# MyRabbits' Warren and Cat Haven



## MyRabbits (Sep 10, 2008)

Life is good with so many pets. I have no complaints. The cats and rabbits all get along, with the occasional exception of The Whale. The Whale is a cross-eyed cat who unfortunately was declawed in her youth. When other animals approach her, she becomes easily confused and threatened, seeing more of them than there actually are, and she hisses and makes menacing growls, but fundamentally she's harmless, lounging now on the coffee table in front of me. 

Suzette is our newest rabbit. We just acquired her Sunday at a two-day show in Cortland, New York. The first day of the show, her littermates beat her and she placed third in her class so her owner was willing to sell her to us. On Sunday, however, she beat her littermates to win best of class and very nearly won Best of Variety. The Senior Doe who beat her out for Best of Variety went on to win Best of Show. So we feel that we have chosen our breeding stock well. 

Suzette seems to be settling in pretty well. As Sam, our Flemish Giant buck and the other three rabbits -- spayed females -- are house rabbits, we have needed to keep Suzette segregated in a cage. (She won't be ready to breed for another three months). We have her on the covered second storey porch, where she seems quite content but maybe also a little bit lonely. She enjoys going out into the pen in our yard to exercise, and she also likes getting her few sprigs of kale that we give the rabbits in the evening. 

Yesterday I weighed Suzette -- 13 pounds, 9 ounces, and today is her six-month anniversary. She is doing really well. I was disappointed today to find two fleas on her. I have contacted the vet about possibly giving her Revolution or another rabbit product. 

It's hard for me to believe it is already Wednesday. The show was so exciting I have resisted getting back into my routine. I just want it to be rabbits, rabbits, rabbits all the time.


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## Wabbitdad12 (Sep 10, 2008)

What color of flemish do you have? I have a blue buck and doe, a black doe and a light gray doe. 

Sounds like you picked a good showable rabbit for your breeding stock.


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## MyRabbits (Sep 10, 2008)

Our two Flemish are sandies. You have a beautiful collection of colors. What fun!


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## Alexah (Sep 10, 2008)

Your bunnies sound beautiful. As does The Whale (I didn't want to leave her out lest she growl in my direction ).

I would absolutely love to have a flemish giant some day. Of course, that day needs to be a long, long way off, but a girl can have dreams, right?! Is sandy the same color as fawn? Or are they different? Maybe some pictures are in order (hint, hint).

I can't wait to hear and see more about your "warren" and "haven." I'll have to definitely keep my eye on this thread.


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## MyRabbits (Sep 11, 2008)

You foster bunnies. How wonderful!!! I hope they are all in good health. 

Sandies have a brown color with black ticking or agouti. Fawns are a honey brown. They are closely related though. Apparently many sandies have fawn in their bloodline and will throw a litter than has fawns in it. . . 

Thanks for dropping by.


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## JadeIcing (Sep 11, 2008)

Oh wow. A Flemish named Sam. Do you have pictures?


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## MyRabbits (Sep 11, 2008)

Hmmm, pictures. I don't know how to load them directly. How about a couple of links to my Flickr account? Here is Sam at the rabbit show, age 10 1/2 months, in his exhibition pen:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/2839203919_840056d10e_o.jpg

And here is a picture of me and Sam when we bought him at 9 weeks:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/2196620618_3983ed13df_o.jpg

Finally, here is a picture of our new six-month-old doe, Suzette, in her cage on the covered second storey porch:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2840039962_d2859b2305_o.jpg


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## MyRabbits (Sep 11, 2008)

So today is Thursday, and, as usual, Dorcas is already out in the yard pen enjoying a beautiful fall day, cool and clear with a gentle sun. She gets to stay there until about noon, when it becomes Suzette's turn. Suzette gets about four hours and then Sam and the Girls (Jemimah and Maddie) finally get their spin late into the evening. Since Sam is very messy and even gets Jemimah and Maddie dirty, grooming time occurs when we bring Sam and the Girls in in the evening. Sam does not like to be groomed particularly, he is a rather willful young buck, but the others like it just fine. 

Lots of errands to run today. I need to go over to the feed store in West Va., about a half hour away, to pick up the Cowboy Magic I ordered. I learned about this product at the rabbit show. Made for horses but safe for rabbits, it's a great urine and stain remover, and you don't have to bathe them. I am hoping that this will greatly simplify our grooming issues.

I will also stop at WalrusMart on the way home and get a spray bottle and some apple juice. Dorcas, Sam and the Girls do not eat enough hay. The vet has noticed that Dorcas even has the start of little points on her teeth as a result. (Suzette adores hay and eats it properly.) So my husband heard that you could spray the hay lightly with apple juice to entice the rabbits. That sounded like a good strategy so we will try it. 

We're pretty low on hay, but the hay from OxBow should be delivered shortly. I am rather embarrassed -- we live out in the country with people all around us farming and selling hay. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to just contact a local vendor and get it absolutely fresh. I guess that's what we'll do the next time around. 

By the way, does anyone know much about oat hay? It is the only hay that Jemimah will eat, and she will eat tons of the heads (but not the remaining straw). Is this equivalent to timothy hay, or is it actually some decadent treat that she should only occasionally get? 

Anyway, have a good day all. The bunnies (and cats) send their regards.


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## JadeIcing (Sep 13, 2008)

He is so perfect. I had a flemish named Samantha. 







For posting pictures we just use the image code. Not surehow flicker works I have photobucket.


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## MyRabbits (Sep 13, 2008)

Samantha looks like a beauty. You seem to have quite a large family of rabbits. I'll have to track down your blog. I'm still getting oriented to everything here.


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## MyRabbits (Sep 24, 2008)

Well, it has been a while since we have posted. We have been quite busy. While all the rabbits are doing well, four of the cats are having serious diarrhea. Originally, the diarrhea was limited to the older "Class of 1996" littermates so we thought it was something genetic and relating to food allergies. However, now Piper, who does not belong to that litter is really suffering with it as well so something seems to be going around. The affected cats are in isolation until they complete their 10-day medicine regimen. I just hope all that clears up before my parents visit in another couple of weeks! I want the house, rabbits, and cats to all be at their best for my folks. 

We are learning, learning all the time. We joined ARBA and the other day received its Official Guide Book: Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies. This book has really opened up my eyes on a number of issues, not the least of which is that by free feeding my rabbits on a regular basis, I have not necessarily done them a favor. 

We learned that the nearest Rabbit Breeders Ass'n sanctioned by ARBA is not in Maryland but across the state line in Charles Town/Ranson, West Virginia. Their next meeting is a week from this evening. I doubly look forward to attending because ARBA so strongly advises that you get to know other successful local breeders so you can learn to deal speicifically with the demands of the local climate. My contact at the Blue Ridge Rabbit and Cavy Club sent me the minutes from the last meeting -- I learned there that the club puts on two shows a year as well. The next one won't be until June, but that should be a lot of fun -- the judging is at night -- the Midnight Madness Show. 

Finally, in the recent past, I lost a close friend to an untimely death from bipolar disorder. His name was Kevin Lane Greim, and he was only 28 years old. I went back up to New Jersey for visitation and the memorial service and will attempt to post a picture here, a picture that I have already on Flickr. I miss not having Kevin just a phone call away. We spoke about every other week. It's hard to accept that he is no longer with us. 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2883897332_2f9a1087ce_b.jpg


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## Leaf (Oct 2, 2008)

*MyRabbits wrote: *


> Finally, in the recent past, I lost a close friend to an untimely death from bipolar disorder. His name was Kevin Lane Greim, and he was only 28 years old. I went back up to New Jersey for visitation and the memorial service and will attempt to post a picture here, a picture that I have already on Flickr. I miss not having Kevin just a phone call away. We spoke about every other week. It's hard to accept that he is no longer with us.
> 
> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2883897332_2f9a1087ce_b.jpg



((hugs))

How are you all doing/coping?


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## JadeIcing (Oct 2, 2008)

*MyRabbits wrote: *


> Finally, in the recent past, I lost a close friend to an untimely death from bipolar disorder. His name was Kevin Lane Greim, and he was only 28 years old. I went back up to New Jersey for visitation and the memorial service and will attempt to post a picture here, a picture that I have already on Flickr. I miss not having Kevin just a phone call away. We spoke about every other week. It's hard to accept that he is no longer with us.
> 
> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2883897332_2f9a1087ce_b.jpg


I am so sorry.


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## MyRabbits (Oct 3, 2008)

Thank you for your condolences. The amazing thing about Kevin was the sunniness of his personality. He tended toward the manic/euphorically psychotic side of the bipolar spectrum. It is that same sunniness that stays with his memory and makes me feel not so alone after all. . . 

We are all doing well. I attended the October meeting of Blue Ridge Rabbit & Cavy Club near Ranson, West Va. and signed me and Scott up as members. The various initiatives to get Dorcas and the other house bunnies to eat more hay as a regular part of their diet seem to be working, and I have had the welcome opportunity to read a number of books on rabbit care and veterinary needs. The emergency cat/rabbit first aid kit is pretty nearly complete. Most recently I ordered an otoscope for it. Now I just need to get the vet or his tech to give me a little more training in the different things I can listen for with the stethoscope and in what to look for with the otoscope. 

