New Additions

I'm dedicating this post to my wonderful new bunnies which came to me on Wednesday. They are absolutely beautiful and I fell in love instantly. They are small bundles of fluff that love attention and cuddles and are delightful to just sit and watch.
These two aren't going to be bred from, although I am positive they would make some wonderful babies! But they are sisters and they will be neutered further along down the line to continue to live peacefully with each other.
My bunny family is coming along wonderfully now and doing the bunny rounds every couple of hours (often more) to give cuddles and make sure they have everything they need brings me immense pleasure.


Here they are, Dotty and Lindy!

You can read more about them on the 'My Bunnies' page.

Dreams Reinforced

Opening the top of the guinea pig hutch in the warm sun early yesterday morning, I was surprised and delighted to find not four girlie guinea pigs as usual but five! The pregnancy was unexpected. It wasn't asked for and certainly wasn't planned (Rosie was already pregnant when she came to us) but birth is a miracle of nature, one that I cannot help but marvel at in awe, however unexpected.
   This post may seem to have absolutely nothing to do with bunnies! They are a completely different animal after all, to guinea pigs. But although unwanted to begin with (as the mummy piggy is so young) it becomes a milestone on my exciting road as a breeder. While I didn't witness the birth, and she did it all by herself as nature intended and she did a superb job, it marks the start of something special and reinforces my dream of breeding bunnies.
   The feeling of seeing that baby guinea pig yesterday was something magical. I felt astonishment at seeing nature in it's purest form of giving new life. I felt such pride in my guinea pig at achieving something so amazing and becoming a mother like myself. And my heart swells while watching mum and baby nuzzle together and seeing the little pup suckling off of her mother is truly wonderful. This is what I want to do with rabbits. That is my wider dream.
    So enough soppy adjectives for now. I just wanted to post this to celebrate new life and new beginnings. And I promise next time will be a bunny related post!

Small Encounter, Big Imprint

It's time for an off-topic post I think. As I have mentioned before I adore rabbits, I feel a special bond with them that is hard to explain. I joke that I was a bunny in a past life which is why I feel so akin to them. Who knows, maybe there is some truth in that. But I love animals in general and respect all living things. So I was saddened and surprised to find yet another small bird in our garden after being mauled by our cat, only this time alive and blinking.
    After running around for five minutes in a flap (sorry i couldn't resist) looking for anything I could use to pick him up with, my husband bravely and gently scooped him up and held him close. I made a makeshift nest with lots of hay inside a shoe box and we settled him in.
    He just lay still and I wasn't expecting him to live for much longer. We did some research (gotta love google!) and I prepared some food for him of dried cat food soaked in warm water but he fell asleep and slept for a long while.
    He was much more lively when he woke up hours later and I managed to get some food down him and I closed the box so he could spend the night resting.
    I checked on him during the night and he slept peacefully. I really wasnt sure what I was doing to be honest. My grandad had kept birds and I had also watched my dad tend to injured ones in the garden but having this tiny thing suddenly as my responsibility was a little daunting.
    By morning he seemed much better, much to my relief. He was chirping, eating and even fluttering quite a lot which was wonderful to watch. We talked about taking him into the garden that afternoon (cat-free) to see if he wanted to try to fly. We named him Fletcher Everett. It's funny how giving something a name gives it life somehow. Like naming an unborn baby. It gives it breath. 

   Unfortunately though within the hour he was looking very poorly and shaking rather than fluttering. I felt that he was going to die. I sensed it and laid him in the hay and sat with him while he passed. It was extremely sad but I hope that he felt comfort in some way, however small. It might sound strange but he felt a part of my life already, touching me in some small way. For those 15 hours my whole routine had changed in order to accommodate this little birdie and I felt a gulf that he wasn't there any more.
    This is where birds have something in common with rabbits, in fact with every animal. A small encounter can leave a big imprint. So this blog entry is dedicated to Fletcher Everett who after only a few hours left tiny birdie foot prints on my heart.

A Tough Decision

The decision to breed rabbits was not one I undertook lightly. I had to work out a huge moral conflict inside my head. 

   Rescue centres are chock full of unwanted rabbits, many arriving after being abandoned by their owners and having a rocky start to life, often living in a hutch far too small for them to live comfortably and without much companionship, human or bunny-wise. I did not, by any means, want to add to that problem.

   Also the same picture popped into my head whenever I thought of breeders - Gardens full of hutches stuffed with weak and frail rabbits forced to breed continuously throughout their often short lives, for no other reason other than to line wallets. It sounds extreme I know, but it can and does happen.

   But with the flip of a coin there is my passion. I love bunnies. They remind me a lot of myself, quite reserved and stand-offish to begin with, can take a while to get to know (a life time to get to know properly) but kind and gentle at heart (honest!) and also ever so slightly nutty.

   I love being around rabbits. Sitting with them, talking to them and just generally taking care of them. They have a calming effect on me.

   Also to consider, is the reality that if nobody bred domestic rabbits at all, they would eventually die out and not me, nor anybody else would be able to enjoy them.

   So I started doing research to try and ease the conflict. I studied breeding, basic genetics and about improving breeds and it confirmed what I wanted to do. I met with breeders that did not breed to earn a living. They bred because like me, they had a passion. They kept their rabbits in superb condition, with whole large sheds devoted to them and spent a lot of time and money making sure they were happy and healthy. I knew that this was what I wanted to do. To raise and nurture rabbits and to observe rabbits raising and nurturing their young.

   I have made peace with my decision now. I am going to be a responsible breeder and let my love for rabbits grow. By finding forever homes for future baby bunnies and by writing this blog, I hope to share my passion with others and spread the joy.