CC is Nesting!



Chocolate Chip is in the nest box busily making a nest, or... something like that.  I have been pretty skeptical that she was even bred, but hopefully she's proving me wrong now.  :)  She's a first time mom, and somewhat of a crazy little rabbit, so I have my fingers crossed.  At least she picked a nice warm day to kindle, it's like 40 degrees out, the sun is shining and the snow is melting! 

"Hey!  This is serious business.  Get that camera outta here!"

 And the other rabbits....

Bella, "Don't look at me!  I'm holding out 'til day 32.  So there."

Dolly... due on the 9th.

Haylie, due on the 6th.

Mickey, "Don't forget about ME!!!!"

A baby munching on some hay.  :)

Will keep ya'll posted on CC!  =D

New Owners

My friend, Julia, got her first bunny yesterday.  She is going to start her own rabbitry raising Dwarf Hotots, and I am so excited for her.... congrats, Julia!  :) She got a little brood doe from Bella, and will be getting a few more in the next few months. 

Julia with Ruby.

Also, thank you to Giana who also got a bunny yesterday!  She has been waiting soooo patiently for a few months for her bunny, and I was so excited to see him go to his new home.  He is going to be a very spoiled bunny! Have fun, Giana!

Giana with Snowball.

When someone gets a bunny from me, I send them home with a care pack which includes feed to start the bunny off with, hay, an ADRHC pamphlet, a care sheet, and more. 

I love seeing my bunnies go to great homes and giving their owners a good start with their new pets!

New Homes for the Bunnies

Bella's litter of 3 are 8 weeks old today.... already!  Two of them are going to new homes today.  The remaining one I will be keeping for a few more weeks, he hasn't been growing very fast/much at all, and is either a runt or something is wrong with him, and I don't feel safe selling him at this point, so I'll be keeping him a little longer so I can make sure he's going to be a healthy, happy bun before he goes to a new home.
This morning I got up extra early, at 5am, and had some nice quiet (something that only happens before your little brothers are up :)) time working on pedigrees, care sheets, and other things that had to be done before the bunnies go to new homes this afternoon.  I really had a fun time!  ;)  It was so quiet!  =)
Here is a photo of the little doe from Bella's litter.  She is an absolute sweetie!  I can cup my hands and she will lay upside down in them all relaxed... it's SO cute.....

And Bella... due to pop any minute!  Probably will be Monday or Tuesday though, she usually kindles 31-32 days.

Pedigree

Wheee-ew!  =[  I just got finished up with working on my OWN pedigree for the last hour!  I've been meaning to make a blank pedigree for my rabbitry for a long time.  Today I finally just did it.  It took a long time.... there are probably better ways than designing your own one on Publisher, but at least it's done now!  And it looks great.  ;)  I had to get it done soon as a couple of Bella's babies will be heading out to new homes this weekend.  I'm heading out to the rabbitry now to do a photo shoot with some babies, which will be a nice reward for all my headaches and neck aches over this thing!  =}

Unrelated.... just a cute photo of a baby.  =)

Cleaning, Building Cages, and more....

Wow... a lot to catch up on!  Yesterday was a busy day for me.... after procrastinating about it for a few days, I finally got out there and did a thorough job of cleaning the rabbitry.... again.  A week or so ago I cleaned it, but I didn't scrub cages.  I went out in the afternoon to clean, but after attempting to work in 13 degree weather with wind, I gave up and came inside... and then learned my lesson by doing it all when it was a balmy four degrees the next morning!  Haha, that was fun.  But I didn't scrub the cages, and they really needed it.  It's amazing how quickly things seem to get messy if I don't really stay on top of it!  Cages need to be scrubbed at least once a month, and that month sure goes fast.....
So anyways,  yesterday I hauled up the first cage, got a pail of hot soapy water, a scrub brush, a pail of water from the hose for rinsing, and started scrubbing.  It was probably 20 degrees out or so, and I soon realized that I had a problem.... the water was freezing to the cages, and they were turning into ice chunks.  =(  So after scrubbing I brought them into the garage, dried them off in front of a heater, and hauled them back out.... whew.  The rabbitry looked like a war zone for a while.... =(  I went through a few pairs of sopping wet gloves and my snow pants were sopping wet as well, only they froze eventually.  There was a good few inches of snow on the ground, too!  Very fun.  So, I finished up both the double cages and both of the big cages and then hauled out the rabbits week's worth of manure, spread fresh straw, and surveyed the lovely results.  :)  (My favorite part).  Sparkly cages, happy bunnies.... ahhhhh.  =)