It's hard to believe that we are already into October. The big bunny event for us this month is the local House Rabbit Society's celebration of the organization's 20th Anniversary. Although we are now starting a breeding program of which HRS would disapprove, we still sport HRS vanity license plates and are proud to be a part of their animal rescue, education and welfare efforts. We just wish they would modify their hardline spaying/neutering to the House Rabbit side of the fence, recognizing that there are legitimate reasons for breeding, including healthy bloodlines. Also in October, my parents come to visit for nearly a week. I think they are quite curious to meet the menagerie we have. They were not able to make it here for the wedding in May due to Mom's sudden need to undergo radiation therapy for her lymphoma. Fortunately, everything went well with the treatments and she is back up to full speed. 

We look ahead to November, when there will be two local shows here in Maryland where we plan to enter both Suzette and Sam. We acquired Suzette when she was at the top of the Junior category. In the first November show she will be a 6/8; by the second November show she will already be a senior. They grow up so fast!

Finally, age is catching up with me. I find a pair of reading glasses is very useful reading labels at the grocery store, playing the piano and working at the computer. This is all such a surprise to me. It happened all of a sudden! 

Hoping you are all well.


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## Bassetluv (Oct 4, 2008)

Hi MyRabbits,

This is the first time I'm reading your thread (I tend to miss a lot of posts/threads in the forum :?). First, I wanted to express my condolences at the loss of your friend; how I wish we didn't have to lose loved ones. :hug:

And I wanted to say that your bunnies are gorgeous! Holy moley, I looked at the pic of Sam when he was 9 weeks old...:shock:! Big boy!! LOL...he's triggered that 'wanna Flemish' fever in me again. Would love to see a picture of your kitty, The Whale (love the name!). I'm not sure how Flickr works, but I use Photobucket to upload pics and find it easy to post them here (for it to be easy for me to figure out, it has to be _really_ easy!). I look forward to seeing more of your furry crew. 

btw, my name's Di and I'm owned by two rabbits - Yofi and Anna (Yofi being the #$%$disturber of the bunch) - Kaya, a dog who looks like a dingo and acts like a fool, and one big ol' blue/grey cat, Fritz. Until recently I had two kitties, but Tasha was 16 and ill, so we said goodbye a couple of weeks ago. 

Anyway, just wanted to say a belated and hearty welcome to the forum!!! I hope your mom and dad have a wonderful visit with you (Hugs to your mom for undergoing radiation...I know how tiring that can be on the body), and best of luck in the upcoming shows. 

~Di

P.S. I can totally relate to the glasses thing...I've worn glasses since grade 4, but a few years ago began wearing contacts. They're great...except now I have to wear reading glasses over them to see any fine print, or when I'm on the computer at work. Can't get away from the danged things!


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## MyRabbits (Oct 4, 2008)

Thanks for the favorable comments on the pictures. It's good to learn about your menagerie as well. My condolences on the recent loss of your 16-year-old kitty. I know that can leave a real hole in your heart. 

Hmmm, let me see what I can do about finding a picture of Whale. Here's one of Whale resting on my pillows (that cat!) while Ben (our departed, dearly beloved Flemish Giant) plays on the bed:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/2891620043_2e7159b089_o.jpg

Suzette and I had quite a photo shoot in the bedroom and guest room the other day, waiting for a storm to pass us by outside. This girl really has me wrapped around her long ears. I hope you enjoy these photos:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2902368643_9cfd0c533c_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3265/2903203066_a806d79176_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3070/2902359253_1d07d36cc9_b.jpg

Have a good day. I'm off to Hagerstown to go do Democratic Party/Obama Campaign training on how to be a "neighborhood leader". I think I will at least be coming home with a sign to put in the yard.


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## MyRabbits (Nov 4, 2008)

Wow! I cannot believe so much time has passed since I last posted! I hope everyone and their bunnies and other menagerie remain well, healthy and happy!

Today is Election Day, but, equally as important, today is the day that Sam and Suzette are allowed to breed. Making history alongside Obama. Now that's all right! 

We went through a brief phase of having several cats with diarrhea, which was a real stinking mess! One of them still has diarrhea, and the vet doesn't know what to think but may next recommend an intestinal biopsy, which none of us are looking forward to. We have tried everything else so far that the vet could recommend. . . 

The rabbits are doing great! Dorcas is executing a lot of binkies lately, even though she is a stately 6 years old; Maddie, Jemimah and Sam have discovered miniwheats as treats; and Suzette becomes more and more comfortable being around us. Right now Sam and Suzette are getting the most attention, due to its being time to breed them, but I try to keep things steady so that there aren't any sibling rivalries or hurt feelings. We started building a beautiful outdoor hutch for Suzette and her kits based on the inside model used at Windwood in Cortland, NY. The hutch is just palatial -- I can already see Suzette enjoying running around in it with her energetic kits. We do still need to build the nestbox but have a really good design from the National Federation of Flemish Giant Breeders handbook that we will probably use. I just can hardly wait for those kits to arrive, but I guess it's a good thing that it takes Suzette a while to produce them so that we do have time to finish the hutch and nestbox.

This is a rabbit-y week. Thursday night is the monthly rabbit club meeting and Sunday is a show to which we will take Sam and Suzette. They are both a little below optimal weight right now, but that's because I am always learning more about rabbit diet and conditioning. Better preparation in the future. There's so much to learn and then apply wisely.

Have a good day and give your bunnies a pat from the bunny gang.


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## BSAR (Nov 4, 2008)

Your blog is very nice! I can't wait to see pics of those little bunnies! Sam and Suzette are gorgeus! I'd love to see a picture of the cage once you are finished with it.


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## Becca (Nov 4, 2008)

_Ohh my_ Your bunnies are *gorgeous :shock:

BECCA WANT ----- BECCA WANNNTTTT ullhair: 
*


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## MyRabbits (Nov 5, 2008)

Well, what an eventful day yesterday and last night were for our country! I am quite relieved that Obama won. Now it will be interesting to see if he is able to transfer the momentum of the grassroots political campaign into a truly participatory democracy, shaking up change in Washington, D.C. 

Last night, after Obama's acceptance speech, Scott and I put Sam and Suzette together for breeding. It was interesting. Sam is only accustomed to rabbits that are substantially smaller than him -- 4 1/2-pound Dorcas, 5-pound Maddie, and 5 1/2 pound Jemimah. He seemed a bit bashful around the large and glorious Suzette. (As a Flemish Giant doe, Suzette does outweigh Sam by the typical 1 pound -- she is just under 14 pounds, while he is just under 13 pounds). But, bashful and tentative as he initially was, Sam seems to "have gotten the job done". How we are looking forward to that rolicking hutchful of kits in another month! 

Sometime ago I put an animal first aid kit together, which included a stethoscope. I am wondering how any days it will take before I can hear little heartbeats in Suzette's womb. 

Yesterday I also took Jemimah in for a check up with the vet. I was concerned that she was working on a hairball -- her coat is not as glossy the last two months, her non-cecotrope droppings are not as dry as they should be, and she seems uncomfortable in the gut when I pick her up. But the vet says that hairballs in rabbits were largely a misunderstanding by the veterinarian community -- it is normal for rabbits to have hair in their guts from grooming. The real question is whether there is GI stasis, slowing or halting of peristalsis in the digestive tract. Since she had not lost her appetite and did not have serious bowel problems, the vet ruled out a hairball right away. We will try her on a slightly higher fiber diet and see if that doesn't help the moist droppings, and the vet took a blood sample which he should get back to me on today. I had wanted to get blood screening done for Jemimah, Maddie and Dorcas anyway -- House Rabbit Society recommends that over the age of four years, you should do an annual blood test. Rabbits are so prone to hide any adverse symptoms they are experiencing, lest it make them more vulnerable to a predator, that often serious problems with liver or kidneys go undetected for too long and the vet is not ultimately able to help the rabbit. Because trips in the car to see the vet can cause sufficiently significant stress to alter blood readings, it has been difficult for the vet community to establish standard readings for rabbit blood test results. The best thing to do is to establish an annual baseline against which you can compare test results in subsequent years. Jemimah and Dorcas are already nearly 6 1/2 years old, and Maddie is 4 1/2 years old so it is about time that we started doing the annual blood tests. I will be asking the vet for a copy of the results to keep in my own records for my own study. 

Today hopefully, I can get an appointment with our local pet groomer. I would like her to help me brush a few mats out of Sam so he will look good for the show on Sunday. Also, one of cats, our only long-haired cat, had stopped grooming when she got diarrhea. Scott and I were not quick enough about starting to brush her ourselves and now she is covered in disheveled mats. I think she'll feel much better once the groomer helps clean up her coat. 

Anyway, thanks for dropping by. I do hope to post some more pictures of Sam and Suzette in the near future, and then, of course, in a little while there will be a whole litter of kits to photo and videorecord. I hope all your bunnies are doing well, and the menagerie sends their heartfelt greetings. Have a good day.

