2009 Rabbitry Resolutions!

So, not too long ago I took a look back at my 2008 Rabbitry Resolutions. Since today is the last day of 2008, I think it's time to post what I'm going to work on in 2009!

*Keep an accurate account of money spent/earned
I've been avoiding this for a good reason- I don't want to know how much money I blow on rabbits! However, I think having an accurate set of numbers will help me cull harder!

*Grand a Keep's Doe
Ahh this one again! I'm determined! THIS year, I WILL grand a Keep's doe! Equal opportunity, no longer will the bucks shine! No longer will I get that last leg on someone ELSE'S doe! Nope, I can feel it- 2009 is gonna be the Year of the Doe in Keep's Rabbitry!

*Grand a Keep's Holland (It's been a while lol)
This one means basically- WORK HARDER ON THOSE HOLLANDS! I've taken some GREAT steps in 2008 and I've gotten some NICE looking animals. Now I need to continue to improve on those steps!

*Stop undervaluing my rabbits
I have a friend who fusses at me for this- I need to STOP selling animals so cheaply! Maybe my first resolution will help with this one too.

*Sell more woolies
I'm bad about wanting to keep ALL my woolies. Why you ask? Let's look at Tryon and Burlington. They are full brothers from a different litter. Basically, every time I've shown them together (with one exception) Tryon is 1, Burlington is 2. So obviously, I should move Burlington out, right? Erm- right...but... he's such a nice breeder! And he's a nice rabbit too! But, I've got two shaded bucks with the same pedigree- DUMB! Look for Burlington for sale for Ohio Mini Convention....hopefully.


*Move out older stock and end up with more Keep's Rabbits than others.
Again, I hope keeping monetary records helps with this one! The hollands have a decent start on this- and the woolies are about 50/50 right now.

*Improve the crowns on my Hollands
Cull, Cull, Cull, Breed, Breed, Breed!

*Cull harder
I'm loving my bodies! I just need to bring in more forward crowns with more poof!

*Get Belgian babies and promote the breed in NC!
Wow, had you told me last year I'd be promoting Belgians (which I really wasn't a fun of, until Whitney brought Bandito for me to meet), I'd have probably laughed at you. After I got Bandit, I'd have cried the blues that does are hard to find!
Well, now I've got a buck and a doe. Jasmine turns breeding age in February/March, so my plan is to have Belgians available by mid-year next year, and begin the second phase of my promotion plan! I've generated some interest, so YAY! I've got a good feeling about this one!


Happy New Year Guys! I hope this year is better than the last :).
-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

My New Logo and pictures

It's finished, hooray!!

Another beautiful job by Lauren! I love it !

So, I thought I'd share a few pictures I've taken recently- I know I NEVER post pics here!


Keep's Forest, looking grumpy! This is the guy that was 4th at Convention- he's a rotten booger.


HF's Bart- he was for sale, but my husband has made me pull him from the sales list for now.


Keep's Durham, going through his molt. He's currently for sale, though I may regret it. I'm definitely glad I hung on to his dad! :)


Dixie in her Christmas outfit. Corgis were not made for clothing, I've discovered rofl.


My plan for today is to go outside and clean some cages. I also want to get some pictures of my rabbits- my website is lacking for sure!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Lil Bun Designs

I don't do a lot of product promotion on the blog, as you guys know. However, I feel compelled to share this link with you.

Lil Bun Designs

Lil Bun Designs is the brain-child of Lauren N., formerly of Kismet Rabbitry up in Michigan. She had to sell out to go to college. Her rabbits aren't back yet, but she's making her talents available for pet lovers and animal breeders everywhere!

If you've been to my site, you've seen my Keep's Rabbitry logo (currently being redesigned to remove the mini lops). That came from Lauren, as well as the designs on the shirts my husband and I wore at Convention.
I've also commissioned a traditional picture for a friend of mine as a Christmas gift last year. I was thrilled with the results (I had asked for a family of Hollands- two parents and 5 babies (one a BEW, to represent the friend's family). My friend LOVED it, and has actually scanned it to use as a business card!
So, if you're looking for a logo, webset, special portrait of a beloved pet (any pet, she does all kinds of beautiful animals), check out her website. She can do the cartoony version I love so much, or an extremely realistic look, as she did for my dachshund Roxy. She even did a wild version of my Corgi, Dixie!

If you stop by and order something, let her know you found her site through Keep's Blog. :) It's not for any kind of kickback or anything like that, just satisfaction that in some small way, we helped.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas (and Happy Hanukkah) to you guys! I hope everyone has a great time with friends and family. Be careful if you're traveling and try not to eat too much good food :).

My gift to all of you-

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

A Few Quick Blog Notes

Added a few new blog links and removed a few- sorry guys, but I don't keep up links that aren't updated in a while! I'll re-add them if they get updated more regularly :).

I also changed my picture from Velotta's Joe to Keep's Barbi.


In rabbity news, one of my pregnant JW does turned up with head tilt. I'm hoping it's because of this insane weather- 60 degrees one day, 9 the next. I'm treating her with ivomec and she's been moved in to the house- fingers crossed for me guys! I don't want to lose this litter, but I definitely don't want to lose this doe!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Thinking about the big shows

We're trying to start planning our BIG shows of next year!

We will be attending the Ohio Mini Convention, so please keep us in mind for your transporting needs.

Even with the added expense of driving a distance, hotel stays, etc for Ohio, we're batting around the idea of flying out to California. I know what you are thinking... "Seriously? You're thinking about flying to the West Coast for a rabbit show?"

Yep. We are. We should know in a few weeks if it's even feasible. The minimum amount of money we'll need would be $1300 though, so with going to Ohio, that might be a problem. We would offer holes in our carriers for transport via airline. I need to know seriously- would any of you folks be interested in purchasing transport at convention from us? This will help us know if we could do it or not. It would run $30-$35, more than likely (price subject to change, but not by a whole lot).

I hope everyone is keeping stress and worry free as Christmas approaches!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Former Resolutions.

My blog from last year is in blue, response to it is in Red- let's see how I did!

With Christmas over, it's time to come up with New Year's Resolutions. I thought I'd share mine with you guys.

-Get Babies:
Pretty self explanatory! My resolution is to get more lighting in to the rabbitry and get more babies! However, two of my wooley girls bred today! Fingers crossed they take! :) Hmm, I have to say this one was accomplished, but only BARELY!.

-Have more Keep's Rabbits than non-Keep's rabbits *all breeds*
I'm fairly close on this goal with Jersey Woolies! With the massive herd reduction on the hollands, it may not be possible this year to get them in to this category. As for mini lops- I'm moving out some non-Keep stock now, so we'll see how it goes! Of course, this goal depends on getting babies! When I sold out of mini lops, this was true. As for Jersey Woolies, I'm going to say it's 50/50- I've sold a good number of Keep's babies while retaining my starter stock and bringing in a few outcrosses.

-Herd Reduction
I'm working on this one right now and I have to say, I've already been fairly successful with moving out a few. I do plan on keeping my herd smaller, which may be hard once I get the aforementioned babies! Help me stay strong guys :-D. Yes! I win! This one I accomplished.

-Grand my first Keep's DOE
I specified doe here, because I've granded Keep's bucks in the past- the most notable being Keep's Super Fly who I believe had 8 legs when I sold him! I'd love to see one of my does grand! I'm already close with one of my mini lop gals having 2 legs. Unfortunately, I've misplaced one of those legs. Gah! This one is heartbreaking because I've had several does come so close to granding, but something always happened to prevent the 3rd leg- for instance, the doe won out of a class of 4, or there were only 2 exhibitors, she placed 2nd the rest of her life until I sold her or she passed, etc, etc. This one I failed! Oh no! My best prospect was a gorgeously clean broken sable point holland- so clean she had NO markings! I've got several gorgeous wooly does that didn't turn senior in time or won't be senior this year- and of course, I've got several with 2 legs, but missing that last one! *sigh*

-Get GCs sent off in a more timely manner.
I'm so bad about this one! I've got one to send off now, as a matter of fact. I'm going to try to get it done by the new year lol. *slides the legs under the couch* Uhm- you caught me- I fail this one too. *sigh* Ok, I'll be better!

Good luck thinking up your own goals and resolutions! Make sure to keep them handy, it's fun to see what you've accomplished!

Wow, so I accomplished a few goals, but not as many as I was hoping! Guess come New Year's I'll set up some new Rabbitry Resolutions and start all over again! :)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Tons of breedings!

Wow, with the exception of 6 does in my rabbitry, ALL the does of breeding age have been bred! EEEK!

I'll definitely have to look in to alternate nestbox ideas!

My plan is to palpate- those who palp positive will get the nice wooden nestboxes. Those I'm not sure about will get the homemade boxes, those who palp negative will be tried again the next day, then rebred. IF they refuse to breed again, my plan is to give them some kind of box on their due dates as a precaution. I'm not 100% on palpating, after all :).

I'm so excited. I just hope a fair number takes! Most notably, I'd love to see some Barbi and Zora holland babies, and some Nerissa and Bluebelle babies in woolies! Yep- Dear Santa, please deliver plenty of adorable babies to my nestboxes!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Regular Husbandry to do today-

Today, in a brief period of not freezing cold, we'll be taking care of regular husbandry issues. Cleaning cages (oh, oh joy), a little breeding, sweeping/raking out the rabbitry...stuff like that.

I think cage cleaning is my least favorite thing to do- especially when a few ALWAYS make an awful mess and it involves scraping the wire to clean them up!

I'll probably also mix up more of my conditioning mix and get it in to the rest of my storage containers. It takes a bit of time, since I've got a "part for part" system, rather than just "dump it in and mix it up".

I also need to get out there and take some pictures! I've got so many gorgeous animals that have never made it to the website- a few are molting or have been chewed on, so I guess they'll have to wait- the others though, need to be added- notably Keep's Burlington (JW), Keep's Dreamer (JW), Keep's Angel (JW) and Lil Bit Farms Zora (HL). I'll have to see if I can sweet talk Tim in to helping me get some pictures!

I also need to make my final decisions on a pair of REW bucks- one is a complete outcross with compatible lines, one is a homebred who is closely related. Who to keep...who to keep?

Oh speaking of- I've got several juniors-about to or newly turned senior. I need to check that so I can be prepared to breed them! So much to dooo! :)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

How Many Is Too Many?

How many breeds is too many?

I was told when I first started out in rabbits "No one will take you seriously if you have more than two breeds." Is this true? In some cases, it is. Some people don't give serious consideration to anyone with more than one breed- two at the most.

I tend to judge based on the quality of the lines and the animal in front of me. If you have 7 breeds, then fine.

I also look at the purpose of the breeds- is it breed promotion, like my Belgians and Thriantas? Is it for meat production, like Cals and NZs? Is it because of a parent, sibling or significant other that takes care of 1-2 breeds?

However- if you have 16 breeds, I think perhaps you should evaluate why you're breeding. Do you fully know the standard for all 16? Do you have the best you can get and are you producing top quality animals? If you are, keep doing what you are doing. If you aren't, perhaps you should cull out a few breeds and increase the quality in what you have already.

I also don't believe you should have a ton of breeds for the sole purpose of making sales, having no competition at the shows or just being able to have pet sales whenever anyone is looking for anything. Don't add breeds just because you happened to get a cute pet off the raffle.

At the end of the day though- it's your rabbitry, you pay the bills. If have thirty breeds makes you happy, then do it. Just remember- it's part of our responsiblity as breeders to work to improve the breed- not just slap two animals together and produce things to sell.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Just Piddlin' Around

We've been working hard to get our rabbits to breed! I've got 5 who were caught, keep your fingers crossed they take!

We bought some plastic baby rings for the bunnies the other day- after a quick washing in the dish washer, they are ready to be dispensed to their new owners tomorrow!

I currently have two woolies available- Keep's Maybe so, a black otter jr. buck and Keep's Durham, a seal jr. buck. Maybe So is definitely a brood, with a HUGE head, while Durham is a gorgeous little show prospect- nephew to my buck who placed 2nd at Convention.

I'm already in show withdrawals. Consequently, I've been culling, culling, culling! I just let go of four holland does who I know I'll regret selling. Ahh well! Can't keep them all.

