It was a wonderful evening as the cameras started rolling. Yes! Tru-Luv Rabbitry will be in the media again and I am enjoying every bit of it. I love “camwhoring” as much as my rabbits! 😛
Stay tuned and watch this space!
Mic check 1, 2….
Also, you notice our latest blog header picture? Awesome isn’t it?
Ini Kali Lah!
Filed under Tru-Luv On The Media
I am currently assisting a dear friend to re-home two very special bunnies. These two bunnies are to be re-home together because they are a bonded pair. They are neutered and enjoy roaming freely in the house. Very suitable for apartment living. The following are (not so) recent photos of them:-
Buttons
Yohji
Interested to give these two a good home? Please email furrybutts@hotmail.com.
It feels like I have abandoned this weblog for a very long time. It is so difficult to juggle with so many things in life which is actually a very good thing because that proves that I have a life – ROFL. My life does not only evolve around rabbits and I really love the vast varieties of experiences in life. The many commitments in life often take my mind off my rabbits but somehow, someway, when I least expects it, something will turn up and remind me of them.
I was traveling (again) recently and I encountered this “symbolic” reminder that my rabbits exist. Funny how rabbits seemed to be attracted to me or should I say, I am attracted to the bunnies. For most part, life is wonderful at this point of time and I am grateful for every part of it. I have a couple of young ones growing up in the rabbitry and the numbers are kept at a controlled level (thank goodness!).
I have been wanting to write about a particular topic for quite some time now but did not really have the luxury of time to do it. Now that I have some time to spare, I would like to write about a particular situation that tends to happen to pet lovers in general (me in particular).
I remembered that back in the old days, I tend to keep “herds” of rabbits. Due to the reason that there was no one particular breed back then, I have a variety of individual mixed breed rabbits in the herd. There was once that my father visited a friend who coincidentally kept rabbits as pets and brought back a couple of rabbits to add to my “collection”. These rabbits have since passed on but I remembered one incident in particular and it serves as a very good reminder to me to be cautious when adding a new rabbit to the herd. The “ecosystem” in my rabbitry is very important for me. I try my best not to “contaminate” the environment. The incident took place more than 10 years ago when I was keeping a particular herd of rabbits. All of them are very healthy and one fine day, I was told by a close friend that her friend raises a “new dwarf” breed. Naturally, I was interested and after bringing the little bunny home, I discovered that new kit on the block was infested with mites. The herd went through a full blown mites infestation and much was spent to eradicate the problem.
What I am trying to say is that, there tend to be an “evolution” in the rabbitry where new rabbit(s) will be added to the herd occasionally. We have to be very careful from where we obtain the new individual(s) from and on the other hands, we can never 100% eradicate mites as their presence is everywhere. We can only control their numbers by taking some precautionary steps.
We tend to go through “evolution” by adding and removing pets throughout our lifetime. Some of us need such experiences before settling down with the most suitable pets. I do not mean to encourage “testing” out pets but keeping them to their full lifespan before venturing to the next breed/species. Most important to remember is that “evolution” means to evolve for the better and not for the worst. We want to improve our hobby for the better not the other way around. In order for us to make things better, we must make good decisions.
Happy Evolving!
Filed under Random Topics, Thoughts
Kudos to the people at Bunny’s Journal for another successful bunny gathering that is still ongoing as I write this piece. I am happy to see that the committee is on auto pilot now having had a lot of experience organizing such events. Due to other commitments, I was only able to stay for the Bunny Clinic by Dr. Nor Azam from Global Veterinary Sdn Bhd.
A good session by Dr. Nor Azam.
The Bunny Clinic session was very good especially for those who are interested and with rabbits needing medical concerns. I did ask a couple of questions and Dr. Nor Azam was more than willing to share his knowledge.
One topic that got everyone perked up was regarding reproduction problems and today we were introduced to a couple of Vitamins and drugs that can help in inducing ovulation. It seemed as though most of us present are facing reproduction problems especially in does – low libido and uninterested to mate seemed to be on everyone’s minds. At the back of my mind, I was asking myself “Why induce ovulation when rabbits are already induced ovulators themselves?”. What that means is that going through the act of copulation triggers the does to release eggs. And that got me wondering if ovulation can rouse the interest of does to copulate.
I guess we have to test it out to know if the reverse will be successful.
Testing it out or not is really besides the point of what I want to write today. The question is whether it is worth the trouble and is it right naturally to exercise such “unnatural intervention”. I feel that there is a reason why the rabbits are acting that way and even with human intervention, the low production traits will be inherited genetically.
