Tag Archives: Photography

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 17, 2014 · 9:41 pm

Temperament

Breeding for sound temperament should always be one of the objectives any breeder should strive for. Temperament is not only imprinted genetically but can also be achieved through proper handling and interaction with your pet rabbits.

So here’s joining the bandwagon for this week’s hottest/trending incident. I dedicate this one to Uncle Sim – kudos for keeping your cool!

SoundQuality

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by | June 27, 2014 · 11:20 pm

Just A Stroll In The Park

Just fell in love with these and had to bring them home to add on to my ever growing collection of bunnies!

Like, no?

IMG_1996

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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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Image

A quicky post

image

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by | June 3, 2014 · 11:03 pm
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 15, 2014 · 9:56 pm

Little Things In Life

Let’s start off today’s post with a little quote I found on the Internet and here goes…

“I think it’s important to find the little things in everyday life that make you happy” ~ Paula Cole

We tend to have the desire to achieve great things but most of the time great things are accumulation of small efforts through time. This year marks the 7th year that I will be operating this weblog. Never thought I will get past the 5th year but here I am still enjoying this hobby. The thought of not having rabbits in my life seemed to be like contemplating suicide. I do not think I will ever live without rabbits. Perhaps there might be interval in between without rabbits but eventually they do come back somehow.

I sometimes wonder to myself how much one can actually write about his/her rabbits and keep a weblog such as this one updated frequently. In fact, I am not even going to talk about rabbits in this post today and I do not have any rabbit photo to share either.

It is about the little things in life.

I just want to reminisce through the years and try to recall the type of pets that are commonly kept.

Throughout the 80’s dogs are pretty common and most people kept mongrels. A Spitz can be seen as a pedigree back then. Fishes are very common too and I did grow up with a huge Koi pond in our garden. Ornamental fishes like the goldfish, tiger barb, sword tail and gourami are pretty common and I have kept them at certain point of time. I have always like cats too but Persian cats were very costly and they do not look anything like what we have today. Their muzzles are too sharp for my liking. I remembered that I requested my parents to get me one of those cute short muzzled Persian kittens but ended up adopting a spayed Siamese mixed from SPCA.

Pedigree dogs started to thrive in the early 90’s. I remember the Boxers, Shih Tzus, Dalmations and Golden Retrievers being some of the favourites.

And today, we have so many choices and varieties. Whatever the animal you like to keep as a pet, it can be found fairly easily. There are so many new breeds of dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters and fishes. And then there are the exotics like ferrets, civet cats, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, snakes and chameleons. Whatever that you want, name it and most probably you are able to keep one as pet.

But it all starts with the little things in life…

Something as little as a Sapphire Dwarf Hamster…

Amber

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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 31, 2014 · 8:02 pm

Which Do You Prefer, Dead Or Alive?

If asked to pick one from the following, which will you choose?

Picture taken from gas2.org/

Picture taken from gas2.org

Picture taken from zastavki.com

Picture taken from zastavki.com

Both are mustangs in different forms and both are magnificently gorgeous!

I don’t know why but for some reasons, I tend to choose to have the real horse because since from a very young age, I am always drawn to animals. While growing up, most of my friends in high school were into cars and down to the very technical details. As for me, I spent most of my time raising dogs, cats, green iguanas, hamsters, fishes, sugar gliders, hedgehogs and everything in between – rabbits of course!

My rationale, it is better to spend money on something alive than dead!

I like taking the responsibility to keep pets alive and ensuring that they not only thrive but live very long and healthy lives. It gives me a great sense of achievement to have companion animals live through their full lifespan. On the contrary, I totally hate spending money maintaining a car, have it breakdown, burst a tyre and feeding it expensive fuel throughout its lifespan.

We live in a very digitized and materialized world. We move in such a high paced world and have no time to pause for another living being. Most of the time, our jobs tend to take so much time from us that our lives seemed to be drained from all the stresses. We have become people that shun responsibilities and inconveniences. Picking up our pets’ poop seemed to be an inconvenience though we can make a choice to get them litter trained (initial time investment). It is due to convenience that we saw the birth of the Tamagotchi (if you remember), Furby and the many toys that mimics pet animals. They all come with less hassle and just consume little battery power.

As I was walking around the toy store over the weekend, I saw something that reminded me about this simple choice in life.

Between the very much alive and the mechanically alive, which will you choose?

Dead Or Alive?

Dead Or Alive?

On the left is what I saw at the toy store and on the right is one of my daughter’s pet hamsters.

That goes to show that until today, I still choose and prefer LIFE!

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