Our Miniature Dachshund female is currently in heat and we hope that soon we'll be welcoming her second litter! If you will be looking for an AKC mini dachshund in the future, please keep us in mind! Her pups were a great success last litter!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Trying to breed in cold weather

Well, my first round of due does gave me approximately ZERO babies. So now begins the fun part- trying to breed them in sub-arctic temperatures. Ok, ok, it's not *that cold* here- I mean, it's currently 30 degrees F, that's a bit warmer than sub-arctic.

So how do we go about this? Winter isn't exactly the natural breeding time of rabbits.

Some folks just plug along and breed like normal, hoping to get a few litters- a lot of other factors depend on the chances of litters, so if you get a lot normally, winter probably won't slow you don't too much. For folks like me, who are in the less than ideal rabbitry, this is going to be sheer torture. I'll probably plug along like normal and attempt to breed them in their rabbitry environment.

Some folks bring in a few does and a buck (especially the buck, to keep him in working order) and do house breedings. While I'd love to do that, it's not really a good option for me- Tim isn't a fan of bunnies in the house and I KNOW the Parsonage Committee would have a duck. Ahh well, maybe I can talk him in a few buns in the basement.

You can also employ the "tricks of the trade". Apple Cider Vinegar (never worked for me!), car rides, cage switching- we'll do whatever it takes to get a litter in time for the spring shows. I know I'm especially adamant this year- we plan on attending the Ohio Mini Convention (yes, I'm offering transport) and we're already behind in our breedings! This last round of litters would have been the perfect age, but now we're getting farther behind every day the does don't breed.

Wonder if I can talk Tim in to helping out in the rabbitry today? Worth a shot- after all, I'll definitely do whatever it takes to get a litter!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Searching for a Quality Hay

The search is on for a quality hay! I'm SICK to death of getting a bale of hay, only to find thorns, sticks, and dried tomato plants mixed in! I especially dislike having to repeatedly stab myself in the fingers trying to locate and remove the thorns I mentioned.

I've placed an ad on craigslist, hoping to find a horse quality hay- it's so important to get the good stuff. The rabbits eat it, baby rabbits are born in it- mold, thorns and general shoddiness can ruin your herd in a very short time!

Wish me luck on my search,

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

A major setback

We experienced a major set back as far as Thrianta promotion goes. This morning, we found out buck, BL's Cracker, dead in his cage. We don't know what was wrong, he hadn't been showing any signs of illness. I guess it's just one of those things :(.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Waiting

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

We're playing the waiting game here- 5 nextboxes, 3 nests, zero babies. *sigh*! Although several aren't even technically overdue yet- I'm just impatient for babies!

If you guys know Brandi, think about her- she and her husband are both injured by accidents, and they just lost their sweet corgi Odie.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Happy Trails!

Good luck to everyone traveling to see family, be careful and stay safe :) Bigger good luck to those like us who will be risking life and limb at the after Thanksgiving sales (Black Friday- spoooky).

Quick bit of rabbit news- I was mistaken when I posted Tryon got a BOSV, he actually won BOV both shows, so he got two legs- and my little guy is now eligible to get his GC certificate! Hooray! :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Changing the Holland Lop Classes

There has been consideration put forth to change the Holland Lop classes from Broken and Solid to Groups such as the Jersey Woolies have, or even Varieties like the Netherland Dwarfs.

I want to talk about this.

To begin with, a lot of folks feel the groups will promote colors as "torts only win". I find this odd- I've seen a smoke pearl take BOB, I won my first BOSB with a chestnut holland, my second with a broken blue tort. My sable point herd buck has two legs, and the broken siamese sable I sold to Mel in Oklahoma took BOSV- not to mention the various blacks, blues, smoke pearls, otters etc that have won classes or even varieties and breed!

Do "colors" win as often as tort? Of course not. ARE some judges colorblind (as in- if it's not a tort, it doesn't win)? I believe a few are. So what are we going to accomplish by changing the class configuration- sure you'll see a lot more colors, but I worry about the quality going downhill- how many folks will jump on the color band wagon perceiving an "easy win" or "easy legs", since all the group or color variety will need is 3 exhibitors and 5 rabbits. People can easily stack a class/color group to get that.

Secondly, if a colorblind judge is judging the breed, a tort is still going to be the only thing to win breed. So--- other than making it easier to get legs, how has that changed anything? Should an inferior animal get legs just because of the color? NO!

Do I think folks should promote the breed colors? Yes. I am not anti-color. True, if you come to my barn, the majority of my hollands are tort. I don't like REW. I'm not a fan of otter. Sorry. However, you will see sable point, blue tort and siamese sable. Some of my animals carry dilute, others carry REW. In a lot of cases, I'm a simple breeding away from all kinds of colors on *quality* animals. Will I keep them over a tort? ONLY if it's a superior animal in type. I can't stand the phrase "nice...for a color." So- it's an inferior animal, but oh, it's a COLOR so suddenly what would be a pet rabbit in a tort coat is worthy of not only keeping, but breeding? OH! And since the variety managed 5 rabbits and 3 exhibitors, this PET is a GC now? Meh.


Rather than address color concerns, let me raise a different way to change Holland classes- Let's make them junior, intermediate and senior classes.

Oh yeah, I said it.

Rather than keeping my juniors home for a year to a year and a half without being able to show them competitively against 3 year old monster-headed bucks, let's make it to where from 6-10 months, these guys can still show. Why not? There are plenty of other breeds that have three age classes.

In any event, there will be no changes to the Holland Lop classes in the near future. Discussion is still raging though. Where do you stand on the issue? :)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

A few pictures from the show!

The greatest gift of all- a rabbit that doesn't bite you when you dress her up :lol:

Keep's Tryon, a Thanksgiving Turkey for the costume contest!
(picture by Elizabeth)

BL's Down Town, looking IRRITATED as a trusty steed
(picture by Joni)

Joni's little black wooly buck- I told her she needed my conditioning mix!
(Picture by Joni)

Keep's Angel looking fascinated by her first show- NOT!

What a lazy bum!

If you want to see more Shelby pictures, taken by Elizabeth and Samantha, please click here.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

End of Season Doldrums

End of Show Season that is.

