A lot to be thankful for!

I have a lot to be thankful for. The storm came and went, it did nothing more than a light rain with some wind. No flooding like they predicted or anything. Thank you God!

My babies that I thought wouldn't make it after their mom aborted half the litter and compromised their growth are fat and healthy. Thank you God!

Last but not least...it has nothing to do with rabbits but my son's beloved hermit crab got out of his pen a few days ago. We searched the entire yard, he was in tears, and then I saw him get on his knees and pray. He walked around the yard and prayed. I told him to keep praying, God does things on his timing and we would find his crab. Yesterday with the rain, I saw him again go outside and pray...saying "I'm not going to give up mom! I love him and I want him to come home." It broke my heart but yet made me so proud that in times of trouble, my 6 year old turns to God for help.

Guess what?! His crab came home, a little muddy and thirsty but alive. I can't tell you how many times we searched the yard, every crack, cranny and crevis...he was just gone, it seemed impossible but guess what, God does the impossible. I'm going to have one happy boy when he gets home from school. Thank you God!

Its coming...

Issac is on its way, almost here now and we need the rain. They're forecasting 100% chance of rain for the next 2 days...

Babies are doing well, miss Kendall thinks her bed is the feeder...that stinker! I have to move her everytime to feed and even then she sits in it while mom pry's her head under her. I don't know what she's going to do when she outgrows it!

Kendall

Holly's babies....so fat and full! My first Buddy babies!

Lucy's babies will be opening their eyes tomorrow!

 Took induction photos for Diva and Merci...love these girls!

Merci

Diva

Calling all blogs!

It looks like my blog list disappeared completely a few days ago so I have added a few blogs back to the list. Please comment with your blog link so that I can add it to the blog list. I would prefer rabbitry blogs....Thanks guys!

Updates!

Holly kindled! She had 3 dead babies and 2 live ones. The dead babies still had attached placentas and the remaining live babies were very growth stunted. I believe she semi-aborted or something happened where the placentas detached causing the excess bleeding. This also restricted growth in the other two causing them to be very immature for a full-term baby. I hope they make it!

Here is my newest hottie, miss Kendall is looking oh so cute! Her ears are just barely 1" and she's almost 4 weeks now. I hope they stay tiny. She is the result of linebreeding, a daddy/daughter cross.

Lucy's ladies are doing great! I think I've already picked my favorite....

Gypsy with her snobby, stuck up nose! Such a fat headed little baby

tiny mohawk!

Lastly, I'm loving my jr sport doe....TJ is such a CALM doe, she isn't like any of my others, put her on a show table she poses like a champ. No aggression or hyper tendencies at all with this doe....hmm....just might make her the foundation of my herd.

THICK ears!!!

You won't see a hand over her head, this doe poses without aid.

Yep, typical baby born here, a bit spastic with a little crazy mixed in. Hope TJ's babies are as nicely behaved as she is! :-)

Just another day in paradise...

Alright, so I'm being a little sarcastic with that blog title. Holly is not doing well, she is bleeding from her vaginal area and is due on Monday. She lost a lot of blood during the night, probably a tablespoon of blood which is really a Lot for a rabbit. It looks like the bleeding has stopped now but I'm not sure what caused or prompted it. She is acting normal otherwise. So I'm not sure if she has aborted the kits or what's going on. Time will tell I suppose. Pray for miss Holly, I can't take another loss this week...

Holly...

Lucy's ladies

Amelia in her own cage now, not sure where she thinks she's going!

Panda pictures!

Have to share some cute pictures of Panda. Love her little mouse ears!

Yep, she's loved.

RIP Pearl :'-(

Pearl put up a good fight. I thought she was getting better and would just retain the remaining kits but like we used to say in the ICU, if the patient gets better all of a sudden, call the family. Either its a miracle or they are about to die. Not sure why that is but it always held true and did for Pearl too.

Autopsy pictures...WARNING They are GRAPHIC... Her uterus ruptured and expelled two babies in her abdominal cavity. There was no way this doe was going to recover from this. :'-(
Pic 1
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Poem by Ellyn

I thought this to be very fitting after the post below :)

Lamentations upon Selling a Certain Junior

…that isn’t a junior anymore.

I walked up to someone I knew
Asked, May I see your buck?
I heard you’ve done real well with him,
(Congrats on your good luck)

I mean the son that last month won
the Polish national show.
I have some young breeders with me
And they would like to know

To tell the best from all the rest
To cull and to decide.
She got out her black buck, I said,
That’s great, now step aside!

So I stood there with schoolmarm’s air
And showed those kids her black.
Had to highlight which points were right
For nothing did he lack.

This little man, as I began,
Has just the sort of head
That I wish more of my Pol’s wore
It’s not too short, I said.

And it’s not wrong, not stretched too long
But full with rounded cheek.
That curvature between the eyes
Is what all breeders seek.

His eyes worth gold are big and bold
Their liquid brown is right.
Eyes carry fifteen points, you know,
They must be round and bright.

I have no fear that this buck’s ear
Is the best that I’ve seen.
See how strong and straight they stand,
Don’t bow, scissor, or lean?