MyRabbits


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## MyRabbits (Nov 6, 2008)

Well, I think November 5 was a self-declared holiday. I know we weren't the only ones who seemed to have trouble making ourselves get anything done. Today things pick up, however. Shortly I will be driving a few miles down 340 to pick up some orchard grass hay from a local producer. What a relief no longer to have to order through Oxbow and pay their inflated prices and exhorbitant shipping fees! Last time I order from them, I spent over $75 on a large box of orchard grass and a large bag of oat hay. Today I will be paying only $14 for two square bales of late-cut orchard grass. I like bargains like that. 

When I took Jemimah into the vet the other day for her annual blood tests, I learned that the vet had taken kale and parsley and dandelion greens off the recommended rabbit foods list. They are all apparently too high in calcium. As kale is very good and cheap at SuperFresh, far cheaper than any lettuces, at about half their price, and the rabbits are so enthusiastic about their daily kale, I was quite disappointed to learn that we needed to make a dietary and shopping switch. The vet did point out that Costco has romaine for very cheap and that local farmers' markets would be good cheap sources when the produce is in season. So yesterday I got my Costco card. Indeed, they do have affordable romaine. What a relief! It's a longer drive than it is to SuperFresh in Brunswick, but since Costco carries such a variety of inventory, I am sure we will make up for the added gas mileage in just a short while. 

Tonight is our monthly rabbit club meeting. How time flies -- in about a month we will also be having the annual Christmas party for the club. Scott and I are really looking forward to that. The party has a Chinese gift exchange, just like we do every year up at Scott's ancestral home at Christmas. Last year we ended up with a bizarre, massive potato peeler. Maybe we can offload that white elephant from Scott's family into the crew of the rabbit club! 

The rabbit show is not until Sunday, and yesterday I was able to get Sam an appointment at the groomer's for early Saturday morning. It's a good thing. While I clip the girls' nails myself, Sam's dark nails leave me lacking confidence that I won't cut them too short and hit below the quick. The groomer is far more confident with that operation, and it definitely is time for Sam's nails to be clipped. Whenever I go into the kitchen now, he stands up on his hind feet, placing his front paws on my legs, to beg for shredded miniwheats. If I am not yet in my jeans for the day, it really makes for a lot of uncomfortable scratch marks on my legs. . . 

We did receive Suzette's pedigree from her breeder in yesterday's mail. I guess I still need to light a fire under Sam's breeder to get his. It won't be that much longer before the litter arrives. I will be able to place the nestbox in with Suzette on December 2nd, but I hope to be able to hear the heartbeats of the kits in her womb with my stethoscope long before that.

Have a good day.


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## MyRabbits (Nov 13, 2008)

The good news is that yesterday I interviewed for a job and this morning received and accepted an offer of employment. The bad news is that I first have to undergo and complete a background investigation, which could take 60 to 90 days so it will be awhile before the first paycheck comes in. Oh, well, that means I will still have plenty of time at home when the kits arrive in early December. I am looking forward to being able to give them significant attention. 

The other piece of bad news is that today I was banned from Bunspace.com for showing and breeding rabbits. That's too bad because I really liked the way that site had things set up so each bunny could have her/his own blogspace, and we did enjoy meeting many bunnies and their owners through there. 

But back to news of the rabbit world. We're still not sure whether Suzette is pregnant. We do have a stethoscope, and last night my husband listened at Suzette's lower belly while I gently held her. He didn't hear any little fast hearbeats but maybe the stethoscope isn't very sensitive, and maybe it's too early to hear (only 8 days) anyway. Of course, since we had that cold snap before breeding Sam and Suzette, it's entirely possible that it effected Suzette's fertility and that she isn't pregnant at all. That would be disapointing. We are really looking forward to the fun of bouncing kits. 

The show last Saturday was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, Sam was disqualified for being a few ounces underweight, and Suzette only won Best Opposite of Variety (sandy), but Sam and Suzette seemed to enjoy the excitement of being in a large roomful of other bunnies, and Scott and I certainly enjoyed talking with old friends and making new ones. We also invested a little, buying a two hole carrier for taking some kits up to Cortland with us in the spring. There's another show a week from Saturday, and we are looking forward to that as well. 

Suzette is really developing a fun personality. When she is down in the living room with us in the evenings, she herds the cats around the large rug. That's her territory and by gum! is she ever in charge of it. She is always so alert and active too, doing numerous large binkies, etc. How much joy she brings to our life! 

What's your news?


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## JadeIcing (Nov 16, 2008)

*MyRabbits wrote: *


> The other piece of bad news is that today I was banned from Bunspace.com for showing and breeding rabbits. That's too bad because I really liked the way that site had things set up so each bunny could have her/his own blogspace, and we did enjoy meeting many bunnies and their owners through there.




Did you mention that you breed and show?



Any new pictures? I need more of this.


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## MyRabbits (Nov 16, 2008)

In answer to JadeIcing's question, I did have Suzette in her blog mention that she and Sam got "married" and were expecting kits. I may also have mentioned that I did take them to a show the preceding Saturday. I don't remember, and I can't access the blog to check because, of course, I have been banned. The interesting thing is that they clearly have not pulled each of the rabbits' profiles, as they really ought to have. I keep getting email notices that other rabbit/owners have visited their sites and left comments and that various bunnies want to be "Bunny Buddies" with my crew. Oh, well. Of course, I appealed the determination and asked that if they do not lift the ban that they refund a prorated portion of my 1-year subscription. Somehow, since they seem not to believe in resolving differences through communication, they have not emailed back and they have not so far honored my request that the refund the prorated subscription amount. Oh, well, there are fanatics and then there are fanatics . . . I guess rabbitsonline.net is my better home base for talking bunnies. Thank you for being there. 

In other news, last night in the dark, I did not apparently properly latch Suzette's hutch. This morning, when I was still lounging in bed, I heard quite a ruckus coming from the second storey porch where her hutch is. I went to investiage, and as soon as I laid eyes on the hutch I also laid eyes on an escaping Suzette. She does get very lonely out there, which is why I usually place Jemimah in another hutch right beside her during the daytime. Jemimah is such a smooth and well-behaved bunny. She gets along with all other bunnies; it's just amazing. Anyway, I guess just like Seabiscuit the racehorse had a companion horse, Pumpkin, next to him in the stall, Suzette as a high-maintenance show rabbit requires a bunny companion just like Jemimah. Jemimah is a thoroughly trained house rabbit so I don't particularly like putting her in a hutch, but then I rationalize that during the daytime she isn't doing much but sleeping anyway. At any rate, I am very greatful to her for the way that her presence seems to soothe Suzette. 

Well, the next show is a week from yesterday. We are looking forward to it. Another thing I am looking forward to is doing "therapy bunnies" at nursing homes through our rabbit club. Jemimah is perfectly suited to something like that, and I think even Dorcas and Maddie have contributions to make in that area. 

I haven't been a member of the rabbit club for long, but I do like the people I meet there very much. They are so civically minded and eager to educate the public about rabbits -- it's not all about winning at the shows. We have our Christmas party at our next meeting the first Thursday evening of December. At that meeting, various individuals will present local families for the club to give a Christmas gift of a $50 gift certificate from WalrusMart. It is a small club, and yet we will give out four such gift certificates. I am really impressed by that. When I worked for Customs down in DC, every year our medium-sized office of 30 attorneys plus about 10 support persons found a family through a non-profit organization that I have since forgotten the name of and bought gifts to fill their Christmas list. Given the relative sizes of office and rabbit club, I think the rabbit club is actually making the bigger contribution. I am proud to be a part of that. 

I'll work on getting a few more pictures posted. I need to get on the ball with that. In just over two weeks, the litter is due and then I really want to share pictures. We have no children and are too old to start so we are really looking to celebrate the miracle and mystery of life with the arrival of these kits. It's somewhat interesting -- my vet voiced his strong ethical disapproval of my breeding any Flemish Giant, but then he himself became a father for the first time. The last time I saw him, he was just back from having two weeks maternity leave with his wife (she had a Ceaserian) and overflowing with joy and pride as he showed me pictures of the infant from his iPhone. I chose my moment and commented, "I can see that Jacob is almost as much fun as a litter of kits." The comment really took him by surprise; he did a doubletake, but I think I made my point. We are not breeding to make money (few people do at that); we are breeding because we really adore having a litter of kits around and we also like the opportunity to spread the love to new Flemish Giant rabbit owners. 

Scott set up a website for our "rabbitry", South Mountain Rabbitry, which is now registered with ARBA -- http://www.southmountainrabbitry.com I like that he wrote out an informative piece on who are are as breeders -- two middle-aged people who have a small rabbitry and who are concerned about what happens to the kits we give away. It has quite a bit for the reader to consider in light of what living with Flemish Giants is iike so that they can determine whether a Flemish Giant is really suitable for their home. Among other things, we will be instructing prospective owners that if they have any trouble with their new rabbit, that for some reason it doesn't fit into their household, to bring the rabbit back to us, not to try to find another home for it and not to dump it at an animal shelter. If worst comes to worst, we will have substantially more house and pet rabbits than we have now, but we have plenty of space out here in the country and we are committed to taking good care of all of Sam and Suzette' offspring. 

Anyway, like I said, in another couple of weeks, I should have a substantial number of pictures for you.

Take care.

