I must confess that I have never been particularly fond of Ruby-Eye White (REW) rabbits, although I like their pelts and how they can be dyed. However, New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit breeders are pretty easy to find in these parts and they are a fairly hardy breed.
For the most part REWs are not easy to tell apart and we did not mark them since we planned to use them for meat. We even kept the breeders names simple to remind us they had a purpose, in case they did not work out: Doe and Buck. However, the youngest one of three my daughter claimed so she named her White Sugar. Not knowing which of their bunnies was which made it easier for us all, particularly our young daughter, when it was time to cull. We almost always had new bunnies to keep us busy when my husband was processing the ones that had grown up—it became a rhythm in our lives. However, it was even difficult for us adults the first few times.
The second thing that made it easier was that NZW rabbits have been bred so much for commercial use for so many generations that temperament was not high on the list of considerations. As a result, NZWs tend to be skittish and to not like being handled or bothered. There are exceptions, of course, but some are rather not that shy about letting a person know all this too. I always wear gloves and long loose sleeves to protect myself from their scratches, at least, and even bites. I have not been bit yet, but I have had some close calls.
White Sugar was handled the most, but she still was so skittish that when we were placing in a nesting box for the first time, she ran around the cage frantically and ended up with a permanent nick on the edge of her lower eye lid. Doe, on the other hand, was more aggressive and would grunt at me and often bit my clothes. Buck was a not particularly bothered by us, until we had to pick him up.
All three are now gone. Doe was the first to go. She was the oldest but we culled her because she became increasingly aggressive with me in particular, but when she began treating my husband the same way, we both were pretty fed up with her. Perhaps she was not feeling all that well the last few months? Anyway, she was one large doe and we could barely handle her to take her to a buck for breeding without bleeding profusely afterward! She was culled and, as cold as this will sound, I really did not miss her.
Buck was the next oldest and he was showing his age. Several months ago, we were thinking about having him retired, but my husband found he had died of natural causes just a before he planned to put him down. Because of him, we had learned what to look for and decided that we would not allow a rabbit to suffer as long next time.
"Next time" came just a few months later, early this summer. White Sugar was starting to show her age. She had patches of hair missing, but she was moving around well, until one week I noticed she quite suddenly was not. My husband had been away for work, but I told him it was obvious that she was having pain, so when he came home a couple of days later, he took care of her.
In between the time we got them and they died, they all produced well for us. Both does had very large kindles—too large, really—and I often had to intervene to be sure that all had a chance to survive.