I was cautiously hopeful about getting at least one SF purebred kindle from Misty Blue in a couple of months with one of the SF bucks as I wanted a Lilac that would be related to only one buck, but I bred Misty Blue twice and she did not take either time. The first one time was with an unproven NZW buck who might have been too young so it might not have been her fault, but the second was with another NZW buck that was still young but had been proven. Many rabbit breeders have a three strikes rule; bad mothering, not taking care of a kindle, an aggressive action, health issue, or whatever will add a strike for each disappointment. Any young or stressed out doe can make a mistake of not caring for her kits properly once, which is why breeders give a doe three strikes. However, Misty Blue already had some things that are adding up for me. She has always been difficult to accept a breeding and now she is four years old so fertility is a concern, seemingly justified at this point. ...

I was very surprised when I saw a listing selling four-week-old bunnies this week on Craigslist, suggesting them as Christmas gifts with a few in a Christmas decorated box. They certainly are irresistibly cute at that age! There are many thoughts on when to wean young kits from their mother's milk, which means when to separate them from their mothers also. When it comes to rabbits, we often look how rabbits do things in the wild because those instincts still drive the domesticated rabbits of all breeds. Whether the mother leaves them or they leave on their own at three to five weeks, young wild rabbits can get what they need nutritionally on their own. However, the reality is that young wild bunnies are quite vulnerable to predators who also need to eat. Many breeders wean their bunnies at four weeks and there is nothing particularly wrong with that practice when the breeder's purpose is to keep or sell to other breeders the stronger and faster growing of the kin...

As I wrote previously, NZW were not my favorite rabbits. They have their advantages. They are more heat hardy. They develop faster. They have been bred for commercial use for about a century without concerns about fur colors, just body shape and faster growth were the main goals, so they are often a solid rabbit with which to cross or even improve another breed. Because they are one of the most popular commercial rabbits, they typically are not handled much, therefore are not as tolerant to handling and can even be quite skittish even while in their cages. Our first doe liked to try biting me often, but she never got me, and the other doe was terribly skittish. However, we have been fortunate with good temperament in the NZWs we have had since our first three. Our first two Silver Foxes were not all we hoped them to be either. The buck was rather small and later he had some teeth and ear mite issues. The SF doe was difficult to get bred, but an excellent mother. Still, Silver Foxe...