Keeping a closed rabbitry
Mood:  special
Now Playing: KC and the Sunshine Band "Please Don't Go"
Topic: Rabbit Talk
The rabbits are all doing well. This burst of semi-Spring like temps has them hopping around with a bit more bounce in their step so to speak. :)

One thing bothers me though. I get a lot of e-mails for people asking about rabbit care, and wanting to come see the rabbits. I keep a closed rabbitry. I do this for the security and safety of the rabbits. When people see rabbits, they tend to want to touch them. Of course, because rabbits are cute, cuddly and adorable creatures. BUT, humans are carriers of many germs. Including those that can make a rabbit sick, like pasturella, and various other germs. I can count on one hand the amount of people that have entered my rabbitry in the past 22 months. I have one person who takes care of my herd while I'm gone; she has no rabbits of her own. My two kids and husband occasionally enter, but rarely, as they aren't that interested in the rabbits. And I've allowed my friend Leslie Samson to enter the rabbitry, as she knows and understands about keeping a closed rabbitry. I even have special barn shoes/boots that I wear when I go out to the barn, that aren't worn outside of my property. Breeders and owners can say that they want a healthy herd. Part of that is not allowing just anyone into your rabbitry. If you want a healthy herd, you need good animals. Some animals will be more resistant to germs than others. THOSE are the animals that you want. Germs will always be a part of any farm; heck, anywhere we live will have germs in it. But you can keep your animals from potentially being made ill by keeping prying hands out of the rabbitry. That is why I keep a closed rabbitry and I hope by this explanation, people will understand why I don't invite them into the rabbitry.

Still waiting....
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Vertical Horizon "Everything You Want"
Topic: Rabbit Talk
The carpet guys haven't shown up yet. So much for "you are the first appointment of the day".

Anyway, to get back to the rabbits. Mia is due to have a litter of bunnies next week. She has great mothering instincts and had her last litter 10 months ago. I'm not good at palpitating my rabbits to really feel if they are pregnant so I mostly rely on watching how each rabbit exhibits signs of pregnancy. The one thing that happens to almost all does is that they become less mobile in the last week of pregnancy. They also lay around more often throughout the entire pregnancy. Mia has been doing this, so I'm hoping that she "took" with Gewurztraminer. His genetics are ones that I really want to keep in my barn.

Water bottle time!
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Robert Palmer "Addicted to Love"
Topic: Rabbit Talk

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I feel comfortable going back to using water bottles for the rabbits. While the water bowls really serve their purpose in the winter (allowing the rabbits to drink for longer periods of time since the rabbits can break any ice that forms on the top of the water), the water bottles also don't tip and spill. This allows for them to drink whenever they want when the weather is warmer. And while the bottles might freeze slightly at night, it warms up quickly enough in the mornings so that they can drink by 8 a.m.

I'm sitting here waiting for the carpet guys to show up. I *never* want to have to do this again. What a pain trying to clean out a whole room; empty of furniture and stuff. I still have our tv set and three bookcases in the room, that the workmen will have to help me move. They are too heavy, and DH worked too late last night for me to get any help from him. The nice thing is that by mid afternoon, I should have a family room which looks vastly different than it did a few days ago, including the removal of icky gold carpeting!

The Mating Game
Mood:  amorous
Now Playing: Elton John "Philadelphia Freedom"
Topic: Rabbit Talk
O.k, I'm not feeling amorous, but the rabbits were this afternoon, which I was surprised about due to the cold temps outside. Today Mia was showing signs that she wanted a date, so she met up with Gewurztraminer, who is from Leslie Samson's rabbitry (so is Mia). Gewurtz is built like a brick house; wide shoulders, good length, big bucky head and just solid feeling. Once I put Mia in his cage, it didn't take long for him to figure out that today was his lucky day! He's done this before up at Leslie's, so he was familiar with the drill. Afterwards Mia would have nothing else to do with Gewurtz, although I give him extra points for trying. :)

After removing Mia from his cage, Gewurtz continued to look around for her, but I consoled him with extra head pats. He's still a happy camper.

I do wish that we'd start to see signs of Spring. I'm ready for warmer temps and tired of feeling chilled to the bone!