MyRabbits


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## MyRabbits (Nov 29, 2008)

I hope everybody had a Happy Thanksgiving. For us, it was just me and Scott (my husband), the cats and rabbits. We had Suzette, our expectant Flemish Giant doe, down with us in the living room as we dined. She was thoroughly amazed to see us eating at the dinner table -- she didn't realize that was what it was for, as usually we eat our dinner seated on the loveseat in the living room, in front of the TV. (Yeah, I know, TV junkies, mainly my husband's issue.) 

Suzette is due toward the end of the coming week. We really HAVE to finish the nestbox this weekend. We have a great design from our National Federation of Flemish Giant Rabbit Breeders Handbook. It features a totally enclosed nestbox with a round hole for the doe to come and go and a little door for us humans to open up so we can inspect the kits, etc. I'll be so excited when they get here. 

In other news, last weekend we took Sam and Suzette, our two Flemish Giants, to a rabbit show in nearby Howard County. It was the first time we showed Suzette as a senior, and we just assumed that because she weighed substantially more than Sam, that she would make the greater weight minimum standard for does. Sadly, she was DQ'd for being underweight, but we learned from other, supportive breeders that being underweight for the category is not unusual at her age: some Flemish Giants don't fully mature in weight until month 16! One of the breeders shared that she fed her FG's some sweet potato to help them put on weight, but Suzette didn't want to have anything to do with the sweet potato. Even Sam was a little bit underweight and was also DQ'd. At least he loves the sweet potato -- while he's eating one chunk he lays down on the other ones so that Maddie and Jemimah can't have any. What a clever boy! Maddie and Jemimah are plenty big already for their respective genes so I think this is a real blessing. 

Anyway, we'll keep you posted with pictures of the kits once they arrive.


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## MyRabbits (Dec 11, 2008)

As some of you may already know from the thread my husband posted which ended up in The Infirmary, we had quite an eventful weekend. Suzette kindled her litter on the evening of Saturday, December 6, while Scott and I were out to dinner. We were so proud of her, and she looked so pleased with herself! What a delight -- eight very healthy and seemingly happy kits. I can not describe the pleasure we felt in this miracle of new life. We handed out banana slices all around to the other rabbits to celebrate (I don't think cigars would have quite been the thing!) 

Our joy ended in sorrow Sunday morning when Suzette died suddenly. She died in Scott's arms. We weren't even able to get her to an emergency vet. Even if we had, they probably wouldn't have been able to do much for her. As nearly as we can tell from consulting with BlueGiants, Suzette probably died from going into shock from having too low a calcium level. 

We only had Suzette three months, but how we delighted in her! We had gotten her just before her six-month half-birthday at a show in Cortland, New York. She did very well there, but it was not just that she was a beautiful bunny. Every evening we would bring her down into the living room to run for several hours. We loved watching her; we loved interacting with her. She was cute, alert, quirky, good at binkies, very interested in her mate Sam, and quite intelligent. We will miss her terribly. We took her to the vet's for a private cremation, and Scott is choosing a special urn for her. Private cremation is expensive, and we will not do it for every rabbit, but Suzette really was very, very special to us. 

The silver lining in that great cloud is that we were able to find a Californian doe who was lactating and able to take on all 8 kits. The wonderful man who made the doe available was Suzette's breeder. So we had a long drive from central Maryland into northen Pennsylvania, but at least all this happened on a Sunday so that we did have the time to do something like that. I must say it was good to see Suzette's breeder again. He is such a nice man, a fine Christian who gives me hope in the faith again. Interestingly, Suzette's sister who beat her at the Saturday show at Cortland but whom she then beat in the Sunday show, is having her first litter in another few days. I hope she does not encounter Suzette's difficulties. The breeder is really nice and has let us know that all the kits are doing well. Probably in a month we will drive back up to Pennsylvania and bring the doe and kits back down here, returning the doe after another 4-5 weeks after that. 

Anyway, let me try to load a few pictures here. First, there's Suzette by her new nestbox, which she made a great nest in:






Well, let me go back to my Flickr site to upload a few of the kits so I can load it from there. Okay, here is a picture of the kits, taken the morning after they were born:


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## MyRabbits (Dec 20, 2008)

Christmas is coming and so my husband and I, the cats, rabbits and kits all wish you the Happiest of Holiday Times and a Joyous and Peaceful New Year! 

Tomorrow we will celebrate our home Christmas, making it Sunday so that we have time to roast the turkey breast and have our traditional meal. Based on Sam's recent unrequested performance in unwrapping my parents' present to my husband, we anticipate that the rabbits, if not the cats, will enjoy the challenge of unwrapping the presents that Santa will bring. 

The latest news on the kits is that they are all healthy and doing well and starting to distinguish themselves in terms of size, with 3-4 of the 8 being rather large and one wee one being a bit of an albeit healthy runt. They are two weeks old today, and we wish we could see them but we are having them foster nursed by a doe up in Pennsylvania. The good news is that on the way back from our Christmas trip to western New York, we will be able to drop by the foster doe and see our delightful kits. At any rate, their eyes should be long open and they should have quite nice fur by now. By the time we see them next Sunday they will no doubt be bounding regularly out of the nestbox. 

We still miss the kit's dam, Suzette. On Wednesday I picked up her ashes and urn from the vet's. It was a somber experience, but having her remains back with us, on display on the dining room mantelpiece, helps begin to give my husband and I a little closure. Some days ago I transferred all the photos we have of her onto our digital photo frame. Several times I have just sat before the frame and let it do it's one-hour show for me. That quiet hour gives me plenty of time for nurturing reflection.

Today the December issue of the National Federation of FLemish Giant Rabbit Breeders Association newsletter arrived. Time to start planning all those shows for the spring and summer! We still need to get Sam up to weight as a senior, but even if he does not make it, we will probably still go to the Lebanon show. We have heard so much about it. 

May your rabbits and you be happy and healthy throughout this holiday season.


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## JadeIcing (Dec 23, 2008)

*hugs* 

I am glad your babies are doing well.


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## MyRabbits (Dec 27, 2008)

Well, here we are at the Comfort Inn in Batavia, New York, with Sam and the three girls, our four house bunnies. They are all very well behaved. Christmas with Scott's family was really nice. We even took Sam and Dorcas with us, and both seemed to enjoy the variety and the excitement. They were such good little/big bunnies. 

We did have a bit of a scare earlier in the week, as I posted on the Infirmary forum -- Sunday morning I noticed that Sam had a tiny spot on each hind hock which was not covered with fur -- the dread beginnings of sore hock. Fortunately, the skin is not broken, but he has developed callouses in each spot so I imagine it will be a while before we can coax hair to grow back there. At any rate, I am sure the medicine the doctor gave us will help, as will the new rug in the rabbit room and the new resting racks that we have for the litter pans. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. Fortunately, Sam does not fuss at the wrappings we put on his hocks, but I am still not perfect at wrapping them and sometimes the VetWrap bandages twist around, at which point I just take them off. 

Today we will be going to visit friends who have dachsunds which they show and train, so we will not be taking the bunnies with us. That's okay. They seem to enjoy lounging around int he hotel room just fine. Then there's Dorcas who loves lounging on the other bed in the hotel room. These beds are lower than ours and she can actually hop up herself, something she can't do with our bed at home. She just seems to feel like the queen of the place. 

Finally, Sunday we will head back home, to stop by the kits in Lock Haven, PA along the way. I can hardly wait! Should have pictures and videos for you soon.

Have a good week.


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## JadeIcing (Dec 28, 2008)

Hope you have fun.


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## MyRabbits (Dec 29, 2008)

Well, we are back from the trip, and, boy, did we bring a surprise home with us! We thought we would just drop by to see the kits, but Wayne didn't need the doe for anything further and the kits were pretty strong so Wayne suggested going ahead and taking doe and kits home with us. He even lent us a carrier. As we cannot predict what the weather and roads in mountainous PA will be two weeks from now -- when we had planned on bringing them home -- this was a great idea! We will return the doe and carrier at the Lebanon, PA show in early February.

So we drove home with a total of 13 rabbits in the car. That's the most we have ever had at one time. The kits were three weeks and a day. Now they are three weeks and two days. They are just amazing, as is this wonderful doe who has managed to keep them all alive and well. 

Today I got a postal scale and this evening my husband and I will weigh them, marking the ear of each with a sharpy, with a number, so that we can keep a record of their development. I am still so awe-inspired by the kits that I am a little hesitant to pick them up. Most of them seem to enjoy just being petted so thus far today that has been all I have done.

Fortunately, the doe seems to have settled in pretty well. They are going through a lot of water, a fair amount of hay, less feed than I expected. I have not yet seen the doe eat and do hope that the trip did not upset her into going off her feed. We are feeding her what she had up at the breeder's. 

I should have some photos posted soon.


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## MyRabbits (Jan 1, 2009)

Happy New Year! 

It's been an eventful week. Originally we had planned to drop by and visit our kits and their surrogate mother on our way home from the Christmas trip in New York state. But we actually got to bring the foster mother and kits home with us! It has been so wonderful for us. The kits -- all 8 -- are healthy, alert and very active and hoppity. They love their hay, pellets and water and are "wide eyed and busy tailed". On Monday we weighed them with a postal scale and marked them with numbers in their ears to tell them apart, to start getting to know them as individuals. They vary in weight from 6.2 oz. to a whopping 10.5 oz. Tuesday we had them out on the bed in the guest room as I cleaned the hutch, and we were finally able to get some good pictures. So here's the crew (a Blackberry in its holster is included for scale):





























Anyway, we're just in love with the kits. It's hard to believe that we will only have them for another 7 weeks before others will be taking them to their homes. All the prospective owners we have talked with so far have been prior owners of rabbits so we feel very comfortable with having our kits move to their homes. 

