Lark Update

Well, here is the long overdue update on the wooly doe bred by the belgian buck.

She never nested, never kindled. However, upon palpating her again (she's over a week overdue), I still can feel something in there. Her belly is big and she just feels pregnant in general..

I suspect that I was successful in terminating the kit(s), but unfortunately she never triggered to go in to labor and since she is eating well and active, I suspect that the kit(s) have mummified.

Just perfect.

I have two options at this point- pet her out (she's not really got a pet personality, let's be honest) or rebreed her and try to get her to pass the belgian kits. Well I suppose a third option is to put her down, but that's one I'd like to avoid if at all possible.

Eurgh.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Getting overwhelmed

I'm trying to establish a routine. Now that I am thankfully employed again, Tim and I have been frantically searching for a second car. We've checked out probably every decent used car in several counties and unfortunately we've been screwed over trying to buy one (so we walked out) and the other was sold out from under us. *sigh*

So we're looking for a new car. Bah.

Anyway, this brings me to the rabbit point- I've been a bit overwhelmed between my new job and my "it seems like a full time job" car search.

I spent a few hours yesterday grooming out some juniors. Wow no one is in coat at all. It's a bit upsetting with the show season starting in just a few short weeks! The juniors I wormed in hopes of getting them to molt have disappointed me- no full blown molts!

The seniors are all looking half/half right now. Eurgh!! Incredibly frustrating. It's hard to stay on top of 40ish molting woolies.

I need to find the time to sweep the rabbitry floor, tattoo a few new ones and set up my breeding board so I know who is due when and who needs to be rebred!

I need to get a control on this soon before it spirals out of control!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Oddball doe-

I have a doe outside FRANTICALLY nesting. She keeps scratching the bottom of her box and carrying around large mouthfuls of hair.

The problem is- her baby is already born! In fact, he's two weeks old.

o.O I'm not sure what she's doing, but she is CONVINCED she needs another nest. I ended up having to take away her baby and foster him to another litter to make sure she didn't accidentally hurt him.

I had a litter born tonight- one REW peanut and one REW. Apparently, for whatever reason, I really favored the REW x REW litters this round. I think it will be my last litter with this doe. Her kits are beautiful and very sweet, but she's such a little witch. I think she really doesn't enjoy life.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

A Meanness Issue

I have a young junior buck. He's around 3 1/2 months old and at 2 weeks old was the most FRIENDLY baby I've ever met. He always greeted me at the front of the cage and would hop out if I left the door open to come visit my foot.

I weaned him and his foster sister. The buck went to his cage, the doe went to a separate one. For a while, that was no big deal.

Then, one day he started hiding at the back of the cage. I'd pull him out occasionally to run a brush through his wool and then put him back in.

Not long afterwards, he'd start feinting a charge at my hand. He never touched me, but he liked to act like he was going to.

We then progressed to actually touching my hand. Still, he never put his teeth on me.

Today he grazed my knuckle with his teeth when I put my hand in to feed. He knows I'm coming, as is evidenced by his hiding in the back of the cage and watching me like a hawk. He thumps when I walk by and runs to the back of his cage.

I'm really not sure what to do with him. I'm at max capacity with my cages as it is. I've had twitchy bucks that later turn sweet- well maybe not sweet, but at least they chill out some. However, I've never experienced a lover buck turn mean.

Part of me says give him at least until 5 months old to calm his little butt down. The other part says there is no place in the herd for a mean buck- especially since I need more space anyway.

Ugh, I guess I need to get out to Brandi's to pick up that 6 hole stacker I have on hold- that will help reduce the cage space strain and then I won't rush a decision.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Quick Update!

I managed to get WWR's Rice Ball bred and gave Wooligans Heartless her last try. If she doesn't kindle live babies for me, I'm going to have to let her go. She's a fantastically beautiful, bucky doe, but while she's kindled very large litters, they are always born dead. *sigh*


Brandi of BL's Bunny Barn is selling out. We're going to miss her. She's got some cute animals available, all ages and color groups, so if you're needing something, check her out. I am offering transport to Convention (via airline shipping).

Lark is nesting. Figures, she's the only one of the three girls due that is even playing in the hay. Eurgh.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Baby Boom!

I'm so happy, we're having quite the little baby boom right now!

Keep's Epiphany kindled two- one pinky (either REW or the dreaded Pointed) and one shaded baby! :D. She was linebred back to her daddy, Keep's Tryon, so I'm VERY excited about this litter.

Keep's Angel kindled two as well- one pinky and one pinky with a little color... could it, could it be an orange?! Only a little more time will tell, but my fingers are very crossed! Of course you know what they say about counting your kits before they are weaned.

Keep's Smoke kindled for the first time, one single DOA. Considering her age, I'm thrilled she kindled. Her nest could have been better, but she plucked plenty of wool, so she's got potential. It was this lucky girl's last chance. I'll wait a little while and rebreed her :).

Keep's Misunderstood, Keep's Lark ( :( ) and Wooligans Delaney are all due on the 18th.

I could have SWORN I bred WWR's Rice Ball, but don't have it recorded. I'll palpate her tomorrow and if she's been sitting all this time, I'll breed her. It's possible she was in the earlier group that all missed.

I'm hoping to breed Rice Ball, Prancer, Heartless (all shadeds) and a new Agouti doe in the next few days.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

The Trials of Outcross

I brought in an outcross buck, who's pretty nice looking. I bred him around to several does so I could get a quicker idea of what he produces- IE, I bred him a lot, knowing I might have to trash him and an entire generation, rather than feeding him for a year and finding out the same thing.

However, if he throws gorgeous babies, I'll have lots of them more quickly!

I'm eagerly awaiting them to come out of uglies. They are all around 3- 3 1/2 months old, so most don't have any wool caps at all and still have a lot of filling out to do. By the time show season starts, I should *hopefully* know who I like. Unfortunately, most of the babies are BUCKS! ARRGH!!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry