Tag Archives: Baby Bunny

An End To An Era

I received an sms that I dread this morning. It brought news of death. An accident and we have lost Holly Hope forever.

Sorry for my lack of words, I am still lost for words just like all those that have came to know her through the years. That sweet tiny lifeless thing I first met back in 17th April 2008. I still remember that faithful day very clearly. I thought she will never survive being alone and seemed to be frail. She not only survived but captured our hearts as she grew up.

Days and months passed…

And just a blink of an eye, you turned 3 years this year. I am sure it’s beautiful where you are right now. Green lush meadow where you see many that have gone before you.

Binky free my little hope…

Sorely missed...

GONE TOO SOON….

P.S.: Please give Clark a bunny smooch for me.

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Filed under Does, Rainbow Bridge

Pixie Blu updates

After the previous post about Pixie Blu, I thought we’ll be losing this little cute fellow and as usual, Rabbit Nutri-Drops proved to be a very good supplement. Touch wood, little Pixie Blu is gaining some weight now but still is relatively small for a bunny its age.

Having a little run time. This little fellow only run within the parameter of the carpet. It didn't like the smooth surface beyond the carpet - LOL!

Really short and cute little ears....

Cutest!

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Filed under In The Nestbox

Meet Pixie Blu

Seemed to be a normal little kit

I was really excited to find a little broken blue tort kit in the nest box 4 weeks ago. The little kit grew up just like any other ordinary kit but at 2nd week, its growth somehow took a little halt. Apparently it stop suckling and seemed to be a little fader. We sometimes call these faders, pixie and generally, they do not live a long life. Nonetheless, I kept on trying.

Cute little 2 week old

While looking at little Pixie Blu, I cannot stop but to wonder about a theory I once read on how the 3 sizes of the Poodle dog breed was produced. Apparently in each litter of puppies in dogs, they bound to be 25% of the puppies exhibiting dwarfism traits. From the Standard Poodle, the 25% dwarfs are used for breeding and that produced the Miniature Poodle and the process is repeated until they obtained the Toy Poodle. And rumours has it that they have successfully produced the Teacup Poodle. Not sure how far that is true.

Teacup Holland Lop

Anyway, we all know the reason behind Pixie Blu. Sadly, it is the double dwarf gene acting up and sometimes they are called a runt. Perhaps a peanut that lived a little longer?

Look out down under!

I sure hope Pixie Blu live a long and normal life as I am doing all that I can to keep it alive and healthy. I do not mind having the smallest and cutest Holland Lop in town.

A comparison of 2 kits almost the same age (4 weeks old)

How not to love such an adorable and lovable little thing?

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Where do we go from here?

Cleaning time for the past few days has been a little awkward. The feeling of something missing – Thunder. I clean each bunny quarter in order and somehow Thunder is always the last and I do spend some time with the little fellow. And since he left, I did stop for a moment at his empty cage and wonder where did our little friend go. Thunder has been the “face” of Tru-Luv Rabbitry for the past 2 years and it is really hard not seeing him around.

There are many reasons and motivations behind this hobby. My motivation from the start is to share this wonderful hobby with a fellow enthusiast that is serious in developing the breed and most importantly to prove that ethical breeding is possible in the smallest of pets.

Thunder came to Tru-Luv Rabbitry in the 1st quarter of 2009 and with just one litter, he has improved the quality of my herd tremendously. Having Thunder really sets a high standard for the herd as each of his offspring tends to be compared against his overall disposition. His traits are mostly inherited by his descendants and you can recognize Thunder in Trudi, Trudle, Fred and Barney just to name a few.

Talking about quality, I can remember very clearly that approximately 5 years back, we were discussing and arguing about whether or not rabbits without pedigree purchased from the pet stores are pure breeds. We even argue whether or not they are of show quality. Fast forward today, we no longer argue about whether they are pedigree or not. We are able to distinguish almost immediately whether a rabbit is imported or bred locally. We discuss about breed standards. We no longer talk about Hay being the staple food of rabbits. The general public is so well informed now.

 I believe very strongly that many factors has contributed to this improvement and competition has been the key factor. Be it competition in sales or even competition in quality itself. The better informed the public is, the more demanding they are in choosing their rabbits. Lately I have been getting quite a number of inquiries for “Show Quality” rabbits. I seldom receive inquiries about pet rabbits. Many is learning the right lingo so to speak, which is a good thing.

Today I no longer feel lonely in this hobby as I have local bunny buddies to have rabbit chats with. I even get some reminders and opinions on my own rabbits. In short, we have grown tremendously in this hobby. I now not only admire my own rabbits but I am able to drop by a bunny friend’s place to admire theirs as well. I can now share a bunny or two with a fellow enthusiast to help improved his/her herd. And likewise, I am able to get a rabbit to improve my herd too!

I believe many enthusiasts have worked hard over the years that contributed to the improvement of the Show rabbit circuit here in Malaysia. Most have spent a fortune for this wonderful hobby. Some may not spend as much but has also made progress through their own limited resources. The bunny world seemed to be doing really well as far as my human eyes can perceive.

And as for Thunder, my momma always say, “Love Isn’t Love Until You Give It Away“…

Continue the bunny lovin’ peeps!

"We make them everyday?"

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Filed under Bucks, Bunny Business

It’s Tru-Luv!

I stumbled across Faith Evan’s True Love by accident and while listening to it, I can’t help but to feel how much it relates to me in this hobby. At the end of the day it is not about other people it’s about the rabbits, that’s the reason why I started this blog.

When I first started this blog, there were so much to write about and sometimes I still get the inspiration to write long articles but now, most of the time, I am in a hiatus. I guess when you have a strong following, you really have to mind what you write because it is no longer your own domain. You are bound to public opinion and sometimes the pressure can be drowning.

It is very easy for people to take things out of context and even more so when jealousy is at play. But people fail to understand that when there is truth, there are followers. And that is exactly what Tru-Luv Rabbitry blog is all about – sincere, truthful and in-depth personal thoughts/opinions. To be honest, I prefer writing just about anything and everything I like but life ain’t that simple any more I guess.

Peter Parker once said, “With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility”. I would say that, “With Great Following, Comes Diminished Freedom To Write”. This is because you may not know that somewhere, somehow and some way, your article may just fall unto the eyes of those who have ill feelings against you. And if you are unlucky, some may be very influential and may cause you some trouble. So you just don’t have a choice but to clean up some crap and move along in life.

And when that happens, I just say with a smile, “Sure, you win”.

For every person that wants me to stop sharing, hundreds more truly appreciate my writings. That’s all I can say and it is for the hundreds that this blog matters! If you are reading this, you need not comment and tell me, I know and I appreciate you being my faithful reader. Thank you for your support so far and I am glad that I could be of great assistance and help to you.

Tru-Luv knows no bounds…

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Filed under Random Topics

What Happen to the Points?

Let’s start off with the question – WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE(S) OF A RABBIT SHOW?

Answer: CONFORMATION

The reason why rabbits entered in show must not be neutered, is because, sound specimens must be reproduced. The conformation show emphasizes and even amplifies this fact. A show indirectly promotes the breeding of the best animals and therefore, a rabbit that is disqualified (DQ) must be made known so that the breeder will not be lead to believe that it is alright to breed his/her rabbit. The saying, “be cruel to be kind” holds true here. In my opinion, a judge should be extremely honest though it may make them unpopular. If a judge is really for the betterment of the breed(s), being popular should be the last thing on his/her mind.

The main objective of a rabbit show or any sort of shows e.g. dog & cat is none other than CONFORMATION to the STANDARD OF PERFECTION. I am sure most of us have the Standard Of Perfection booklet by now and let’s take a look at the latest Standard Of Perfection for the Holland Lop breed. Each breed comes together with its schedule of points:

General Type….84 Body
Head
Ears
Crown
Feet,Legs,Bone
32
24
10
8
10
Fur……………..7
Color & Markings….4
Condition………..5
TOTAL POINTS….100

And now let’s look at a typical ARBA show result slip:

Another question, where are the points?