His bone is fine, see his topline?
It’s arched so smooth and deep.
When you see hindquarters this full
It’s sure a buck to keep!

And best yet, this midnight jet
This glossy blackness just.
Without a hint of chocolate tint
Not stained with molt or rust.

I love to touch his fur so much.
Great snap to his flyback.
Textured and dense, he has it all
Painted such lovely black.

Firm flesh indeed! What do you feed?
He’s solid as a rock!
You know how much I love his fur,
It shines from nose to hock.

Excuses gone, forced hands withdrawn
From that splendid bunny
I had but then one last question,
Now, From which lines is he?

I read surprise in my friend’s eyes
She said, I thought you knew!
It sounded strange to hear you praise
This buck I bought from you!

I gasped, No kid!  She laughed, You did!
You sold this little boy.
For thirty bucks that day last May.
He’s now my little joy!

I choked aloud and then a cloud
Seemed to settle on my mind.
Here I’d been trying to teach these kids
When I had been so blind!

So this story has morals three
Three things I learned that day.
Never think you know it all,
And Let those juniors stay!

What I mean is till you’ve seen
Quite well how your line grows,
Don’t just sell off the ten-week-olds
That won’t yet win at shows.

I love have known the third point shown
But to the world I’ll state:
The other breeds are good enough,
But Polish: They are great!

By : Ellyn Eddy
http://rabbitsmarties.com/2011/07/arba-educational-contest-winning-silly-poem-rabbits/

Updates and surprises!

Gosh if feels like a real life soap opera here at the barn! So much going on these past few days. First and foremost a Pearl update....she's doing okay. Blood loss has stopped and she is slowly eating her hay again. Refuses to eat pellets and not drinking much either. So I started giving yogurt, nutrical and forcing fluids. She seems to have more energy now but has not passed those kits. I just feel two, a normal and a peanut. If she doesn't pass them within the next few days I suspect she will retain them. What does that mean? Well she may not ever get pregnant again. She can't be shown due to a spot so she may end up being one gorgeous pet. Not what I had planned for her but I know things work out for the best even if it doesn't seem like it. So we'll see what happens for miss Pearl over the next few weeks.

Pearl

Lucy had her litter this morning...3 DOES...this is the second litter of all does from Lucy! We sure do have a lot of pink baby dust around here.;-) Oh and what a surprise it was to see 2 sports! I haven't had a sport in a while! I miss those cute babies and these are so lightly marked they'll be perfect for breeding even though I'm sure they'll be pampered pets instead.

Another surprise....I came oh-so-close to selling this doe a few weeks ago because she looked horrible, I mean ick. In fact she was so bad looking I told the person that wanted to buy her that I couldn't sell her as a breeding animal, she would need to be a pet at best. Now look at her!!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Think I'll keep her!

Trip to the vet...

Well, we've had kindling issues this morning and Pearl isn't doing well. This morning about 7am she started pulling fur so I set the cam up and watched her a while. An hour later she's still in the box so I go to check on her and yep, a breech baby. So I get her out to try to help pull. About 30 minutes of pushing/pulling I was able to get all but the head out. She was just exhausted by that point and contractions stopped. This doe needed oxytocin. So I called the vet and of course they want me to come in as if they don't believe me. lol So I do and he gives the oxy shot and we get the head out. She has 2 more in there so its a waiting game now. Pearl is tired and bleeding, she will need some recovery time after this birthing. I'm going to start some antibiotics as a prophylactic...poor girl. Send some bunny prayers our way as she is still in labor.

Hard to see in the pic but she's laying down beside her nestbox.

A bit antsy?

Well it looks like Pearl can't wait to be a mom...she's pulling hair already and typically does do this right before they give birth. Pearl on the other hand isn't due until Tuesday. She's actually been pulling hair since Thursday, a little bit each day, and I have to put it in the box for her. I don't know if I should be excited she's showing good mothering instincts or nervous that she is pulling it outside the box. No babies on the wire please Pearl! I will have her on cam to watch her and be sure.

Pearl's not the only one antsy, I'm getting anxious to evaluate these babies! ;-) I'm quite proud of these Amelia daughters....I'll probably keep Aimee(the one with A in her ear) but will have to grow out Layla a little more. 

Layla

Aimee, So short!

 

My little Panda baby...she's so cute even with her flaws!

Post #301

After posting my last blog post I realized it was my 300th post! Wow!

So...I wanted to share this, my new motto...for all to see. I can just feel the cut-throat competitiveness in our hobby and its so much more than that.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Moving on

I caught myself opening up London's cage this morning to feed, just habit I guess. The life cycle continues here and while I am sad about loosing her, I was excited to put in nestboxes to two mommas today. Its quite funny the results of their nest-making...lets just say I can always tell as soon as I put the boxes in.

Wore herself out...but Not letting go of the hay.

 The other babies are doing well, looks like the only boy has decided his sisters make a plush, heated, luxurious bed. ;-) He's a little prince already....

miss Panda...

Isn't he cute?! This is Lochte, his head looks like a little cotton ball.