Goodbye Mongo

Yesterday, my pet flemish giant, Mongo, was playing in his pen. The neighbor's husky got loose for the first time ever and my best guess is he saw this big guy and thought he'd found a new friend. :( Tim brought me outside and I found Mongo literally seconds before he passed away. I do believe it was a quick, accidental death.




This was our first dog attack and it could have been so much worse- the rabbitry was standing open because it's hot here and we wanted to make sure they got good air flow.

Our neighbor came over and apologized so many times for what had happened. She offered to pay for a replacement Mongo, acknowledging that money wouldn't make it better. To me though, it was the apology that mattered the most. I was so worried that she, like so many people, would have treated his death as insignificant. Nothing about Mongo was insignificant. Survivor of a dog attack at the home of his breeder in Pennsylvania, it's cruel irony that he should fall to a dog here.


Mongo has a place in the yard near our garden, overlooking the large field beyond our house. The sky was gorgeous last night, dressed in pinks and blues, the mountains dark against it's radiance. I think it's a spot he'd have approved of. We placed a temporary flower with him, to be replaced by a large living bush or plant, a memorial to him.

Goodbye Mongo. You have memorials in three states. I didn't get to know you as well as I would have liked, but know you were special to me, to Whitney and especially to Krys.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Jersey Wooley Buck for Sale -Sold

Forgive his pose- it's hot today and he was in a mood!

Hamilton's California Dreamin', a sable point, sr. Jersey wooley buck. He's going to be a year old in just a few weeks.

Dreamin' is out of Wooligans Montague and Caudhill's Vanessa. He's one of the only babies born on this coast out of Montague, who passed away. This guy is a GREAT breeder.

He chews himself, which gives you an idea why he looks the way he does. He's also molting that wool cap, about the only thing he and his neighbor can't chew off.

A nice small buck, he's my current shaded herd buck. Due to several up and coming bucks, as well as a large number of babies being born here out of him, I've decided to move him out.

He is DQ free and I do think he'd do really well on a show table, if you could get him to stop being a chewer.

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Dieting Rabbits

I've got four rabbits on a diet out in my rabbitry- and BOY are they mad at me!

Three does won't get pregnant, even though two of them are proven. A buck is turning into a 10 second quitter. If he doesn't catch his girl in 10 seconds, he's huffing and puffing and needs to settle down for a nice nap. Well no more.

Each have had their pellets cut out completely. Oh yes, completely. They are getting nothing but insane amounts of hay every day. For one of the does, I think this will be a very short term diet, she just needs to lose an ounce or two and get back into the baby making range.

For the other two does, this will be a two week exercise. Nothing but fresh water and hay.

I've also decided to add a little apple cider vinegar to the water in a few day's time- I didn't see much help with it in the past, but it can't hurt, so why not?

I've heard several success stories with this method. I'll definitely keep everyone posted!! One of the does really needs to be started now, or may never conceive. So keep your fingers crossed for me!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Movin' Out Stock

This is something we talk about a lot on Rabbit Habbit- how do you let go of your stock? When has a doe or buck produced enough, how can you be sure you won't need them later on, etc?

Well- eek. Don't ask me! I'm the world's worst at letting stock go!

But then again, I do have to deal with it, so here is what I'm thinking.

Does: We're gonna try to move out the does at 2 1/2 years, assuming I've got a good replacement. If I don't, I may keep them slightly longer. If the doe doesn't make nice enough babies with my bucks after 2 different breedings, she's gone. Remember- because she doesn't work in your herd doesn't mean she won't work in someone else's!

Bucks: Ugh, my weakness! If I produce a buck better than Daddy and shows himself able to throw babies as nice, then the older buck is gone. If the buck becomes super ingrained in my lines, like Smooth Mover, they will also be moved out.

I managed to do this with Keep's Elm- his son, Keep's Forest, has proven himself on the show table and I knew early on that I liked Forest better- so I amazed myself by being able to move out Elm!

We need to STOP having "for-life-ers". Abby & Joe- BIS & BRIS- they are for-life-ers. Which means we've committed to keeping them until they pass, even when they are too old to produce. Oh joy, 2 cages gone and that much more feed to use! You can see why we made them for-life-ers though- our first huge wins.

I've promised one of my starter wooley does to a friend who's just getting started. She's having one last litter for me, then moving out! By already promising her, I keep myself on track to move her out. I've got a killer buck from her, a nice brood doe who I'm still working on getting started (ergh) and then this last litter, so she should be well represented here.

I'm going to be listing animals for pre-sale soon. There will be a few hollands, some mini lops, maybe a wooley or two. As long as I pre-sale them, I can force myself to move them out! If I have to think about it too long, I end up talking myself out of selling them, by thinking "I could just do this one last breeding, line breed, breeding with this buck, that buck... repeat that breeding.."

Ugh! Here's to hoping I learn to let go!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Visiting

I had a friend, Whitney of Suburban Bunnies in Virginia come visit. SO MUCH FUN!

There is nothing better than having someone come visit! She got the grand tour of the rabbitry, the cats entertained her, the dogs jumped on her and she got to see all the ratties, degu and our turtle!

In return, she brought down a pet flemish and an English Angora from Krys in PA! Wow! New bunnies!

She also brought down a Belgian Hare! Oh man, what a great breed! Bandit was curious, funny, sweet, potty trained- POTTY TRAINED! It took me a while to get used to the long limbs, long ears and long face, but wow! Hares are definitely a breed I'd consider getting a pet of! Tim really liked him as well- I can't imagine what he'll say when he finds out I didn't steal Bandit from Whitney before she went home!

This is yet another thing I LOVE about rabbit showing! I have friends in states across the country and I get to make friends with folks who live nearby- well if you consider 8 hours nearby :). We're making plans to go visit her! EEEK! :)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Woo Hoo!

It's official, I will be attending BOTH shows on the July 19th night show in Taylorsville!

Thanks so much to Joni, for offering me a place to stay the morning,

Thanks so much to Malena for offering to drive me down and back-

And thanks again to Joni for offering Malena & kids a place to stay, even if Malena snores like a freight train.


I love rabbit people so much!

SLEEP OVER!!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry

Hello and Goodbye!

I picked up three adorable jersey woolies from a friend Sunday. Two are gorgeous GCs, a REW and a tan pattern. The other is the absolute cutest little blue doe I've ever seen- daughter of a tan pattern doe I rehabbed. I am thrilled to death to have them all!

And yep, that means we're starting tan patterns in Keep's Rabbitry! The doe is bred to a black otter, so I can't wait to see what we get and how they turn out!

I also waved a happy farewell to a brood doe today. She was a good looking brood, but will be going as a classroom pet for first graders! I think she'll enjoy her new life of petting and pampering! We have a daughter to replace her.

It's exciting to bring in new animals, but always a little sad to say goodbye to the ones you have to let go to make room. *sigh*

Stay tuned for more holland brood does. I'll also be having some mini lops available in a few weeks :)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry