Monthly Archives: May 2009

Disapproval: Beth vs Haley

Meet Haley, the meanest buhny on the block. Haley has been totally hormonal since the moment she arrived at Meadow Haven. I guess the journey traumatized her quite a bit or she just doesn’t like me all that much. LOL!

Don't push it!

Don't push it!

Haley has got a few karate moves which includes deadly headbutts & lighting speed punches.

Besides the hot temper, Haley is one of the most beautiful Holland Lop I have ever seen. She has got a huge head and her fur is just fantastic. I do not love her less because of her bad temper but instead, I think she is super cute!

And this morning I was inspired to write about the disapproval face off between Haley and my little daughter with equivalent temper. This was the result.

Sparing mode

Sparring mode

Disapproving Toddler

Disapproving Toddler

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Filed under Does, Random Topics

No Shame, Boo Hoo!

I did not know how hard it is to obtain an ARBA Judge License until recently when I started researching on it. I was going through ARBA.net for more information but I believe that they have since taken off the procedure. One of my search results returned this link, http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071009002034AAXOdwh. It is pretty much the procedure to obtain a Judge’s License and I would like to paste the entire content here and highlight some of those that I would like to discuss.

—====START====—

GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR A JUDGE’S LICENSE:

1. Be an ARBA member at least five (5) consecutive years prior to filing for application.

2. Hold a registrar’s license for at least two (2) years and have registered at least thirty-five (35) rabbits if applying for a rabbit judge’s license, or fifteen (15) cavies if applying for a cavy judge’s license.

3. File an application with the ARBA Secretary, including an application fee. Application must be signed by at least twenty (20) ARBA adult members.(See schedule of fees below). There is no refund on this fee if the applicant fails the exam.

4. Complete examination, both written and oral, as soon as possible after making application. The examination must be taken and passed prior to officially assisting a judge at any show. No credit will be given for any show worked prior to examination.

5. Your ARBA District Director makes all arrangements for the examination. The applicant must pass the oral exam with a minimum grade of seventy (70) percent and the written exam with a minimum grade of eighty (80) percent.

6. If the applicant does not pass, he/she may contact the ARBA Secretary via telephone to review the questions missed. Another examination may be requested after a six (6) month waiting period but before a period of twelve (12) months has elapsed. A re-testing fee is required.

7. Assist at eight (8) all breed shows under licensed judges if applying for an all breed license and secure the endorsement of at least six (6) of those judges. Assist in the judging of the desired breed under licensed judges at three (3) shows if applying for a specialty license and secure the endorsement of at least two (2) of those judges. The specified number of shows are in addition to those worked while qualifying for a registrar’s license. Applicant must assist with the placement of awards in at least one (1) class in each breed worked.

8. Secure permission from the show superintendent and the judge with whom applicant will be working, prior to the show. Applicant cannot work a breed in which he/she is an exhibitor. Applicant cannot work at an ARBA convention show. Applicant can assist at only one show each calendar day for official credit.

9. The examination must be passed and the required number of shows worked and passed within a three(3) year period from the date of application.

10. All licensed judges must attend an ARBA judge’s conference at least once every five (5) years. An annual review test must be completed and passed, if required.

11. A judge must hold a registrar’s license and keep it valid.

SCHEDULE OF FEES:

1. Application fee: $100.00

2. Re-test fee: $50.00

3. Annual renewal fee: Rabbit – $20.00 per year (3 years for $50.00,Cavy – $15.00 per year (3 years for $35.00)

4. All licenses are due and payable on January 1st each year.

5. If license is lapsed for a period up to two (2) years, the judge may be reinstated by the Board of Directors upon payment of all back license fees plus a $10.00 reinstatement fee. ARBA MEMBERSHIP MUST REMAIN CURRENT AT ALL TIMES.

6. If license is lapsed for TWO (2) years or more, a new license application is required.

IF FURTHER INFORMATION IS REQUIRED PLEASE CONTACT THE ARBA OFFICE.

American Rabbit Breeders Association, Inc.
PO Box 426 Bloomington, IL 61702
Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – Noon and 12:45 PM – 4:30 PM CST Phone: (309) 664-7500 Fax : (309) 664-0941 Email: ARBAPOST@aol.com

Source(s):

—====END====—

As you can see, it is not an overnight process to be an ARBA judge. In case you didn’t notice, the word REGISTRAR is very important. Registrar is a person who registers your rabbits for you. The rabbits that they register will have their details kept by ARBA. Show bunnies must be registered in order to be granded.

It would be nice to play pretend some day as an ARBA judge. But I’ll be so ashamed to even touch someone else’s rabbits as a judge if I do not even have a REGISTRAR license.

Go figure…

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Filed under Rabbit Show

I Needed Fiber, Guess What I Did?

I am always curious about the taste of the food my rabbits eat. Some of my friends know that I have tasted rabbit pellets before. I once chewed on the locally milled pellets and tasted sand in them. That was when I decided to switch feed immediately.

It was stocking up hay day today and like the usual, I bought a packet of Timothy Hay and also the freshness of the Bermuda Hay caught my attention so I decided to bring home a packet of it too.

It smells so good and I just couldn’t resist. Curiosity got the best of me. I always wanted to know how these grasses taste like. I have tried Timothy Hay and it tasted good (I believe anything named after me is good stuff!) – LOL!

So I decided to grab a couple of green Bermuda Hay strands and shoved it into my mouth. I didn’t taste much for the first few chews but thereafter, HeavenNNNnnnnNnnn…..

You know what it tasted like? If you have ever drank Green Tea at Gengki Sushi, that’s how the Bermuda Hay tasted like.

I bet it’ll be easier for me to ease myself tomorrow morning when I sit on my throne. Loads of fiber in there!

What exactly did I buy?

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Filed under Random Topics

The Art Of Palpation

Practice, practice and more practice! Try feeling a pregnant doe and try feeling a non-pregnant doe. That was what I have been told to do and that was exactly what I have done.

Palpating is a very valuable skill for breeders. It helps us determine if our does are pregnant at least 10 days after mating. And since the gestation period could go a little beyond 28 days, it helps us to decide if rebreeding should be done without having to wait another 18 days more.

What can I say about my palpation experiences? I don’t have much to share since I am only beginning to learn this valuable skill. But I would like to share the most hilarious parts of the learning process.

Bearing in mind that fetuses after 10 days should feel like marbles or grapes, I put hands into practice.

There was once that I tried palpating my does and felt a PEARL NECKLACE in her! I was ecstatic! I thought I hit the jackpot. But when I palpated further, I realized that these little pearls are very close to each other. Trying to be optimistic, I just made a mental note and went to bed that night with a joyful heart. I tried again the next day and realized that my pearl necklace was gone!

As I looked into the doe’s litter tray, I realized that what I felt the day before was now in it. I was actually feeling her rectum where all the poops were. LOL!

So basically my first lesson was to differentiate between poops and kits.

I have also read about breeders mistaken the kidney for a kit. When I palpated my non pregnant does, I felt the kidney in one of them. It is very hard and rounded in shape just like how a fetus should feel like.

Wish that I could have more does to palpate in order to improve this valuable skill.

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Filed under General Care

Buhnies Got Tagged!

Thanks to FurFurries.wordpress.com and furrybutts.wordpress.com for tagging us with the You’re IT tag. Whenever I see the word “it”, I just can’t stop thinking of it as the Information Technology’s IT.

The rules are :

* Tag and link back to the person who tagged you.
* List 6 (un)important things that make you happy.
* Tag 6 bloggers and let them know they’re “it”. We all feel this blogging community to be one of inclusion and friendship.

Here’s my list of unimportant happy things:

1) Does kindled in beautiful nestboxes.

2) A glance of how a junior has grown up gorgeous (that special pose).

3) The voice of my daughter that melts my heart.

4)  Pay day!

5) Spiking blog stats!

6) The sound of birds chirping waking me up on a Saturday morning after the rain.

My list of ITs:

1) Wooly World Rabbitry

2) ChoyChoy

3) Keep’s Rabbitry Blog

4) Starlite Rabbitry Blog

5) Pet Epicure

6) Lil’ Bit Farms

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Filed under Tags

Types Of Lops

I have written a post regarding this topic but unfortunately have been set as private. Most of the photos on that post has been removed and therefore, I found it inappropriate to publicly publish it.

Today I would like to write about the different types of lops that has been named differently between the US and UK.

I want to thank a friend named Phil Batey for inspiring me to write this. Phil has written many articles over at his website Ruskin Miniature Lops. I have even copied his entire article regarding the History of Lops in one of my posts. Most of the lops available in Australia today came from Phil as he used to ship there before the importation of rabbits into Australia was banned.

Here is a list of lops that I would to talk about:

1. Holland Lop (US)

2. Miniature Lop (UK)

3. Mini Lop (US)

4. Dwarf Lop (UK)

Miniature Lops are actually the UK equivalent of the Holland Lops of the US. One major difference is that, the Miniature Lop tops at approximately 3 .2 lbs whereas the Holland Lop tops at 4 lbs. The way Miniature Lops are posed during show also differ from how the Holland Lops are posed in the US. Phil has written about Miniature Lops and even have photos at the end of the article depicting the different ways of posing. Click here to read.

On the other hand, the Mini Lops of the US are the equivalent of Dwarf Lops in the UK. Isn’t it funny why they call them Dwarf Lops when in fact they are bigger than the Miniature Lops? Basically there is nothing Dwarf about Dwarf Lops and in fact together with the Mini Lops (US), they are not considered as a dwarf breed. Their top weight could reach 6 lbs.

That is how confusing the lop world is. To make it simple, just remember these equations:

Holland Lop (US) = Miniature Lop (UK)

Mini Lop (US) = Dwarf Lop (UK)

Simple isn’t it?

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Filed under Random Topics

TLR Referenced

Nothing makes me happier to have my articles referenced by others.

Just found out that Barrow Bunnies referenced to my Normal, True Dwarf & Peanut post.

Glad to share and this is also one of my favorite topics.

Thanks Barrow Bunnies!

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Taking A Break

My dear readers, it is now time for me to take a short break from posting. Please do take time going through my older post as I take a short “vacation”.

Here are some of my favorite posts:

1. https://truluvrabbitry.com/2009/01/01/how-does-a-8-weeks-old-look-like/

2. https://truluvrabbitry.com/2009/02/03/reminiscence/

3. https://truluvrabbitry.com/2009/03/03/scott-rodriguez-kay-miller-teri-reymann-you-3-had-me-in-tears/

4. https://truluvrabbitry.com/2008/04/17/i-cant-take-another-death-anymore/ (GRAPHIC!)

5. https://truluvrabbitry.com/2008/04/18/my-pd-little-hope/

Happy reading everyone!

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Filed under Random Topics

Mystifying Ms. Holly Hope

Remember the last post I wrote about Holly Hope? Back then she was just coming out of her molt. I believe she’s a stunner now. Her color is definitely something that I would like to work with in my herd. As far as her overall conformation, I must say that a total revamp is needed.

Chocolates and Lilacs shall be my little project on the side line. I am hoping to concentrate on the torts and priority would be given to the tort. On the other hand, my good friend over at LazzyBunny will be working on the Blues.

I can’t wait for have a chocolate colored Thunder or Clark. Just imagine how intriguing it would be to have a lilac Thunder or Clark. Simply irresistable!

For the rest of the post, I’ll let Holly Hope charm you with her magnificient color.

Striking a Pose

Striking a Pose

Chilling on a Sunday morning

Chilling on a Sunday morning

Getting inquisitive

Getting inquisitive

What's up?

What's up?

I must add that Holly Hope is much smaller than Haley & Carmel. I believe she’s the 90’s edition of Holland Lop. Back then most Holland Lops seemed to be the lop version of Netherland Dwarfs. They do not look massive due to their small built. These days, Holland Lop does are much bigger looking like bucks.

Personally, I wish to retain her size, add more fillings for massiveness and definitely retain her color. It would be really nice to have these minature bulldoggish Holland Lops.

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Filed under Does

Brushed Bunnies: The Chinese Brush Painting

If the human genetics is as simple as rabbit genetics, I believe both my parents have each contributed half their creativity gene to me. I attribute all the crazy ideas I get while raising Holland Lops from my dad’s artistic traits. As for the problem solving skills, I believe that trait came from my mom. She is a pure innovator I tell you.

My dad paints during his free time. Now he is enjoying his retirement doing what he loves most and to be very specific, Chinese Brush Painting. As our culture slowly fades away, so is the appreciation for the Chinese Brush Painting. I must admit that I draw superheroes using pencils and never the brush. It is something that I just couldn’t inherit but I do hope my daughter would be able to pick up the skill.

Though painting is just a hobby, my dad has many proud moments in his passion too. He had a few exhibitions in his younger days and his art works appeared on many major dailies. You will most probably see his works during the Lunar New Year. He fills the newspapers with colorful paintings of the year’s zodiac. During the year of the Dog, he drew pedigreed dogs such as Golden Retriever, Boxer and Poodles!

A Golden Retriever with her pups

A Golden Retriever with her pups

A Pair Of Golden Retrievers

A Pair Of Golden Retrievers

A Pair Of Poodles

A Pair Of Poodles

Last year, during the year of the rat, he painted a piece that has got 100 Chinese characters denoting the word rat.

100 Chinese Characters To Spell RAT

100 Chinese Characters To Spell RAT

And since we have the rabbit as one of the zodiacs, he painted one with a couple of bunnies too.

Lops & Kits

Lops & Kits

A Sow & Her Babes. Year of the Boar 2007.

A Sow & Her Babes. Year of the Boar 2007.

Year Of The Ox 2008

Year Of The Ox 2008

While he paints everything with passion, my personal favorite would be his paintings of chickens. His paintings of roosters have a lot of emphasis on the comb. I am particularly drawn to his chicken paintings. Most probably it is because I was born in the year of the Rooster. I find the chicks that he paints rather cute!

Rooster & Chicks

Rooster & Chicks

He now paints exclusively for people who appreciates his work. Most of the time, he paints in accordance to the needs of the requester. Recently, I was inspired to get some paintings done on the Holland Lops. I pestered him to help me paint a few and the results were marvelous! I kept on reminding him to think of bulldogs while he painted my rabbits.

Check these out:

Thunder

Thunder

Clark

Clark

Carmel

Carmel

Haley

Haley

Many people have approached him to paint their pets as keepsakes. If you need anything of that sort, please do email me. I’ll be more than happy to hook you up with my DAD!

UPDATE: My dad’s weblog is finally up and running. For those who enjoy good art, please visit http://simonchanart.wordpress.com.

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Filed under Bucks, Bunny Business, Does