Today we dropped by PetsMart and bought a small animal pen for the kits to run around in. We felt that it would be especially useful when the prospective owners visit -- watching and interacting with the kits in the pen, they will have a better sense of which rabbit has the personality most suited to them. They really do already have seemingly unique, individual personalities. It is really pretty wonderous. 

Have a Happy and Healthy 2009.


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## JadeIcing (Jan 2, 2009)

AWW! I love them. I want one. :shock:


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## MyRabbits (Jan 3, 2009)

January 1st PetsMart was open, and we dropped by and picked up a small animal pen with floor covering so that, when prospective new kit owners visit, they can choose their rabbit from watching them hop and interact. It is not so big, but not so little either. I set it up yesterday in a corner of the living room floor. Sam and Jemimah and Maddie were quite curious about it. Since I put it up right near where they love to lounge, they now lounge leaning up against it. How surprised they will be the first day we fill it with rambunctious kits! We are expecting our first visitors a week from tomorrow, and I am very excited about it. The kits will be just over five weeks (they are four weeks today). The visitors will not be able to select their actual rabbit that Sunday -- we have first pick and won't exercise that option probably till about week seven or eight, when we sex them).

Today is Saturday, which means we will weigh the kits. Last time, I marked each rabbits ear with a sharpy, with an identifying number, something I needed to refresh yesterday. I think the weighing exercise will hold a few surprises this week. No. 5 kit was the second heaviest last week, but I am thinking that kits Nos. 4 and 8 may have overtaken him for size. We are recording all these weights on a NeoOffice spreadsheet so at some point will be able to generate graph lines showing the relative development of each kit. The more data we can generate from our breeding program and use, the better breeders we will be. 

At any rate, all the cats and rabbits seem to be doing very well at present. Sam's hocks are looking better all the time, and I dont think we will have any problem showing him at the shows in Lebanon, PA in early February. I admit that we are having quite a difficult time administering his oral, banana-flavored baytril. He just hates it when I try to stick that syringe in his mouth, but then when I end up getting it all over his coat instead, he doesn't seem to mind licking it off himself! 

I am about to write out the entries for the Lebanon show today, too. It will be a little sad going to the show with just Sam, not having Suzette there in here carrier as well. I do miss her. Yesterday I made a picture of Suzette the background picture for my new Blackberry. She was such a good rabbit!


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## JadeIcing (Jan 4, 2009)

*hugs* It is hard to lose your bunnies.


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## MyRabbits (Jan 4, 2009)

It is sad to lose one's bunnies. I am touched by how many of the people who have contacted us about these kits have been people who have recently lost a beloved bun and find that life is still not quite right without any rabbit at all around. I have many pictures of both Suzette and Ben, the Flemish Giant we lost last winter, on my Blackberry and iPod. Suzette is the background screen for my Blackberry, too. I love sharing pictures and videos from the Blackberry and iPod with just about anyone I meet. I suppose I am a bit boorish in that, but people tolerate it, and it is important to me to continue viewing photos of these darling rabbits that I miss so much. 

Last night the kits were 4 weeks old so we got out the postage scale to weigh them again. Amazingly, in just 5 days, their weight increased by an average of 56%! It's so noticeable when we compare video shot at 23 days with video shot yesterday. They just grow so quickly. Our darling runt, No. 6, gained the least weight but still as a proportion of her last weight she gained nearly 50%. Right now she weighs just 9.7 oz, whereas most of the kits weigh in at 15 oz., and No 1 weighs in the greatest at 1 lb. 3 oz. 

This morning we went out to make an assessment of how much work awaits us in the barn. The floor is more uneven than we remembered so we will need to get quite a bit of gravel, sand and soil to even it out. We did even out the soil in one of the stalls and laid the cinder block over a piece of plywood there and moved our one large hutch in there. The stalls are so spacious. We really do have room for a sizable rabbitry in there. I am so excited. It feels good to have the hutch moved in there, but we will not transfer the rabbits there until next weekend. We need to wire in a few more lightbulbs and also an electrical outlet so we can enjoy Wabbitcam! as we do from their indoor location. 

Thanks for dropping by.


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## fuzz16 (Sep 15, 2009)

i just found your blog and have fallen in love with your beautiful giants and your stories. look forward to more


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## MyRabbits (Sep 15, 2009)

Wow. It's been a long time since I updated my bunny blog. Thanks for dropping by. We now have 12 Flemish Giants -- nine sandies, a breeding pair of whites and one black buck. We just love them so much. 

Last summer another relatively new breeder who had decided they couldn't continue with breeding and showing, called me up and offered me, as a gift, one of their does. I had fallen in love with that doe earlier that summer when they showed her for the first time. Of course, we eagerly took her. Her name is Dolly, and she is a beautiful rabbit. This past weekend we took her to Cortland, a very important specialty show for Flemish Giants, and she won her third leg and also Best of Breed. I am still on Cloud 9 from that. But more importantly, the victory did not go to her head. Instead, somehow, on the trip she seemed to bond with us more. Where before she was somewhat reserved and after a certain amount of petting would hop to the rear of her hutch, now she is all affection and cannot get enough petting. It is really neat to see. Maybe over the trip she decided that she belonged as much as the other bunnies traveling in the car. I am not sure. But I sure am happy.

How are your bunnies doing?

Nora


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## MyRabbits (Sep 15, 2009)

Well, an update is in order. I haven't blogged in a long time. We are now 12 Flemish Giants (9 sandy, 2 white, and 1 black) plus four other house rabbits (2 Dutch, one small Californian, and a Holland Lop).

In May we drove out to Flemish Giant Nationals in Michigan, at the gracious home and show barn of Lynn and Bob Bolyard. Much to our delight, Guenther, a sandy senior buck that we got from the Welch's in February, actually placed 2nd in his class of 27. We were so thrilled! It was also a wonderful opportunity to grow in friendships and make some new friends. We also acquired another 6/8 sandy doe whom we named Bess Truman, Bessie for short. She is a very stylish doe. We will breed her with Guenther in another few weeks.

Over the summer, we acquired two darling whites, a breeding pair London and Cinderella, as well as Dolly, a glamorous senior doe. Sadly, Cinderella died about a month later. We had loved her so much. She had big leafy ears, loved to play on the stairs, and was incredibly outgoing and curious. She was always hopping up just wanting attention. We still miss her even though this weekend we acquired another white doe as a breeding partner for London. The new doe is quite young -- 3 1/2 months -- and we haven't had her long enough to decide on an appropriate name for her. She is very snuggly and sweet.

The slow summer off from shows gave way to a flurry of activity on Labor Day weekend, when we took 8 FLemish Giants first to a double show in Bucks County, PA on Saturday and then an open show plus Flemish Giant specialty show at Mill Hall, PA on Sunday. It was so amazing! This was the kits last weekend to show as Intermediates (6/8). Samantha, our rather tiny doe, took Best of Breed both times at Bucks County, surprisingly beating out the glamorous Dolly. We were so pleased and happy about that. Then Sunday at the open show, Dolly turned the tables and won Best of Breed! So then both of them had two legs, equal with Bessie, whom we had gotten at Nationals. At Mill Hall we also got another rabbit, a sandy senior buck named Max, from the same breeder who gave us Dolly. We will be breeding Max and Samantha in another couple of weeks. Hard to believe that our little kit Samantha is actually going to have litters of her own!

The Turtle's, my husband's, birthday was the next day, and he gave himself quite a present at Mill Hall -- he won a Holland Lop at the Raffle. As he explained to me, we have "our" rabbits (the Flemish Giants), I have "my" rabbits (the house rabbits I have had since before we met), but he didn't have HIS OWN rabbit. So the new rabbit, Mr. Fred, has now joined the pack of house rabbits. He is a very sweet 2-year-old buck with a thoughtful look to him. 

This past weekend we took 7 Flemish Giants up to the double specialty show in Cortland, NY. Our car only holds 9 carriers, and we knew we would be coming home with the new white doe and also a 5-month black buck kit. Saturday, London, our space-cadet white buck, took Best Opposite Sex of Variety--white. It was so funny when he was up for Best of Breed. After it was over and he was not picked, he lodged his hind feet against the little show table stall and refused to let me get him out, as if to say, "I'm staying here till they pick ME!" Then Sunday Dolly wowed us all by not only winning her class, and thus her third leg for Grand Champion, but also Best of Variety -- sandy and then on to Best of Breed! That is a real accomplishment at Cortland, against 212 other rabbits. The whole time she was being judged, I was just holding my breath. It was such a great relief to finally exhale when they announced her as Best of Breed. Really, since we are so inexperienced, we expected nothing at Cortland. The other breeders there are so expert and experienced. But Dolly was a real gift to us in so many ways. Nicely, since the trip, Dolly has given up her reservedness and now likes to be petted and handled all the time. I guess she finally feels like she really belongs after all that traveling with the other bunnies.

