Holland Lops are really nothing but surprises. The recent litters has been nothing but surprises and I am really excited about each and every kit in the nest boxes right now. The latest litter produced by Fred and Sibylla is such a huge surprise for me. I have expected some torts or blacks. One was black so my prediction was right. At first I thought the broken colored kit was a broken tort perhaps a darker tone. As days gone by, it seemed to look like a broken chocolate.
Why is it surprising? That brings us to the “B” gene of color genetics. Again, I turn to my favorite blog by Laurie Stroupe to get a better understanding of this gene http://www.thenaturetrail.com/BGene.htm.
Now let’s look into the history of both Fred and Sibylla.
Sibylla is the offspring of Clark and Holly Hope. Holly Hope is a lilac and Clark is a black tort which does not have any chocolate family member up 4 generations. But by breeding him to a lilac, the offspring are chocolate carrier. Sibylla is a chocolate carrier having the “Bb” gene.
Fred is the offspring of Thunder and Java. There is only a squirrel and a black otter up 4 generations. I am guessing that higher up the family tree, there could have been a “b” introduced. But it really surprises me that Fred is a chocolate carrier.
Thus, I have successfully obtain rabbits in the Chocolate Family through using rabbits from the Black Family. The probability is just too high but I am so lucky to get a little chocolate kit!
Though Fred is really growing up looking like his dad Thunder, I would like to see improvements in certain areas. I have certain preferences and styles that I like to see in my Hollands while adhering to the SOP. Looking at the front shots of him is pretty hard to see what are the improvements needed except for the width of his shoulders and chest being narrow as indicated by how close the front legs are between each other. I would also prefer to see less of the back feet from the front thus, broader chest.
Areas of improvement
Most of us in the corporate world are very familiar with the acronym, KPI – Key Performance Indicator. Although I do not impose such corporate governance unto my rabbits, there are a few things that I hope to improve in future. To improve, I first need to know what I like to see less and things I would like to see more in my rabbits. Looking at the photo above, it would be better that his crown starts from the solid line on top of his head. Right now it is what we call a slipped crown. That is the reason why looking at his front shots, it is hard to see his crown in full bloom. I would like to see more of rounded and thick ears as they are folded here.
His front legs are a little tad longer than desired and the diagonal dotted line indicates where his legs should have stopped growing (LOL!). Due to the reason that his hindquarters are pinched and undercut, his hind legs seemed to have been pushed way forward. The tip of the his hind feet should be just below his hip as indicated by the line.
I like Fred’s head the most because it is really broad and he has the nicest apple cheeks. So basically, I have just a few more puzzles to put together to get the perfect picture.
It was such a wonderful day and I thought I’ll just bring Fred and Sibylla out on a little garden tour. I love taking outdoor photos with them and so I bundled them both up and off we go to the garden for some awesome photos.
Almost 5 months, Fred giving me a wink!
Still in the midst of a major molt!
I am loving the backdrop. LOL!
Sibylla gave me a shocker while I was snapping photos. There is a little flair in her that reminds me very much of her grandmother Carmel. Carmel has got this very cute attention seeking trait in her and she will normally strike a pose in front of the camera while giving a little shiver like an eager puppy. That was what Sibylla did for me as well! She was such an eager beaver in front of the camera. I did not even attempt to pose her but instead just clicked away! She seemed to love every moment of it.
8 months old Sibylla
Showing off her sexy back!
I absolutely love her. One of my best homegrown for sure!
The worst thing a breeder can do is show off his molting rabbits but I thought what the heck, I spend quite a while snapping these photos. Might as well we all enjoy them, right?
Furthermore, it has been a while since we last saw the little cuties.
I am very amazed by how each rabbit has some traits that I like and dislike. That goes to show that there will never be a perfect Holland Lop or should I say it is very difficult to achieve perfection. But I learned that breeding two rabbits that compliments each other yield very good results. I only wish that there would be a perfect combination in my future breeding that produces “perfect” rabbits.
So here they are.
Little Barney looking all cute! I am gonna miss this little guy as he is going to his new home this weekend
Wilma will be awesome once she grow into those ears. She is the bomb!
I would like to thank the entire crew for Aksi Si Comel segment of the Selamat Pagi Malaysia segment especially Mr. Al, Cik Hasnia and the host En. Hezri for giving us the opportunity to show case and talk about the Holland Lop.
Gearing up for the show
The interview went very well this morning. I was so nervous and out of sync at the beginning . I hope what I have said make sense. LOL! Here is the much awaited video and below is the translation for my friends is USA. It is a pity that Truffles wasn’t in the mood and was extremely nervous so he had to stay in the carrier.
Never ever leave home with rabbits without a LINT ROLLER!
Picture Perfect. Look at how Carmel poses!
It was a good interview but I wasn’t perfect in my answer so I have written some corrections in the translation.
Just before the interview
Host (Hezri): The cute featured pet this week is the Holland Lop. With me to talk more about them today is Adesh and Timothy. How do you do? Both: Fine, Thank you Host (Hezri): These doesn’t seemed to be regular rabbits that I normally see. What is so special about these rabbits? Tim: These are imported rabbits called Holland Lop. Their ears droop and that is where the “Lop” comes from. It has taken breeders more than 20 years to develop this breed.