With the probable last show of the year behind me, I'm sad. I love showing, but now I have to wait to show off my pretty little juniors- in fact some will turn senior without ever hitting the table! I've got to fight the culling bug, I definitely have a few animals I want to move out- not for any real reason, as far as I can tell, just because I'm getting down right anal about always having something available!

Ah well, on to the best news of the day- Keep's Tryon took a BOG and a BOSG in the two shows today! Hooray! I also got some really excellent comments on Forest and the two junior does I took along! YAY. The hollands did fairly all right. As I recall, Bart took 3rd in the first show and 2nd in the first- poor Zapp placed six both times, but I think it was a fairly large class.

I'm waiting anxiously for my litters to be born- I've got several due at the end of the month and running in to December. So much of raising rabbits is waiting- there isn't a lot of instant gratification in this hobby!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Last Show of the Season?

Tomorrow may very well be my last show of the season! It's definitely my last pre-planned show.

Shelby is a strange arrangement- it's a collection of breed specialities, followed by a general Best in Show at the end. Thankfully both Hollands and Woolies are sanctioned- Thriantas are not, but I plan on showing my junior buck anyway :). The Belgians are staying at home, because I don't want to stress either too much. Bandito has been to a lot of shows recently, ya know. Both he and Jasmine are looking beautiful- I can't wait to continue to show them off in the Spring.

It's been snowing all day here- the highest temperature I saw was 28 degrees. Brrrrrr. We're definitely going to have to have everything ready in the morning so that we spend only the least amount of time possible outdoors! Thankfully Shelby, traditionally an outdoor show, is indoors this go round! Woo hoo!

I'm so happy- almost everyone I wanted to take was in excellent coat (Tryon especially!). Since this could be the last chance at legs for some of my girls before going in to the breeding program, I'm especially glad they are looking nice.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

SNOW

Ugh- Snow. I love snow, don't get me wrong. But I'm not looking forward to frozen water bottles! I've knitted bottle covers, so I plan on giving those a shot, as well as some old socks pulled down over the bottle.

Can't hurt to try! Besides, even if it gives me just a 2-3 degree reprieve, anything is better than nothing!

Some folks switch to crocks this time of year and simply dump the ice out, making sure to refill the bowl several times a day. Tim is in charge of watering and he doesn't like this approach.

I've also heard of folks who remove all the frozen bottles, take them inside to thaw, then return them to the bunnies. They also do this several times a day, making sure the water is available to the rabbits more often. We may give this a try if the winter proves to be as harsh as the "wooly worms" say it will be!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Californians

I finally got a little Californian doe from Brandi & Pete! I'm thrilled, even though this girl (who is nameless right now) is a baby and won't be ready to start my meat program for months.

My original intention was a colony trio- setting up a pen for the three along with hiding places and nestboxes, and allowing them to breed when they chose to, etc. After all, these rabbits will not be shown, so maintaining a pedigree on them isn't important to me.

However, I now think it may be better just to set aside 3-4 holes and go from there. Because we don't own our home and property, it's harder for me to do what I want to do in regards to the rabbits. With the hole-approach, I WILL be able to keep tabs on the litters and so can do a pedigree if I choose to.

I'm excited about having a steady source of rabbit meat in the near future- it's healthy, delicious and I will be keeping close tabs on the amount of feed they eat and growth rates to determine if it's cost effective as well!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

So excited!

My broken siamese sable junior holland doe (wow, a mouthful!) Keep's ChaCha just won BOSV for her new owner, Melanie! I'm SO thrilled. This doe is not only a color, she's little! Mel's showing partner (her mom!) LeeAnne called to give me the news and I must have sounded like the biggest half-wit. I was so shocked, especially with the caliber of breeders she was showing against, that I spent most of my time going "whaaaa?" and convinced she was joking!

This is a huge triumph for me and for Melanie, who sold me the father to that doe, Lil Bit Farm's Zapp! I just had to share our news with my blog readers- after all, a tiny colored junior taking BOSV- I know it's not a BIS, but wow, thrilling all the same! :)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Fibre3

I'm excited! Malena & I will soon be trying the new Purina Fibre3 feed. I've heard great things about the feed as far as color, freshness and driving the bunnies WILD!

As a downside, some breeders are reporting less than stellar coats. That's fine, I'm confident my conditioning mix can keep the luster to their coats! Especially if the feed is superior otherwise!

What is Fibre3, you ask?

It's a corn free feed originally developed for pet owners, in an attempt to keep house bunnies from becoming obese. It's got a high crude protein content and is high fiber to help with the digestion of the animals! Check out it's ingredients here.

The best part is, it's at least $3 cheaper than what that awful feed store was charging me for Purina Show (blue bag) and it's $2 cheaper than the Manna Pro Malena was feeding!

I'll keep you guys updated!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Free Pets! Make a Great Surprise!

If you're looking at the title of this blog with a slightly "Has she lost her mind" expression, I applaud you.

Animals do not make great surprises. Period.

What has prompted this, you ask? A craigslist post, titled "Free Kittens! Makes a great surprise!"

Oh? For who? The people who didn't want a cat, didn't know they were allergic, have a brand new leather couch, who live in a pet free apartment? Or for the people who don't know how to take care of them and who had no desire to have a cat until a well meaning and doting great aunt presents their 4 year old with a kitten?

I'll repeat- PETS DO NOT MAKE GREAT, UNEXPECTED SURPRISES.

If someone says "Gee. I'd love to have a rabbit. I've done all my research, everything is set up and I'm just lacking the bunny-" then yes. Maybe a rabbit would work as a surprise. Assuming you know their size preference, sex preference, color preference, up ears or lops?

I always like to pick my own animal. This is a 14+ year commitment, or in the case of a rabbit, a 5+ year commitment. Why be saddled with an animal you may not click with, or think is completely ugly?

When I have pet buyers contact me wanting to buy a pet as a "surprise", I'm sure they feel like they get the third degree. I won't sell "surprise" pets for people outside the household, unless I can speak with the person that will be taking care of the animal- the mom or dad of the child (because most surprise pets go to children). It saves so much trouble in the end and really saves me the trouble of talking for 2 weeks with a buyer who flakes out because "my brother in law is being unreasonable and won't let my little niece have it after all."

Ugh- Free pets....great surprises. Meh. Only for the person who gets to be the hero for giving them the pet- not the poor parents who have to tell their child they can't keep it.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Wanted: English Lop

I'm looking for an English Lop for a friend- pedigree isn't important, neither is quality. Personality is an absolute MUST! Needs to be friendly :).

If anyone knows of any, please let me know! :) Can pick up at Shelby!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Conditioning Mix!

I'm going to be offering Conditioning Mix, for sale at the Shelby Specialty show. It'll be $4 a lb or $3.50 per 5lbs. Any further discount can be discussed in private :).

I'm selling this conditioning mix in the interest of keeping it fresh and in small packages. Think about it- to mix my own, for only my personal use, will leave me with around 45lbs of mix. For a rabbitry with around 50 animals, several babies who would not be partaking in the conditioning mix, this will last me well past the time where the mix will still be fresh! It's definitely a benefit to share it!

I'll be mixing my conditioner up right before the show, so all packages will be as fresh as possible. If interested, please email me with how much mix you're interested in :). I do accept Paypal, Money Order and will also take a check if it arrives by this Saturday (11/15)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Therapy Rabbits

Therapy horses, therapy dogs- therapy rabbits? It's amazing what animals can do for us.

Rabbit Shows are an amazing type of therapy for some folks. Rabbits in general are calming animals, many willing to spend hours being petted. But shows- wow. They help people battle depression, through the love of the animals and the close friendships formed. It gives people something to look forward and a win can propel you straight to Cloud 9.

Rabbit Shows bring the shy and chronically shy out of their shells. Plenty of people around, chatting about rabbits- a conversation will often start between two people and snowball until a group of us are standing around talking about the merits of one animal against another, exchanging breed information, etc.

In a situation where Tim & I will have to go a lot of moving around, leaving friends in our wake, I know I'll always get to see my rabbit friends :). They are a constant and I'm so lucky to have such great friends- ones that will let me crash at their house (with the dogs). We form groups- such as the new Thriantra & Belgian Hare Coalition. Cindy at Sea Breeze Bunnies & I will be working with a tiny herd of Thriantras to help Pete & Brandi at BL's Bunny Barn promote the gorgeous Thriantas. In return, Pete & Brandi will be getting a Belgian in the future and helping me with the promotion of the Belgian Hares!

It's just amazing, when you think about it, what animals can teach us and do for us. I've posted before that you don't make money with rabbits, but you will teach your kids amazing life lessons, responsibility and hey- if they are shy, maybe they'll gain some confidence. Maybe the love of the rabbits will bring them out of a depression. A good friend of mine adopted a rabbit right after the death of her father. He helped her cope with her loss- years later, she still has them and is a great ally to rare breeds.

So go hug a bunny.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Daring Breedings

Ask any breeder you know if you should do a broken to broken breeding. Go ahead- I'll wait.

Just kidding, let's pretend you've asked. The answer you get will depend on the type of breeder you speak with! There is no right or wrong answer, just the difference between the daring breeders and the play it safers.

For instance, breeding a broken to broken can result in Charlie marked animals Some folks refuse to mess with charlies and pet them out or sell them at 8 weeks old as brood animals. Some folks flat out refuse to breed a broken to a broken, others will only breed heavy pattern to heavy pattern.

So what should you do?

Well that depends. Are you the kind of breeder that wants perfect, showable babies out of each litter? Or are you the kind that will take a hit for a single generation, such as getting excellent type on a charlie/unshowable color, then breed that animal in again to the herd to produce showable animals?

Personally- I'm the daring breeder. I've got a broken/broken (light pattern on the doe) breeding that should come to fruition in the next few days. I've bred a blue tort to a sable point, well aware I could end up with unshowable colors. I could go on and on. I'm breeding because of the extreme compatibility of the type and lines!

I think the best course is to know what you could be getting in to and how to counteract any "daring breedings" you do. Make sure it's absolutely worth it as far as lines and type compatibility go. Know that if you breed and get a certain unshowable color, how you can use that in your herd to your advantage. What colors will work with the unshowable to make the offspring showable? You don't want to do constant daring breedings and end up with a color so messed up there is no way to ever use the animals you create!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Leaving the Rabbits

While we were out at Convention, we left the rabbits in the hands of an experienced rabbit care giver. I taught this lady how to care for them, she's owned rabbits in the past, it's perfect! Right?

When we arrived back on Thursday, we were happy to see bowls mostly full, water bottles mostly full and everyone bright eyed and bushy tailed. Kind of.

In the midst of checking all my perfectly happy rabbits, I glanced in a bottom cage that was much like the others- full feed dish, full water bottle. However, this little buck had pulled some of his fur and he was on his feet swaying strangely. I picked him up and he didn't feel limp- most of you have felt the "death limp" where you know it won't make it. However, I could feel every bone in his body! What?!

After petting him a bit, I put him back in his cage and he DOVE in to his feed dish. Apparently, he'd grown quite attached to me, though I hadn't realized we were quite so close. He had pined away for a week, refusing to eat or drink while I was away! A quick check on the others revealed three others who apparently felt the same way, though not quite as extreme.

So definitely, no matter how tired you are, take a moment to great your rabbits and check everyone over! Most of my favorites were fine, it was these others, the silent lovers, who suffered the most while we were gone! Who'd have known?

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Pictures!

Not a lot of words from me today- just pictures! :D

Silver Marten Holland

Broken Black New Zealand! LOVE!

Broken English Angora...or perhaps it's a sheepdog.

Meat pen

Friendliest Belgian Hare Doe ever!

Tan

REW Velveteen Lop

Louisville

Tan Netherland Dwarf

Himi!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Stories from Convention!

Wow, so let's see-

I guess I had better go on and tell this one, before the people from NC I saw rat me out :).

We spent part of the morning during the judging at the Kentucky Derby Museum. It was so much fun, and probably after 2pm when we arrived at the showroom. By then, I had received a call from my friend Melanie, who was in absolute SHOCK that her gorgeous little wooly doe, Lil Bit Farm's Dilemma, had taken first in her class and her baby broken doe had taken 2nd in hers.

