It was a wonderful evening as the cameras started rolling. Yes! Tru-Luv Rabbitry will be in the media again and I am enjoying every bit of it. I love “camwhoring” as much as my rabbits! 😛
Stay tuned and watch this space!
Mic check 1, 2….
Also, you notice our latest blog header picture? Awesome isn’t it?
Ini Kali Lah!
Filed under Tru-Luv On The Media
In exactly another week, we will be going to the polls in what is dubbed the most crucial general election in the history of Malaysia.
It is through LUV that this hobby came about. The core reason why Tru-Luv Rabbitry came into existence is to prove to the world that responsible/ethical breeding is not only achievable but can be fun at the same time.
To say it is non-political would be inaccurate because when we stand for something, it is crucial to share the principles to fellow like-minded friends.
We all know what is at stake in this general election and for many of us, it is not for ourselves but our next generation. Like how I would like to leave this world with healthy and beautiful rabbits but that is beside the point and petty even.
Our country must be liberated with good education for our future generation so that our country will move forward in unity.
I am going to leave the political ceramah to the experts but all I hope is to see all my fellow Malaysians make an informed decision despite all the biased reports on the mainstream medias.
Vote for one that can tell you their plans and how they want to execute it. Vote for people who can bring forth good ideas.
Make a decision out of the LUV for Malaysia.
Ini Kalilah, UBAH!
Filed under Announcement, Community Service, Thoughts
Remember a couple of weeks back that I posted about Buttons and Yohji finding a new home? Good news is, they have found one! I am just so happy for everyone involved and must thank both the current and new owners for saying “yes” to take good care of them.
Tru-Luv Rabbitry weblog is entering its 6th year since conception and I felt that I have been somehow “abandoned” it lately. I do not mean the rabbits but the lack of updates on this weblog. The truth is that I feel a little uninspired to write these days due to many reasons. I also miss the time taking photos of all the bunnies still living here without paying rent (rofl). Most part of the “uninspiration” can be attributed to the disappointment how information shared has been misused and abused. Thus, it can be easily noticed that most of what I have written lately seemed to be uninteresting and lack good information.
On the upside and like all things, there are also people with good intention which this blog has helped along the way and I am happy to see them enjoying the hobby like I do.
Aggression, Neutering & Bonding
I received an email asking me about aggression, neutering and bonding. Reading the email, I cannot help but to notice how intertwined these three words are when it comes to rabbits. They are in fact related to each other. Throughout the years, I have noticed that aggression in rabbits is mostly caused by raging sexual hormones a.k.a. the desire to reproduce. Since every individual rabbit is different and thus making it not a 100% sure proof solution, neutering can be attempted to alter the aggressive behavior. If you are considering castrating your buck, do ensure that you do not attempt to bond him with a doe within a month after the procedure. Apparently, “live bullets” may still be chilling out somewhere in there.
And when it is finally time to bond the neutered buck with a doe, ensure that you introduce them at a place neutral to the both of them. Meaning to say, a new area in the house where both have not laid their claim as either their territory.
Perhaps I should also open up the blog for discussion through the comments. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them as comments on this post. With that, I would love to leave you with a picture (as usual).
Filed under Friends Of Tru-Luv, General Care, Rabbit Education, Recommendations
I am very grateful to have many amazing mentors in this bunny hobby throughout the years and I will never forget what one of my mentors told me about Holland Lop rabbits living against the odds in the warmer climate here in Malaysia and the high humidity level that do have adverse effect on them as well. This mentor of mine illustrated verbally exactly how imported rabbits will “transform” in their next generations.
Over the years I can clearly see the toll it (the weather) has taken on many imported rabbits. One issue clearly stands out among the many issues raising “show quality” rabbits here in Malaysia. Of course it does not take a genius to question such issues but the most prominent problem faced by seasoned breeders here is BREEDING.
There are many theories that has been derived through experiences and observations but tonight I would like to share my opinions on some of the problems that I have observed throughout the years.
We all know that breeding is an act by living creatures to increase the numbers of the species and I strongly believe that it will be successful only if the environment is conducive. There should be a certain level of comfort before any living organism can thrive.
Even if the environment is conducive, prey animals like rabbits tend to “adapt” faster compared to animals higher in the food chain. The need to survive can quickly affect the physical traits of prey animals.
In order to conform to the “breed standards”, physical traits make up almost 90% of the judging criteria for fancy rabbits like the Holland Lop and Netherland Dwarf breeds. And this is where Malaysian bred rabbits fair poorly against the imports. And for the imports, it depends on how fresh they are from the “import oven” and how close they are between landing in the airport and on the show tables.
Ear Length
I have seen pictures taken of Netherland Dwarfs with perfect short ears prior to importation and after 6 months, the same show winning Netherland Dwarfs can look like any regular “mongrel” rabbits here in Malaysia.
I realized that it is not because the ears have grown much longer since arrival but in fact, have lost so much fur that the base of the ears are exposed making them look longer than desired. And because physical traits are judged based on how they look to the naked eye, such “length” can be deemed as a fault.
Flesh Condition
I can safely say that it is summer all year round for Malaysia and rabbits tend to eat less in warmer climate. Feeding less nutritious pellets can make matters worst as far as flesh condition is concerned because less food intake will only make rabbits look scrawny. I have found that Genesis Ultra Premium pellets helped a lot as compared to all other brands that I have tried so far. The nutrition needed to maintain a reasonable amount of flesh condition can be achieve because of the wholesome nutrition offered by the pellets. But the fact remains the same that rabbits will not be as massive compared to those living in cooler condition where they eat more and put on more mass thus making them look massive.
Breeding
As for breeding, I have many observations and there are many reasons that I can see affecting the rabbits in this area. I believe cooler temperature does help to a certain extend and bucks can go sterile easily in the heat.
Solutions?
I have learned that if you are going to complain about something, the least you can do is offer solution but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the solution. If heat is the problem, then deal with it. Duh! I am just stating the obvious. If breeding is the problem, then deal with it. There are many alternatives to infertility. You can really do Artificial Insemination and they really have a lot of success with the Pandas. You can also do In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) but that is really an insult to the human community because it is such an expensive procedure to be done on RABBITS! And the latest craze is of course hormone injections. OMG, it is just like administering BOTOX!
But do you really want to do that?
My stand with unnatural intervention is very clear. If a rabbit have problems, it only means that the environment is not conducive and unsuitable. Don’t you think that there is something wrong with the picture? “Breed Like Rabbits” is a very valid statement but why don’t certain rabbits breed like rabbits?
And the desperation for fancy breeders to get their rabbits to reproduce is absolutely unbelievable because of the distance they will go to “squeeze” babies out of these imported rabbits. It has come to a point that this hobby is fast becoming questionable. “Passion vs. Greed”, “Return On Investment”, or even “Do They Really Belong Here?”
I think we all really have to pause a little moment to think about life and what is really important here. If you want any animal to thrive naturally, it must be adaptable even if it means losing certain “desired” physical traits.
Can’t we settle for how a rabbit look, naturally?
Filed under Bunny Business, Ramblings, Thoughts
Tru-Luv Rabbitry: Quality Holland Lops in Malaysia 