# English spots!



## DharmaBuns (May 5, 2013)

Well, I did it! I got some English Spots and I am absolutely LOVING the breed. I already love the running breeds (made apparent by my love of Tans) so I decided to start in on English Spots as well as a "small" side project. 

At the KY cup I bought four English spots, 2 does being already bred. Here are a few (ok a lot) of pictures: 

First off is a Chocolate (bred) doe that, while she looks chopped in these pictures, really isn't when you get her up and running. She was also bred to a nice round buck so I'm anxious to see how her babies will turn out. 







Pic #2:








Pic # 3 (she's a little lightly marked) 









Pic #4






Pic #5








#6


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## DharmaBuns (May 5, 2013)

This doe is WMR's "Bonita" - due next weekend and was bred to WMR's Marcel who is an absolutely STUNNING buck. I'm so thankful that Sarah bred her for me, really really really looking forward to these babies. This first pic, again, makes her look slightly chopped but she's so nice and round, she's stunning. She also has a huge belly now and always reminds me of a brooding hen: 

Bonita #1 - this photo was taken from Sarah's website so credit to her. 









Bonita#2






After Bonita comes BNG's Ecco. I can't say enough about this buck. He's just so gorgeous, sometimes he makes me catch my breath for a moment when he's hopping around in his cage. I just LOVE him, and I bought him not only because he was beautiful, but in case Bonita or the Chocolate Doe didn't take. (Thankfully, both did) 

Ecco #1 







Ecco # 2








Ecco # 3 - Nice thick Herringbone






Ecco #4 - this is the reason she was selling him. He's rubbed his nose on the cage bars and the hairs grew back white. He's actually got a LOT of legs for wins but I guess this ends his show career. Maybe some day they'll grow back black?


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## DharmaBuns (May 5, 2013)

Now we have "Major Pink" - A Grey doe. She's very beautiful and SO active. She's a sweetheart, and I'm planning on breeding her with Ecco. 

MP #1 








Mp#2






MP#3







I was also fortunate to get a doe (for free!) from an awesome person in Ohio that's out of the doe that won BOB at Naionals last year. She's so adorable. She didn't have a name, but I've decided to name her Sola. 


Sola #1







Sola#2







Sola #3






Sola #4







Sola #5














I don't have Sola yet, I'll pick her up next weekend at a show. But I'm so excited to get her


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## Pipsqueak (May 5, 2013)

Oh my goodness! They're all gorgeous! I love Ecco and Sola.


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## Nancy McClelland (May 5, 2013)

I'm in love!


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## woahlookitsme (May 5, 2013)

SO awesome!! Aw you got a gray!! 

Do you have to worry about color mixing with these guys or no? Spots are more laid back than tans i hear. And have much bigger litters so thats a plus but they are a marked breed so meh?

Very beautiful starting herd you have there!


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## Ilovemyrabbit (May 5, 2013)

OMG!!! They are all so adorable! And they are such a pretty breed. I think I'll get an English Spot someday, when I have the time and room to care for one. The breed is so adorable. I can only imagine how cute they are as babies!


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## DharmaBuns (May 6, 2013)

woahlookitsme said:


> SO awesome!! Aw you got a gray!!
> 
> Do you have to worry about color mixing with these guys or no? Spots are more laid back than tans i hear. And have much bigger litters so thats a plus but they are a marked breed so meh?
> 
> Very beautiful starting herd you have there!



I think it's the exact opposite, people in the ES community are CRAZY about colors mixing and I mean...getting in to huge fights all the time. And I can certainly see why (well, not the fighting but the disagreement.) Greys/blacks can mix so long as there is grey in the back line. 

I think the most heated discussion is in the golds/torts. People go absolutely bonkers with them. I'm going to stick to these colors for now (especially chocolate) - there are just WAY too many spot colors to do 'em all!


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## woahlookitsme (May 6, 2013)

haha i know! I never knew there were so many. In texas I had only seen black maybe a blue chocolate and rarely a lilac. Im seeing more gold (thats my favorite color) but I was amazed at how many different colors there were! 

No wonder colors are so nice on ES then LOL


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## DharmaBuns (May 7, 2013)

I'm hoping to get some golds some day, torts don't really hold any appeal for me. Most of the discussion is about the golds, and breeding color into them/washing it out, etc. In any case, I was really hoping for my does to pop last night but they're technically not due until Friday and Saturday so I suppose it's a good thing they didn't. It'll give those babies a bit more time to "cook" and come out beautiful. Or come out all sports and charlies LOL


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## DharmaBuns (May 10, 2013)

Bonita Kindled!! It actually took me by surprise because she did it in the middle of the afternoon, and didn't pull any fur. She must have kindled some time between my lunch break at 12:30pm and 5pm when I got out of work. It's been really cold and rainy up here in northern Michigan today so by the time I got out there to check on her (really didn't think I'd find anything) these poor babies were almost frozen. I thought they were dead at first. 