It was with extreme trepidation that we all wandered back in to the showroom and before we split to go our separate ways (to check on the bunny placements), I told my friends from California, Katie & Susie, that I didn't even want to check placements- I just wanted to "bask in the glory of knowing Melanie". Ambling down the coops, I arrived at Keep's Dreamer's cage first, my self jr. doe. She didn't have a card at that point in time, so I assumed she hadn't been judged. When I turned to Forest's cage, which was just diagonal from her set up, I stopped dead.

I was in absolute shock. Only in my wildest dreams did I consider a top 10 finish and I never really thought about a top 5, knowing the kind of breeders I was going up against! I was shocked and trembling from excitement- I know I was a bit dazed as I double checked, then checked again to make sure that really was a sticker on the tag of my rabbit!

I stumbled down the aisle and chanced on some wooly breeders from NC sitting at the end of it- in shock and nearly in tears I told them how Forest had done. They were so sweet, congratulating me. A friend of mine, Lisa, came running from the opposite direction and from my face, knew something was up.

"What happened?! WHAT HAPPENED?" She wasn't sure whether to be excited or scared for me.

That's when it happened.

In front of the other breeders, I managed to gasp out "Forest placed 4th" and the bawling proceeded. Yes......I bawled at Convention lol.

I'm proud to say I managed to hold it together watching Tryon be judged. This was partially because I wasn't 100% sure which he was- 1st, 2nd and 4th looked the same!

I stood next to Janice from Topp Hatt Rabbits and we watched the class wind down. Her buck placed 4th and she was so amazingly kind to me. He was cooped just a cage over from Tryon and so I got to talk to her quite a bit. It was nice, in the midst of some of the back-biting, catty, bitterness of a major contest between major breeders, to find someone who had time for a wide-eyed Convention newbie. She was one of the many folks I met, most of whom were also sweet people. I'm happy to say 90% of the folks at Convention proved just why rabbit people are the best in the world.

So there you have it- I bawled like a baby! I think it's justified though :).

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

We're Home!

Wow Convention was absolutely overwhelming. I'm not even kidding, so many rabbits, so many people!

I'll make this post short and sweet, because I'm sure I'll be posting about my Convention experiences for the next hundred years or so.

Keep's Forest- Self Sr. Buck (JW) took 4th place!
Keep's Tryon- Shaded Sr. Buck (JW) took 2nd place!

My other two animals got NPs (for Near Perfect, right?), though they had excellent comments :).

Keep's Cha-Cha is now living in Oklahoma! I'm so happy she's going to a great home, I hope she out produces herself!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

See ya later Alligator!

We'll be heading out Saturday to go to Kentucky! EEK! I'm still torn as to if I'll be taking a computer or not- I'm leaning towards NOT, so please have patience if you email me over the next few days :).

Good luck to everyone traveling, I hope to meet you! Be safe!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Feed Troubles at an end!

We had some horrible trouble with the greedy feed store we've been dealing with. While I understand prices of everything have been going up, we were being charged $17 a bag for Purina Pet Chow (green bag). Recently, despite our loyal patronage, our significant spending in the store and our recommendations that local buyers also purchase food from this store, we encountered some extreme rudeness from the owner of the store, regarding the food they now want to charge $18 a bag for. He decided he "might have to make" us purchase the blue bags of food that he wouldn't always keep in stock for us, and that he continued to order despite our telling him we would no longer be purchasing that type of food due to the price.

I will not be "forced" to do anything, especially when MY money is being spent and in significant amounts.

I told you that story to tell you this one-

In our search for a new feed store, we happened to stop by one on our way back from Asheville. The woman there was extremely sweet and we purchased all their Purina Pet Chow- at $13.80 a bag. Yes. We saved over $3.00 A BAG. I'm thrilled. I also told her of our troubles and asked her to order us more food. It's very definitely worth the extra drive to save that money!

Could our feed problems FINALLY be at an end?! I hope so! :)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Travelling with Rabbits

We all do a lot of transporting with our animals! To shows, meeting buyers, even moving! So how can we make traveling the safest as possible?

To begin with, I always lay a blanket down in the back. It catches the hay and any spilled water (or urine). It also helps keep the car from gathering scratches from loading carriers!

My preference on long trips is to stuff the carriers with hay and to place puppy pads under the carriers. Note, I prefer to use carriers. It gives the animals a better grip (as opposed to cat carriers) and doesn't take up as much space as cages or even the cat/dog carriers.

Most of the veteran show folks know this already :).

I prefer to only have latch on carrier cups when I do provide food and water (only on longer trips). I do not like to use small ceramic cups, a quick turn or a bump could lead to the animals being popped on the head!

Make sure your rabbits are getting plenty of ventilation! We don't want them getting overheated, which is a particular danger in an over packed car!

A particularly helpful tip is to pack your carriers sideways if you can. If you have to slam on breaks or get into an accident, your rabbits will slam their bodies in to carriers- not their faces! It helps prevent serious injury to your rabbits- such as broken necks, broken teeth, etc. We can't always swing this one due to limited space, but the most valuable stock is always placed this way!

Bungee cords attached the carriers are also really helpful. It helps keep the cages from sliding around! Most of the time, our car is so full we don't have to worry about this step as much, but folks I've ridden with (who have larger vehicles) always make sure to bungee theirs in!

When we stop at rest stops or to run in and grab food (we tend to eat a lot of fast food on rabbit show days!), we make sure to park in the shade and roll down all the windows. I do NOT recommend leaving the rabbits in the car in hot or even warm weather for any extended period of time! As I mentioned- we run in and run right back out! Cold weather is much better for the animals- they won't overheat and they won't freeze :). My preference is still to be in the car if that's where my rabbits are!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Fall Cleaning!

Fall Cage Cleaning is upon us! Next friday, we'll be doing a huge overhaul on the cages- they will be taken out and sprayed off and torched (as needed). All the pans will be cleaned and water bottles run through the dishwasher (along with removable bowls). Woolies and molting hollands will be groomed extensively, in hopes of keeping the cages clean longer than a day or two :).

So much work! So much time! So happy when it's all over :). We want this massive cleaning to tide over everyone until we get home. Plus, it's one less thing I'll have to worry about! Now I just have to hope for nice weather to get all those pans cleaned!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Fall

Fall is here! The leaves are changing, nights are getting cooler and of course, the rabbits are molting! I love the beautiful colors of fall and the great temperatures though!


