Tag Archives: holland lop

by | May 22, 2013 · 10:45 am

What’s The Point Of This?

When we attended school, the one thing that we are most afraid of is examination. We go through all the topics for a particular subject and at the end of the semester, we are tested through an examination or perhaps an assignment based on the topics covered. There is always fear surrounding the examinations that I believe can be attributed to the fact that it is natural for us humans to shun or avoid defeat. The peer pressure does not make it any better because our pride will be greatly damaged if we fail a particular subject.

I guess the entire ecosystem is taking examination the wrong way because now that I have gone through most of the “theoretical” examinations, I am indeed going through all the “practical” examinations life is throwing at me. Do I succeed in all so far? Of course not but I get to learn from mistakes! I believe whether it is a theoretical or a practical exam, the main objective of an examination is to gauge how well you know a certain subject or how well you are equipped for a particular skill. Each failure provides us with a new opportunity to sharpen the knowledge and skill needed to pass.

Like an examination, I look at rabbit shows as a time of examination or a platform to gauge how well one has harnessed the skill of breeding show rabbits. Technically, your rabbit is not competing with the rabbits in the judging coops beside it. It is judged against the Standard Of Perfection or at least that is how it should be. The closest to the Standard Of Perfection, the higher it places in the entire group. But of course it is not as mechanical as it seemed since there is human factor involved in the judging process. So perhaps a little dent or bald spot on your rabbit become the one factor it was placed 2nd.

Placing high or low is besides the point here. Again, it is an examination if you are going the correct direction in achieving what the Standard of Perfection is asking for. For show breeders, their rabbits are critically judged in many levels. The rabbits musts be first judged by the breeder himself or herself before deemed “showable”.  They are then placed on the official show to be judged by the qualified judges. This can be seen as one sitting for the A Levels Examination as foundation and moving on to his or her Diploma examinations.

Whatever it is, examinations or rabbit shows are there for us to gauge our progress in the certain knowledge or skill we are trying to obtain.

Truth be told, my observation (and others as well) tells me that is not the case when it comes to rabbit shows in Malaysia or perhaps in other countries as well. Someone I know even shared his observation on rabbits being imported before shows. It is happening so rampantly that so much so, importation news can be taken as indication of a rabbit show coming soon. I do not have anything against importation since we need imports to improve our herd. Most imports if not all are very good breeding materials of course but I was hoping that breeders have a little more faith in their rabbits.

I like over analyze things so just to make sense out of it all, I would like to rationalize and put into writing the reason for this phenomenon. No one have to agree with me and I do not expect that. Just my thoughts thrown into my own writing space.

Examination Theory

Using the same examination theory that I have put forth earlier. Placing imported rabbits on the show table seemed a little weird for me because one seemed to be yearning for affirmation if he or she imported the correct stock. Knowing well that different judges seemed to have inconsistent opinions, what if your imported rabbits are placed at the bottom? That is such a hard blow to the resources spent. But the point really is, what would you like to gauge showing imported rabbits? I can only think of the following:

  • Did I import good rabbits worthy as breeding stock? Isn’t that too late now that the rabbits have arrived?
  • Are my imports winning materials? If I am spending that amount of money, I better be sure to win but there are just too many variables to fulfill in order for someone crown your rabbit a winner.
  • Are my imports better than his/her imports? There is no point competing on the human level. You will soon be outplayed by millionaires who have money to burn.

There is a misconception surrounding rabbit shows as of late. Winning seemed to determine everything for a breeder. More rabbits and rabbit products sold just because the breeders are in the business and ride on the win to promote certain products they carry. More than meets the eye in my opinion.

The real reason in my humble opinion for any new acquisition of rabbits be it purchasing locally bred or import is to improve whatever traits that are lacking in the current herd.

And to conclude, it makes sense to me that to show my home grown rabbits to gauge of my progress and if I am happy with the placement, I am confident that is an affirmation telling me that I am on the right track and I should continue doing what I am doing to improve my rabbits further.