We are still trying to think of names for the white doe and the black buck. It always takes us a while as we get to know the rabbits' personalities. I am just so filled with love for my rabbits. It seems the more we get, the better I am able to love all of them. It is an amazing experience.


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## fuzz16 (Sep 16, 2009)

It really makes me happy to read about someone who loves thier rabbits so much, ecspecially when they have so many rabbits to love!!

congrats on the new bunnies and thier wins and good wishes to London for next time!!! Glad you're doing so well with the shows and your bunnies

pictures please??


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## MyRabbits (Sep 22, 2009)

Well, I still haven't managed to get pictures of the bunnies posted, but at least we have names for the new white doe and black buck. The doe is Wendy, as in Peter Pan, and the buck is Harry Houdini. Yes, the buck is good at climbing out of his hutch.

We are sad today. Yesterday one of Harry's littermates died of enteritis. This morning it appears that two more are sick with it. Harry still seems to be fine, however. We send our love to Sheri who is struggling with the death of the one and care for the other two. That is not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination.


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## fuzz16 (Sep 22, 2009)

Not familiar with the disease but I hope it doesn't spread to her others and that Mr. Harry doesn't get it.


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## MyRabbits (Sep 22, 2009)

Vets don't really know what ultimately is the cause of enteritis. It mostly affects rabbits below the age of six months. For the full first year their digestive tracts are undergoing a lot of changes in pH and in flora, etc. It is easy to disrupt the balance, whether by other disease or infectious agent or just ingesting something they should't have which then upsets the balance of "bad" and "good" bacteria in their gut, but it upsets the digestive tract enough that it freezes up -- stasis -- and the animals eventually die. Sometimes it can be treated with Critical Care, pedialyte and gas drops, but it is certainly quite painful for the rabbit to go through. The goal of the treatment is to stimulate the gut back into moving and digesting properly again.

I am very sad, as I learned another breeder friend was dealing with this issue with one of her kits and lost him last night, too. God bless all the little bunnies!


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## MyRabbits (Feb 25, 2010)

Wow. It has been too long since I have written. Harry Houdini is now all grown up, making his senior weight and showing well. THe two whites we got last fall are also senior weight and showing well, especially London, our buck, who took Best Opposite Sex at the MARCS Flemish Giant specialty show at Lebanon. I was so proud of him, as he had gone through a very awkward adolescence. Also, since there is so little competition in the White variety of Flemish Giant, Whites rarely compete well for BOB and BOS. 

Well, so far this winter, we have had two litters. Bessie and Guenther had five kits who are all now a little over 12 weeks. Dolly and Max had just two kits who are seven weeks today. All the kits are hitting outstanding weights according to our growth chart, and they all have such sweet and fun personalities. All have homes to go to also.

We had a third litter with Samantha and Guenther, but the two kits died of exposure. We have rebred Samantha and she is due about March 20th. I can hardly wait!

Back in December, in the National Federation of FLemish Giant Rabbit Breeders newsletter, Dolly was the number one ranked Flemish Giant in the country, based largely on her wins at Cortland and Mill Hall the previous weekend. Since she is nursing a litter now, I don't expect she will hold onto that position much longer. But we will enjoy it while it lasts.

Guenther continues to be my model stress buster. He just gets such an angelic expression on his face when I pet him that the expression simply dissolves away my own stress. I would love to patent it. I hear that in Japan they have rabbit cafes where people go to pet rabbits to reduce stress. I think Guenther and his kids would be great at that. Someday, when I retire, I think I want to open a rabbit cafe here and see if I can't get it off the ground.

It has not been that long since the Lebanon show, but I am finding it hard waiting for York to come along next week. Rabbit shows and all the fantastic friends I make there, are what really keep me going. I need another rabbit show injection.


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## MyRabbits (Jul 9, 2010)

Wow. Has it really been that long since I have blogged here? I can't quite believe it.

We went to our last show for the season Fourth of July weekend, to Dickson, Tennessee, where they have an air conditioned showbarn and a double show plus Flemish Giant specialty show. I had hoped the specialty show would draw a lot of southern breeders of Flemish that I have hitherto not met, but the show was relatively small. Still, we had a good time showing and socializing with everybody else. Funny, but we walked away with many prizes -- some people must not have realized there were prizes and so didn't pick theirs up. The Show Secretary, as we were leaving, was desperately handing them out as gifts since they couldn't be reused, being dated with the date of the show. So we now have some very nice embroidered hand towels and also some beautifully handpainted larger refrigerator magnets. It was good fun.

The best thing about going to Tennessee was bringing home two new Flemish Giants from breeder Mark Griffith, who has won Flemish Giant Nationals for two years running now. The sandy senior buck is for friends who live in Pennsylvania and who will be coming to pick him up this weekend. It will be good to see them. The other is our new sandy junior doe, whom we have named Delilah. Delilah is simply delicious! She is both a promising showbunny and also a rabbit who really loves being petted and coddled all over her body. She is in the milking parlor now, as is Dolly, our hitherto biggest star, and the two of them are already competing for attention. It is very sweet.

Of course, rabbit breeding carries with it certain woes. In May, we had a small litter of sandies and the mother had no maternal instinct so we fostered the living two to a doe of a friend of ours in Baltimore. Unfortunately, both kits (both does) recently got the dreaded bloat. My friend was able to nurse the smaller of the two through it, but we lost the larger doe last night. I am very sad about that. This is a line we really want to do a lot with, and I believe the smaller one will be too small to make it worth breeding her. Anyway, my friend said we could go ahead and come up and get the smaller doe now so I am at least looking forward to having her added to the menagerie.

Yesterday, a Delaware breeder we know came to pick up the last of the does from our April litter of whites. We still have a buck left. Interestingly, while her husband does Flemish, she does Giant Angora and will be using this doe to cross some Flemish into her Giant Angoras, to gain some size advantage. I do hope she decides to show the doe a little too so we will get the chance to see how she is doing.

The next show is not until Mill Hall, in Pennsylvania, the Sunday before Labor Day. The shows help me get through me tedious job, and the summers just seem too long without them. I am already ready for that show! Can hardly wait.


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## fuzz16 (Jul 9, 2010)

been to long!!

congrats on the new flemmies, you should post some updated pictures up of the buns. you dont have enough in your blog!!!

i am sorry for your loss, its always sad when you loose a rabbit. specially babies or new moms.


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## MyRabbits (Jul 9, 2010)

Now that my phone is a camera phone, I take most of my pictures with it, but that's not good because then I can't load them up on here! Have to change my habits again.


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## fuzz16 (Jul 11, 2010)

LOL do you have picture mail? if so you can send that pictures to your photobucket.com account


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## MyRabbits (Aug 23, 2010)

Oh, the dogdays of August are too long for this rabbit show exhibitor. I am so hungry for the show season to begin.

Yesterday I was in the barn helping some of my younger rabbits pose. I was frankly so pleased -- we really have a promising batch of young 'uns coming up. They are quite fine. If they don't do well on the show table that will just be because everyone is getting good results from their lines this year.

A couple weeks ago we took five Flemish down to the Clarke County Fair in Berryville, Virginia in hopes of rehoming them. Two were a neutered/spayed bonded pair whom we had acquired when a friend had to file for bankruptcy. She had intended them as house rabbits, but they were not good enough about their litter training so in the end I had to put them in a hutch in the barn, and they were so bored there. Well, within about twenty minutes of getting to the fair, we had rehomed them with a woman who lived on a goat farm who would be giving them a long run to play in. I was so happy for them.

We only sold one other rabbit, and it was very hard to part with her. I had wanted a litter from Eleanor so badly but she simply had proved infertile. Unfortunately, we have limited space in our barn so we can't keep our mature rabbits that we aren't using in our breeding program. Eleanor is an incredible love, and she did find an excellent new home with a family of young girls who absolutely adore her. She has a hutch under the willow trees. But I still miss her. She was a very good wabbit.

September heralds not only the beginning of the show season but also the beginning of our fall breeding season. We are planning more litters than we ever have before, primarily because we have a number of younger does who need to be bred in that critical first kindling timeframe. So in early September we will be breeding three sandy does; in mid-October we will be breeding a white and a sandy doe; and then in early January we will be breeding another sandy doe and white doe. I just hope we are able to place all the kits in good homes. Also, I anticipate that many of these rabbits will be highly showable so I am hoping to place them with other breeders. We'll just see how many of the does do actually kindle.

The other week we finally had our "farm visit" with the vet. I had wanted to do that for a long time. Basically, the advantage of having a farm visit is the vet can then legally have a vet-patient relationship with the herd itself. This means that, should you, for instance, get an infectious disease in your herd, they would only have to diagnose one animal before they were able to prescribe medicine for the entire herd.

The vet we go to now has two rabbit vets, some other vets, and then the farm vet who does the visits. The rabbit vets briefed him before he came. I had earlier talked with one of the rabbit vets about getting some oxytocin for my does, and she had also indicated that would not be a problem once we had a farm visit. One of our does' milk did not come in back in early June, and I never wanted to be faced with that problem again. Oxytocin, a powerful mammalian hormone, stimulates uterine contraction (and so is helpful in getting stuck kits or after birth out) and also brings the milk down. I was really pleased when the first thing the vet did on his arrival was hand me a large bottle of oxytocin. I am definitely ready to breed again!