I like to give the rabbits extra hay during especially molty times. I also try to give papaya tablets to each, to help break down the fur they are ingesting while grooming.

It's about time to do a last, huge rabbitry cleaning until Spring! During the winter, it's often too cold here in the mountains to drag all the cages outside and scrub them. If worst comes to worst, we will work on a cage by cage basis, but it's sure not fun!


I'm dreading finding the frozen water bottles that winter brings! I'll be blogging later on tips to keep the bottles from freezing- I've heard some fun new tricks since last year!

For now, I'm just trying to enjoy Fall. Breeding does for a last baby boom- after all, winter can be difficult to get babies and when you do get litters, kitcicles are a very real danger.

I'm also looking forward to bagging up those fall leaves for free roughage for the rabbits! They LOVE playing in crunchy leaves, and it's beneficial for them to eat it as well :).

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

To sleep, perchance to dream...

I haven't been sleeping well lately, mainly due to weird Convention dreams! Isn't it funny how our minds get so worked up over something? I'm not dreaming my animals are molting or pass away- I'm cramming Convention in to tiny outdoor fair areas with mini dachshund shows in the basement. Or better yet, I'm dreaming that the holland buck I'm picking up is unavailable and I get stuck with pretty much the worst example of a holland I've ever seen.

I want to remind everyone that you do need your ARBA card to check in. I lost mine last night (found it this morning, thankfully) and I don't want anyone getting there only to realize their card is now hours or days away.

We're bringing small water bottles for the rabbits and perhaps the bowls they are used to as well! Not to mention zip ties for the cage and oats in case someone goes off feed.

I'm hoping that making plans will keep the dreams from overwhelming me. I don't think I'll sleep well until Convention is over lol!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

New Mini Lop Trio for Sale

Ok here we go- this is the trio I was going to keep, even though the sell out. I keep flip flopping back and forth because there is SO MUCH POTENTIAL in this trio, it's ridiculous. They really, really compliment each other perfectly. I've decided that a sell out is truly that- I will NOT keep a show trio.

Let's see- To begin with, sorry about the faces on the does- babies love to chew on mama's fur rofl. I was trying to take these by myself too, so they could be better as far as pics go.




Keep's Basheba-Chestnut- this is an adult GC Velotta's Joe daughter. Excellent mother, she's got 2 legs. She goes flat over her topline but she's so WIDE and has such nice HQ- she's been close to that sr. leg so many times, but never lucked up and got it. One leg is for a BOB as a junior. Throwing REALLY nice babies here lately.




Fatboy's "B"- proven- 1 leg that I know of, I'll check and see if she has another. I really like her, haven't shown her, I got her and put her straight in to my breeding program- excellent mother.



Fatboy's Tye- Broken Chestnut- 2 legs
This guy is so wow. He's looking a little rough in the pictures, he's been digging at his food and dropped some weight (he's getting double rations to put it back on him). Gorgeous- gorgeous gorgeous, I fully expect him to be able to grand. FULLY expect it. He'd have had it already, but he broke a tooth WHILE BEING JUDGED and of course, couldn't win the class after that. The tooth is 100% fine now- I'm not sure if the judge dropped him or what. >.< He's young, not even a year old.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Kentucky is getting closer!

Eeeeeeek!

I can not believe it's coming up so fast! I feel like I'm in a race with time- will she come out of her molt? Will he get the perfect touch to his wool? Should I have entered ____ instead of ____?

Since we're rooming with some other folks from California, we've got to coordinate our driving with their flight. Luckily, they are arriving after I had planned to get there, so yay!

We have to set up a pet sitter for the cats and rabbits, take the dogs to my in-laws, print copies of ALL correspondence on behalf of Convention- that is, I plan to have a copy of every screen of the entry process, as well as of our hotel room confirmation, parking pass confirmation if it doesn't arrive- everything!

Snacks are on my mind- what to take, we can't afford to eat every meal and snacks in the Convention hall! I've heard prices are quite a bit on the high side.

I need to get a list of phone numbers of folks who want to meet up while we're there, confirm ear numbers on animals I'm picking up for other people-

So much to do!! EEK!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Thinking ahead in your program

I was reading in my AKC magazine and stumbled across a quote from a breeder of champion dogs. Paraphrased, he basically said that the difference between breeders and top breeders is that top breeders aren't thinking just about current matings, but always thinking at least two generations ahead.

I am pleased to say that I do consider future breedings and have, at any given point in time, up to a five generation plan. Most of the time, the plan doesn't work out because the offspring at some point are lacking something I was hoping they'd gain to make the matches work. At that point, I simply change plans!

When you breed, it's important to match faults and have a clear picture of what you want. Why are you breeding that buck and that doe? What do you need to fix? Can that possibly be improved in this match? If it is improved, what's your next step? This will help your program so much! Have a clear picture where you are going. After all, you don't jump in the car and just drive, not knowing where you are going or what you'll do when you get there.

You don't have to have a written out plan. Mine is kept in my head and usually goes "A to B, and then if I get a buck out of that, I'll breed him to C- if I get a doe, I'll breed her to D. Then I can take a buck from that and breed it back to A...or if it's a doe I can use E..."

You don't have to have that specific a plan! A lot of friends tend to say things like "If I could get his ears on her body..."- well there you go! A first generation plan! And if you *do* get those ears with that body, what else do you need? "And then add in a touch more mass..." POOF, second generation breeding, who as a buck or a doe in your barn has mass to spare?! :)

I hope you enjoy planning your breedings as much as I do! Even when things don't go quite as planned, it's so much fun to try to put the pieces together! Of course- I love jigsaw puzzles, maybe that's why it appeals to me so much :)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

A Traumatic Day

I had 4 animals outside in the rabbit pen today- 3 mini lops and my siamese sable holland doe. They are all young and get along well together. They were all playing around and I had a person come out and buy a pair of mini lops.


So I left the other 2 in the pen to have a good time- it's a beautiful day after all, weather is perfect and they enjoyed the grass. I wish you could have seen the binkying.

We get ready to leave the house, so I go out to put the animals up- the Siamese Sable holland is GONE. GONE. I yell for Tim, we search high and low, around the house, in the garden, under the cars- she's gone.

