs, and the aforementioned peanuts. False dwarfs tend to be longer, larger, and usually exceed the maximum weight for their breed. True dwarfs are the ones that generally do better on the show table. They tend to be truer to their breed type: more compact, short, balanced, and more likely to stay within the appropriate weight.
How do you tell if your newborn babies are peanuts?
When my brother used to breed Polish rabbits, we were quite anxious about our first litter, since the dam was a true dwarf. Afraid that we would not be able to recognize a peanut and dispose of it properly once deceased, we went online and did our research. Research certainly helped, but you really will be able to tell the difference between normal kits and peanuts easily. At birth, peanuts weigh 3/4 of an ounce, whereas the others will weigh about 1 1/2 ounces or more. Peanuts may have bulging heads, crossed back legs, and may also be disfigured and elongated.
For more information on the dwarf gene and what you will get with different true dwarf/false dwarf breedings, thenaturetrail.com is a good place to visit.