After that I went up to the garage and helped Dad finish working on building some more cages.  He had the wire cut out for two cages, and had one almost finished.  I finished j-clipping them together and put duck-tape around the sharp edges.  The new cages are so wonderful.  :)  I'll have to get some pictures of that to post.
My really exciting news.... I'm going to have two "layers" (or whatever they're called) of cages now!  Wow, makes me feel so professional.  ;)  LOL  We're going to lower the stand down a little, make pans, and put another layer of cages on top of the ones I have with another rail.  I am SO excited to see the finished product!  Hopefully we'll be able to finish this week... I'll be posting pictures when we get it done.  :)

Other news.... Haylie's babies are weaned and doing great.  Eating lots and growing fast. 

Bella will get a nest box tomorrow.... I can't believe it's almost her time already!  Wow, those 30 days fly by.

Chocolate Chip, Dolly, and Haylie are all mid-pregnancy, I have about 1-2 more weeks, and I'll have babies coming out of my ears.  Ohhhhhh my.

And some more pictures from last night...

Dolly is looking plump... I'm sure hoping she's bred.

Bella, "You know, you have 10 other pictures that look exactly like this one."

They just won't stop moving...

and moving....



and moving..... sorry for the fuzzy pictures! 

The happy buns enjoying dinner.

Dolly

Haylie's four little piggies, I mean kits.

Crabby Mamas

Right now pretty much all my soon-to-be moma's are pretty cranky. Not viscious or anything, just protective of their cage space. That's a good sign though... it means those mothering instincts are kicking in, so they are hopefully all bred! =D The only one that isn't cranky is Haylie, she usually doesn't start getting protective until the last stage of pregnancy, though, so hopefully she is bred. But even sweet lil' Dolly is stamping her foot and making it clear that I am intruding every time I put my hand in her cage.... LOL! It will be nice when they have their babies and I can have my happy buns back. :)

Chip will be a first time mom.... fingers crossed!

Cute Babies

I think I've had posts titled that before.... "Cute Babies".  Oh well, they're all cute, so what else should I say???  =)



OK.... I know what you're thinking.... oh, what a cute baby.  Yes, she's cute.  But I'd like you to know, I took and deleted about 30 other fuzzy, wiggly-bunny pictures to get those two, so you'd better enjoy... lol!

I absolutely LOVE taking care of and loving on Haylie's babies.  They are the sweetest, funnest (I know, that's not a word) little babies ever.  =)



FEED ME!



ME TOO!

When I put my hand in their pen they put their little feet up on it and nibble my fingers.  Sometimes I hand-feed them oats, so I think they are trying to get oats when they nibble on my fingers.  =)



It's so cute when they put their paw in my hand. :)  You can see the other one is nibbling on my finger, lol. 

"I know, I know.  I'm outrageously cute."

4-Week Photos

We got a new cord for my computer, so I can finally get those pictures posted!  These are Haylie's kits at almost 4 weeks.  They have maybe been one of my best litters so far, I love these little guys and gals.  I weaned them this morning.  So far they have been doing great with adjusting to solids.  They are eating machines!  Wow!  They are waiting at the door for me every morning and night.... OK, maybe it's the food their waiting for, but they're such sweeties anyways.  :-)

When they hit 4 weeks is when I start figuring out who are the keepers, etc.  When I'm doing a photo shoot it's easiest to put a piece of paper there with their "number" and gender so I can tell them apart.

So, this one I now am pretty sure is a buck.  I say pretty sure, because I'm not always the best at telling gender.... lol!  I'm just making educated guesses.  =)  I'll be more sure in a few weeks about everyone's gender.  Anyhow.. he's a cute little guy. I'm not sure if he'll be a keeper or pet, he's kinda going through a funny stage right now. 

This next one I still am not sure gender-wise.  But he/she is definitely a keeper either way.  This baby is super!  Great overall type, (super blocky head), I love this one.  These pictures do him/her NOOOO justice whatsoever... he was posing funny and being anything but cooperative!  He really is a amazing little bun, just bad photos.  :)

"I hate photo shoots"

"Are we done yet???"

"I'm not going to look at you."

This little doe is also really typey.  She looks a lot like Haylie, only much more compact.  A very nice little girl, so far looks like a keeper.

As you can see in the photo below, I write their "number" in their ear with a marker so I can tell them appart.  You would think it's not that hard, but four 4-week-old white bunnies hopping around look quite similar!  :)  I have to re-do the number every so-often as it rubs off.

And this doe, the smallest of the litter, but oh boy, super typey.  I love the looks of her.  Her head has been a touch narrow, but seems to be filling out as of late.

I'm helping a friend start a rabbitry, so we'll each probably take a doe from this litter and I would like to keep a buck also... I just need to make a final decision, and get that mystery #2 bunny figured out.  :) 

Bella's babies are growing up fast, they'll be heading to new homes in a couple weeks.  Wow! Time flies.  :)  The one doe and the little buck are reserved, here's the remaining buck:

He's a sweet little guy.... so cute, and full of personality!  He's up for reservation as a pet.... contact me if you're interested.  =)

Just Bunny Ramblings...

There is a lot to post about!  I'm so mad because yesterday we didn't have Internet, and today when I tried to start working on my computer, the cord started shooting sparks and out and it kept shutting off..... not good.  =(  So, I'm not attempting to use mom's computer which is weird because I'm not used to it!  Anyways....
I have a bunch of *adorable* pictures to post, but... you guessed it, they're on the other computer.  So, I"ll have to post those another day.  Haylie's litter is 4 weeks old today.  They are doing marvelous!  I'm guessing two bucks and two does, but I'm not sure if the one buck is a buck or not!  If it is, I'll probably be keeping him.... he's a super typey little guy, I love the looks of him.  And then there is two does, both very nice little girls, look like future show bunnies.  I'll hopefully be keeping one of them.  Pictures coming.....  :)
Bella's three babies are growing up.  They were 6 weeks old today!  Two of them are reserved, but there is one pet quality buck up for reservation right now.  He's a sweetie; I'll get pictures posted of him as soon as the computer is back into comission!  And with Haylie's litter, I think there will also be a pet quality buck up for reservation.  I haven't made a final decision on him yet, though.
And all four of the girls... Haylie, Chip, Bella, and Dolly are hopefully bred!  Wow.... I am going to have a "major" baby-boom.  I get a bit overhwhelmed just thinking about it!  I'll have a first time mom, too, so I'm nervous about that.  But hopefully everything will go fine.  This will probably be the last time I breed all my does at once, after this I will stick to a litter at a time for a while.  All the girls are bred to Comic, except for Haylie who is bred to Mickey.
Speaking of Comic... a breeder friend of mine is picking him up tonight.  She's renting him for a while because she had a buck shortage and has does in heat, so she will be using him.  I'm gonna miss the little guy, but I know she'll take good care of him.  :)  And I am hoping to get a doe back from one of the litters that he sires, so I'm excited about that!
So.... that's all for now, I'm still mad I can't get those photos on here, they are so cute!  Next time!

