Category Archives: Ramblings

by | June 6, 2010 · 12:10 am

Oil Spills…

I wonder what most of my readers think about the oil spills that is happening right now. Look at all the pitiful animals affected and in fact unnecessary lost of lives.

As I write, I am truly sorry for the same that is happening to our (Malaysia) rabbit world right now. Mass breeding is like the act of draining earth off its natural resources. The lack of outlets to handle the “overproduction” is affecting all of us right now.

One very obvious sign is when Pet Shop starts to sell alleged “Purebreds”. The problem is the term Pet Quality. It is often overuse or should I say over rated. There are many levels to the quality of animals but those that end up in Pet Stores/Shops are no different from those that end up in Shelters, Animal Welfare and Rescuers.

Like oil spills, unwanted pets can spill SILENTLY as well and kills ever slowly. Many breeders are taking the easy way out and taking the fast solution of supplying their lesser stocks to pet shops/stores. Livestock has very high profit margin which is above 100% for the pet stores/shops. So imagine how much you can save going straight to the breeder. But please be prepared for some “shockers” during farm visits. Maybe it wouldn’t come across as “shockers” as I am pretty sure the cuteness can be very blinding. Whatever it is, good luck. I wouldn’t walk down that road if I were you…

Be an informed pet lover/buyer today! Demand for a pedigree with 4 generations of ancestry listing when you purchase a bunny. If we do not stand for something, we will never stand for anything! Yes, it may be a very small or petty issue but if we cannot do something as small as this the RIGHT way, what else can we look forward to?

Think logically, if the breeder is anywhere near a good one, his/her animals should not reach the pet shop. They should take the responsibility to ensure that their animals be placed in a good home and know the movements of their animals well!

Stop the SPILL today!

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by | May 28, 2010 · 4:18 pm

The Fox & the Bunny Grapes (Politically Correct)

I read a lot thanks to my parents for instilling that trait in me. It was because of them that I can write well enough in English so that most reading will be able to understand. One of my all time favorite book was Aesop’s Fables. I must say that most of the values I practice in life pretty much came from Aesop’s Fables.

As a continuation to yesterday’s rambling, which I was giving much thought as I try to reason out the situation, a fable came to my mind. It is called The Fox & The Grapes. I believe that this is the fable where the English idiom “sour grapes” came from.

I believe strongly that most adults these days did not have the chance to read Aesop’s Fables. Even if they do read it, the unkind world must have drown the good moral values in them. The story is self-explanatory.

Original illustration source unknown but was taken from http://beribiru.net/?p=13. I added a bunch of bunny grapes!

The following is taken from Wikipedia.org with a little “twist” modification :

One hot summer’s day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of Bunny Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. “Just the thing to quench my thirst,” quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: “I am sure they are sour.”

It is easy to despise what you cannot get.

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by | April 29, 2010 · 12:30 pm

Keeping The Passion Alive

Burn outs – I am sure all of us has gone through it. When our lives get too hectic, most often then not, we start to prioritize. I have written a lot of about priorities in life and I have often mentioned that pets are easy target when inevitable changes happen in our lives. A dear friend wrote a very good piece on this topic – Too many lives, not enough homes. As far as that “department” is concerned, I am glad that people knows how TLR works and my inquiries are normally from people who wants to have a neutered Holland Lop as pet. It is amazing how when you are amongst the best, you become one of them. Though I am just half way there, I have Alicia to thank for showing me good examples and it was based on her ideas that the TLR sales policy were written.

Coming back to the topic, we’re sometimes pretty weak and we’re subjected to many trials and tribulations in life. When we’re faced with tough situations, we may not only feel like quitting what’s causing the tough situation but these tough situations may also cloud our judgment and thus, cause us to quit our passion.

MROC is not dead by the way. We’re very much alive. I take pride in having a small group of rabbit friends and I must say that we’re TIGHT! I hope more will join us soon. We have dinner together sometimes and I am glad we are all taking initiatives to meet up once in a while. And I truly enjoy these outings. The amazing thing is, these friendships are made through our beloved rabbits. So since MROC is made up of bunny lovers, as long as we’re each alive and kicking, this club is very much alive too. It is really up to each individual how they want to grow in this club. Everyone has got full control over how much they want to make out of this club and to be part of it. My apologies for the inactivity on the parts of newsletter. Each of the officers have a life and when we’re busy, MROC is the least of our worries. That is how MROC is made and I like it to stay that way. It is a non-committal club that will take long slumbers and only awake when necessary – LOL!

So, if you ask me if I have ever thought of giving up my rabbits? I would say YES, many times over. And what makes me persevere in this hobby when it seemed like the end? There are many things that holds me back from giving up and below is just a few of the good things that keep my passion alive:

1. When the breeders in USA showed me photos of the rabbits that they are sending, I normally feel very emotional about it. There is a concoction of mixed feelings. How can I possibly give them the same if not better life compared to them being in USA? But mostly there is a feeling of inadequacy because I make a conscious decision to bring them over here and it is my promise to take good care of them. Whenever I feel like giving up, I remind myself of this little promise I make for each and everyone of the bunnies and also their breeders. I am glad that the basic needs of these rabbits can be met now with fresh green hay, quality rabbit pellets and good vets too.

2. The friends I have in this hobby are AMAZING. We call ourselves the global bunny support group. We are always encouraging each other and engage ourselves in this hobby. Peer pressure holds true here. And when a breeder shares photos of their latest rabbits, it is taken as an inspiration to continue working hard on our own.

3. In my opinion they deserve the best and there is no other place that could give them the care and love I provide for them. As long as they are with me, I have control and I am in control. My apology for indicating that everyone else is incompetent but you will truly understand this feeling when you are in my shoes and if you care that much about your pets. Not a day passes with me thinking about my rabbits living elsewhere. This thought itself will cause me to burn out sometimes.

When you can relate to me and my feelings for my rabbits, you can be very sure that you’re IN too deep with this hobby. They mean the world to you and it is impossible to give them up!

And each time you look at your little bunny, renew that little vow you took that you have made a conscious decision to bring little bunny home and the least you could do is to take good care of it!

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by | April 12, 2010 · 12:20 pm

How To Turn B*tch Mode On!

Pet peeves, everyone has them. No exceptions with me. Through time I have collected some classic examples of what I dislike and I don’t normally write about them because people may use it against me. I can be an extremely moody person at times. Though it is never profitable raising Hollands as a hobby, even if it is possible, I’ll be an EPIC failure in doing so. The reason being, I am a really bad Customer Service Officer. With the way I deal with inquiries, there wouldn’t even be after sales service because there will not be any sale made in the first place.

Ask those that has got a TLR bunny and you’ll know the pain they went through before having the joy of owning one. Yes, I grill and I scrutinize every detail. I might have failed a couple of times but it is really tough and it is a well known fact among the local forumers.

If you are wondering how to have hell breaking loose and to unleash the major b*tch in me, following are a couple of examples how I nearly bald myself in many occassions.

1. LIARS

All my pet peeves revolves around this type of inquirers. It is hard to get a TLR rabbit so many resort to lying. If I remember correctly and if my assumption is correct, I have had someone standing in as a PROXY. A possible proxy to a breeder perhaps. Sweet talked me into selling off one of my rabbits and I have not heard about that rabbit since.

2. TOO-GOOD-TO-BE-TRUE PARENTS

Some adults have to hide behind their children to get stuff that they like. I know many of us like Transformers toys and some fathers would say that he buys them for his son but really, it was for himself! Here I have some adults calling me for rabbits and trying to hit the soft spot by saying, “It is a present for my little sweetie”. It would be worse if they had asked for A PAIR of Hollands from me. It saddens me a lot to know that the person receiving the rabbit do not have experience raising rabbits as pets before. This classic example gets even more interesting because not only the “daughter” does not have experience but, an ad was put up to sell a rabbit that was bought for her 2 days ago! My reply was plain and simple, if that rabbit did not make the cut, nothing would suit her! What a RISK taker!

3. THEY ARE DISPOSABLE

Never ever show me signs that tell me that my rabbits are disposable commodities. Love them today, hate them tomorrow is a major NO NO NO for me! Don’t ever tell me things like, “I have a few local rabbits and if I get a Holland from you, I’ll give them away“!

4. INQUIRIES THROUGH SMS/TEXT MESSAGES

I totally hate inquiries through SMS or Text messages. There isn’t any sincerity at all! Email me at least if you are voice shy. I must know who my rabbits are going to!

5. NO VISITS

It has been written very clearly that my rabbitry is a closed rabbitry. That means NO VISITS. This helps me lower the risk of unwanted problems. I do not like to blame others if my rabbits get infestation of parasites and I do not like to expose them to possible bacteria that could be brought in by others. The best thing to do is keeping my rabbitry closed to visitors so please don’t ask for my location.

There you have it, my most hated pet peeves of all time.

If you are a major character that I must bow down to, don’t ever bother inquiring. I am a larger B*tch to be bowed down to. My arrogance is only and will always be FOR MY RABBITS!

Oops, sorry for the ramblings, now TAKE A NUMBER AND GET ON THE WAITING LIST!

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by | March 30, 2010 · 10:31 am

Clearing the stinky AIR!

