Monthly Archives: November 2008

I have 2 packs of hay at the moment that is turning really yellow by the minutes. I was really supportive of this brand initially but somehow the quality has dropped. And it is not cheap to get these hay and I sometimes wonder if it is insane to pay so much for just…GRASS!

A pack of the 40oz hay in question is priced $39.90 and Skor alone leaves the grass untouched mainly because it is no longer fresh.

Since I have got no use for them and I am expecting litter(s) soon, then I might as well use them as nesting materials. But don’t you think that it is a little expensive to use them as nesting materials that later go into the dumptruck?

I believe my mama raised me right not to waste so I ain’t gonna buy those hay no more…unless they are green and fresh again…

It has been daily flirting with Holly Hope and Skor. Now another song that I hate can’t stop playing over and over again on my mind.

“Sometimes I run, Sometimes I hide, Sometimes I’m scared of you….”

Yeah, Hope seemed to allow Skor to mount her, but she runs away after a while….

AaarrggGHhhhhHHhhhHhhh……..

I wish some cool bumpin’ and grindin’ R&B/Hip Hop music plays on my mind because I want Skor to get this BOOTY covered!

Time and time again, I will revisit this juncture where I ponder and wonder really hard how some people can actually make money out of rabbits. I really do hope that my blog do not give the wrong impression that I make a living out of my buhnies.

I do have a day job mind you. I struggle like anyone else to upkeep my passion and the entire household. Sometimes it is not easy at all with so many bun-mouths to feed. LOL. But that’s because I choose to give them the best and it is definitely worth it!

I do not know about others but this is what I notice. There is a really huge movement of people in the US that breed and show rabbits. Whatever breed it may be, they is a high degree of appreciation and showing rabbits has become apart of the culture (correct me if I am wrong).

Now, compare that with the situation in Malaysia. The group of people that truly appreciate pure bred rabbits is growing but very slowly. Most of the time, owning a pet here is a luxury. Something that people will not NEED. When they have extra, they will indulge. So that being said, the price tag makes a huge difference in terms of their decision making to get a rabbit be it a pet or whatever reason they want a rabbit.

We also have a group of people that wants to make a little out of the poor rabbits. Some breed whatever they can get their hands on and whether or not the specimens are genetically sound does not matter at all. As long as they can produce and make a few dollars.

I find this really disgusting. People just do not want to accept the fact that breeding any pets be it rabbits, dogs or cats do not make them millionaires. It never will.

Until today, I cannot figure out how can someone earn so much if they are feeding and caring for their pets the right way. I do not know about others but the cost of feeding a rabbit for me is on the average RM2.50 per day. That’s RM75 a month for food alone per rabbit!

So a good and responsible rabbit owner that cares about his/her rabbit will spend RM900 for 1 bunny a year.

Let’s say some breeder wannabe does the same and breeds his/her rabbits. An average viable litter may yield 4 kits. A kit will fetch about RM80 (non-pedigree mixed). In a year let’s say a doe needs 1 month for gestation and 2 months (8 weeks to weaning – IF he/she is that ethical), that would mean the doe will have kits every 3 months so 4 litters of 4 kits a year. That will come to about 16 kits a year? Alright, 16 x RM80 would give him/her RM1280.

Alright, you get about RM380 pocket money a year. Please bear in mind that RM900 is the minimum to upkeep 1 bunny a year. If you do not have a buck, how do you get those kits? Please don’t tell me it’s miracle conception. Bunnies are superb animals but they are not godly. So in fact, your expenses is RM1800 a year for a pair of breeding rabbits.

So the real deal is, you get a deficit of RM520.

Now now, I know your mind is working much faster than mine. Instead of having 4 litters, you can increase it to 12 litters a year right?! Because we know well enough that a doe can get impregnated while nursing? I am not going through the figures now because that will definitely blind you from reading what I have to say next.

The quality of the offspring will definitely drop having litters back to back and the doe’s life is definitely threatened. The only reason I can see how breeders can make tons is that, they breed their rabbit more than 4 times a year.

And oh, how stupid I was not thinking that you can have more than 1 doe. Now, no wonder there is a brand that uses rabbit to promote its lewd magazines/products. We can have one super stud buck shared by 10 does? Then we shall have 160 kits a year!

But at the end of it all, those rabbits will always be treated as…..just an animal of no value. Breeding machines assisting human in their quest for worldly riches. Please bear in mind, rabbits that are not handled regularly can be very docile and dislike being picked up or even become stress with human presence. I believe strongly that a skittish rabbit can pass on that trait to its offspring.

I am not too sure how to apply ethics into rabbit breeding but for me, it is very plain and simple. Humans are govern by conscience. My conscience tells me that childbirth is a very taxing and stressful process for both animals and human alike. And there is a high risk attached to it. If you really have compassion for an animal, you would feel the pain too.

My point here really is in fact, in my opinion, breeders that actually earns from rabbits either overbreed or overprice their under quality rabbits. The latter actually makes me feel sad to see ill informed buyers being conned. This also encompasses the possibility of them not feeding the proper diet due to increased cost of feed. Some may not be given hay at all and breeding rabbits are always caged up without any stimulation or whatsoever.

It may seem cruel but if I have a choice to choose between the possibility of passing my rabbits to these irresponsible breeders’ hands and supplying my culls as animal feed (humanely put down), I would rather opt for the latter. I rather them die a fast death than a slow and torturous one. Then again, this is Malaysia. And I would say more often than not, if I pass my culls as animal feed, they may end up being sold as pets with a higher price. That is how you can be screwed by opportunists.

There is no point breeding without providing proper care. Though breeding for quality should be one of the objectives, being fully responsible for what you breed/produce is extremely important too.

There are so many things to take into consideration as far as breeding is concerned. Let’s say you are a breeder and you felt that after reading what I wrote above breeding seemed to be a lucrative business, I have more points for you to ponder. For me, if the following is not taken care of, the breeder is unethical.

1) Ignoring the fact of kindling mishaps:

You may lose a doe during kindling if kits get stuck in the birth canal. Totally denying this fact and telling yourself that it is fated for the rabbit in question to die in such a manner is really inhumane. Breeders that believe that rabbits are born to breed or die is unacceptable.

2) Ignoring genetic problems:

Breeding rabbits with genetic problems such as splayed legs, malocclusion and passing on these rabbits carrying the gene is totally irresponsible. A breeder should always research and improve knowledge pertaining to genetics. Even color genetics can drive me nuts!

3) Over supply

The target group appreciating rabbits is very small but the supply is just too overwhelming. I really wonder where do unsold rabbits go? Do you ever wonder where your kits will end up and will the notion of them being neglected send chills down your spine?

4) Lack of knowledge of the general public

Are you knowledgeable in the first place and willing to share your knowledge with those bringing your rabbits home? Are you still caring for your own rabbits just like how the ill-informed pet shop assistant has adviced you initially? It is always the blind leading the blind and in the end the pet suffers the most. Please bear in mind compassion and passion for money has got a vast difference. I am not labelling all pet shops as ill-informed but most are to be honest.

Alright, I have spend too much time on this post that I believe not many would come to appreciate. So I shall stop here for you to ponder and perhaps, drop me a comment to tell me what you think.

Whatever your thoughts, please don’t tell me that your buck is lonely and you want him to enjoy the act of mating. That is just too primitive! If you have not heard or read, only dolphins enjoy the pleasure of mating. The rest is solely for procreation. And why not allow nature to take its course? The answer is very simple. A pair of rabbits can produce on the average 16 kits a year and multiply that with a thousand rabbit owners sharing your thoughts!

Ultimately, for my closing I would like to say that the FRUITS of your actions of breeding whether it is your rabbits’ natural instinct or yours, are hundreds of PETS ending up having temporary homes because they grow out of their cuteness. The reasons I say temporary homes because, some dumbasses never thought they will be busy at work before buying on impulse and one day just decide to abandon their pets. There will always be a “valid” reason because a rabbit is just…..plainly a RABBIT. An object of temporary joy and short lived happiness.

No, this post is not about Holly Hope. It is a post bigger than Holly Hope, bigger than LIFE itself.

It is very hard in this lifetime, to fight for a good cause. Tru-Luv Rabbitry started off with one main intention and objective which is to promote RESPONSIBLE RABBIT OWNERSHIP & BREEDING. Along the way thus far, all I have written is leading towards this main goal and objective.

As the end of 2008 draws near, like anything else, I have to re-evaluate my achievements against the objectives set earlier. I must say that Tru-Luv has gone through a lot of tears, sweat and headache with a fair share of joy, happiness and satisfaction.

I must also say that this blog has also brought tears and adrenaline rush to some. I am not sure if that should be taken as an achievement but I am happy and thankful to some who have shown and shared their heartfelt feelings with me.

Sometimes while in the midst of fighting for a cause, I see a total backfire. For instance, the more I wrote about planned and responsible breedings, the more people cross breed their rabbits. Some intentional just to satisfy their desire to see baby rabbits, to earn a little pocket money or for some other invalid reasons. Whatever reasons, as long as they do not improve a particular breed saddens me greatly.

Perhaps some may perceived my behavior as selfish in the sense that rabbit breeding is only for a selected few. But for me, the intention behind actions speak much louder. There can be many types of breeders as well; some are responsible and some are not. And the definition of a good breeder is just so subjective for each individual.

It is never my intention to impose my expectation on another but to share my ideology. I really appreciate and am very grateful for those who share the same sentiments and ideology and through that, I did made quite a number of great bunny friends with a few of my readers.

Because life is so short and I might not be able to say this (at the same time do not want to regret it if i don’t get to), I just want to take this opportunity to thank SB, Daphie, Lindsey, Susie, Nico, Kak Azian and all fellow bunny bloggers for affirming to me over and over again that my effort is not in vain.

You guys appreciate LIFE so much that it makes me feel that it is all worth it! Thank you so much for sharing your life and bunny(s) with me! You guys made my buhny year 2008 a superb one! God bless your good hearts!

I am quite proud to say that today was the first time I mated a doe
by judging the redness of her vent. A few days back I did mention that
Noobie has got reddish vent. I wanted to wait for a queue from Holly
Hope but today being the day before my “deadline”, she was still not
interested in mating. I realize that I do not need to have 2 does
kindling on the same day in order to foster kits. As long as I have a
nursing doe it will be sufficient. I am sure Noobie wouldn’t mind
fostering since she is a great mum.

So I decided to let Skor enjoy himself after being rejected so many times to rekindle his glory & self esteem.

Without
surprise, Noobie was all willing. What surprises me most is that she
lifts her bum so high that it almost touched the SKY! If you want a
perfect example of 2 rabbits mating, I believe Skor & Noobie is
definitely the perfect example. They took below 10 seconds to finish
the job as usual! Skor’s tribal cry and the “twist” indicated a job
well done.

“I just can’t wipe that grin off his face thereafter”

As for Holly Hope, I am seriously wondering if she has
got no chemistry with Skor. I do hope she comes into “season” soon.
This goes to show that contrary to popular belief that rabbits are
induced ovulators, they do come in “season” or get in the mood for
mating.

And the term breed like rabbits do not apply to this Hallmark Breed called the Holland Lop.

With that said, Noobie’s expected kindling date is 22/12/2008! Stay tuned!

P/S: I got a shot of the session but am not sharing the private photos 😛

Guinea Pigs are always related to rabbits and in fact, ARBA standards include guinea pigs as well. And you will notice many rabbit breeders also breed guinea pigs as well as showing them. But for me, I prefer to refer to them as the 3rd kind.

Have I tried my hands on guinea pigs?

I certainly did many years ago and it turned out to be a huge DISASTER!

Turned out, I have guinea pig allergy! After holding a guinea pig, I’ll get rashes all over my body and my face will swell like a melon. Since then I have never touch a guinea pig…will never EVER touch another one!

I attributed the allergy reaction to the type of mites that live on guinea pigs. I suspects that is the main cause of my rashes and swelling. I stumbled across a write up on these creature on another blog I visited recently.

What made me wanted a guinea pig in the first place?

Exactly, I was so inspired by RODNEY the guinea pig in Dr. Dolittle!