New Rabbit is here! And her new name is... CALLIE

UPDATE:  I wanted to let you know that CALLIE is officially a WWR resident with her new name.  She is settling in well.  I have been able to feel her abdomen and seems she has something moving around in there.  She is due to have babies on Sunday so lets all pray she has kits in there and not just gas!
It is very hot here today so I will be tending to my rabbits often.  I provide them with cool water, a bowl that is frozen to drink from as it melts, a frozen bottle (like a 48 oz juice bottle) for them to lay next to, a fan and sometimes a cool ceramic tile to lay on.  All of these things help provide the adult rabbits (and their 7 kits) with a way to cool a little. 

If it gets much hotter or the humidity climbs I will also fill a large cooler with ice and water, submerge rags and small towels in the water, ring out and set one on each rabbit.  They actually like this.  Missy and Beauty will keep it on till I remove it.  Buck not so much.  He would rather get my attention so by stomping in his cage so I will hopefully, give him some attention.  The last time I had to do this, Beauty's kits were still in the nest box and even they appreciated the coolness of the rag.

Next posting I will have tips and tricks for putting together my new indoor cages.  I purchased them for those really hot days, especially if there will not be anyone around to do the cool-down pampering as mentioned above.  Instead they will be relocated to my basement in new cages to wait out the heat wave.  Hop on by later in the week for tips and tricks!






On facebook I have a contest to pick a name for my new rabbit.  She is a California and New Zealand mix.
 She has a little grey on the ears, nose, feet and tail.  It is very light because she is a mix.  She also has pink eyes.  Her babies will be mostly white with a chance for pink eyes and a variety of light grey markings.  (sounds like the cute show (CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS) heehee
Here is a picture.

Visit my facebook post here to enter your choice of names and be a big part of the future for this little bundle of fur.  She will be part of our family for a long time as a breeding doe.  Her babies will go to other breeders and live long and happy lives.  She is due in two weeks and I will keep you posted more on that as the day arrives.
Until then, visit my post and give her a name!  Winner will receive this card in the mail....

Lucky little rabbit gets to stay in our basement for a few days.  Just to make sure she is healthy before she goes in with the rest of the rabbits.  So far, she has a clear bill of health!   Thanks for hoppin by WWR and have a super fun-furry day!

Hour to hour countdown

Beauty is due tomorrow so I will be going out there as often as possible to check on her.  She let me feel her belly today and I could feel them moving around.  Always a good sign.  She has not pulled any fur yet but she did not pull much last year either.

We have a little snow on the ground and melting snow dripping from the trees and house.  It is a little colder than I was hoping or our first spring litter but rabbits do fine in these temperatures.

This is the outside of our bunny house, wascally wabbits rabbitry, bunny barn, rabbit cage, rabbit hutch.... how ever you want to refer to it. 

This is the inside where the rabbits are.  Notice the window behind the cages.  There are three of them plus half of front is able to open completely to allow plenty of airflow.  Below this window is a screened in area that will also open during the summer.  Ventilation is critical when the temperatures are above 60. A strong urine odor can cause illnesses and discomfort.
 The tarp is an awesome way to keep everything clean and fresh.  Cheap too.  It catches the hay and rabbit droppings so they do not go on the ground.  There is one opening in the bottom where all the urine drains and is collected in a bucket.  This keeps the smell down and also makes it easy to collect the droppings to sell as a cold manure for gardens.  Yes I have sold the poop!  This system helps me keep my rabbit housing smelling like hay! (which is like roses for rabbits!)
Now that summer is coming, I will begin to collect and separate the droppings again.  I will first collect the hay out of the tarp that is usually laying on the top of the droppings.  They I drain all the urine into the bucket by lifting the tarp in each area.  Once the urine is drained I collect what is left- the rabbit droppings or manure.
Since rabbit manure is a cold manure (meaning it can go directly into your garden) I can collect, dry and package.  I dump the manure onto a large sifter and set in the sun.  After a few hours the pellets start to dry and turn slightly white.  I use a rake to rotate them so the pellets fully dry.  As the manure dries the remaining hay is dry.  Whatever hay does not blow away in the wind I try and gather with a small hand rake so only the pellets remain.





Meet the rabbits!  The stars of the show!

Beauty

 First here is Beauty.  Short for Black Beauty.  Her general color is black but at the tips of some of her fur, she has a lighter color which gives her a shimmery look.  Beauty-ful!
She is a very gentle and loving black New Zealand.  Last litter she had 10 babies.  I was able to feel babies moving around in her belly today.  She is not very good at pulling fur so I will add pulled cotton balls to her nest box today.  I really love her.  She is always willing to let me pet her.  If she is in the back of the cage, I can get her to come to the front right away to be pet.  She had all her babies in the nest box last time and raised every one of her kits to weaning.  In case you were wondering, I keep old toilet paper rolls and fill them with hay.  They love to chew on them, throw them around their cage and eat the hay from the ends.  It is bunny fun and can help keep the cage clean.

Missy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Next is Missy.  She is nothing like Beauty.  I kept her from Foxy from last year because she was large and white.  A breeder of 300+ rabbits came to buy a buck from me and really felt she was a male because her head was so large. We checked twice because he was sure she was a male.  Successful breeding proved otherwise:)

 She is named Missy because she is Mischievous.... Missy for short.  When she was younger she would dart around her cage so much she would shake it and make all kinds of noise. She is shy and timid and she does not like my hand in her cage.  She bred really well and I cant wait to see what babies she gives off.  Buck is white NZ, she is white but her mother was grey (also called New Zealand Blue).  She is due next Monday and I hope having a litter will help her settle down.

Buck

Last but my favorite..... BUCK!  Short of Buck Rogers!  He is so adorable.  I have had family members and even a stranger  (someone who bought manure) pet him.  He will practically crawl out of his cage to greet you!
 I will be back with a posting after the babies are here.  Thanks for visiting and hope you enjoy the fun and facts here at....... Wascally Wabbits Rabbitry!  Please comment and hop on by again soon.  Theresa