(Notice the long pause? What I was suppose to say: Holland Lop is 1 of the 47 breeds recognized by ARBA and they are a dwarf breed)
Host (Hezri): This one with Timothy is a little larger than this one with Adesh and seemed more active. What are the differences between them both? Adesh: This is the younger one. Just turned 4 months and the one with Timothy is 2 years old. Host (Hezri): How long is the lifespan of these rabbits? Tim: If well taken care of, on average they can live up to 7 years and some are known to have lived up to 12 years old. Host (Hezri): Will the fur lengthen according to the age? Tim: No, they will molt. They will have a major molt once or twice a year. If the molt is bad, they will go bald too (GRIN). Host (Hezri): Which is male and which is female? Tim: The one here is a female Adesh: And this one’s a male Host (Hezri): The male one seemed to be better? Adesh: Not necessary, it depends very much on who’s holding (LOL) Host (Hezri): What do these rabbits eat? Tim: There has been a lot of misunderstanding. Many people feed rabbits with carrots which are not suitable at all because the sugar content in carrot is high that could cause obesity.
We normally give them hay. The name is Timothy Hay, but it is not mine. The hay is their staple food. And to balance up the diet, we add some pellets. I use Pro Optimum pellets which is also imported from USA by chubbypetsgarden.com. It is now much easier to find their basic neccessity compared to earlier days. Host (Hezri): What is the contents in the pellet and what is the most important ingredient needed by rabbits? Tim: Fiber is the most important ingredient in a rabbit’s diet. Host (Hezri): I see some feeding Kang Kung, is that proper? Tim: No, Kang Kung is known to cause wind in rabbits. See, how much misunderstanding we have in the basic necessities of rabbits. Host (Hezri): I agree, when we don’t really understand, we don’t know much about the basic needs. Other than diet, what else is important for rabbits? Tim: One thing that is important is that I personally found many give up keeping rabbits in a short period of time due to the odor problem emmited from their urine. To solve that problem, No.1, we use a good pellet. And secondly, we use the litter tray. You’ll be surprise how rabbits can be litter trained.
We use the Woody Pet pellets to absorb the urine and to mask the ammonia smell. I hope more people will learn how use the litter tray for their rabbits so there would be less giving up their rabbits. Host (Hezri): As far as caging and confinement space? What is appropriate? Adesh: The best is to have space for the rabbits to run. The cage below is too small and should only be used for traveling purposes only. It would be best to have space for them to run and exercise. Else, we can also let them out of their cage at least once a day.
Her reply was superb. And she is such a natural compared to me a nervous freak – LOL! I applaud her for her very good answer. In case you didn’t know, all her rabbits have huge mansion equipped with a big run each!
Host (Hezri): Can we allow the rabbits to run freely in the gardens? Adesh: It would be best to be under supervision. They can run pretty fast and it would be a problem if they do escape. Host (Hezri): Roughly how much is needed to maintain or upkeep a rabbit? Tim: The food itself would be Ringgit Malaysia 50 per month. That is not inclusive of its cage which is up to the owner which type that they prefer. Host (Hezri): So that is fairly reasonable. I would like to try to hold one of these cuties. Oooh, I am not that good right now. Anyhow, thank you very much Tim and Adesh. Both: Thank you very much!
It's a WRAP!
Disclaimer: No rabbits were drugged or hurt during this interview.
More photos & videos to come later!
Credits: Photos courtesy of Chestnut Pictures and HLRSC T-Shirt courtesy of Aunt Karen L. Novina!
I took Fred out visiting today and he was such a curious furry ball. It is his first time out in the “great outdoors” and all the different sounds intrigues him. He was all perked up, alert and a little apprehensive of the new environment. Nonetheless he had a blast.
If you know enough breeder friends, most of them will tell you that most of their champs are pulled out from the bottom cages. There are many dark horses in this hobby. The right term to use is, growing them out. Certain lines mature much slower than others. But if space and time is not an issue, Holland kits should be given a chance to grow. The best thing to do is not to look at them at all and they will surprise you one day.
That is the case with Fred. And since there is no successful buyer, I’ll be keeping him.
2010 HLRSC Nationals is about to end as I write this post. Linda and Ron Jinnings of L&R Rabbitry won BEST OF BREED with a broken tort while BEST OPPOSITE SEX of BREED goes to Becky & Allan Ormond of Bunnyland USA!
My good friend Scott Rodriguez won BEST FUR!
Congratulations to all winners and those who have placed well!
Just got news that the 2 paintings my dad sent for the auction helped the club raised some awesome amount! I am happy to hear that everyone had fun bidding! Thank you very much Colleen, Jennifer and Kay for updates on this. Really appreciate it!
Mr. Mark Carson of Iowa won the highest bid with this wonderful piece. Mark is HLRSC Zone 3 Director. Peggy Ross of TX owns it now.
Here's the other wonderful piece that has got a successful bidder too!
And just a little update of the 3 kits. They are going through the uglies right now so are not looking their best.
I just wanted to inform you that I have received the package and I'm utterly thrilled and satisfied with the service. Keep it up! :) - Grace (TinyCritterz.com customer)
"Hi Tim. My three bunnies will attest to and endorse "your" Timothy Hay! And my wallet THANK YOU ;-)" - SC
"I really appreciate you helping me out even though Jackie was not bought from you!" - Maggie
"Just wanna say thank you!!! :)" - June
"You are my mentor and idol. I know this amazing creature through news article about you and your bunnies" - Siti
"I'm really grateful and excited that finally, there is someone out there who truly cares for rabbits. Thanks so much for doing this" - Hani
Tru-Luv Rabbitry: Quality Holland Lops in Malaysia 