Tag Archives: Baby Bunny

by | September 13, 2014 · 9:01 pm

One In A While

It’s another wonderful Saturday in sunny Klang Valley, Malaysia and what are the Tru-Luv rabbits up to? Nothing unusual just “basking” in the sun soaking in all the wonderful sun rays while munching away on hay and fresh vegetables. As of late, we have seen a number of deaths in the bunny circle and our deepest condolences for all who have lost their beloved bunnies. Seven years sure felt like a very long journey thus far and one by one, our favorites are leaving us. Each time a favorite passes here at Tru-Luv Rabbitry, we count our blessings not because we have one less to feed but more so of being able to journey with each individual from birth to death. We are glad to see each going through the entire life cycle. I guess we’re one of the species to be able to observe and be intrigued with the shorter life cycles of our pets – hamsters, birds, fishes, cats, dogs, and rabbits alike.

For every death, there is a birth and that is the hope we hold on to. Just like the first ray of sunlight every morning gives birth to a new day.

Until the day comes when our own life cycle comes to an end, I am sure we’ll have another bunny until our last breath. Simply because, we love to have (at least) a bunny in our lives.

NKOTB (New Kit On The Block) says HELLO!

NKOTB

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by | September 1, 2014 · 1:59 pm

Unexpected Situation

“Be Prepared” as we all may know is the Scout Movement’s motto. For the lay person, we might have heard or read of the proverb that goes “prepare the umbrella before it rains”.

For those who have kept pets for a number of years, we are very accustomed to ensure all bases are covered. Having pets can prepare us to have children of our own and often times, having children of our own calls us to be prepared to react in all situations that may arise. Ultimately, we think way forward into the future so not to make blunders or mistakes when taking care of another life.

Having rabbits as pets can be very challenging because time is never on our side. The moment a rabbit shows symptoms of an illness, such situations can head south in just a few hours if not minutes.

Past experiences had thought me to “be prepared” for the worst and whenever the undesirable happens, I will take whatever risk I can to safe the rabbit. The reasoning is, there is no way a rabbit can survive surgery like how a dog or cat can when it is unwell. There is practically nothing much we can do and I hate feeling helpless.

The first thing that I will do for a weak rabbit is to feed it some Rabbit Nutri-Drops. This is a life saving supplement that have proven to be very effective during the many emergency situations that I have faced throughout the years. I believe every rabbit owner should have a bottle handy.

Just like many situations in life, it is always a 50:50 chance. Try and you will get a 50% chance of winning. On the contrary, do nothing and you will have 0% chance of winning.

nutridrops30ml_l

To purchase, please inquire by writing to truluvrabbitry@gmail.com.

Below are the “technical” information about the Rabbit Nutri-Drops:

Rabbit Nutri-Drops is a superior, nutrient rich combination of balanced high vitamins, minerals, amino acids and glucose. These nutrients support life and are needed quickly to restore a non-functioning immune system. Feed and supplements normally require 8-14 hours for digestion. Nutri-Drops does not require digestion. Nutri-Drops is the first and only oral supplement to deliver vital nutrients directly to the bloodstream in minutes while other supplements are still in the digestion process. Bypassing digestion enables maximum speed and availability of nutrients.
At last, ONE PRODUCT for:
– Breeding and kindling
– Weak or chilled newborns
– Appetite
– Diarrhea
– Disease
– More antibiotic response
– Extreme weather conditions
– Transport & Show stress
– Vitamin deficiencies and overall regular preventive care.
BENEFITS:
NEWBORNS
– Simulates appetite – strength to stand and nurse
– Maintains when there is inadequate milk supply
– Does not upset stomach with continued use
– Does not interfere with colostrum

HYPOGLYCEMIA
– Increases blood sugar levels in minutes
– Maintains without causing diarrhea
– Enables growth at the same rate as their littermates

DIARRHEA
– Enables retention of critical nutrients
– No nutrients lost in urine and feces
KINDLING
– Enables strong contractions to return in minutes
– More milk production
DISEASE
– Quickly restores the immune system, satisfying increased needs
– Enables maximum antibiotic response by elevating blood glucose
– Stimulates appetite following surgerySustains following injury
– Promotes healing
SHOW/COMPETITION
– Quick energy on show day
– Eliminates stress from travel and frequent competition
– Maintains appetite
ARTHRITIS
– Relieves stiffness
– New energy for the older rabbit
– Improves circulation & maintains a healthy heart

INGREDIENTS
Glucose
– Supplies energy for intracellular protein synthesis
Vitamin A
– Aids eye disorders and skin disorders.
– Necessary for tissue maintenance and repair
– Important in formation of bones and teeth
– Increases antibody response
Vitamin D
– Increases calcium uptake
– Increases re-absorption of phospherous
Vitamin E (Antioxidant)
– Important synergism with Selenium
– Shields healthy cells from pollution
– Protects immune system from damage of stress such as exercise and pollution
– Improves circulation
– Lowers blood pressure
– Promotes healing
– Reduces the requirement for oxygen
B Vitamins: (Choline and Thiamine)
– Important in the aging animal as nerve transmissions decline
– Necessary for utilization in the final stages of carbohydrate metabolism
– Stimulates appetite
– Increases growth
– Maintains healthy heart
Phosphorus
– Aids in carbohydrate and lipid absorption
– Carbohydrate metabolism
– Increases performance
– Stimulates appetite
– Increases fertility
Potassium: (Main Intracellular Electrolyte)
– Required for muscle contraction
– Essential for carbohydrate metabolism
– Increases growth
– Stimulates appetite
– Relieves stiffness
Amino Acids: (Methionine and Lysine)
– Essential for maintenance and growth
MINERALS
Selenium (Antioxidant)
– Protects immune system by preventing formation of free radicals
– Selenium and Vitamin E act synergistically
– Maintains healthy heart and liver
– Improves performance
– Increases the production of antibodies
Manganese
– Essential for normal bone structure
– Promotes normal immune system function
Magnesium
– Essential neuromuscular activity
– Encourages bone structure
Cobalt
– Integral part of cyanocobalamin, Vitamin B12
– Stimulates appetite
Zinc
– Activates numerous enzyme systems
– Enhances performance
– Promotes reproduction
– Improves hair and skin
Iron
– Necessary for hemoglobin formation
Iodine
– Essential for thyroid function and basal metabolism

 

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by | August 19, 2014 · 10:27 am

The End Of A Book

Most of us like to compartmentalize the different phases of our lives and perhaps call them chapters. As for me, this is not just one chapter but more of an entire book. Almost three years ago, I embarked on starting a new book, a spin off from this weblog call TinyCritterz.com. Its objective is to serve and give our readers the convenience to use the rabbit products I use at Tru-Luv Rabbitry. With the feeling of excitement and gladness, I have decided to officially wrap up TinyCritterz.com effective 18th August 2014.

I feel that I owe it to my customers and readers to at least have a closure because as a customer myself, I would hate to have my regular shop stop operation without notifying me.

I am a firm believer of the fact that one cannot do too many things well all at once without at something giving way. I remembered back when I was blogging about rabbits on a regular basis, I was very focus and the contents were good. Since then, many priorities have changed (naturally) as with life in general, as a rabbit blogger and the only reasonable thing to do is to simplify.

Whenever making a decision, it is my nature to put myself in someone else’s shoes and in this case, my customers’. Yes, I have thought of you and I do not wish to leave you in limbo and cause any inconvenience especially one that will affect your beloved pets. I am doing this more for the rabbits than anything else if you have not already notice that. And of course for all the nice rabbit owners I have the pleasure to call customers and friends.

I am going to introduce someone who will be able to help cater for all your pet’s needs and this person needs no introduction. I have known Brandon for a few years now and he is such a committed/friendly/kind/helpful/knowledgeable person working hard for the same cause – providing good services/products to fellow pet owners.

For all Timothy/Alfalfa Hay, Rabbit and Small Animal Food products and Boarding services, please liaise with Brandon at the following contact information:-

Golden Pines Rabbitry (Brandon)
Tel: 017-3211083 (call, text or watsapp preferred)
Email: brandon.whizbiz@gmail.com

For Rabbit Nutri-Drops supplements, please contact me directly via the contact below:-

Tim
Email: truluvrabbitry@gmail.com

Thank you all for your support and love. It has been a great pleasure serving all of you.

Luv,

Tim

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by | July 10, 2014 · 11:03 pm

The Dwarf Problem

If you have done enough research about dwarf rabbits, you will understand that it is all about the combination of a normal gene and a dwarf gene. If you are a breeder of dwarf rabbits, you might have produced “peanuts” throughout the years. I stumbled across a video about Stress Management tonight and for those of you who might be interested, you can watch it here:

I thought it was a very interesting talk and what made it more interesting is when she spoke about the stress hormone called Oxytocin. There was this invisible light bulb that suddenly brightened up on top of my head and went DING!

It made perfect sense when you put the pieces together. Just let me explain the pieces and you should be able to put the puzzle together after my explanation. Throughout the years I understood that breeding a true dwarf (half normal and half dwarf) to a true dwarf (half normal and half dwarf) will often produce a FULL dwarf (half dwarf and half dwarf). Some call the the deadly double dwarf genes a.k.a. peanut. Peanuts usually suckle but their growth are extremely stunted and to a point they just fade/waste away.

The reason that peanuts are extremely stunted is because of damaged or abnormal pituitary gland. You may want to read up on pituitary dwarfism and its effect on the affected organism.

The speaker Kelly mentioned that Oxytocin is produced by the pituitary gland. Over the years I have also seen does with retained kits and other breeding problems. Today, I have reasons to believe that the dwarf gene could be the cause of these problems. Perhaps the pituitary gland is not efficient enough to produce enough Oxytocin for the doe to go into labor thus causing retained kits?

I hope by now you should be able to understand the relation between the desire for dwarfism and the effect of the gene that may cause damage to the most crucial organ that produces a very important stress hormone. And the difficult challenge for dwarf rabbit breeders is to ensure rabbits used for breeding have healthy pituitary gland and I believe some are already successful since they have no problem breeding a true dwarf to a true dwarf while keeping a healthy birth rate. Another way to increase the chances would be to breed a true dwarf buck to a normal doe which has been the desired breeding practice.

I found it amazing that the video has nothing to do with rabbits but still I am able to come to the conclusion in terms of rabbit breeding. That shows how much of my brain is made up of rabbits…

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by | June 8, 2014 · 2:51 pm

Eugenics versus Biodiversity

Though I never thought I had to write any disclaimer as the opening of my post but I had to because of how “sensitive” whatever I write on my own space had become. In fact, expressing my thoughts on my own blog is something I really enjoy and I hope my readers do too. So before you read on, please know that this post entry is written for all the like minded people who take life and the rabbit hobby a little less seriously. It is not for weak hearts or one with extra sensitive emotional sensory.

If you have done any science experiment, you should know that there are a few sections on an experiment journal namely – objective/introduction, materials & methods, hypothesis (what you think will happen), result and a conclusion. Raising and breeding rabbits for the last seven year is nothing short of a long term experiment. There has been so many lessons and I continue to learn.

If I would to write a science journal in its simplest form, it will look a little similar to the following:

1. Objective/Introduction

To produce a rabbit according to the “Standard of Perfection”.

2. Materials & Methods

Materials:

a) Constant supply of Rabbit Feed

b) Vegetables & Fruits

c) Hay

d) Water

e) Two (2) rabbits – a buck & a doe

Methods:

Feed, Water, Breed and Repeat

3. Hypothesis

A herd of rabbits that look exactly the same and in essence resembles the physical traits as describe in writing, the Standard of Perfection.

4. Results

a) None of the rabbit look like the other

b) When two rabbits look almost similar, they behave differently

c) Some are born dead, some peanuts, some runts and some normal

d) Some live longer while some shorter lives

e) Some “perfect” while some have impairments

f) Various colours

and the list goes on…

5. Conclusion

The Standard of Perfection is nothing but perfect.

And what follows in this blog entry can be taken as my explanation of the Conclusion.

To truly understand this blog post, one should read on the topic of Eugenics and Biodiversity. In short Eugenics is a belief and practice that supposedly will improve the genetic composition of a particular species. It has been practised on humans and more largely on other species. I believe Eugenics gave birth to words like “Selective Breeding” and “Cloning”. Dolly the sheep was the outcome of cloning which I believe was the fruit of the experiment to produce an exact carbon copy of a sheep. The hope for cloning is to produce a living being that is “perfect” and can be free from all diseases. The entire practice of Eugenics is to produce something so strong and perfect that will make the world “perfect”. But take a look at what the world is still what it is today. We still have AIDS, cancer and all the viruses mutating into different strains – H1N1 is one of them.

Esther Inglis-Arkell has written something that made perfect sense in her article Why Eugenics Will Always Fail.

The fact is more than obvious. This world is made for diversity and no two living beings are the same. I have grown up being in the midst of identical twins throughout my life and to be honest, even though they are identical twins, I can easily recognize each one. They are just different!

It is a “no brainer” that a living being is made up of so many different categories of traits – physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, social, intellectual and environmental. Some of these are relevant to animals while others are not but it still boils down to diversity.

And while nature is teeming and bursting with diversity, the question is whether or not we are closing the doors and limiting nature by slapping it with the “Standard of Perfection”?

Are we kidding ourselves with an idea or ideal?

Or are we shaping our minds to accept the unrealistic expectations?

Or we are simply following blindly without reasoning our actions?

Or it all boils down to wanting to belong, to fulfil our longing for affirmation and seeking to fit in the crowd?

Keep asking questions and seeking answers because that is how we learn and grow in life…

In all seriousness though, I hope someone can help teach me to recognize the “rat” gene in certain people so that I will be able to identify those with the more desirable and lovable “hamster” gene. 😛

AmberStand

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by | June 7, 2014 · 1:22 am

Right of first refusal

There is a universal etiquette or code of conduct practised by rabbit enthusiasts. It is the courtesy to give the rightful breeder the right of first refusal. Let’s say that breeder A buys a rabbit from breeder B, breeder A will ask breeder B if he or she is interested to have the rabbit back should breeder A no longer wants to keep it. Many breeders including myself appreciate such a gesture as it is a sign of respect for a fellow breeder. Should breeder B declines the offer, then it is up to breeder A to decide his next course of action.

I was recently given the right of first refusal and I was over the moon not only because it was the first in my 7 years in the hobby that this has happened but also the rabbits were returned to me in very good condition. It felt like “finally, there is hope for humanity!”. I am just so delighted and it truly inspires me knowing that people do appreciate good values.

One of the rabbits returned to me was Houdini. I can never forget this little girl and the reason for her name is self explanatory. She is the little bunny that will perform disappearing acts and I had to spend my mornings looking for her when she was 14 days young. She has grown quite a bit now and I do not have to worry if she will escape from her cage anymore.

houdini

 

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by | May 4, 2014 · 10:56 pm

More Than Meets The Eye

The statement “More Than Meets The Eye” is made famous by the Transformers cartoon which made its debut in the 1980s. Vehicles turning into robots seemed to have captivated children and adults throughout the world. I believe it all boils down to expectations. No one expected the possibility of a little yellow Volkswagen Beetle to turn into a cute robot and that brings me to the subject of today’s post – expectations.

There are a few occasions throughout the 7 years being in the hobby that I have encountered people who have obtained rabbits from me after being captivated by the photos of cute and cuddly rabbits that I have posted on this weblog. Some of the rabbits lived up to their full lifespan in their new homes but other did not. One reason stood out among the many reasons that these rabbits were returned to me and it was that “he/she is nothing like how you describe rabbits in your blog”.

I guess we all have expectations of our pets. Our judgement may sometimes be clouded by cuteness just like how it was when we first started dating our wife/husband. We can only see all the goodness until we start living together after marriage. When the breeder go through all the necessities, all the eager owners have in their minds is to bring bunny home and miss out on all the important points – that they need to be litter trained, given food that helps reduce odours and the correct way of handling their new pet. It is not surprising that after a couple of days that I should receive distress calls telling me that bunny is urinating all over the place and hates being handled.

Expectations.

A rabbit will never behave like how you want a dog or cat to behave. If you want to have an animal behaving like a dog or a cat, get a dog or a cat but I must say that rabbits do have their own personalities that differs from individual to individual. You just have to “tune in” and get in sync or be vigilant by observing their body language to gauge what he/she is trying to tell you. Rabbits definitely communicate very differently from your regular dog and cat.

While we are at this subject, I cannot help but to also ponder on the question of sustainability. I recently read a post in one of the facebook groups asking why there are many rabbits being put up for adoption – whether it is because of the Easter season or otherwise. In this region I believe that rabbits for adoption is not seasonal as compared to the western countries. When we see that there are rabbits up for adoption, we will always question the reason behind them. I can understand the many reasons and some may make sense while others not. I have come to the conclusion that as long as there is a pet industry, we will never be able to escape from the issues of abandoned and unwanted animals. Crude, but that is reality and it takes everyone to just be the responsible person and do what is right if animal welfare is what we are after.

Expectations.

As pet people, first and foremost our intention and expectation from our pets is companionship. We may want to fulfil our sense of responsibility over another living being. Perhaps keeping something alive is treated as a personal achievement and that gives us joy to see our beloved pet thrive in our hands. Maybe and just maybe, we have the desire to go through the different phases or levels of difficulties in raising animals as pets. For example, Level One is keeping some fishes, Level Two – a hamster, Level Three – a rabbit and slowly graduating to let say – a Tiger?

