This is one of those posts that I hope I don't have to write and yet this is the reality of rabbit keeping...at least, sometimes. I had a difficult start this breeding season, partially because the heat of summer stayed well into the autumn season, which probably contributed to why the first breeding did not take—the bucks must have been heat sterile. Then there was the fact that I only had two does breeding age to start and I wanted to show them both, but especially Luna, who did not do as well as I hoped at first but when the cooler weather came, she finally went into prime condition, won her legs, and was ready to be bred. Finally, I had pregnant does, but.... Twilight, a first time mom, was clueless after she kindled and wanted to lie in the nest, but after separating her from her kits a few days until her milk came in, she was a great mother to her four kits and they are all looking healthy, fast growing, and quite wide. Canyon had three—one black, one blue, and one w...

One of the things I love about Christmas, since we started with rabbits eight years ago, is Christmas bunnies! This year it is more fun because I look forward to showing them and I have I have a doe due on Christmas, (but if you have read previous posts you already know that my rabbits often like to mess with my brilliant breeding plans, so we shall see). The doe that is due on Christmas is  GC Luna .   Three days after Thanksgiving, Twilight  kindled four from her breeding with her grandfather GC Leon , all black and carrying blue blue from their mother. I suspect that Leon does not carry dilute, so all his offspring will be black. Twilight was a bit clueless being a first-time mother, which makes me thankful that my husband was home to watch her while I was away for the event. Of course, she was a day past her due date... rabbits love to mess with me and my brilliant breeding plans! Twilight did not make a nest and did not pull any fur... none at all ...

My husband is so cute sometimes. Last night he was asking me why I needed to buy any more rabbits at all, just breed the ones I had and let the young ones grow out to see what we had. I explained why, obviously in more detail than he wanted to really know.  This morning he helped prepare our van with one of the transport cages that had been delivered yesterday and to make the hour long drive to Silver Lox , but he had decided to go with me because at least we would be spending time together, which admittedly is not something we get to do much. I suppose he thought he would keep me from buying the more than I should, but we only had two holes in the one carrier we were taking with us and that is my limit for cages in my rabbitry currently. When we got there, however....the impulse buyer side of him came out... as usual . I was specifically looking for a doe to fill the breeding gap I was going to have in the fall with culling of two does after weaning, one is just old and t...

I went into the rabbitry with my focus on the XCY-3 kindle, but when I turned around, there was fur all over Misty Blue's cage and she was still pulling! In all these years, I have only caught two does kindling and she was not one of them. I was certain that she does not pull fur until beginning labor but today I witnessed it! So, I proceeded to feed the rabbits and while Misty Blue was birthing her babies inside the nesting box hutch side of the kindling suite, I played with the XCY bunnies. They are so much fun! The other thing I am very happy about is that Canyon, their mother, who was so fearful of me since coming here from Silver Lox, has been very relax about letting me pet her and play with her bunnies! They still like to lick me a lot and are just too much fun watching them zip around the cage. When Misty Blue hopped out, I checked to find only three kits not covered with about a day or two growth of fur on them all. Misty was a little annoyed with me, I thin...