If need be, I would really like to try out the hormone shots on the bunnies but at the same time I still hold on to the objective/goal of producing strong and versatile rabbits here in Malaysia while still retaining competitive physical traits. That is for me, I am not sure about you.
The BJ Mascot and me.
Filed under Bunny Business, Bunny Events, Thoughts
DOB: 21/12/2012
Gender: Buck
Interested, please email truluvrabbitry@gmail.com.
Filed under For Sale
First of all, I must thank Ms. Aisya Ridha for asking this simple yet difficult question.
“What Makes You A True Rabbit Lover?”
Frankly, I am dumbfounded by her question. It is simple but it touches the many facets of the hobby.
I must admit and to be brutally honest, I fall short of being a true rabbit lover because I have seen many true rabbit lovers throughout the years. What have I seen so far?
The definition of a true rabbit lover can vary from individual to individual and what I write here are just a few of my observation and what I believe to be the definition of a true rabbit lover.
A true rabbit lover understands the commitment and responsibilities needed to keep a rabbit (or any type of pet for the matter). He or she knows what is required of him/her taking on a pet way before bringing little furry home. Most of the time, the true rabbit lover that I know keeps only a single rabbit as companion. Both rabbit and owner are so in tuned in terms of the rhythm of lifestyle that any abnormal activity by either will trigger off a sense of worry and stress. A true rabbit lover is able to read the behavior of his/her companion rabbit.
1) Till Death Do Us Part
We hear this statement all too often during weddings and it is exactly what a true rabbit lover would vow to his or her companion rabbit. With a clear decision made before acquiring the pet, he/she has already decided and have the “end” in mind. No matter what the circumstances are, it is “till death do us part”. The true rabbit lover see to it that his/her rabbit live out its full life span that leads up to death with the least sufferings. Even upon death, the cremated ashes of bunny is kept in an urn for good memories (this is optional though).
2) The Blind
Have you ever come in contact with a blind person? The first thing that you would notice is how nonjudgmental a blind person is as far as looks is concerned. Like a blind person, a true rabbit lover sees beyond any shortcomings, disabilities, faults and disqualifications. Something definitely is hard for me to do. Over the years, I have had the pleasure to know owners of rabbits with malocclusion, blindness, splayed legs, wry neck and many other forms of disabilities. I have respect for these owner because instead of choosing the shortcut of ending the lives of these rabbits prematurely, they make the decision to care for them, for life!
3) The Everlasting Lover
A true rabbit lover tends to the needs of his/her rabbit by giving them not only the best homes but also nutrition wise. The best rabbit feed available, the best groomer and not forgetting the 5 different types of vegetables every night chopped to perfection. The rabbit live in the comfort of the home roaming freely without any supervision and comfortably sits on the couch during movie hours. I could understand how this will start to add up to the month expenses but giving the best rabbit food is really the least that we can do for our rabbits.
Honestly speaking, I can only achieve about 50% of what is stated above because it is pretty obvious that I do not only have just one companion rabbit. If I am not a “True Rabbit Lover”, what is my role as a breeder?
I am sure you would agree that to a certain extent, none of the above can be achieved without the “main actor” – the rabbit. That is where I come in. My responsibilities to name a few are as follows:-
1) To provide the true rabbit lover a healthy and beautiful rabbit to begin their lifelong journey.
2) To provide the support in terms of advice and recommendations that the true rabbit lover needs to raise his/her companion until the end of its lifespan.
3) To provide the true rabbit lover directions to seek professional help and only use DIY remedies as a last resort when all else fails.
And that is the reason behind the name…
Does it not make you wonder if I have thought about it all before embarking on this journey as a breeder and not a companion rabbit owner?
The answer is YES, and I have the unscrupulous breeders to thank. Tru-Luv Rabbitry was made to existence because I was once sold a little puppy that died 3 months after purchase to Canine Distemper (AIDS in the dog’s world), another puppy that died 3 months after purchase due to collapsed lungs which according to the vet is congenital and another puppy was killed by an unqualified vet. These are just a few heart wrenching incidents that inspired me to start Tru-Luv Rabbitry. My mission is to help the TRUE RABBIT LOVER not to have to go through the heartaches I experienced. All you have to do is trust me when I say Yes and when I say No.
Filed under Friends Of Tru-Luv, Thoughts
In a blink of an eye, this weblog is entering its 6th year. Who would have thought that this hobby can endure for such a long time, I for one did not know it can when I first started. I guess once you are bugged, you will be stuck with it for life. Raising animals as pets can be quite an addiction because of how attached we become and it feels awkward without a furry friend beside us.
It has been a while since I posted photos of my rabbits. It is mainly because how busy work life can be and other parts of life that need my attention.
The one thing that I am glad and also the reason why the hobby is sustainable after 6 years is how manageable it is. I believe the reason is that it has remained nothing more than a hobby for me. Which means, I keep both my day job and the hobby. There is no pressure in worrying if it is profitable or otherwise.
I am also grateful that for more than 2 years now that TinyCritterz.com has become a platform for wonderful products to be shared among rabbit enthusiasts here in Malaysia. It feels wonderful to be able to provide such a service beside from educating rabbit owner through this blog. My wish is for TinyCritterz.com to continue providing rabbit owners easy access to good small animal products.
So where are we now after 6 years?
Of course there are more to learn and share. Experiences may repeat but there are always opportunities to learn new things.
For almost 6 years, this blog has acted as an information portal for many bunny enthusiasts both local and abroad. I have shared details of my every experience. To be honest, when I first started blogging about my rabbit raising experiences, it was not intended to benefit anyone except myself. I have difficulty remembering things and needed a journal to pen down my experiences so that I have a point of reference. Little did I know that from that simple function, truluvrabbitry.com has grown to be a reference site for many new comers in the hobby. Sometimes when I hear certain terms and ideas, they do sound familiar to me. Certain advice shared among rabbit owners sounded familiar as well and sometimes I do feel tickled knowing very well where the information come from.
Then there are those moments when you read slogans, tag lines or even promotional quotes that sound way too familiar e.g. Quality Holland Lops, We Breed Out Of “LOVE” and etc. These are but a few that make the hair at the back of my neck stand because I feel so touched how much impact this weblog have on those lacking creativity. It can be devastating to know that these terms are used (or should I say abused) for all the wrong reasons.
As much as I enjoy this hobby there are a few things that I dislike witnessing and the top 10 things I love to hate hearing and observing are:-
1) Irresponsible breeders selling sick rabbits to new comers in dark places to hide problems
2) Irresponsible breeders selling pets at show quality prices dubbing the term “potential”
3) Rogue breeders treating rabbits like commodity without any interest to developing the breed for the better
4) Breeders advocating that imported stocks equates to the best quality. I feel sadder for the buyers not knowing that even imported rabbits can be of inferior quality.
5) Breeders who imitate and use the lingo to cheat new comers.
6) Wannabe breeders who does not know better passing on the wrong knowledge to new comers like themselves.
7) Â New comers that moves around the bunny circle asking the same questions and quoting comments causing misunderstandings among breeders.
8) New comers that choose the wrong “mentors”.
9) New comers that are lazy to do research before embarking in the hobby.
10) Fakers that are full of praises just because they need help or advice.
So as I close my eyes today to make a wish, I wish that Tru-Luv Rabbitry will continue to be at the forefront in terms of raising quality Holland Lops here in Malaysia. When I say quality, I mean the styles, the overall type, the color, disposition and health that I like to see in my rabbits. Â In short, I want Holland Lops, MY WAY…
Have you found yours?
Filed under Thoughts
Traditionally, Chinese New Year is also a time to usher in the Spring Festival. Somehow it gives meaning to the term Spring Cleaning. We are not allowed to clean (by sweeping) the house on the first day of Chinese New Year as most believe that would mean sweeping all the good luck away. So just before we usher in the New Year, I have decided to “Spring Clean” the rabbitry by replacing all the litter trays.
How I wish I can just replace the trays each time I clean the rabbitry because that will save me a lot of work scraping and cleaning each litter tray. Unfortunately, I do not print money like the “Choy San Yeh” aka god of prosperity.
But for now, it is HO! HO! HO! HO YEAH! in the rabbitry!
Huat Ah!
Filed under Bunny Business
Due to recent events and life’s experiences, I would love to write a little story to brighten up everyone’s day. Here goes…
Once upon a time, there lived Marble and Pocket.
Marble is a very special thing because it can multiply itself and there is never an end to the number of Marble to be found. In short, you can almost not run out of Marble.
On the other hand, Pocket is a very lonely thing. It always feel empty since whatever that is placed in Pocket, will always leave Pocket. They never stay permanently.
One fine day, Pocket met Marble and soon Pocket realized that Marble multiplies. Each time Pocket felt hungry, Pocket would complain to Marble and seeing how pitiful Pocket was, Marble voluntarily sell some of itself to get Pocket some food. Then, Pocket thought of a fantastic idea because Marble cannot stop multiplying in Pocket that space was running out.
Pocket started selling all except one Marble and soon Marble felt used and abused.
To cut the story short, Marble left Pocket and Pocket felt all alone again.
And the moral of the story is…
Filed under Ramblings
Tru-Luv Rabbitry: Quality Holland Lops in Malaysia 