Whatever the reason, I believe it is all about the expectations we have from our pets.

As for me, I have always been an animal lover and rabbits have always been a part of my life. I find great joy to know that they are happy under my care and they grow and remain beautiful until their last breath. Most of the time, it is the vow I make for each and every rabbit that I own. It is a simple vow that they will live a good life whether under my care or someone else’s I have chosen for them. For those that I have decided to import from the USA, I always make a silent vow and wish in my heart before they are being sent over to me. It is only fair to treat them well because these rabbits go through the long journey and they will have to endure the change of climate which is the toughest element that they will have to get used to.

Through my observation, the rabbit hobby can be quite monotonous in general and having friends can help motivate and keep us interested. Most friends that I know were able to stay in the hobby for a very long time because they spend a lot of time competing in shows and also being involved in helping out in the clubs. More often than not, they enjoy the company of friends.

Very often you will find yourself looking for other activities to complement or supplement the hobby. My advice based on experience is that you should not deviate too far from the focus on your pet as it can get out of hand sometimes. For example, most of us like to purchase a nice skin or cover for our mobile phones and if not careful, you will end up with many that are redundant and not being used.

Besides the usual bunny chores, there are only two other activities that I enjoy doing that is related back to the rabbits – photographing the rabbits and writing on this weblog. I am really happy to have many photographs of my rabbits throughout the year. I had previously made plans to consolidate and produce a photobook for this weblog’s 5th year Anniversary but it did not happen.

This year being the 7th year in the hobby, I finally had the time to order a photobook to commemorate and celebrate the best rabbits that I have owned throughout the years and also friends I have made in the hobby.

PhotoBook

 

May you also find a reason to stay in the hobby.

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by | April 8, 2014 · 9:44 am

Genesis Ultra Premium Extruded Timothy Rabbit Food (Restocked)!

Good news!

The wait is over! The new stock for Genesis Ultra Premium Extruded Timothy Rabbit Food has arrived!

Please order at www.tinycritterz.com!

For free shipping packages (Peninsula Malaysia only), click here.

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by | April 5, 2014 · 3:16 pm

Pitch Black

Isn’t he cute?

Introducing…
Isn't he cute?

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by | March 29, 2014 · 10:40 pm

Charmed Kinda Life

Not to mention name, a friend of mine recently gave up rabbit breeding. Like many former breeders I know, she expressed her sadness of “losing” fellow friends in the hobby. I believe that when other priorities catch up with life, we tend to give up some less important things just to strike a balance. We only have 24 hours and spending 2 hours a day just to do bunny chores can be a little overwhelming and meaningless. That is usually the problem when keeping large quantity of rabbits while holding a day job and at the same time juggling with many other things in life.

In all honesty, you will find yourself surrounded by like-minded people whenever and in whatever hobby you immersed yourself in. Your circle of friends are usually found through discussions of the same interest and while seeking help with the problems you face in the hobby.

Being social animals ourselves, we are constantly seeking for affirmation and a sense of belonging. To a certain extent, your life becomes “charmed” and because you are so hooked on the sense of belonging, the thought of giving up a hobby can be quite daunting. To give up a hobby is fine but the fact that you will drift away from the friendships you have established will usually be the reason for reconsideration.

Someone I hold dear and close to my heart once told me, “You do not need rabbits to belong” and rightly so makes me feel that I belong in a circle of great people with or without rabbits. It is totally up to me to decide whether I should drift away or not. In whatever you do, you tend to find very sincere friends and people who are there for you without the expectation of anything in return. They push the boundaries of mutual benefit especially now when the world needs love more than ever.

Somehow we are so geared towards scepticism and are always on the guard so not to be taken advantage of. Due to all the negativity in the world today, we have no faith in one another and are suspicious of each other’s agenda so to speak.

I have met many people in this hobby and more often than not, have found myself being taken advantage of. Out of the many, I have also found many gems along the way.

Whenever a gem appears, I get charmed all over again and that makes the hobby worthwhile…

Baby Charm

Baby Charm

I would like to take this opportunity to inform that Golden Pines’ Alfalfa Hay (Premium Quality) is now available at TinyCritterz.com. Please check out our free shipping (Peninsula Malaysia only) packages!

GPAlfalfa

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