I am not saying that this is the practice by only certain judge but I believe this is a common practice in any ARBA show at the moment (please correct me if I am wrong). I am also not sure if the point system has ever been used. Please bear in mind that I am not trying to challenge the integrity or worthiness of judges here but I believe by just stating one’s opinion is not justifiable in selecting the best rabbit. If the win is not justifiable, it makes no difference of just organizing a rabbit beauty pageant where no merits are given to adherence to standards.

The point system would satisfy nay-sayers like me when it comes to justifying a winning rabbit. The only reason I can think of why the point system has since be obsolete is because of time constraints. But I also believe that there is a reason why we have RAMRODS (writers). Instead of standing around looking pretty and writing a few lines on each result slip, the job of the ramrod should also include calculating the points for each rabbit. But do we risk jeopardizing the quality of rabbits in exchange for convenience? How can a judge possibly have a number crunching brain capable of storing the scores for hundreds of rabbits that he/she touches and feel? Even if he/she have the super natural power, let’s try to think of an instance where there are 2 very identical rabbits.

If rabbit A has the same crown as rabbit B, under the point system, both should have the same points! And if that is written down and tabulated, it will give a clearer justification where one of the rabbit loses out. It just doesn’t make sense to me to hear the judge telling his writer, “This is a fine representation of the breed, such an amazing doe” but the rabbit gets the 1st place from bottom up – LAST so to speak!

I am sure by now, you get the point that I am trying to put forth and I wonder if there is any plans of re-enforcing the point system judging which promotes better transparency and leave no room for “favouritism”. Or is it?

I feel that it defeats the purpose of having the Standard Of Perfection schedule of points if the points are not being used during judging.

I was once told that if the judge wants you to lose, he/she will ensure you lose. I wonder what other ways we can help improve the system so to promote real “CONFORMATION” for the betterment of the breed rather than the relationships. If a relationship can’t last beyond winning or losing, it is a relationship not worth having!

Just my 2 cents worth.

Why so complicated when they are not?

================================================================

Apakah objective mengadakan pertandingan arnab?

Tiada jawapan lain kecuali PENGESAHAN.

Ia adalah pengesahan bahawa arnab yang terbaik diagung2kan. Dan tahukah anda, mengapa arnab yang bertanding dalam Show ARBA tidak dibenarkan kembiri?

Ia adalah kerana arnab yang paling dekat mewakili standard yang dikemukakan oleh ARBA digalakkan digunakan dalam program pembiakan rabbitry.

Saya rasa judge sepatutnya memberi pandangan yang jujur dan tidak segan dibenci kerana pandangan yang bernasnya. Maklumlah, ada kala judge ni nak jadi popular maka tidak berani mengatakan arnab kawannya sudahpun DISQUALIFY. Untuk saya, kalau disqualify lebih baik diberitahu kerana kalau tidak, pemilik arnab tersebut akan berfikir arnabnya wajar dibiak apabila ia mempunyai masalah genetik yang akan diwarisi, sejaligus tidak menolong pemilik tersebut meningkatkan kualiti arnabnya malah memburukkan seluruh program pembiakannya.

Jom kita semua renung apakah yang dikemukakan oleh ARBA dimana setiap baka diberi jadual markah asing2. Di bawah adalah jadual markah untuk baka Holland Lop:

General Type….84 Body
Head
Ears
Crown
Feet,Legs,Bone
32
24
10
8
10
Fur……………..7
Color & Markings….4
Condition………..5
TOTAL POINTS….100

Apa kata kita lihat slip keputusan pertanding arnab pula:

Dimana pergi markahnya?

Saya tidak bermaksud untuk mengatakan bahawa kita semua telah dikelentong oleh para penganjur atau judge yang hadir untuk show kita kelmarin akan tetapi, ini adalah amalan am di mana2 pertanding arnab ARBA (kalau tak silap saya). Saya lebih gemar dengan sistem markah jikalau ia pernah diamalkan seketika dahulunya. Kalau tidak, apa gunanya Standard of Perfection kan?