We still had to leave, but I cracked the rabbitry just in case she came back, smelled the others, etc. After all, we've had rabbits get out before but never leave the open rabbitry (thankfully)

So.... we come home, it's dark, but I try to look around again- can't find her . I was starting to feed and told Tim "It just makes me sick to think of her out there-" we have coyotes (I've been told), stray cats, dogs, etc. all around us, plus a road on 2 sides and she's just a young holland.

As I say that Tim goes "oh my god, there she is."

YEAH.....she came back! I was so happy, I was seriously feeling sick to my stomach thinking about her out in the world alone.

Sooooo traumatic! Thankfully she displayed some common sense! Maybe she missed her sister, I don't know. I'm so thrilled she's back, now we've got to figure out how she got out and fix up that pen! I don't want this happening again for sure!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Show Results!

Wow, it was.......an interesting day :).

To begin with, we noticed a fellow exhibitor wasn't around for Show A. It was odd, because she was supposed to be coming, but we assumed something came up- oh man did it! The poor folks were stuck on the off ramp about 10 miles away! Thankfully they had a relative to come get them, and ended up having to tow the bunny van home, but geez! After a light bit of teasing, I drove home the point we need to have cell numbers passed around! I haven't forgotten, so expect an email from me soon Jacklyn!

Show A went well in the woolies! Forest took BOSB again (darn Shaded doe whips us every time lol) and Tryon took BOSG (to that same doe). I was pleased with my boys! My little Dreamer got very excellent comments, but of course she blew out her wool cap! I can't wait for her to get a little older.

Show B went....differently. Keep's Lucky took 2/5 in the broken junior doe class, which thrilled me! THRILLED ME. However- we managed to lose the broken jr. buck class winner, a doe was not judged because she was thought to be that buck- it was a big mess! Thankfully it all got squared away.

Congratulations to Janice who cleaned up on the Holland tables! I hope she had room for all her trophies going home :P !

Show B in woolies- uhm. I was extremely disappointed by the judge we were appointed. Even the youth have told me they feel their fees are wasted under him. True to form, we did terribly under him. Thankfully the BOB and BOSB rabbits were deserving......that is, after someone told him that he had chosen BOB & BOSB to 2 does. I've made the decision not to show under this judge any longer, I just DO NOT like the way he handles the animals.

I sold a pair of hollands (bye Bowser! *sniffle*) and a mini lop doe today- I'm so thankful for the cage space and I'm happy about the placements. I know both exhibitors take really good care of their animals.

I've also set up appointments for several folks to come out and look at juniors! Slowly but surely, the mini lops are leaving us.

I'm also offering a proven quad of mini lops for sale at a large discount. I think these 4 could be an EXTREMELY good start to minis for someone. They include 2 previously unoffered animals.

Wow, I'm tired! Getting up at 5:30am will do that to ya though! Enjoyed seeing everyone and getting to spend a bit more time socializing!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Almost Show Time!

The rabbits are groomed, the carriers are waiting, the pedigrees are printed...it's almost show time!

I'm a little nervous- I've got 3 first timer junior holland does going out, including 1 that *may* make the trip to Convention with me!

Dreamer blew her wool cap- it's totally gone. Doh! I hope she gets it back in the next few weeks!

Tryon is looking a little funky in his coat/color. I think it's because he's not quite done with that molt, but it still gives me twitches.

At least Forest is lookin goo... no I won't even say it. If I do, he'll do something to mess it up by tomorrow!

Now, the sensible thing for me to do would be to go to bed. After all, we'll need to be up early to pack the car & get on the road! Let's see- 30 minutes of getting ready/packing, minimum 1 1/2 hour drive, MUST be at the show no later than 8am (to get set up & register- and run my mouth!)....that = ugh, 6am at the LATEST.

More than likely, we need to be up around 5:30 am. *twitch twitch* The things we do for bunnies... Tim started his whining three days ago, we just didn't do the wake up math until right now! Maybe I should have started whining too!

Wish me luck, I'm taking 14 animals to sell (including several ADORABLE, FRIENDLY pets). I need the holes, my herd is growing very well right now!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

I'm back!

I'm back! :) So I've been catching up on emails and inquires :).

Let's see- I got my entries in for the Taylorsville Show! Three woolies and three hollands. All the hollands are juniors who have never shown before, I'm more than a little nervous to put them on the table! I've got to admit barn blindness in the case of two of them- siamese sables (one broken, one solid).

I'll be bringing along the mini lops I've got left for sale, plus a pair of Hollands and a junior & senior Wooly buck.

We also have decided to rehome a ratty female I took in as a rescue- I'm hoping to find her a nice, non breeding home. If you're interested in her, please let me know!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

BL's Bunny Barn

Since we've delayed leaving until tomorrow, I've got time for a blog!

We headed down to visit Brandi, Pete & Trace at BL's Bunny Barn this weekend. We had planned on going to a Weenie Race and letting Roxy show her stuff, but unfortunately it was rained out! NO!!

However, it did give me the opportunity for uninterrupted visiting! That's something I don't get a lot :).

We went over the rabbits in Brandi's barn and I've got to say- drool. That's it. Drool. She's got some VERY promising super babies, as well as some really adorable juniors and seniors! We've just got to teach her how to make it through the uglies without selling the best :lol:.

Thanks to Pete, I've got some ideas on how to make a relatively inexpensive, portable rabbitry! Wheee!!

We also got to go see their new house! TONS of potential, especially where the animals are concerned! I can't wait to see the new barn they are planning, the pastures, the quarantine room (oh yeah, you read that right...they are going to do it up RIGHT!)

It was so much fun! I love Bunny People Slumber Parties! :lol:

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

New Announcements! :)

All right guys! A few new things to tell about-

I now have Fatboy's Tyson's pedigree!! He's mostly Todds and Velotta's lines, which could explain why he's so purty :).

So, all mini lops will be available with pedigree at the time of purchase :D.


We spent some time down at BL's Bunny Barn! I'll have to spend a post telling all about that soon.

We're going to be out of town again soon, my MawMaw isn't doing well at all and it's important for us to go see her. So again, if you can't get in touch with me, please be patient!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry