What's Up Doc

What kind of scrap booker am I???

2009-02-10T22:24:00.001-08:00

Spring is almost here!

2009-02-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

I can't wait for Spring to finally get here....I want to get started on the addition to my barn. My bunnies are getting cabin (barn) fever and I know they are going to LOVE being able to run around the yard again!! I am going to buy an excercise run to put in the back yard so I can sit on the deck and watch them play. They have an area outside the barn to run as well.
The rabbit shows will be starting back up on Feb 21st and I can hardly wait!! I have some promising Jr mini Rex , Hollands and Lionheads although the Lionheads are not old enough to show yet.
A few of us crazy Utah breeders are going to Columbus, Ohio for the May 2 National Lionhead Show...we are so excited!!! The kits I have in the nest now are my show hopefuls. I am mostly excited just to meet the people who laid the ground work for the breed and see all the entries!

coccidiosis problem

2009-01-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

Well I think I finally got my coccidiosis problem under control...I have everyone on Corid and it seems to be making a huge difference now...I had a broken blue mini rex doe that I didn't think would even make it through the night but today she is eating and drinking and acting just fine...I am going to do the Corid every 6 months from now on as a preventive measure...the Terramycin and the neomycin did not stop it...it seemed to only keep it at bay but then another bun would come down with it...I have killed every last mouse and keep the poison out there plus the cats...I hope the worst is now behind me...in all my research(which is ALOT!) I think that I had carriers of coccidiosis in my barn and so new bunnies that had never been exposed to it before caught it from them, carriers never actually come down with it....it is hitting the west coast really hard and also Ohio too...so I guess the trick is to treat all new animals as a preventive measure when they come in....or never buy a new animal which is highly unlikely...LOL ...I guess once a rabbit has it and gets cured it is immune but can still be a carrier...I am just so sick about the fact that I did not learn this until I had to loose my most prized rabbits...the Lionheads are the ones that took the brunt of it..then the Hollands and then the Mini Rex...I think that the lionheads had never been exposed before and that is why they went down so hard...of course it is impossible to know if a particular bunny has it unless you pay to have their dropping tested ...but what do you do??? Never buy a rabbit or go to a show??? I have been beating myself up so hard over this and I have finally come to the decision that I could not have possibly known and I need to get over it and just move on...

If I had known what I have learned now...I would have done things SOOO differently when bringing new bunnies into my barn....from now on I am going to quarantine and treat new bunnies with Corid and make sure they are not going to catch anything before I put them in my barn now that I know I have carriers...I just hope there is not some other "hidden" thing that might jump up and bite me....

More Bew Lions in the nest!!

2009-01-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

Creamcicle had 5 healthy babies last night 1-29-09...she is being a great m0m this time..there are 3 Bew's and 2 Torts....I am so excited!!

Babies are Here!!!

2009-01-24T20:51:00.000-08:00

Foxy had 3 healthy little babies today...they are all safe and warm in their nest. Foxy is being a great mom!!! Two are chocolate somethings and one is an orange...right now the two look tort but they could be Choc Otter or Choc Martin(Fox) or they could be Choc Tort...time will tell...doesn't really matter they are healthy and cuter than cute!!!

Foxy

2009-01-23T23:58:00.001-08:00

Foxy is my F2 Lionhead doe who carries Chocolate..she was bred to the fabulous Buffalo Creek's/Enchanted Lion's Aslan..He is a Chocolate Tort...Foxy has been so busy the last couple of days making her nest just so..she is sooo cute...she has worked very hard to get everything perfect...I expect her to kindle sometime tomorrow 1-24-09....I am crossing my fingers, toes and eyes that she will be a good mommy and the babies will thrive....I am trying to produce Chocolates for a very good friend who very much wants Chocolate Lionheads....

FABULOUS Blue Mini Rex

2009-01-23T23:41:00.000-08:00

I am getting 4 incredible blue Mini Rex in a few days from Random Rex Rabbitry in California...they are AWESOME!! Actually 1 buck is a brokem blue...I am sooo excited!!!
I don't have pictures of the 2 does but you can see the 2 bucks to the left...Random's Blue October has 5 GC legs and Random's Scud Missle has a BOB Leg so far...

Cleaning

2009-01-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

Well...I have spent 2 full days scrubbing cages because of the coccidiosis outbreak..it is a much bigger job than I thought it was going to be...I have killed about 35 mice so far...that I have actually thrown away...I sure hope there are tons more that are dead that I have not seen...I am going to use poison for a little while longer but I got a cat...so...as soon as I am sure all the poisoned mice are gone...I will let the cat into the rabbit barn...they are building a sub division behind us in what used to be a farming field so there are alot of mis-placed mice....I HATE MICE!!!!
I am still looking for another cat that is a mouser and used to being outside...and also a kitten for inside the house...my 5 yr old grand daughter thought that the cat I was getting would be a snuggle buddy for her but I got a BARN cat....so I decided to get her a kitten that she can snuggle with and hope it turns out to be a good mouser as well for inside the house....
I have always had cats until just the last 2 years when our last cat died of old age....in the past 2 years we have had mouse problems so I guess having cats around is a really good thing...

Bew's in the nest

2009-01-19T22:35:00.000-08:00

Well Creamcicle ate the last kit....BUT...Emma-Lee has 6 beautiful healthy babies in the nest..there are 4 Bew's and 1 VM and a VC...they have their eyes open and a couple have hopped in and out of the nest a couple times..they are soooo cute!!!
I bred Creamcicle again and she is due on the 29th...I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will be a good mom the 2nd time around...
Rabbits are interesting creatures and very frustrating at times...

Choose your words wisely

2009-01-19T18:55:00.000-08:00

I really screwed up bad...I emailed a friend about some problems she was having and was trying to show her that things happen to all of us but I did not explain what I was saying well at all and now I have a wonderful lady VERY mad at me(not the same Lady)....My heart is aching and I wish I could go back in time and re write the whole original email but it is way too late now.....I got some bunnies from a fantastic breeder and there were several things that I did wrong in transporting them here and getting them settled in and I lost 1 to coccidiosis...I had kept them in a horse trailer for 2 days while traveling which could have exposed her and I changed their feed way to quickly..then like an idiot I took her to a show within a couple days after getting her home which probably stressed her out and could have exposed her ...we have had a problem with mice (which I am working on) which I think tracked thru the infected feces and then tracked it into other cages which spread it so I lost 2 more...it is too hard to explain the email I sent but I worded it way wrong and it came out sounding like I was blaming the lady I got her from but I swear I wasn't...I just want to let people know to always be sure you explain what you mean when talking to other breeders....and it helps alot NOT to be drinking when you email other breeders.....

Loosing babies

2008-12-30T17:52:00.000-08:00

Creamcicle...my sport Lionhead doe had 5 babies early this morning or very late last night...she did not pull enough wool and 4 of them got too cold and died..1 is still alive..I brought it in the house to warm it up..it was almost dead so I don't know if it will survive or not...I checked on her at 11:30 last night and she had not had them but then I went to bed..I went out at 8:30am ..by then it was too late...there were 3 Bew's and 2 Vm's...the one that is still holding on is a Vm....I really thought it was warm enough in the barn with the heater but I guess I was wrong....she didn't pull enough wool.. ..the one that lived is warm now and active...so maybe it will survive..I put the heater next to her cage and I am hoping she will feed the little one...

Winter....BURRRR

2008-12-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

Well...I guess winter is officially here....I stuffed insulation in all the holes in my barn and keep the heater on all the time..it stays about 45 to 50 inside so the water bottles don't freeze and I can be comfortable enough to spend alot of time with my bunnies....the only problem will be that the ventilation will not be as good as it was but I will just have to clean pans more often...LOL...oh boy!!! How long till summer comes again?????

My bunnies seem happy so I am happy....

What IS the right amount of feed????

2008-11-19T10:06:00.001-08:00

I recently decided that my rabbitry was turning into more of a "Fat Farm" I was way over feeding so I decided I had to cut back on the amount of feed...well this worked great for most of the bunnies but poor Rocket (pictured to the left in his prime) did not adjust so well...I decided to sell him(not realizing what I had done) so I posted an Ad with this picture which was taken just a week and a half earlier. When a fellow show person came to look at him I could have died...I pulled him out and he had lost 3 ounces and looked terrible..I have put him back on the original amount of feed and I am hoping that he can be restored to his original beautiful condition..I feel so bad...I have learned however that each rabbit has it's own "prime zone" and from now on I will be feeding each rabbit according to it's individual needs. Everyone has their own way of feeding and I am still trying to find the right way for me.
I was feeding 1/4 cup of a grain mix each morning which consists of:

4 cups oats
4 cups barley
1 cup calf manna
1 cup black oil sunflower seeds

Then in the evening I was giving 1/2 cup (rounded) Manna Pro "SHO" pellets.
I also give Timothy hay almost everyday
It is easy to see why they were getting so fat...so I cut everyone back to just a spoonful of the grain mix and a scant 1/2 cup of pellets..I still give the Timothy hay the same. It seems to be working well for everyone...except Rocket...but hopefully he will get back to his beautiful self very soon now that he is back on the original amounts.