Alasan yang dapat saya fikirkan mengapa sistem markah ini tidak digunakan adalah kerana kesuntukan masa semasa pertandingan. Akan tetapi, semasa show kan kita ada penulis markah. Selain daripada jadi model yang cantik mungkin penulis markah ni boleh buat perhitungan markah untuk setiap slip keputusan?

Dengan mengabaikan sistem markah untuk kemudahan tidak wajar malah menjejaskan objective kita untuk menggalakkan pembiakan arnab yang berkualiti. Tidak mengguna sistem markah seumpama judge main tikam sahaja dalam memilih pemenangnya sekaligus memberi ruang kepada penyalahgunaan kedudukannya sebagai seorang pengadil yang sepatutnya adil dan saksama.

Tidak masuk akal pabila judge mengatakan arnab ini sangat cantik tetapi apabila melihat slip keputusan, arnab tersebut dapat Nombor 1 dari belakang (belakang mali ke? terakhir namanya). Dan ia tidak masuk akal langsung kerana di dalam lebih ratusan arnab, pengadil boleh ingat markah secara maya dalam otaknya. Tidak mungkin dan oleh kerana itu, sistem markah sepatutnya digunakan.

Saya rasa tidak perlu adanya buku Standard Of Perfection jikalau sistem pemarkahannya tidak digunakan. Pengadil terus tunjuk dengan jari sahaja yang mana pemenangnya.

Boleh?

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Filed under Rabbit Education, Rabbit Show

LUV, is written in the stone

Earth, Wind and Fire – one of the greatest band of all time and they sing:

Never, never my darling, never you’ll be alone

Forever, ever my darling

Tru-Luv is written in the stone

I am now in search for songs that have the words Tru-Luv in it. It will be so cool to see how much Tru-Luv is mentioned in the many songs by famous artistes in the world. If you know of any songs or you have any favourite song that has these 2 words in them, please let me know. Even if you have any dedication to go with the songs, also please let me know as I will publish your song dedications here to go along with the music video.

Me and my Monster Truck!

The place to be, truluvrabbitry.com as written up there!

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Filed under Random Topics

Brag? All Together Now…

We breed for the best temperaments!

Oh my goodness, I so like to brag. 1st Place Solid Senior Doe for both Show A and Show B. Best Opposite Sex of Breed for Show A – that counts as 1st place too! 1st Place means #1!!! NUMBER 1!!! UNO!!!

On a very serious note, all Tru-Luv Rabbits are on rabbit food and products fit for CHAMPIONS! Pretty obvious that they only get the best from me.

Rabbit products fit for SHOW STOPPERS!

We even run out of wall space for the newspaper features as background for these photos!!!

I need a Panoramic Lens to be able to capture my entire collection of newspaper features!

One more for BRAGS sake!

NOTE: None of the Trophies and Ribbons are given by myself, to myself. NUFF SAID….

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Filed under On Publications, Publicity, Recommendations, Tru-Luv On The Media, Tru-Luv On The News

ARBA Official Show Rules

I realized that many show rabbit enthusiasts are still oblivious about the existence of the ARBA Official Show Rules. It can be obtained on ARBA.net under the Forms section and here’s the link I want to share – http://arba.net/PDFs/2009%20Show%20Rules.pdf

I am particularly drawn to the JUDGES & JUDGING Section and especially Section 55 which says:

“No judge shall exhibit in any breed, which they are judging. They shall refuse to consider any specimen they recognize as having been owned by them within three (3) months previous to the show. Also, they shall refuse to consider any specimens that were housed on their premises within three (3) months previous to the show.”

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Filed under Rabbit Show

I just can’t thank all of you enough!

I really was contemplating hard whether or not to enter the show and like the usual, I seek advice from the wise and learned. And somewhere along the lines, came “… sure didn’t send them over to just sit and look pretty…” It seemed to be the most unlikely motivational line in the hobby but it did gave me the nudge I needed to persevere. As you have read in my previous posts of all that has happened, I really started to refocus on building a beautiful herd and was really reluctant to show them. But I am really glad that I did because at the end of the day it really is fun to spend a day with friends in the same hobby. It was a day when we who are weird by all “normal” standards, seemed to understand each other. We spoke the bunny language.