There is something that I would like to make it very/extremely clear here. Tru-Luv Rabbitry is operated solely by 1 person. All this while, I am sure you have noticed that I always use “I”. It is never a WE because in my opinion, many people out there uses WE to make themselves feel stronger sounding “collective”.

That being said, all these efforts that you see through this website, is the sole creation and hard work of 1 person, I.

Therefore, I want to make it clear that Tru-Luv Rabbitry is not associated to any other breeders/rabbitry in Malaysia unless otherwise specified! All the rabbits that I have right now, is imported through my own effort and hard work. I am proud to say that I have very good friends in the USA to help me out every step of the way.

I did start off in the wrong footing with a HUGE rip off but I believe that my rabbitry has came full circle with the help of many friends overseas. I really do have the many friends to thank and I cannot possibly list them all here as it would be a super huge post.

Please take note of anyone using Tru-Luv Rabbitry name to boost his/her sale is outright unethical. That is the reason why that when you get a TLR bunny, it comes with a tattoo on its left ear that matches the number stated on the pedigree. As far as I know, Tru-Luv Rabbitry is the only rabbitry that uses this identification method in Malaysia right now.

And as a proper introduction, I would like to say…

Hi, my name is Tim, I own and manage the hobbit sized Tru-Luv Rabbitry. I work with a very small (in all massive standards) herd of Holland Lops of distinction quality and it is hard to blind me using colors, I hope that is how it is with you too! I truly believe in Quality and not Quantity. Thank you for visiting and I hope you find this website interesting!

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by | March 7, 2010 · 9:32 am

Lop For The Sake Of Lopping

It’s been a while since I write long ramblings and I just read a post in the local forum that basically pushed my patience to the brink of explosion. It just goes to show that no matter how much it is discussed in an open forum, words are mere words and can never penetrate thick skulls.

I have chosen to keep my comments to myself since it is a total waste of time trying to advice.

For the past few months, Malaysians have been introduced to a breed called “LOP EAR”. What a loose name to refer to rabbits with ears falling or drooping. If you have done enough research, the two words “LOP EAR” is used to refer to the LOP BREEDS.

Do you know how many types of Lop Ears there are?

French Lop, Meissener Lop, English Lop, German Lop, Holland Lop and Miniature Lop just to name a few. So I am pretty much very confused because some breeders label their rabbits LOP EAR and there is always this “LOP EAR FOR SALE”.

The reason for this is because to a certain extend, TLR has highlighted that not all are Holland Lops. So as an easy way out, breeders found it more convenient and “safe” to just use a general term “LOP EAR”.

Honestly, whenever I see “LOP EAR” it only shows me how ignorant and ill informed the breeder is. And it is obvious that the breeder himself or herself do not even know what breed is being put up for sale. I am also convinced that it is a form of DECEPTION to get those unaware to purchase these rabbits. I wonder sometimes if it is right religiously to deceive in business. Well never mind that because rabbits are made for our “rezeki” or profit.

That being said, even each lop ear breed has got a standard to adhere to in weight and physical characteristics. For those who care to know and understand, here is a good guide to the Standard of Perfection for Holland Lops by James & Emily Meagher of Proud Ear’s Rabbitry – http://www.proudears.com/standard.html.

It is better for me to just stop writing here. If only 50% of what I wrote here is understandable, it is good enough that I have put a message across effectively. And truthfully, I have no time for pet quality breeders. They are just a waste of time.

"Hop for the sake of hopping, Lop for the sake of lopping"

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by | January 27, 2010 · 12:15 pm

Everlasting Hobby

Some of the Holland breeders I know have been raising rabbits for the past 30 years or so. I really have very high regards for them because of all the experiences acquired through the years. I dare not estimate how long I will be in this hobby but I do hope it will last forever.

But for many I dare say it is just a passing phase like anything and everything in their lives. Hobby in its real definition is something to occupy one’s free time. It is sometimes referred to as Favorite Pastimes. And I wonder what happens to pets when there is no time – LOL!

It is very easy for us to forget that when we bring a pet home, our lifestyle changes for better or for worst. The pet becomes so intertwined with our lives that special arrangements must be made and most of the time, many considerations must be made with our beloved pet in mind.

For most of us, when we find ourselves in need to prioritize, our pets would be the very first to get booted.

I was at the bookshop last evening browsing through the pet magazines. It is already 2010 and all I see are pet magazines featuring only CATS & DOGS. It is very sad and it is as though, there isn’t any other species fitting to be pets.

Is it because rabbits are highly dispensable?

Rather let a cheap rabbit die than to spend vet fees that could cover the cost of 10 other rabbits?

