Sunday, March 28, 2010

More on Rabbits

Since all I have done is live, eat, and breathe rabbits this weekend, it seems fitting to do one more post on them. I went yesterday to pick some of them up. In preparation for this many more rabbits, I decided to 'make my job easier'. I cut the tops of all my water bottles so that I could just fill them with a hose without pulling the whole thing down. I didn't know that the drinker valves needed the pressure to keep from leaking. Oh, dear! The water was pouring out of them as fast as I could pour it in. Luckily, we scrounged up enough used water bottles to get through the night. This is only a temporary fix, since the bottles are pretty small. This may just put me a little closer to an automatic waterer. See...one door closes and another opens.

Here are some pics of what I bought. This nowhere comes close to all of it, but it is a good start. I also have 5 more does with litters to bring home. Until the new rabbit shed gets here, I am at full capacity. In fact, quarters are very cramped right now!

The backside of the shed I built.


The front of the shed. I built the cages as well. I should have built the 'poop-shoots' with more of a slope, but live and learn. We used some of the corrugated pvc to put a roof between the two. It does make it nicer in the rain. I just took the tarps down yesterday. We had the entire thing enclosed to make a big shed and hung a shop light in the center.


This is Esme.


Esme's litter.


This is my new Flemmish Giant doe. She is pedigreed and will be bred once she is settled in a bit more.


My new NZR buck.


My NZR doe. Please excuse the mess in the background. This side of the shop has turned into mine, but I have so much stuff in there that I can't get it cleaned out.

God Bless!!!

16 comments:

  1. Beautiful bunnies! I used to raise rabbits when I was in high school ...oh so long ago. Ha! I had NZW mostly, one NZR and two Netherland Dwarf. I had one dwarf that was leash broke. She would skitter along with me if I walked and sit up like a mongoose when I stopped. One time I had her at the feed store with me and some guy came in with a German Shepherd on a leash. The dog didn't notice the rabbit, but the rabbit noticed the dog. She SHRIEKED and leaped into my arms. Scared all of us ...even the German Shepherd. LOL

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  2. I cut the tops of all my water bottles...................Heh, heh,heh, whoops! ;-)

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  3. Poop shoots? Thats a good idea...hey, so do you eat the rabbits that are "pedigree"? I mean what would be the point of eating a pedigree rabbit, wouldnt a non pedigree be just as good to eat? Just curious....

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  4. What a great set up! I love seeing how creative others get with their animal housing.

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  5. Thanks Hillside! If you think that's creative, you should see some of the other fascinating creations around here. The chicken coop should be extraordinary (re-assembled Arrow shed that wasn't assembled correctly in the first place). LOL.

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  6. Your rabbits should not be on wire floors like that, its terrible for their feet and can cause sores. The cages they are in are too small and if you are in the UK you would be reported. Disgusting is what you are.

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    1. If you are going to critizise, at leat put your name on your browling, coward. Live and let live

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  7. It's easy to talk crap anonymously lol rabbits are fury rats

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    1. I studied small animal husbandry during my 6 years of animal sciences studies at Penn State . . . My small animal husbandry studies I focused on rabbits. I also have been a member of A.R.B.A for over 30 years, and the person attempting to give you a hard time here is obviously ignorant in the area of rabbits,rabbit behaviors, and rabbit anatomy, thus the reason they make themselves sound so stupid . . .which people would do their research before showing their ignorance, for it is sometimes very annoying to have to tolerate . . . Anyone who really knows what it takes to provide a healthly habitat for rabbits first of all knows that a rabbit's foot is thickly, and densely padded, and as such they're enabled/suitable for life on wire floors, but more so, wire floors make for a much more healthy and sanitary habitat . . . Much better that those urine saturated wooden hutches with wooden floors that forces the rabbit to living on top of its own fecal matter . . . What a fool this person made themselves appear to be by exposing their ignorance

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    2. Just realized my typos/spelling errors . . . Please forgive

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  8. The conditions in which you keep those rabbits are appalling. Wire floors will cause sore hocks as any veterinarian will confirm. Rabbits do not sit in their own filth, they "go" in one corner which can be cleaned. Rabbits need to be able to move around, dig, run, jump and binky. They need an enclosed area in which to hide and sleep and living in draughty, wire cages is the height of animal cruelty. A purported qualification in animal science clearly has taught you nothing about how these beautiful, gentle animals should be treated. The kindest way to keep domestic rabbits is in a large draft proof hutch with access to a grassy run or in a barn densely filled with straw and hay. And to pre-empt your anticipated comment as to my ignorance, I have successfully kept and bred healthy and happy rabbits for over 30 years with my local veterinary practice strongly endorsing the conditions in which my rabbits live.

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    1. I agree with you 100%, before we adopted the rabbits for my daughter's I had them research how to take care of rabbits and what you are saying is right and my daughter is only 8 years old.

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  9. I don't think that the hutch is good for the rabbits feet because of the fence on their feet they get blister. Before anyone thinks about this hutch, do more research.

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    1. Thank you Gerry T for taking the time to research best conditions for raising a bunny. I find it so worrying that posts such as this are posted as an example of how to treat an animal. Maybe the author of this site should try living in a wire box and walking on a wire floor wearing just a pair of socks. Let's see how fun that would be!!

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  10. Your project is Soo inspirational

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