Yesterday I was especially pleased on posing SM Spencer Tracy, the last of white Wendy's litter of seven. We had not planned on keeping him, but no one seemed to be calling for him as either pet or show rabbit so I decided I might as well show him in the meantime. He was the fifth smallest of the seven; we sold off the two smallest as pets, and I wondered if perhaps we shouldn't do that with him as well. As long as he was with his siblings he was far below the targeted weights for his age group for a good show Flemish White. More recently I had weighed him and been thrilled and surprised that he was right on target for his age to weigh 15 pounds at 8 months, two pounds over the senior minimum for Flemish Giant bucks. Well, I was even more thrilled yesterday when I posed him and saw what a nice mandolin shape he had! 

Then, of course, within hours, I received the email that a woman I had told about him wanted to buy him. She will give him a very nice home as a house rabbit and I do think that is best for him, but I am also encouraging her to put off neutering a little while. There are a couple local shows here in Maryland that she could easily take him to in November, when he would be an Intermediate, and maybe that would be fun for her. At any rate, she will not be getting him until Labor Day, which means I can still show him once at Mill Hall the day before. I do hope he wins a ribbon or something to take along with him to his next home!

Well, that's about all the rabbit news. Hope to see you at the shows in just a few weeks.


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## MyRabbits (Aug 30, 2010)

One more week till the show season begins. I had hoped to spend this weekend grooming my rabbits, especially the whites, who need a lot of cleaning, but a sore gut kept me in bed most of the time. Fortunately, Mill Hall is not until Sunday so maybe I can do some effective cleaning on Saturday.

I still don't know how to post pictures properly, but I will post links to Flickr of some of our rabbits. Beau, sone of Bessie and Guenther (both grand champions), won one leg as a junior at Nationals and another leg as an Intermediate at State College. He is now a big, somewhat roly poly senior. We will not be taking him to Mill Hall, but we will be taking him to Cortland the following week. Beau is, unfortunately, a very messy boy. He likes to lie in his urine to cool off. Needless to say, this leaves his beautiful cream belly stained an awful yellow-orange. As a result, we have decided to put him on wire. Unfortunately, the wire hutch is smaller than what he is accustomed to. As a result, every morning and evening I let him out to run in the barn. Initially, he would test the rules, occasionally running out of one stall door and back in another just so I would follow after him, pick him up, and remind him the rules say you have to stay in the barn. More recently, he has discovered Samantha's hutch, and he hangs around it like an absolutely lovelorn Romeo. When I open her hutch door, he invariably tries to hop in to be closer to her. Young Beau is in love! This is a good thing, as we had planned anyway to breed him with Samantha at Cortland, a pairing suggested by Judge Bob Shaftoe at Tennessee.

http://www.Flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4941158435 

We will be showing Delicious Delilah at Mill Hall as she will be approaching six months. She will be just six months at Cortland so we will not make her make that long trip. We got Delilah from Marc Griffith of Tennessee last July when we were in Tennessee for the Fourth of July Extravaganza. She was just four months then, and Judge Bob Shaftoe took one look at her and told Marc to "lock her up till Convention." I was so afraid he would not then sell her to us, but he is a good man and still did so. The irony, of course, is that Marc is going to Convention while we are not. I have been working with Delilah on posing and she is still very awkward and nervous with it. I am afraid her rise is a little too early, but otherwise she is developing into a lovely doe.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4941158361

Mr. Fred, our neutered Holland Lop, is an absolute joy to be around. He lives in the bedroom in a hutch and comes out to hop on the bed whenever we have brought a Flemish GIant doe in to the bedroom. He is particularly close to SM Beatrix Potter, the sole kit from the SMF litter between Samantha (SMA02) and Guenther Grunt (HR622). Here the two of them are snuggled together on the bedroom windowsill.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4941158281

As I wrote earlier, SM Eleanor Roosevelt, whom I had so wanted a litter from but who proved to be sterile, went to her forever home in the wind in the willows with Dori, a lovely lady we met at the Clarke County Fair. I do still miss her and today posted this picture of me holding her the night before we took her to the Clarke County Fair.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4941158481

The really big news is that my husband and I will be divorcing but South Mountain Rabbitry will continue as our joint venture. I will move closer into my job with Guenther Grunt (HR622), Parsifal (the Fuzzy Lop I am getting in two weeks), Jemimah (my 8-year-old spayed Black Dutch), and Maddie (my 6-year-old California mix). Scott will take over the weekday care of the rabbits, which I will really miss, but I will come up on the weekends to do rabbit things and to go to shows with Scott. We both simply agreed that the barn was the best possible place for the rabbits to be and that they should stay there. It will not be an easy next year or so, but I am sure the rabbits will be well-cared for and loved.


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## fuzz16 (Aug 30, 2010)

i have been reading but am HORRIBLE about posting. you need to visit my way lol. i am flemish giant hunting right now

thats to bad about the divorce. seems like a lot of people i work with and know are getting divorces. hope everything works out best and i am glad you two can be so civil when it comes to the rabbits

eleanor is such a beautiful girl btw


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## MyRabbits (Sep 7, 2010)

Yay! Show season has officially begun! I love fall for the livable temperatures it brings to the rabbits; I love this time of year for getting to catch up with rabbit friends at the shows.

Sunday I took a minivan-ful of Flemish Giants up to Mill Hall, PA for the West Branch Rabbit Breeders Open Show and Flemish Giant specialty show. There weren't as many rabbits or Flemish Giants as last year. I suppose the economy is really taking its toll on people about now, and I do know several people didn't show due to health problems. But a good time was had by all that were there, as nearly as I could tell.

I had particularly looked forward to Mill Hall, as I had four young rabbits who would soon be aging up into the next class. I was very eager for them to get good comments and possibly win legs. I had great results with two of them -- Delilah, my junior sandy doe, and Estrellita, my junior white doe -- but poorer results for Nathan Detroit and Dusk, my two intermediate sandy bucks. My senior does, whom I had only taken to get in the mood for breeding, surprised me by placing very well; the whites were all outshone [pun] by Estrellita.

First, the scoop on the junior does. When we got Delilah from Marc Griffith at a show in Tennessee in July, the judge, Bob Shaftoe, who is judging Flemish at Convention, said, "Lock her up until Convention." At that point, I was afraid Marc would not sell her to us, but, good man that he is, he did. The irony is that he is going to Convention while we are not. Anyway, I am keeping her showing to a minimum so it won't interfere with her development but thought Mill Hall would be good, as it was the last weekend she was a junior. Delilah did great. In both shows, there were enough rabbits in the class to have a leg, and Delilah won both times. Both judges (Paul Kyle and Eric Stewart) indicated that she was really a "class apart" from the does with which she competed. In selecting BOV sandy, they considered her closely but ultimately awarded it to the senior sandy doe who won BOB both shows. I believe Delilah competed very well. Other breeders also noticed what a fine rabbit she was and complimented me on her. Since she is the first junior I have ever had to win two legs, I am VERY pleased.

Of course, there aren't many Flemish Giant whites on the table. There were only two does in Estrellita's class, the other doe being a younger half-sister. Estrellita won her class both shows. In the first show she went on to beat her half-brother and her own father to win BOV. I believe that was good for a leg. In the second show, the junior buck won BOV and Estrellita was BOSV. I don't think she will get a leg for that.

Bessie and Samantha, two senior does that I had considered breeding that weekend, absolutely amazed me. I had basically retired them from the show circuit but brought them to help get them in the mood. Well, Bessie did great, placing second in her class of 20 in the first show, second only to the doe who won BOB; Samantha placed sixth in that class. In the specialty show, the class had only 18. Bessie placed third, and Samantha was seventh. I was so proud of both of them, so pleasantly surprised.

The disappointment came with the intermediate sandy bucks. Nathan Detroit had been a very handsome junior, but the heat of July had been very hard on him. When he should have been growing, he actually lost weight and became cranky. When the temperatures broke, he returned to his sunny self and resumed eating, but it seemed to me that he had lost his nice mandolin shape -- his hindquarters no longer had the proportionate breadth they had had before. And that is exactly what the judges commented. It didn't help that both he and Dusk started a tremendous moult from their previous luxurious coats just a week before the show. Dusk and Nathan Detroit were the only two intermediate sandy bucks in the class. In the open show, Paul Kyle was absolutely loathe to DQ Dusk because he felt he was so much a better rabbit than Nathan Detroit. But upon examining Dusk, he gently said, "We have an issue." He turned him over for me to see -- Dusk had one undescended testicle. I was SO disappointed.

The next day I did let Dusk's breeder know about the undescended testicle. I am getting a sandy doe from him, Elizabeth Regina, in a couple weeks. Friends are transporting her from Michigan for me. Well, Duane told me not to argue but to tell my friends to be ready to take a buck home for me as well! I did as he said. I was so thoroughly touched! Duane is such a great guy. I learned that he had recently lost this buck's sire and some other rabbits when a worker sprayed pesticide too close to the barn. The sire was Double Take so I told him I would name the buck Double Trouble, after his sire. He liked that but then joked that he would put Double Nuts on the pedigree! He is so funny.

