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Circle of Life Rabbitry

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Mokena, IL
Circle of Life Rabbitry

We pride ourself on the best possible husbandry care, enrichment, and compassion for all our rabbits.
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06/26/2024

Good morning followers and friends!

Not everyone is aware that aside from the rabbit business, and the dog training and competition, we also have an archery champion!

Our 16 year old Luke has been campaigning hard in the last year towards his goal of making the USAT (United States Archery Team) and the USA Field Archery Team. This means extensive travel for tournaments across the nation, and hours of practicing and coaching for Luke.

He is a dedicated young man, practicing after school, on weekends, and now during the days of summer around his work schedule. He has set some pretty lofty goals and we have watched him knock each one out of the park!

I am super excited to announce Luke won the world qualifier for Field Archery and has earned the USA-1 spot on the Under 21 Men’s Barebow Team (3 young men were selected) out of many! He will be competing in Lac La Biche, Alberta, Canada in September at the World Championship representing the United States!

Next month in July he will be shooting in the Junior Olympic Outdoor National Championship in Albuquerque. Then Ohio for the final tournament to see if he earned a spot on USAT (we believe he will).

Unfortunately USA Archery does not fund or sponsor their U21 athletes in any way. For Luke and 2 guardians to attend the 8 day World Championship, it will cost approximately $10,000. We have created a fundraiser for this event. Please read about his accomplishments, and if you are so inclined, please help him achieve his goal! We appreciate every well wishes, prayers, every bit of support, all of the kind words, and every share of his fundraiser!

https://gofund.me/115847c2

06/21/2024

We have 182 small rabbit feet and ears (frozen raw)! These are perfect for dogs under 50 pounds - even the tiniest of breeds!

It’s a one bite snack for larger breeds.

$1 per foot / ear.

Small feet and ears pictured for scale. Our Large Feet / Ears are currently out of stock.

05/29/2024

We love it when we get feedback from the Vet Tech school! Every semester we donate 4-6 rabbits to their class (depending on class size) for their small animal/rabbit unit.

We make sure they are easy to handle like a pet rabbit. The up and coming vet techs learn how to pick up and hold a rabbit, trim nails, inspect teeth, determine s*x (not as easy as one would think!), and all other non-invasive diagnostics.

This time around we provided rabbits between 5-6 months instead of 8 - 10 weeks.

Partnering with the school benefits the rabbit community in so many ways!

04/12/2024

*Long Post*

To all of our followers: I apologize for the lack of posting. This “side of the house” is going strong with about 30 kits on the ground and 3 more does bred.

It is with the “other side of the house” we have had some major struggles. As a lot of you know I began the rabbit journey to create a healthy, sustainable, non-gmo fed protein for my competition dogs. We feed our competition dogs raw and rabbit is one of the harder to get and more expensive proteins - and also one I could raise within my home environment. So began Circle of Life!

What I found was an insatiable demand for rabbit! So much so that my dogs were fed last, if at all. And it was usually ‘if at all’ except on grind and process days. For various reasons I put my dog, Mingus on kibble while I worked in growing my rabbity and creating a rabbit program that was of the high standards I set and produced a large yield through selective breeding. As well as having a very aggressive tournament schedule with Luke’s archery (our 16 year old) and him working hard to make the USA Team - feeding kibble is easier for those watching the dogs while we travel.

Mingus was on kibble for about a year when a recall occurred (Nov 2023) and I switched his brand to another. By Jan 2024 he was exhibiting some concerning symptoms - but I did not make the kibble connection until March. With raw feeding protein rotation is essential and critical - rabbit is one of 16 I rotate through! So I made a trip up to Minnesota for a year’s worth of raw at the end of March - I took Mingus with. It was on the trip home that things became dangerous and I was able to get him into University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Fast forward to a few days later and he had major abdominal surgery which included opening his stomach, and inspecting every inch of his intestines as well as taking a biopsy. The term for his condition is ileus. Which can be caused by virus, or by a food “injury”/intolerance or contamination. Unfortunately I put him back on raw too late!