Rabbits are smelly? – this is the biggest stigmata and myth attached to rabbits to date!

And the list goes on and I am sure everyone has something bad to say about rabbits. An average age for a rabbit is 7 years.

My hope is that those having and will be having a TLR rabbit last at least for that 7 years in the hobby. It is not a sacred wedding but at least promise the little rabbit that you are about to bring home “Till Death Do Us Part” like how you would tell it to your spouse on your wedding day.

“Till Death Do Us Part”

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by | January 18, 2010 · 4:49 pm

Karate Chopped Hay Anyone?

Most of the time, at the end of each pack of Timothy Hay, I will usually find a little or more loose hay and sometimes they are almost in powder form. The boys and girls at TLR absolutely hate these loose hay and they couldn’t be bothered with me saving up for them. Most of the time, these chopped hay ends up in the dustbin.

Hay Ya! Chopped Hay

The reason why we feed hay in their normal “long” form is to help motility or should I say gut movement. You see, when a strand of hay goes through the rabbit’s mouth, it is not “chopped” but the chewing causes it to soften and thus most of the time, they are ingested with a bit of length. Just imagine having a long leaf going through the intestines in the peristalsis process. The leaf will “flow” through like a little worm and that motion keeps the rabbit’s stomach moving and moving. That is exactly what we want.

So what is the use of these “chopped hay”? Totally useless and marketing tells us that they are less messy. Sure, the rabbits don’t even touch them and you just dump the entire crock filled crap into the dustbin. NO MESS for sure…

I rather have hay messing up my cages knowing well that my rabbits have taken their daily doses of hay and not spend a single cent in junk called “Chopped Hay”…

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by | January 15, 2010 · 2:30 pm

Rabbitry Prefix

I am practically laughing my *ss off right now while rolling on the floor at 100 mph – LOL!

I came across some wannabe websites/blogs that uses their own rabbitry prefixes on rabbits that aren’t bred by them. Let me give you an example. Let’s say someone buys Tru-Luv Sibylla from me, the rabbitry prefix should remain as Tru-Luv not Wannabe Sibylla!

It really cracks me up and baffles me when I see some so called “breeders” buying some rabbits that does not come with any predigrees putting up their rabbitry name as prefixes. Totally embarrassing.

The rule of thumb is, these prefixes are suppose to tell others of the origin of the rabbits. It tells people who their breeders were.

When I purchase 2 rabbits from different rabbitries, it does not mean that they take on the prefix of my rabbitry just because I am the owner. The prefix will always remain as the breeder’s rabbitry name.

Only when I breed these 2 rabbits, their offspring will carry my rabbitry’s prefix. For example, if I breed Clark to Haley, Clark remains as Miller’s Clark and Haley remains as Ivy Crescent’s Haley. Their babies will have the prefix Tru-Luv because they are the product of my choices for breeding. That means that I deliberately breed Haley to Clark through conscious decision.

It is as simple as that and you do not go about putting your prefix on every single bunny that you purchase. And you do not go using other rabbitry’s prefix either!

And most importantly, you do not fake the rabbit names & prefixes on the pedigree!

Get it right, WANNABE!

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by | December 31, 2009 · 12:44 am

The Reputation Of A Breeder

As 2009 draws to a close, I would just like to explain why it is important for me to pass along my rabbits to trustworthy people. I have gone through a lot of local rabbit websites and weblogs. They are all appalling. Tons of mixes will be hitting the market really soon and on a constant basis.

Tru-Luv Rabbitry does not only carry the name Tru-Luv Rabbitry. My rabbits are tattooed and comes with a 4 generation pedigree. Together with this pedigree lies the various rabbitry names in the lineage. Not only my reputation is at stake, the reputations of all those names are also at stake.

Take for instance when an idiot (breeder wannabe) buys my rabbit and breeds it into his/her local stocks, I am sure as a marketing strategy, he/she will give the lineage a good mention too either verbally or through their incomplete pedigrees. In so doing, it only tarnishes our reputation and in the long run will hurt really bad.

Bear in mind, Tru-Luv Rabbitry and all other SERIOUS rabbitries only breed for quality. If ever something bad crops up, gone are these names into the dumpster. I believe this is the very reason why most breeders cull their unsatisfactory stocks too.

So here is what you should always look out for. Make sure that the pedigree is complete with 4 generations of rabbits listed and a tattoo on the left ear. These are but a few controls that TLR practices and I hope that no counterfeits are produced out there.

Dear breeders, our reputations are at stake and we cannot control the action of others, but at least take up the responsibility to steer the lost onto the path of righteousness!

Happy New Year everyone & everybun!

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