Because there is a possibility that Dusk's testicle could later descend, I told Duane I would owe him a rabbit in that case. I told him it would come from a litter from Delilah and either Dusk or Double Trouble. He said we had a deal. He is such a good, good man. And a lot of fun to be friends with.

It was, of course, wonderful to see old friends after the long hiatus of the hot summer. So many people had lost so many rabbits to the severe heat. That was very sad to hear. But everyone looked good and seemed in good spirits. I believe a good time was had by all. Congratulations to Wayne Bechdel for once again putting together such a nice event at Mill Hall!

Next weekend is the big Flemish Giant specialty show in Cortland, put on by our club, Eastern Stated Flemish Giant Rabbit Breeders. It is a delightful event, one show each day, held in a very nice private show barn. In addition, my friend Ginger and her fiance Ivan will be getting married there Saturday evening right before the annual chicken barbeque, which will serve as the reception. One of the breeders' husband is a clergyman and will be performing the service. My husband is bringing up a lot of sound equipment and will be djing the reception. I think everyone is looking forward to this with a great deal of excitement.

Even better, I will be taking all day off Friday so that for once I will arrive there in decent time Friday evening. Oh, I am really going to love just having a three-day workweek!

Hope everyone is in good spirits and good health till then!


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## fuzz16 (Sep 8, 2010)

they need to have more shows in the midwest. lol. i miss them all due to work sadly....sounds like you have some good allys in the shows though


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## MyRabbits (Sep 8, 2010)

There are such great Flemish breeders in the Midwest, but I don't imagine there are a lot of shows near Kansas. If you can ever get the time to get away, twice a year Bob and Lynn Bolyard have a show at their private showbarn in southern Michigan. They are wonderful people, real leaders of the Flemish community, and the shows at their place are a wonderful experience. Is there a Midwest or other regional Flemish Giant club that covers Kansas? It might be good to join it. You could find out on the National Federation site: http://www.nffgrb.com. Actually, I just took a look. It seems like all the regional clubs in the Midwest do not cover Kansas. That is really too bad. With there not being a club covering Kansas, I can see that it is not at all likely that there are many shows near you. It's too bad I did not know about you being in Olathe. Flemish Giant Nationals was in Sedalia, MO this past May. We went to it, and it was a lot of fun!

Let me look into the matter of blues in the Midwest for you. I don't know how far afield you are willing to go. The Clouses, in Indiana, have excellent blues, but I think there is probably somebody a good bit closer. The Bolyards have superb, top of the line fawns and are often looking to place some of their mature stock because they are having to cut back as they age. Again, if I take a look, I can probably remember someone with quality fawns who is closer to you than that.


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## fuzz16 (Sep 9, 2010)

it really surprises me being in kansas there are not more shows. i know there is like gardner fair where they show but around here ts netherlands, mini rex, and holland lops that are most prominent. 

i wanted to go to the sedalia show pretty bad this year, i normally go because i have a chicken in the fair or two and my grandpa shows chickens. but with working two jobs its hard to get away. never been to a rabbit show yet. so ill look forward to my first one


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## MyRabbits (Sep 13, 2010)

Well, we are back, exhausted but happy, from Cortland. It was a fantastic show, and the Saturday evening wedding of Ginger Daniels and Ivan Walters onsite at Windwood was a wonderful bonding experience for the community of Flemish Giant rabbit breeders.

Saturdays show Josh Humphries chose Best of Breed. He selected the Senior Sandy Doe belonging to Calixto of New Jersey as BOB and the senior sandy buck of Carlo Zappia of New York as BOS. Sunday Bill Rice chose BOB. He selected Brian and Roger Hornbeeck's (New York) senior fawn doe and then the senior sandy buck, but I'm not sure whose sandy buck it was.

Our whites did not do well due to the terrific moult they are still undergoing. I was pretty disappointed with how our new senior sandy buck, Beau, did, but he is so young as a senior, I guess he has a lot more development yet. I hope. The one who really made me proud was Samantha, a sandy senior doe from our very first litter of kits. She had shown very well as an intermediate but it took her a long time to reach senior weight. Since we several times bred her but she did not conceive until April, we also weren't showing her much. I guess she finally has developed into an eye-catcher. Saturday she was fourth in her class of nineteen sandy senior does, which really thrilled me. Sunday she was third of the 17 does in the sandy senior doe class. I was even happier. I am so proud of her.

I am also proud of Lily, Dolly's daughter (SMC01), whom we had sold to Calixto. It was her very first weekend as a senior and yet she was sixth on Saturday. Then, really making my day, she won the sandy senior doe class on Sunday and went on to win Best of Variety. I was really hoping she would give Calixto a second Best of Breed, but then Bill Rice selected that fawn doe. Oh, well, I was very proud of Lily, and her dam Dolly and her sire Max.

I had earlier determined to sell Max, but now I think I will keep him. He must be a better sire than I realized. We did not bring Lily's brother Nathan Detroit with us. He did very well as a junior, but he did not deal with the hot temperatures in July and August well. From early July to mid-August, instead of gaining weight and growing, he actually lost weight. I don't know whether he will be able to make up for that lost period of growth or not, but I did not see a point in showing him when he so minimally reached senior weight and was in such a great moult. I do hope he surprises me in a couple of months by looking just as good as Lily does.

While at Cortland, I also got my American Fuzzy Lop broken black buck kit, Parsifal, from my friend Sheri May of New Generation Rabbitry. He is so cute. I have only taken pictures of him with my cell phone and need to convert them over to the computer to post. I suppose I could do that now. Aha, here we go:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4987072818


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## MyRabbits (Sep 14, 2010)

While at Cortland, Saturday night (Sept. 11, 2010), we also bred Bessie and Guenther Grunt and SM Samantha and SM Beau.

Bessie (Bess Truman, 8V132) is a Grand Champion whom we bought as an Intermediate with one leg from Valerie DeLair (Cedar Breaks Rabbitry) when we were at Flemish Giant Nationals in Michigan in 2009. Her first litter with Guenther Grunt, born November 30, 2009, was very successful, producing among others, SM Beau, whom we bred to SM Samantha. We are very excited about the upcoming litter. Although she is aging, Bessie still shows quite well:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4989497405

Guenther Grunt, from Welch's Hoppin' Haven of Pennsylvania, is also a Grand Champion and has nothing to prove. He was the second place sandy senior buck at Flemish Giant Nationals in 2009. He is also an incredibly compassionate, understanding and chivalrous buck:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9384441N05/4989497443

SM Samantha (SMA02) would have won a Grand Champion on three intermediate legs last year, but I messed up the paperwork so she has had to start over. She has had one litter with Guenther, producing SM Beatrix Potter (b. May 14, 2010), who will debut at DelMarva in a couple of weeks. This pairing of Samantha with SM Beau was actually suggested by Judge Bob Shaftoe at the Tennessee July 4th Extravaganza. We are eager to see the results:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9384441N05/4989497483

SM Beau is a young senior and still has a lot of development to do before we really know what we have on our hands. At Flemish Giant Nationals 2010 in Sedalia, Missouri, he was the first place sandy junior buck, winning his first leg. He won a second leg as an Intermediate at State College in June 2010. He has the best of the mellow personalities of his parents, Bessie and Guenther. He is a real love bug and was so in love with Samantha before we bred them. He used to hang like Romeo around her hutch when he was let out to run:

http://www.flickr.com/9384441N05/4990104218

So I'll keep you posted on how these does are doing. Hopefully they both took. On Sunday, we will additionally be breeding Dolly Girl (R724B), from the Bolyards of Michigan, with a John Trone buck.


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## MyRabbits (Sep 15, 2010)

The final score on sweepstakes points for the National Federation of Flemish Giant Rabbit Breeders is in for 2009-2010. Our friend Mark Griffith, breeder of our Delilah (G72) was third; we were thirteenth, which is fine. I don't want to be concerned about sweepstakes points. I just want to see my younger rabbits develop well and to get good quality kits out of them as they mature.

I had a nice chat with Mark last night. He is going to Convention in November and told me that the rabbits will be judged on Monday, November 8, when Delilah is still an Intermediate (she becomes a Senior on November 9). Of course, when Bob Shaftoe first saw Delilah at four months, he said, "Lock her up till Convention." Since it would be nice to see if Delilah developed as well as Bob thought she would, I would like to find a way of getting her to Convention. Mark reminded me that the Stovers, friends in Pennsylvania, are going this year. I will have to steel myself to ask them the very big favor of taking her to Convention this year for us. They are so nice -- I hate to impose!

Anyway, let me get you a few pictures of Delilah. This is Delilah when we first got her, at four months:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9384441N05/4941158361/

And here are two more of her from last night, a little into her sixth month. I should really get a niced posed picture of her for you, but she likes to play with me and never wants to buckle down and pose properly for me. (Fortunately, she poses well for the judges!):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9384441N05/4992505533/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9384441N05/4992505491/


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## fuzz16 (Sep 19, 2010)

sounds like you are doing really good with the shows and your giants!! and thats so gat that you know your rabbits so well and spend so much time with them, they are such lucky little show bunnies

none of the pictures worked though, the links said page nto found


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