Fortunately, they've warmed up and are very very active and wiggly. Looks like two marked and one charlie. I am not sure but I almost think I can feel another kit in the doe but I'm not entirely sure. I suppose I'll have to go out a few times tonight anyway since "3" is supposed to kindle tonight. If she's pregnant, that is. 

Anyway...a quick baby pic:


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## Ilovemyrabbit (May 10, 2013)

Aww, what cute fat little things! They look so fat and healthy! What cuties!


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## woahlookitsme (May 10, 2013)

very cute!


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## wendymac (May 13, 2013)

Congratulations!!!! ES are so cute, but after my stint with Chewie it's not a breed I'll likely pursue. LOL I love Sola's face...it has a "kiss me now" look to it.


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## DharmaBuns (May 14, 2013)

wendymac said:


> LOL I love Sola's face...it has a "kiss me now" look to it.



It really does!  

Their mother absolutely wanted nothing to do with them. I also do not think that was producing much if any milk either. I would try and have her feed them (they were getting very very skinny) and would even flip her on her back and just let them nurse that way and even though they were suckling they just weren't getting any milk. 

Fortunately, a friend of mine has a mini lop mom that only had recently had two in her litter so I took them over to her to foster. I really hope that Mini Lop can take care them! Fingers crossed. I hate not having them here but I have no other doe to foster them to


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## woahlookitsme (May 14, 2013)

oh im so glad you could get them to a friend! The mini lop should do a fine job. I have had to take tan babies and polish babies over to a friends house when we were in trouble and they grew up just fine! The only ones i had a problem with were my brit babies but 3 out of the 4 lived. I usually picked mine up at 6weeks and moved them in together(if they had to be separated) at my house. 

Its tough not seeing them grow. How many more do you have due now?


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## DharmaBuns (May 14, 2013)

I thought I had another ES due this past Saturday but I guess she wasn't pregnant. I swear I felt something, and so did Mike J when they had her but she hasn't kindled or made a nest or anything. Guess she wasn't. 

And right now I have 7, possibly 8 Tan does confirmed pregnant right now. They will be popping later this month!!


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## Bunnie (May 22, 2013)

Welcome to the wonderful world of spots! I love mine and have learned a ton since I got them!! As far as colors go you can breed each color to itself. Black to blue, gray, tort. Blue to black. Chocolate to lilac. Lilac to chocolate. Gray to black. Tort to black. 

Gold is controversial. Some breed only gold/gold some gold/black. Gold, tort, and grey are not on my want list at least anytime soon 










This is my first baby I'm keeping. CR's Frodo Baggins






Redelman's Iris. Bred her to my chocolate spot buck and I will get to show her this weekend (at least once before she kindles lol)






My buck BOTM's B15 *aka Charlie
He placed 4/10 jr chocolate bucks at nationals, I was so excited!

I have a few more just don't want to blow up your thread


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## DharmaBuns (May 23, 2013)

Oh I love love love your pictures - you are welcome to post as many as you like. I can't get enough of Spots now  

Here's an updated picture I got from the "foster parents" of my little kits as of Monday the 20th. I can't believe how much they've grown!!


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## Ilovemyrabbit (May 23, 2013)

Oh gosh, those little baby english spots are soooooooo adorable!


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## majorv (May 23, 2013)

A few of our Tan babies have been fostered to English Spots with litters, so I agree Spot babies ARE cute!!!


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## DharmaBuns (May 24, 2013)

Newborn ES are cuter than Newborn Tans, for sure (in my opinion) but I think tan kits (once they have fur and open their eyes) are cuter. So in that way, they are evenly matched - hehe! 

Since Bonita was still in amazing condition I bred her again to Ecco and also since the chocolate doe ended up not being pregnant (i SWEAR I felt one baby in there!) I bred her as well. Fingers crossed that in a few weeks I'll have more ES babies. This time I had a foster mom bred for them though in case Bonita decides that motherhood really isn't her thing. I'll have a Silver Fox mom (bred to a Tan - hah!) to look after the little ones.


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## Katielovesleo3 (May 24, 2013)

I love seeing English Spots! They're like the Dalmatians of the rabbit world lol. They're so beautiful and unique


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