That being said, I feel that this is long overdue and I did not really elaborate my gratitude as I suppose to before the show. Now that the show is over, I would like to take some time to thank a few people who have share with me not only the best but have also put so much trust and faith in me. That I will be able to use these rabbits for the betterment of the breed here in Malaysia.

First of all, I would like to thank Harley & Sydney Butler of Butler Boot Camp Rabbitry from the bottom of my heart. For sending me 3 beautiful rabbits. Out of the three, there are 2 juniors – Roscoe a little buck with a kick ass hindquarters and Izzie a little solid tort doe. Roscoe is developing into a very handsome buck. Izzie took 2nd in Show A and was picked as #1 SJD in Show B.

BBC's Roscoe really is my replacement for Clark. Out of Harley's favorite doe OMG! I truly appreciate having him.

BBC's Izzie, a stunning little doe. She has super bones!

BBC's Izzie really is very pretty if she feels like posing

The 3rd rabbit is BBC’s Aurora. A brood according to Sydney but for me, Aurora can be really competitive as a show bunny here.

If Aurora's a brood, I can't imagine what a show rabbit looks like

I must thank both Karen and Dale Bailey of Lop Til You Drop (LTD) Rabbitry for sending me LTD’s Dimsdale. If it wasn’t for Dimsdale that impregnated Tru-Luv Symphony, Laymon’s Kindness wouldn’t have been entered into the show and won BOSB! I am just kidding there! But really, it could have been an overkill to show Dimsdale because he is such an amazing buck and I did not want to take any risk of losing my herd buck, so I didn’t enter Dimsdale for the show. Dimsdale is the son of LTD’s MasterChief – a very special buck that Karen and Dale lost a while back and a painting of him can be seen on the right hand side navigation bar on this website. It really is a great pleasure to have Dimsdale here with me and I truly appreciate the trust given to me by both Karen & Dale. Thank you very much!

LTD's Dimsdale. He's gonna bring Tru-Luv Rabbitry to higher level!

A big thank you goes out to Shari & Sam Albrecht for sending a beautiful buck in Rabbit Hole’s Bosco. I always wanted to name a pet Bosco because I like the “bossy” sound of it. The moment I saw the photo Shari sent me of him, I knew that I had to use this special name. We didn’t put Bosco in for the show because he was still having a major molt.

Photo courtesy of Shari Albrecht

Last but not least, I must thank the person I love to call Momma Cheri (Dove Hill Rabbitry). She has imparted so much knowledge and shared so many life lessons with me that has helped me in so many ways in this hobby. She has always helped me keep my feet firmly rooted on the ground. Momma Cheri sent a beautiful broken Sable Point doe out of The Nature Trail lines (a dream come true for me). I named the doe Ivory Joy or IJ for short. Her coat is so dense that it feels like a nice carpet to touch.

Dove Hill's Ivory Joy aka IJ

Together with IJ, a solid tort doe came along. Momma Cheri wanted her as a surprise and I was not shown any picture of her until I met her in person. But Momma Cheri did ask me if I would like to name her and like Kindness, I chose the name Faith. It was not just because the amount of faith Momma Cheri have in me but I realize how much more I should believe in my passion and work towards the goals I have set out to do in this hobby. Faith was in fact the best little junior Momma Cheri have in her barn at the time this little project was in plan. I hope that she will get more Faith in her barn. The moment I saw Faith, I knew she was an amazing little doe and true enough, Best Opposite Sex Of Variety in both Show A and B!

Dove Hill's Faith and that's us all right behind cheering her on while she strike her winning pose!

I must emphasize once again, it is never an individual effort. The credit goes to all the breeders who has put so much effort in raising and producing the right Holland Lops. I have learn in this hobby that credits are due to those who have helped us move forward in the hobby.

I have many more to thank and the list is endless. My gratitude goes out to all those who have supported me in many ways especially for all the advice and guidance – you know who you are!

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Filed under Bucks, Does