Tre3hugger's Rabbit Thread

[Tre3hugger]

Update time! The kits are 16 days old and doing well. All 9 seem to be putting on weight to slightly varying degrees. I did notice during inspection today that one still hadn't opened it's eyes. All the other ones are bright eyed and tall eared. There are some classic chinchilla colored ones and others with a brownish chinchilla coat, assuming from Maple's tortoise shell or her red/black lineage. I know they are not an accepted Standard color, but they sure are interesting looking. I will have to find a way to use their pelts and honor their beauty. I expect they will be hopping out of the nest within a week!

Update time! The kits are 16 days old and doing well. All 9 seem to be putting on weight to slightly varying degrees. I did notice during inspection today that one still hadn't opened it's eyes. All the other ones are bright eyed and tall eared. There are some classic chinchilla colored ones and others with a brownish chinchilla coat, assuming from Maple's tortoise shell or her red/black lineage. I know they are not an accepted Standard color, but they sure are interesting looking. I will have to find a way to use their pelts and honor their beauty. I expect they will be hopping out of the nest within a week!

I put some veterycin on a cotton pad and gently soaked the eyes of the little one who hadn't opened up yet. The eyes didn't appear crusty or irritated so hopefully it is nothing to worry about. I will keep an eye on it (pun intended) over the next couple days.
This is the littlest next to the biggest

I plan on rebreeding Maple in 5 days (3 weeks since birth) and staerting the weaning process a week from then. This should giver her a two week break without babies, and free up the grow out cages in the right time.

In other news, Crewella got her nest box today! She is due for her first litter on Thursday. Hopefully I get some beautiful pedigreed pets from her. She quickly made a burrow in it and has been hanging out next to it.

Lastly, I took the opportunity this week to join the ARBA, registered my rabbitry and purchased a breeder listing in their directory. Am now also a proud member of the National Livestock Conservany. It's all happening!

 

[Fishychix]

Update time! The kits are 16 days old and doing well. All 9 seem to be putting on weight to slightly varying degrees. I did notice during inspection today that one still hadn't opened it's eyes. All the other ones are bright eyed and tall eared. There are some classic chinchilla colored ones and others with a brownish chinchilla coat, assuming from Maple's tortoise shell or her red/black lineage. I know they are not an accepted Standard color, but they sure are interesting looking. I will have to find a way to use their pelts and honor their beauty. I expect they will be hopping out of the nest within a week!
View attachment 84894

Update time! The kits are 16 days old and doing well. All 9 seem to be putting on weight to slightly varying degrees. I did notice during inspection today that one still hadn't opened it's eyes. All the other ones are bright eyed and tall eared. There are some classic chinchilla colored ones and others with a brownish chinchilla coat, assuming from Maple's tortoise shell or her red/black lineage. I know they are not an accepted Standard color, but they sure are interesting looking. I will have to find a way to use their pelts and honor their beauty. I expect they will be hopping out of the nest within a week!

I put some veterycin on a cotton pad and gently soaked the eyes of the little one who hadn't opened up yet. The eyes didn't appear crusty or irritated so hopefully it is nothing to worry about. I will keep an eye on it (pun intended) over the next couple days.
This is the littlest next to the biggest
View attachment 84895
I plan on rebreeding Maple in 5 days (3 weeks since birth) and staerting the weaning process a week from then. This should giver her a two week break without babies, and free up the grow out cages in the right time.
View attachment 84897

In other news, Crewella got her nest box today! She is due for her first litter on Thursday. Hopefully I get some beautiful pedigreed pets from her. She quickly made a burrow in it and has been hanging out next to it.
View attachment 84896
Lastly, I took the opportunity this week to join the ARBA, registered my rabbitry and purchased a breeder listing in their directory. Am now also a proud member of the National Livestock Conservany. It's all happening!

Copycat 🤣🤣. I just got my ARBA card on Saturday so now I can register my rabbitry.
I chose not to be in the breeders directory through The Livestock Conservancy because I thought I was too small, but now I wish I had. I am changing that for next year and will choose to be on the ARBA directory.
They look great by the way!
The little one is just a bit behind being the runt and all. Give it a couple more days.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Looks like the kits are chestnut, which is default/basic color for rabbits.