Coffee with Dad

Dad and I went out for coffee on Wednesday to talk rabbits!  Yeahhhhh!  I love talking rabbits, thinking rabbits....  anything that has to do with rabbits.   Just ask my family.  It's crazy!  Like the other night when I was trying to make a decision about some bunny stuff and I didn't fall asleep until at least midnight.... my thinker just wouldn't stop thinking.  I worked myself into a headache and then FINALLY fell asleep!  (And then of course the next day I fell asleep over my History book! ....not that reading about France wasn't interesting!!!!) 
So anyways...  I was exceedingly happy to go out with Dad.  I brought my big ol' file folder of rabbits stuff containing papers of notes from phone calls with rabbit breeders, books, pedigrees, and the list goes on.  We made some goals, figured out an ideal size for my rabbitry, figured out how many more cages I need, etc. etc.  So, it was really fun and I'll probably be posting more about what's happening later!  ;)

Dolly is Bred

It's about time!  That little rascal of a Dolly has refused, refused, refused, and REFUSED all winter to be bred!  But last night I brought her in the house for the night in a pet carrier, thanks to a suggestion from Lindsey at 4 Kings Rabbitry .  So, this morning, what do you know but she cooperated for Comic!  I am really, really, realllllllly happy to get her bred.  She makes such nice babies (Mickey is her kiddo) so I'm thrilled to have more babies from her in a month, hopefully!  Well.... at least she got a nice long break from mothering!  ;)  Hopefully she enjoyed her long vacation.  :)  As for me, I'm glad to be back in business again.  Looking forward to more babies! 

Bunny News!

Wow.... so much to tell! I think this will be a 3-in-1 post!  =D

My BIG news..... Haylie is bred and Mickey is going to be a Daddy!  =D  YEAAAAAAAAY!!!!!  I am SO thrilled about this.  I will FINALLY be getting some babies from Mickey, and I am SO excited to see how they look!  Plus, Mickey and Haylie are a perfect match.... Haylie's weakest points are his strongest points.  For example, Haylie's eye bands are a little thin, and Mickey has thicker eye bands.  (I love his bands).  And Haylie's head doesn't have as much depth to it as I would like, whereas Mickey's head is amazing.... super blocky and full!  He's absolutely gorgeous!  ....or maybe handsome would be more appropriate.  =D   So anyways... just to show off my proud lil' Daddy a bit......

(I know, this one is blurry, but it's so cute anyways...)

And sweet Haylie.... going to (hopefully!) be a momma again....

I am realllllly hoping that Haylie takes and all goes well with this pregnancy!  She was such a good girl.  I tried with her and Mickey once yesterday, that didn't work, but today she hopped into his cage and lifted on the spot.... wow!  I was sure happy!  (And Mickey was too.... finally, someone likes him!)  =)


This morning I also moved Bella's three kits back into the rabbitry!  I know, this may not sound like much, but to me it was so great to have them back in there and see them doing so great!  And boy oh boy, were those little buggers ever HAPPY to have a big pen to run around in.  Seriously, the WHOLE time I did chores, they made a RACKET boinging and bouncing around in there.... you wouldn't think 3 teeny bunnies could make that much noise in a cage, but oh yes!  It was adorable.  I took a video of them running laps (seriously.) around the pen and am hoping to get that posted tomorrow or sometime.  I just laughed watching them.  They were glad to get out of that pet carrier!


Also.... :) I was pretty worried all night about Haylie's babies because they really had been hinting about jumping out of the box that day... =(.  So when I walked into the rabbitry this morning and saw one out I...... went numb.  I was sure I would find more cold bunnies on the wire!  But I was VERY relieved to see just one was out and he/she was just fine.... WHEW!!!  =D  Also, I was really happy to see that they can actually jump back IN the box themselves!  Whoada thunk!  They are so tiny but WOW, do they have some bounce! 

"Hmm.... looks nice out there."

"Hi Mom!"

"Ready, set..."

"....GO!"

I already have my pick of the litter.... I don't know if it's a boy or a girl but I will probably keep it either way.  I really need some more lil' does though, so I'm hoping for a doe too! 

So anyways... I think that's everything for my mega-post!  =D  I *hopefully* have 3 bred does right now and can't wait for a baby boom end of this month and beginning of next!  :)