Category Archives: Thoughts

by | August 2, 2012 · 2:12 am

Value

I am very excited to announce my debut as a featured writer on PetFinder.my’s newly launched online magazine – WAGazine!!! If you have not already read it, click here to read. This is part 1 of a series of articles that I will be writing all about rabbits! I hope everyone enjoys the article as they are written based on my experiences raising rabbits in Malaysia.

On the other hand, most of you might have heard that Tru-Luv Rabbitry is going through a major herd reduction. I will post pictures of rabbits available. I have also sold a set of 3 feet cages together with the shelf unit. What a hot item it was.

Please do not misunderstand this for a sell out. I am not selling out of rabbits but instead it is a downsizing exercise. I shall explain the reason why I am downsizing and also why I will never sell out.

I am sure some of you might have experienced the “light bulb” moment. A sudden surge of awareness or sometimes referred to as wake up call. I experienced not only once but a few “wake up calls” during the past few months. Many incidents that took place somehow enlightened me and I shall share them with you.

All these wake up calls evolved around the word VALUE and thus, the title of this post.

Back in the days when I first started raising my first pet rabbit, I only had one rabbit and we both became best buddies. Somehow when you have just one pet, you tend to get very attached and the pet will also be very attached to you. I believe most breeders will tell you that somewhere among the many rabbits that they have, there is sure to be one “heart” bunny. The special one that we all get attached to.

My first wake up call came a couple of weeks before the rabbit show in June. The rabbit show was organized in conjunction with the pet fair. One of the pet product supplier approached me and asked if I can loan him my “smartest” rabbit. That caught me off guard and made me think for a while. What should we expect from a smart rabbit? Must it be able to solve puzzles?

Now, I am sure that if a rabbit spend enough time, get enough attention and training, it can do some sort of tricks. I did train chickens to fly unto my hands when I stretch them out when I was just 9 years old. Chickens have the brain and I strongly believe rabbits do too. Looking at the rate how the rabbit hopping hobby is growing there is no doubt that rabbits are trainable. I did mention about Tinga and Tridus being habitual “food beggars” in my article as well.

The 2nd wake up call came when I was asked to judge the fun show at the recent rabbit gathering. I did mention the interesting judging criteria i.e. creative movement, obedience, following instructions and etc. These are possible although I do not think I will make an effort to do all that.

And that got me wondering what is lacking in my hobby. The problem I realize lies in the number of rabbits that I have to care for. There is not enough time to bond with my pets. With so many, it has become a chore more than an enjoyable past time. How in the world did I get to this point? Simply because I was trying so hard to produce that one “perfect” rabbit according to the standard. And that made me miss out on the fun of truly enjoying my pets. I spend more time cleaning up than interacting with my pets.

If you look around you, there is something that you will surely notice – DIVERSITY. In a litter of rabbits, every kit is different for that reason. And unfortunately, by subscribing to adhere to strive for the one “perfect” standard, we are discarding what we are taught to be undesirable. I have learned to accept that this “perfection” will never come about simply because how mother nature intends to be diverse. Going against mother nature is like trying to make earth turn the other direction. I am not only referring to the case of rabbits but any pets in the “show” world in general.

When I look at show animals in general, this image comes to my mind…

A goldfish?

The goldfish is a type of ornamental fish. The ornamental fish market makes up quite a huge percentage in the pet industry. Fishes in a well decorated tank can be a very relaxing sight to behold after a hard day’s work. If you ask a fish to swim on command, most probably you will get much disappointment.

That is how it is when you have too many rabbits in cages. They just look like ornamental rabbits and sit in cages looking pretty. I believe that when we keep animal as pets, there should be interaction.

Thinking back about how things used to be, I was able to share on this blog the different personalities that I see in my rabbits. I no longer able to do that because I realized that I do not spend enough time to notice them anymore. That is not how it suppose to be.

It is funny how sometimes we contradict ourselves. I am sure you have come across “REASONS NOT TO BREED YOUR …” articles and one of the DON’T is not to breed if you think your pet is the best and you want to produce another one like it. But if you take a step back and think about it, that’s exactly what most breeders are doing. They are trying to produce that “best” to replace the “bests” before the “best”.

Now the question is, will I still breed? Of course I will but I shall breed for what I like in terms of health and general disposition.

What about wanting to win at show?

I have come to realize that my pets are LARGER than the shows. They are much more valuable than the fee I pay to enter them into shows and have a judge or two spending just 2 minutes looking at them and conclude they are worthless! I am very contented that I have produced show worthy rabbits.

And do allow me tell you how valuable my rabbits are. Each time I decide to cut the numbers down in my rabbitry, those left behind are the old barren does or the 3 years old bucks that I have grown to love. Why do I keep those that have no “production” value and pass along those that can still produce? That really boils down as to what is the objective of you wanting to keep these animals as pets.

The hardest decisions for me really is when I have to pass along the imports. These rabbits have sentimental values that I hold dearly to my heart. Each time I look at them, it reminds me of those who sent them to me. I have met each one of them and have hugged them in person. Having these rabbits with me is the closest I can be with these lovely people. This is the only reason why I will never sell out. Perhaps when all my favorite bunnies have left for rainbow bridge, that could be the day I will declare that I am done.

What I am trying to say is that, you can never put a price tag on a rabbit that means a lot to you. They are not just soft toys on the shelves that you can pick and pay at the counter. Each and every one of my rabbits are invaluable to me.

It is sure nice to obtain a Grand Champion leg or two in this lifetime but Grand Champion rabbits come and go in droves. Even the best bunnies will have to die eventually. What do you make out of all the papers?

How much we lose ourselves when we lose focus on what matters.

For me, what matters most is being able to share unique bunnies to individuals who truly appreciates the joy of having them as pets. Being able to build friendships that last a lifetime. Being able to travel across the globe to hug a bunny friend. Going through life’s ups and downs encouraging each other and sharing the joy.

The truth to the matter is, there will be no rabbits without the people to share with. And the value of things is in where we prefer value is to be placed.

The following rabbits are available and please email me at truluvrabbitry@gmail.com for more information. Thank you!

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by | July 27, 2012 · 5:54 pm

What’s the difference?

I shall try to answer the following questions in this post:-

1) Why pedigree rabbits raised in Malaysia look different from those raised in UK or USA?

2) What is selective breeding?

3) What is natural selection?

Recently, a fellow rabbit enthusiast asked why there is a vast difference in the appearance of Netherland Dwarfs in Malaysia compared to those in the USA and UK. Even those imported tend to look different after a while living in Malaysia.

The question brought back memories when I first started raising imported Holland Lops. When shown a photo of a Holland Lop, the first question a colleague of mine (who have no interest at all in the rabbit hobby) asked was whether the climate/weather here in Malaysia is suitable. An optimistic me at that point of time confidently said yes because I am a strong believer that genetics alone governs every living being. It is a very good question simply because weather is one of the factor that governs adaptability. The topic of weather was also raised during a visit by a breeder friend a few years back. I was still very optimistic and adamant about my stand that genetic is still the main determining factor. But of course, the thought has always been lingering at the back of my mind and I have always been open to the possibilities.

Another thing that needs to be considered is the natural food chain. Rabbits fall under the lower level of the food chain as they are prey animals. That is the reason why they have higher reproduction rate to increase the chances of survival. Reproduction rate is not the only way prey animals increase their chances of survival of the species. They must also be highly adaptive to their surroundings, climate and weather included!

I would like to start off this “proof of concept” post by looking at another species in the animal kingdom. We know that dogs are one of the domesticated animals that has been around for a very long time. To date, there are more than 150 different dog breeds registered under the American Kennel Club. Why do we have so many different breed of dogs? The answer is simple. They not only come from different parts of the world but they all have different functions or usages. Some as guard dogs, gun dogs or just companion dogs. Every dog breed is said to be traced back to the wolf.

So how did we derive so many dog breeds from this…

A grey wolf. Picture taken from National Geographic (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/wolf/).

To this…

The Dachshund. Image taken from Dog Family (http://www.dogfamily.org/dachshund-5.html)

And to this?

The Chihuahua, smallest dog in the world. Picture by Katie Mancine.

From the wolf to the Chihuahua lies many years of Selective Breeding. In my own words, Selective Breeding means choosing to propagate a certain “desired” trait. For example, if smaller animals are desired, specimens exhibiting such traits are bred in order to reproduce more of the same kind. Those exhibiting unwanted traits will not be used in the breeding program.

Now let’s take a look at the rabbit species. The hare or wild rabbit can be seen as the root of which the domesticated rabbits originated from.

A Belgian Hare.  A rare breed and closest to the hare in the wild.

In between the Hare, and along the way we specially selected this…

Gimli the Dwarf Lord. Picture taken from the internet.

We did not breed Gimli into rabbits but we chose to breed more of the DWARF gene in the breeding program and produced the like of this…

A Netherland Dwarf rabbit. Picture courtesy of Chestnut Pictures.

And of course the Holland Lop…

A Holland Lop rabbit. Another well known dwarf breed.

Comparing between the Belgian Hare and the Holland Lop, one may ask how in the world can an animal with huge, long ears and long back feet be turned into one that has a rounded body with short and lopped ears?

As much as we like to tweak nature by using selective breeding, we are of no threat to Mother Nature. The #1 opponent of selective breeding is NATURAL SELECTION. Natural selection in my own words is when a living being changes its own characteristic(s) to thrive in different (extremes) environment. Rabbits as we all know regulate their body temperature through their ears since they have no means of sweating. The ears are where the major veins are and that helps bring temperature down.

Even with the dwarf gene, most Holland Lops bred locally in Malaysia tend to have longer ears.

A Holland Lop needs longer ears to keep itself cool?

Or is it?

Part of me tells me that genetics govern how large a rabbit should grow, how long their ears and large their heads should be. And part of me also tells me that being animal of prey, they need to be highly adaptable. The difference can be seen rather clearly in the next generation itself. In fact, the changes to external appearances can already be seen in the imports as well.

Look at the above picture carefully. The first picture was taken on the day this Netherland Dwarf arrived in Malaysia. The bottom left picture was taken after a few months living in Malaysia. The picture on the right with red dotted line shows what the rabbit lost after a few months living in Malaysia. The question is, what has the rabbit lost?

The answer is obvious, nothing but its fur! Without 20% of fur on its head, the ears suddenly look much longer and the muzzle looks narrower.

Can you see how fast an animal of prey needs to adapt in order to survive?

Do you see ladies dressing up in mink coats walking down Kuala Lumpur town? NO…

Do you see Siberian Huskies in Malaysia looking like those living in the Arctic? NO…

Will you find Polar Bears in the dessert? NO…

So I can safely conclude that we can never produce Holland Lop rabbits that are better than those in the USA unless like the penguins in their special temperature controlled enclosure (at Zoo Negara), we provide a simulated environment. The question is, should we produce air-conditioned rabbits here in Malaysia? Or should we allow natural selection to take its course and love our rabbits as they are?

As for me, I submit to the fact that weather and natural selection do play its role in changing the physical appearances of our rabbits. There is no way we can avoid that happening. But instead of providing a simulated environment, the best solution we have found lies in Genesis Ultra Premium Rabbit Food.

The weather plays a great role in the rabbit’s appetite. Besides from losing fur condition, our rabbits loose their appetite and thus, loses flesh condition at the same time. We can never force our rabbits to eat more when they do not want to. As the saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”. But before I divulge the details, allow me to tell you more about squirrels. We all know that squirrels are often found collecting seeds and food during spring time. The food stuff is consumed during the cooler days.

Even for humans, we tend to have better appetite while being in a cooler location. The steamboat dinner up in the highlands taste extra good and I even found myself eating larger portions at Indianapolis (Autumn/Fall).

Without air-conditioning, what can we do when our rabbits do not have appetite? They are of course thinner/leaner than we like them to be. Can we boost the energy content in their daily ration? How do we do that when they do not have the appetite in the first place? Feeding a diet that is too rich may upset their sensitive stomach.

This is where the Genesis Ultra Premium Rabbit food play its role to help keep our rabbits in better condition here in Malaysia. The Omega 3 & 6 is to help boost the coat condition. The only rabbit food in the market containing Omega 3 & 6. Genesis promotes healthy digestion through digestive enzymes, probiotics and prebiotics.

And remember that I mentioned that rabbits eat less due to decreased appetite in warmer condition?

That can be solved with Genesis Ultra Premium Rabbit food because it is formulated to promote optimal nutrient absorption! Which means, your rabbit gets all it needs nutritionally to thrive and bloom with a small portion of the food and without supplements. Eating less is exactly what is desired here. Ever heard of the saying “Less is more”?

Well, at least this is one of my proven findings working with imported rabbits for the past 5 years.

Don’t believe what I say, try it out today!

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by | July 21, 2012 · 1:52 pm

Our Time Shall Come To Pass

I count my blessings because I do not remember at any point of time in my life growing up as a child, there was no pets in the household. My parents are animal lovers and have encouraged me to have pets since I was young. I have learned to be responsible for another living being since then and I did not go through the “look after an egg” phase. Instead I went straight into keeping animals alive as long as I am able to.

Growing up, I remember saving up my daily allowances in order to buy food for my pets. When relatives visit, they never bring me chocolates or toys but instead brought me to the pet shops to get supplies. As a teenager in school, besides from the regular extra school activities and “dating”, I was never interested in cars and the regular things other boys do. I will always have time for my pets. So much so, I trained chickens to “fly” onto my hands when I stretch them out. My world came crashing down when the authorities banned rearing chicken in residential areas and they ended up as part of the curry dish. Gone are the days when we are able to obtain colourful chicks at the night market and that was how I got my pet chickens from. 🙂

Waking up this morning, I feel very happy looking at how my little family have come to love animals as well. My eldest daughter is almost an expert in holding young rabbits. The sight of her holding Drogo our new Mini Rex rabbit reminded me of our role as parents to nurture compassion and love in our next generation.

I know some of us did not have the opportunity to own our first pet until we were adults. Perhaps we were not allowed to have them or we just couldn’t afford them previously. There are many aspects and advantages keeping animals as pets. We know how therapeutic they are and our responsibility is to ensure that they are well taken care of.

Today I read an eulogy written (by Ellen Whyte) for the late Ms. Sabrina Yeap of Furry Friend’s Farm. I have never met Sabrina in person but the closest I got was a phone call from her seeking more details on a complain I lodged with SPCA many years back regarding a puppy mill. I believe she did investigate and was on the case because I later received a threatening phone call from the puppy mill operator. After so many years and for the fact that Sabrina has worked so tirelessly (until her death) for the welfare of strays speak strongly the importance of compassion and love for the voiceless. I am sure Sabrina herself found solace in helping all the strays in a world drowned by the need for material things and riches. May her soul rest in peace and her good works continue by those with similar capacity to love.

What we sow today we shall reap in days to come. We have to start educating the younger generation the importance of being responsible for other living creatures. We must take into consideration each time we choose to breed our pets and realize the possibilities that we are contributing to the universal sufferings of abandoned animals in our community, nation and world at large. What are we leaving behind for our children and their children?

Our time here on earth shall come to pass and I hope to see my children live in a world filled with love and mutual respect towards the entire living world. One which is balanced and thriving when we no longer exist.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

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by | June 18, 2012 · 12:01 am

TruLuvRabbitry.com turns 5!

WOW! Who would have thought that with a blink of an eye, it has been a good 5 years filled with ups and downs. I have learned so much along the way and there is still so much to learn!

All I want to say right now is a huge THANK YOU to my huge bunny family both in Malaysia and all around the world mainly USA, Canada & the UK! Every single one of you have contributed and generously imparted knowledge in me. Every single piece of advice fitted together to complete this 5 year puzzle. The encouragements and support has been overwhelming and have indeed pulled me through the many challenges this hobby brings.

I wish that I have done something BIGGER to celebrate the half decade mark but I feel that I owe it to the rabbits for this wonderful journey. I just wanted to take a step back to remember and reminisce the best moments in the past 5 years. Here are some of the yearly highlights that I will cherish for the rest of my life:

2007

Obtaining my first “Holland Lop” and embarking on this wonderful journey. She was a locally bred lop ear rabbit that almost have the traits of a Holland Lop. It was then that I started searching for the real Holland Lop and stumbled across The Nature Trail blog.

Unix – The Photogenic Bunny.

2008

In 2008, the Tru-Luv Rabbitry blog was discovered by the New Straits Times & Malay Mail dailies. Featured in both the dailies.

I officially became a member of the Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club (HLRSC).

 2009

2009 is a very wonderful year for me. It started off with an importation of 4 very gorgeous and handsome rabbits. Thanks to Scott Rodriguez, Kay Miller and Teri Reymann. The feeling of owning these rabbits was phenomenal and they became the cornerstone of my herd today.

It was also the time when I first introduced my dad’s painting to the rabbit world through my blog (Rabbit Brush Painting).

Getting a gift from my dearest momma was indeed one of the best moments in 2009 (A Gift From Mommy Dearest). Also not forgetting my first HLRSC T-Shirt from Aunt Karen (Goodies Day).

Not forgetting my first home grown Tru-Luv’s Truffles winning the Best Reserve In Show at the 1st Malaysia Rabbit Show (Non-ARBA). Back then there were only a handful of rabbit breeders and the show was an unofficial show based on ARBA judging criteria. I only entered one bunny and the earlier imported ones stayed home. Not long after winning his trophy, we bid Truffles goodbye to a nice pet home (Farewell Truffles).

To end the year, my lovely friend Teri sent me two beautiful rabbits in Goodie Two Shoes and Brown Sugar (The Future of TLR).

2010

The year started off with one of the Tru-Luv kits featured in CuteOverload.com (TLR on CuteOverload.com).

We received a few more media coverage namely in The Star Newspaper regarding Pet Ethics (interviewed by Ellen Whyte) and also being featured on National TV for the very first time (The 1st TV Interview). And to top it up, it was also a very special day when my 2nd daughter was born (29th May is a very good day).

Dad and I successfully sent some beautiful paintings over to the USA for awards and for the ARBA library. Lionheads paintings in ARBA Library. HLRSC Hall-A-Fame award (Proud of my dad).

2010 also mark the most heartbreaking year for me especially when I lost Miller’s Clark. I still miss my Clark very much. He will always be remembered for his super crown!

2011

Year 2011 is by far the best year ever! It was the rabbit year and Tru-Luv rabbits were featured in almost all the dailies during the Chinese New Year season (The Star Newspaper). Even in the bangsar shopping mall magazine – Retale Magazine. There were more interview and media coverages.

It was also the same year that TinyCritterz.com was established to offer small animal lovers especially rabbit lovers a platform to purchase good products.

One of the unforgettable events for 2011 is the arrival of 8 new Holland Lops to Tru-Luv Rabbitry. They have been the foundation stocks since and have brought about a lot of improvements to the herd. I am forever grateful to my wonderful Holland Lop family.

Dad’s was commissioned to paint for the HLRSC Nationals awards.

An idea of visiting the USA to attend the 88th ARBA Convention was conceptualized back at the end of 2010.

The ultimate highlight for 2011 was definitely the 88th ARBA Convention at Indianapolis. I still have no words good enough to express the feeling. The memories will be forever be in my soul for the rest of my life. It was definitely a dream come true for me.

Some of the posts I wrote about my experience at convention:

As a closing note, I would like to reuse a phrase that came to my mind the night before I left Indianapolis and it is a statement I hold close to my heart.

“When your BIG Dream is fulfilled, you become a BIGGER person. You then dream LARGER dreams, work towards getting them fulfilled and you keep on GROWING!”

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by | May 27, 2012 · 2:13 pm

In Genesis We Trust!

Tru-Luv’s Murdoch is one of my homegrown Holland Lop, meaning that he is produced in Malaysia. He was awarded #1 Broken Junior Buck at the age of only 16 weeks in both Show A & Show B and is blossoming into a very handsome young senior buck.

His consistent growth is attributed to Genesis Ultra Premium Alfalfa Rabbit Food. The result is obvious because in just 1 week, his flesh and fur condition has improved tremendously. This is definitely a highly recommended feed for both pet and show rabbits!

The future is so very bright for these youngsters! We call them the Genesis Generation!

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by | May 23, 2012 · 11:23 pm

Pet or Commercial

There has been many questions lately regarding the best rabbit food to purchase. We are truly blessed and should be grateful that we now have a wide range of varieties to choose from compared to just four (4) years ago when all we have are the locally milled pellets. I have nothing against the locally milled pellets except for the occasional sand that I tasted before giving the pellets to my rabbits.

When given the choice to choose which rabbit food to use for my rabbits, I usually ask myself what should be the purpose of the rabbit food, whether it is for pet purpose or for commercial purpose. To further help me answer that question, I ask myself how many rabbits do I have?

For most of us, we are pet owners at the end of the day. We usually keep one or two lovely pet rabbits at home as companion animals. We spend a lot of time with them and most importantly, we give them our best. That in itself speaks the volume that you need and will help you answer the question as to which rabbit food to use.

We also need to understand the functions of the many rabbit food brands in the market right now.

When I was at the ARBA Convention in Indianapolis last year (and I did mention it as well), what I witnessed was that, although raising rabbits is a hobby there, it is also a part of the agriculture industry. What I mean by agriculture industry is that, some of the rabbit breeds are raised for meat and other functions. And the point to take away is that, rabbits are raised by the HUNDREDS in the USA.

When they are raised by the hundreds, breeders do not buy 1kg or 2kg of rabbit food per month, they purchase in bulk like 50 bags of 50lbs (approx. 22.6kg) of feed at one time. There are also a large varieties of rabbit feed for the purpose of agriculture and each has got its own special formula. I cannot deny the fact that some of these feed are formulated with good quality and ensures the needs of the rabbits on them are met (or exceeded).

In Malaysia, some of the brands are repackaging of certain commercial rabbit feed imported in 50lbs bags. The problem does not lie in the feed itself but these repackaged feed is being sold at inflated prices. Just imagine a 50lbs bag in the USA may cost anywhere between USD$ 15 to USD$ 18 per bag and converted it would be between RM 39 and RM 65. These bags are then repacked into 22 x 1kg packets and sold for between RM 24 to RM 60 per packet!

On the other hand, pet rabbit food are specially formulated for the pet rabbits and the ingredients used are much more superior in quality. The prices truly justify the true value of the feed in terms of quality. That is the difference between premium and ULTRA PREMIUM brands. When you pay RM 28.50, you get what RM 28.50 is worth and that is exactly how much it would cost for good feed.

Today, in helping us to decide, let’s ask ourselves the following questions:

1. How much do we love our pet and if they deserve better?

2. Do we pay ULTRA PREMIUM prices for commercial rabbit food?

As far as I am concerned, I am still a pet owner given the number of rabbits raised here is not by the hundreds and even if I have hundreds of rabbits, they all deserve the VERY best.

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by | May 16, 2012 · 10:10 pm

What Lies Between Man & Beast

We humans are always intrigued by animals. I can remember very clearly how excited I was whenever my parents brought me to the pet stores and the zoo. I believe that one of the reasons why we are so drawn to animals is because they seemed to be very mysterious in the sense that they are not able to communicate verbally through spoken words but at the same time have the capacity to show affection.

Take for example Pudsey from the Ashleigh & Pudsey winning act at this year’s Britain’s Got Talent. No doubt both Ashleigh and Pudsey are talented, I strongly believe that the “interesting” factor further boost their number of votes. To be honest, how often do we see a dancing dog, right?

On the other hand, I heard about the story of Lawrence Anthony. He is also known as the elephant whisperer and was responsible of saving herds of wild elephants facing prosecution. What made the story an amazing one is not only Lawrence’s success in rehabilitating these wild animals, but it was the miraculous event that unfolded when Lawrence passed away recently. Some of the elephants traveled as long as 12 hours to mourn and pay their last respect to Lawrence.

Read more here – Wild Elephants Mourn Author’s Death.

I believe that both these stories say a lot about how human and animals can be interconnected in a special way. We really are apart of this world and we must recognize the power we have to help those that cannot speak for themselves along in life.

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by | May 13, 2012 · 1:44 pm

Life Bearers

In the past, I have written about brood does being the unsung heroin of many rabbit herds around the world. They are an important part of every breeder’s breeding program. Today as we celebrate Mother’s Day, I cannot help but to remember and think about all the brood does around the world making positive impact by producing amazing rabbits for breeders.

Just like some of our own mothers, they may not be perfect but they have given their lives for all of us. They have taken the risk of child birth and their responsibility for us last a lifetime. Seeing a doe nursing and nurturing its young shows me that even rabbits have the capacity to love and care. Without mothers, this planet will not have so many amazing people and animals.

“I would like to wish all mothers out there the Happiest Mother’s Day. Do know that you have produced what the entire world holds today – LIFE! God bless each and everyone of you! Thank you for saying YES to LIFE!”

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by | April 3, 2012 · 9:46 pm

I Love Coincidences!

I was at the mall today and my wife pointed out to some cute cabinets and waste paper baskets. These days, anything bunny would draw her attention and she in turn will try to get my attention as well. As I walked closer, I saw cabinets with cute bunnies on them.

Aren't they cute!?

As I turn my eyes away from the cute characters, the wordings on the cabinet gave me a little shock.

I immediately turned to my wife and told her (jokingly) that someone is “hacking” my brain waves. I have always believed that when you have an idea and a thought, there is a possibility that somewhere out in this world, someone may pick up these thoughts and ideas. The words “True Love” and “Friendship” was so spot on and it came rather timely.

Can’t wait to see everybunny this weekend!

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by | March 6, 2012 · 10:46 pm

If I Could Tell The World Just One Thing It Would Be

” If I could tell the world just one thing It would be….”

*Karma*What Goes Around Comes Around*Every Dog Has Its Day*

Whatever you call it, good things will come our way one fine day. So the rabbit show season has started all around the USA as Spring starts to emerge. Spring and Winter are 2 seasons that I would love to experience in this lifetime but that is besides the point of this post. After so many years of following the show circuit, I realized many things and if I am ever in the position to advice newbies in the hobby, there are a couple of key points that I would like to put across. And they are:

1. Identify the STYLE that you LIKE

I have written this before and I am sure you might have noticed that every successful rabbit breeder regardless of the breed he/she works with, have a distinctive style to call their own. Take Holland Lop breeders for instance, some place more emphasis on the crown and others on massive head. Just the same as our taste for certain food, everyone has different preferences. Same goes with rabbits. If you find yourself drawn to a particular trait and although you do not see breeders working on that trait winning all the time, take heart and be bold to work with that trait. You shall never know that one day, a judge may notice it.

2. Work with a breeder you BELIEVE IN

It is indeed a competition and we all know at any given day, given rabbit and given judge, someone may reign as the winner. Some keep on winning because of consistency in quality, no doubt in that. But there will come a point in time, another breeder may get lucky to produce a worthy winner. We are all playing a game of chance here and to a certain extent that we are playing God breeding these rabbits, we cannot accurately predict genetics and thus, at the right time, a champ will emerge in the barn and glory is upon us! Really, work with a breeder that you BELIEVE IN and he/she do not necessarily be a consistent winner. The glorious day will come!

3. Be Patient!

There is no shortcuts in life and nothing comes easy. Yes, you can buy winning stocks to start but of course you need to pay hefty prices for them. But also bearing in mind that expensive does not always equates to quality. The point really is be patient. Good things come to those who wait. I believe this is a point that has been mentioned far too many times. Patience is indeed a virtue!

Tru-Luv's Clarkie is available. Please email truluvrabbitry@hgmail.com to inquire.

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