Might need to repeat the eye cleaning, maybe replace the nest box materials with clean ones. I know kits can get nest box eye, but I think that usually presents with gunk on the eye. Looks like they are growing well.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Copycat 🤣🤣. I just got my ARBA card on Saturday so now I can register my rabbitry.
I chose not to be in the breeders directory through The Livestock Conservancy because I thought I was too small, but now I wish I had. I am changing that for next year and will choose to be on the ARBA directory.
They look great by the way!
The little one is just a bit behind being the runt and all. Give it a couple more days.

Thank you! The runt was TINY comparatively just last week. He/she is already closing the gap.
I get what you mean by "feeling too small" for these organizations, but I figure just represent yourself honestly and what could go wrong? Seems like being in the clubs/directories may be the way to meet liike minded people and do business and grow into an operation I feel is "not too small." Plus, it feels good to be in a club of people that support the animals I love. Even if I never sell one rabbit through them.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Looks like the kits are chestnut, which is default/basic color for rabbits.

Might need to repeat the eye cleaning, maybe replace the nest box materials with clean ones. I know kits can get nest box eye, but I think that usually presents with gunk on the eye. Looks like they are growing well.

Chestnut, as in chestnut agouti, aka wild type? Would that make sense for their parents? Appreciate any knowledge you could impart regarding this.

I will repeat the eye wash daily until improvement is seen or it worsens. I also cleaned out the nest box today, so hopefully that helps. Appreciate your insight!

 

[Fishychix]

Looks like the kits are chestnut, which is default/basic color for rabbits.

Might need to repeat the eye cleaning, maybe replace the nest box materials with clean ones. I know kits can get nest box eye, but I think that usually presents with gunk on the eye. Looks like they are growing well.

Nest box eye? Never heard of it, but can guess what it is. Its amazing how quickly the nest box can get nasty.

 

[Fishychix]

Thank you! The runt was TINY comparatively just last week. He/she is already closing the gap.

I get what you mean by "feeling too small" for these organizations, but I figure just represent yourself honestly and what could go wrong? Seems like being in the clubs/directories may be the way to meet liike minded people and do business and grow into an operation I feel is "not too small." Plus, it feels good to be in a club of people that support the animals I love. Even if I never sell one rabbit through them.

Funny you should mention clubs. I just ran across a local club and wondered what people’s experience is or was in their local club. Im not a social butterfly and will quickly shrink into my shell with “overly exuberant” people. That and my mouth does not have a delete button 🤣

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Chestnut is A_, B_, C_, D_, E_

I'm not going to type out the info for the different genes, they are already in the rabbit forum and I'll probably misremember something. I'm not an expert on colors, I'm still learning myself. Bunnylady is an expert, I think she weighed in earlier in this thread? I'll have to dig back through it for pics of the parents unless you want to link those or repost them.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Chestnut is A_, B_, C_, D_, E_

I'm not going to type out the info for the different genes, they are already in the rabbit forum and I'll probably misremember something. I'm not an expert on colors, I'm still learning myself. Bunnylady is an expert, I think she weighed in earlier in this thread? I'll have to dig back through it for pics of the parents unless you want to link those or repost them.

Dad, pedigreed American Chinchilla

Mom, non pedigreed tortoise shell NZ.

No biggie if the explanation is very complicated. My knowledge is minimal and they are not going to be shown. I just kinda figured the babies would be chinchilla, black or red with a small chance for tortoise shell. It's probably FAR more complex than that.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Ok, so you have Maple, who looks like a black tortoiseshell NZ. She would be aa, B_, C_, D_, ee

Your buck is a chinchilla: A_, B_, cchd_, D_, E_. If he's from good purebred chinchilla stock he likely has double of most of those genes, but not guaranteed.

It's possible your buck carries double A gene, which would make any kits agouti because it covers up the self a gene. All of your kits from Maple WILL carry the self gene a.

Both are visibly black based, they would both have to carry chocolate b in order to get a chocolate based kit.

It's possible Maple carries two copies of C full color, in which case you won't get chinchilla colored babies as it is more dominant than chinchilla.

Both are visibly non-dilute, so both would have to carry dilute d in order to get a dilute kit.

Maple has the non-extension genes e, which pushes the color along the hair shaft. It's possible your buck has two copies of the full extension gene E, in which case you will only ever get visibly full extension babies. All of your kits from Maple WILL carry the recessive gene e. I might be calling the non/full backwards, sorry if I cause confusion.

Basically you will just need to breed them a few more times to see if you get the same colors, or if you get something different. The odds are re-rolled for each kit, so even if both parents carry recessive genes they have to line up just right to be expressed. And if one parent has two of the dominant genes, then even if the other parent carries the recessive you won't ever see it in that first generation.