Two good examples I have in my rabbits that I have harnessed the skill and am now ready to move forward with life.

Murdoch

The first is Murdoch the broken tort buck that was placed 1st and last by two different judges. That proves that there tend to be inconsistencies between judges. I am indeed happy with how Murdoch turned out to be and as his 1st level judge, I passed him with flying colors.

Blaze

The second is Blaze the solid tort buck that was placed top 5 by two different judges. Extremely happy with his development and as his 1st level judge, I also passed him with flying colors.

Am I praising myself? Sure and of course. This hobby can get really self glorying at times and who better to praise you other than yourself, right? You need that much confidence to be able to be courageous enough to put your own rabbits on the show table most of the time.

Beyond the technicalities of the standards, and above all, rabbits like Murdoch and Blaze are first and foremost my pets. I treat them like my little children and they deserve all the care an owner can provide.

And what does all the ribbons and trophies mean to me? Rightly so, they belong here…

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Ribbons and trophies will never match the worth of joy, friendships and companionship these rabbits have provided to my family and I.

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by | May 19, 2013 · 5:58 pm

I did not have to try so hard

Call me arrogant but I cannot help but to realize how hard some people try in this “hobby”. Besides from spending a lot of money, one has to work extra hard to get media attention to boost fame and fortune.

I have always acted myself in my natur state. I need not send official invitation or solicitate for media coverage. I guess I must be the luckiest guy on earth being at the right place at the right time. The lunar year of the rabbit a couple of years back proved to be a year that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The requests for interviews kept on knocking at the door and they were absolutely amazing!

Today through my observation, I see people trying very hard to organize big events to get attention. For the fame or money, I do not know but either, I can only sympathise.

Whatever the reason or agenda, the main objective of the hobby seemed to be distorted most of the time. It takes some good thinking for one to come to realization that at the end of the day, this hobby is meant for enjoyment and past time.

I still stand by my belief that rabbits or animals should not in anyway be used as a tool to glorify oneself. It just do not work. There will be many who will surround you but most are fakers who expect “freebies” from you.

And my advice to people in this hobby, if it makes sense in all that you do, try harder and good luck to you…

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by | May 16, 2013 · 1:03 am

Next Chapter

The interesting thing about a book is that, as long as you have not finish reading it, the story continues. For the past 6 years the story of Tru-Luv Rabbitry enters into many different chapters. At this juncture, it is entering yet another chapter and the story evolves.

With the recent sale and adoption post, many have approached me with offers and I appreciate each inquiry. All but one have returned to their respective homes and I am sure they will be well taken care of.

Throughout the years I have learned many lessons while raising Holland Lops and most of which are related to human behavior. If there is one thing I learn about handling humans in this hobby, it is definitely the skill of keeping a straight face and whatever you do, you must not allow your emotions show.

But time and time again, I am reminded that it is not really about the people but instead it really is all about the hobby. Which is, my rabbits and I.

We should always learn from the past and move forward with all the good lesson learned but I for one can get stuck at a certain point of time reminiscing the wonderful events the past has to offer.

I remembered that in the past, I have all the time in the world to spend grooming and handling each and every one of my rabbits. Then I realized that back then, I only have a handful and that was when the impact of the thought hits. Twenty five (25) rabbits just do not make sense and when I think of it right now, I ask myself how the hell did it get out of control like that!

Just imagine a room filled with battle droids like how it is in a Star Wars movie. Every single one look identical but somehow different. It really comes to a pointless situation whereby I start asking myself why am I cloning so many rabbits that looks the same while missing the real point of having a pet?

I believe we tend to loose focus sometimes and somehow need to be reminded of the meaning of raising animals as pets.

Through the years I have encountered many people who are captivated by the beautiful pictures of cute rabbits posted on the internet. It came to a point where everyone wants a Holland Lop. Unfortunately for some, after having the rabbits for a couple of weeks realize that it is not as interesting as it seemed to be. The rabbit tend to avoid human contact, less interactive and poops a lot!

Even though there are many different opinions among rabbit owners, there are many who cares a great deal about their rabbits and the benefactors here are of course, the rabbits – which is a good thing.

What is the point of this post anyway? I guess my mind is so random on this one that I am straying away from the main point.

I guess what I am trying to say is that, many sees this as the end of Tru-Luv Rabbitry. There is lack of updates, contents and almost nothing interesting.

The story does not end here. It only closes the chapter to another chapter. But is this the chapter whereby the good old simple days are mentioned? Or perhaps a time of reminiscing of the past?

It is indeed bittersweet to bid them farewell. Like the day gives way to night, every hour passed to give new horizon to the next hour. We do move on from time to time. It is memories that last until the end of time.

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by | April 28, 2013 · 9:16 pm

Lights, Camera, Action!

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....

Mic check 1, 2….

Also, you notice our latest blog header picture? Awesome isn’t it?

Ini Kali Lah!

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by | April 28, 2013 · 9:28 am

Luv One Another

In exactly another week, we will be going to the polls in what is dubbed the most crucial general election in the history of Malaysia.

It is through LUV that this hobby came about. The core reason why Tru-Luv Rabbitry came into existence is to prove to the world that responsible/ethical breeding is not only achievable but can be fun at the same time.

To say it is non-political would be inaccurate because when we stand for something, it is crucial to share the principles to fellow like-minded friends.

We all know what is at stake in this general election and for many of us, it is not for ourselves but our next generation. Like how I would like to leave this world with healthy and beautiful rabbits but that is beside the point and petty even.

Our country must be liberated with good education for our future generation so that our country will move forward in unity.

I am going to leave the political ceramah to the experts but all I hope is to see all my fellow Malaysians make an informed decision despite all the biased reports on the mainstream medias.

Vote for one that can tell you their plans and how they want to execute it. Vote for people who can bring forth good ideas.

Make a decision out of the LUV for Malaysia.

Ini Kalilah, UBAH!

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by | April 18, 2013 · 11:52 am

Happy!

Remember a couple of weeks back that I posted about Buttons and Yohji finding a new home? Good news is, they have found one! I am just so happy for everyone involved and must thank both the current and new owners for saying “yes” to take good care of them.

Tru-Luv Rabbitry weblog is entering its 6th year since conception and I felt that I have been somehow “abandoned” it lately. I do not mean the rabbits but the lack of updates on this weblog. The truth is that I feel a little uninspired to write these days due to many reasons. I also miss the time taking photos of all the bunnies still living here without paying rent (rofl). Most part of the “uninspiration” can be attributed to the disappointment how information shared has been misused and abused. Thus, it can be easily noticed that most of what I have written lately seemed to be uninteresting and lack good information.

On the upside and like all things, there are also people with good intention which this blog has helped along the way and I am happy to see them enjoying the hobby like I do.

Aggression, Neutering & Bonding

I received an email asking me about aggression, neutering and bonding. Reading the email, I cannot help but to notice how intertwined these three words are when it comes to rabbits. They are in fact related to each other. Throughout the years, I have noticed that aggression in rabbits is mostly caused by raging sexual hormones a.k.a. the desire to reproduce. Since every individual rabbit is different and thus making it not a 100% sure proof solution, neutering can be attempted to alter the aggressive behavior. If you are considering castrating your buck, do ensure that you do not attempt to bond him with a doe within a month after the procedure. Apparently, “live bullets” may still be chilling out somewhere in there.

And when it is finally time to bond the neutered buck with a doe, ensure that you introduce them at a place neutral to the both of them. Meaning to say, a new area in the house where both have not laid their claim as either their territory.

Perhaps I should also open up the blog for discussion through the comments. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them as comments on this post. With that, I would love to leave you with a picture (as usual).

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by | April 8, 2013 · 12:23 am

How Far Will You Take This Craze?

I am very grateful to have many amazing mentors in this bunny hobby throughout the years and I will never forget what one of my mentors told me about Holland Lop rabbits living against the odds in the warmer climate here in Malaysia and the high humidity level that do have adverse effect on them as well. This mentor of mine illustrated verbally exactly how imported rabbits will “transform” in their next generations.

Over the years I can clearly see the toll it (the weather) has taken on many imported rabbits. One issue clearly stands out among the many issues raising “show quality” rabbits here in Malaysia. Of course it does not take a genius to question such issues but the most prominent problem faced by seasoned breeders here is BREEDING.

There are many theories that has been derived through experiences and observations but tonight I would like to share my opinions on some of the problems that I have observed throughout the years.

We all know that breeding is an act by living creatures to increase the numbers of the species and I strongly believe that it will be successful only if the environment is conducive. There should be a certain level of comfort before any living organism can thrive.

Even if the environment is conducive, prey animals like rabbits tend to “adapt” faster compared to animals higher in the food chain. The need to survive can quickly affect the physical traits of prey animals.

In order to conform to the “breed standards”, physical traits make up almost 90% of the judging criteria for fancy rabbits like the Holland Lop and Netherland Dwarf breeds. And this is where Malaysian bred rabbits fair poorly against the imports. And for the imports, it depends on how fresh they are from the “import oven” and how close they are between landing in the airport and on the show tables.

Ear Length

I have seen pictures taken of Netherland Dwarfs with perfect short ears prior to importation and after 6 months, the same show winning Netherland Dwarfs can look like any regular “mongrel” rabbits here in Malaysia.

I realized that it is not because the ears have grown much longer since arrival but in fact, have lost so much fur that the base of the ears are exposed making them look longer than desired. And because physical traits are judged based on how they look to the naked eye, such “length” can be deemed as a fault.

Flesh Condition

I can safely say that it is summer all year round for Malaysia and rabbits tend to eat less in warmer climate. Feeding less nutritious pellets can make matters worst as far as flesh condition is concerned because less food intake will only make rabbits look scrawny. I have found that Genesis Ultra Premium pellets helped a lot as compared to all other brands that I have tried so far. The nutrition needed to maintain a reasonable amount of flesh condition can be achieve because of the wholesome nutrition offered by the pellets. But the fact remains the same that rabbits will not be as massive compared to those living in cooler condition where they eat more and put on more mass thus making them look massive.

Breeding

As for breeding, I have many observations and there are many reasons that I can see affecting the rabbits in this area. I believe cooler temperature does help to a certain extend and bucks can go sterile easily in the heat.

Solutions?

I have learned that if you are going to complain about something, the least you can do is offer solution but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the solution. If heat is the problem, then deal with it. Duh! I am just stating the obvious. If breeding is the problem, then deal with it. There are many alternatives to infertility. You can really do Artificial Insemination and they really have a lot of success with the Pandas. You can also do In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) but that is really an insult to the human community because it is such an expensive procedure to be done on RABBITS! And the latest craze is of course hormone injections. OMG, it is just like administering BOTOX!

But do you really want to do that?

My stand with unnatural intervention is very clear. If a rabbit have problems, it only means that the environment is not conducive and unsuitable. Don’t you think that there is something wrong with the picture? “Breed Like Rabbits” is a very valid statement but why don’t certain rabbits breed like rabbits?

And the desperation for fancy breeders to get their rabbits to reproduce is absolutely unbelievable because of the distance they will go to “squeeze” babies out of these imported rabbits. It has come to a point that this hobby is fast becoming questionable. “Passion vs. Greed”, “Return On Investment”, or even “Do They Really Belong Here?”

I think we all really have to pause a little moment to think about life and what is really important here. If you want any animal to thrive naturally, it must be adaptable even if it means losing certain “desired” physical traits.

Can’t we settle for how a rabbit look, naturally?

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When I Am Tired Of Writing…

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by | April 1, 2013 · 10:27 pm
by | March 18, 2013 · 4:53 pm

Changing For The Better

RABBITS FOR ADOPTION:

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.

On to another unrelated topic…

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.

rbt

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!

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by | March 3, 2013 · 2:57 pm

The Unnatural Intervention

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.

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.

The BJ Mascot and me.

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