This last week has been touch and go as to whether he will make it. Mingus is a 5 year old GSD who was in exceptional health and fitness levels, and in what should be the height of his competition career. And… he is my ❤️

I’ve done a lot of praying, and if I’m honest - even a bit of begging and bargaining. Most importantly - he has been fed a whole food diet (raw and some gently cooked by me), supportive supplements, energy work, and extraordinary care by Ready to Go Veterinary Rehab; including acupuncture. I believe and have faith Mingus is on the other side of this and on the road to recovery. Sure, we have some rough days ahead including additional tests - but we are going to power through like champs!

We appreciate every prayer, good thoughts, every call, text, and message. I have gotten through this because of those who support us. Thank you for understanding that this page was dormant for a bit. Message us if you need anything!

Some pictures included - healthy Mingus, and some of his recovery. Incision picture not included 😅 but available if anyone wants to see what it looks like for a dog to be cut from sternum to p***s - and I mean all the way 🥺

Thank you for your continued support. We do have product - heads, whole prey, etc! ❤️

03/20/2024

Did you know we have small rabbit feet for sale? We sell them separately from the large ones - for the smaller dogs under 15 pounds.

$1 a foot or ear. Ears are great when you just do not want the bone content.

We pride ourselves in our husbandry care of our animals ❤️

03/06/2024

We have product! This is an ethically and humanely processed cage raised, non-gmo fed protein source that seems to do well for pets with allergies. Plus they love it!

Local pickup only (Mokena, IL) or within 1 hour driving for a delivery fee!

GRIND AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK!
Grind is always low in stock and sells out fast - reserve your grind today!

We also have:
Heads
Feet / ears
Pelts
Whole prey (limited)
Snake Feeders (limited)

Raised using no growth hormones or antibiotics, these rabbits are a great way to add variety to your pet's diet. They are also great alternative chews if your pet is allergic to traditional proteins like chicken or beef. These rabbits were also raised to the same standards as for human consumption.

By adding a furry chew, like rabbit heads, feet, and ears to your pet's diet, you are providing additional fibers to aid in your pet's healthy digestion.

01/28/2024

Decisions that are best for your program are not always the easiest.

Sometimes the correct decisions are the ones you second guess the most.

In the spirit of full transparency - I am sharing with you three rabbits that have been removed from our program, and the reasons why.

1. Axel - pedigreed Champagne d’Argent Buck. He is amazing - sweet, beautiful type, and appropriate silvering. Truly a nice example of the breed.

2. Rose - (unrelated) pedigreed Champagne d’Argent doe. She started out amazing. Sweet temperament, wonderful 1st time mom and mom to subsequent litters. Silvering could have been a bit more present. Nice type.

3. Apollo - partially pedigreed blue New Zealand. Beautiful type, wonderful deep pigment, super sweet temperament. He stamped his litters with size, temperment, and pigment.

Circle of Life has decided that the Chanpagne d’Argent breed, while beautiful - do not meet our growth rate and finish weight standards. They are a slightly smaller breed - and typically have smaller litters than New Zealand’s. My pair averaged 7 kits a litter (my NZ are between 9 and 10). Additionally, Rose’s temperament deteriorated in the environment we are able to provide her. So this lovely pair was sold to another rabbitry who will be showing, and who have kids active in 4-H.

As for Apollo, it has been determined that he has a genetic trait I do not wish to pass on. Tragically, malocclusion presented itself recently (an issue with his teeth) - and as heart breaking as it is for us - since he has been here since a kit, he is a terminal cull. We will ensure the few of his offspring currently here will be test bred to ensure this issue was a fluke, and not carried forward.

01/14/2024

And this little girl from my orphan litter shall be called Annie - and she’s hanging around for a bit ❤️

12/30/2023

This colorful litter - my first “rainbow litter” has 2 blacks (or silvering), a blue, a REW, a black tort, and a super cool colored one that is either a lynx or a lilac. I have to do a bit more research and get better photos to be sure.

Unfortunately they lost their mom a couple of days ago. They’ll be 3 weeks old on Monday. We are doing all we can to save these kits. ❤️

11/07/2023

This grumpy little face 😍
4 week old singleton

10/31/2023

This little singleton 😩❤️ I believe it is a doe - and she may have to stay 😅

10/07/2023

Just a little peak at a new momma to be! Due tomorrow. Is she pregnant? Will the litter make it from this first timer? We shall see!

09/01/2023

When Emma comes for a week to give all the rabbits love - this little 7 week old bun is getting used to snuggles 🥰

*eye spy a German Shepherd snout*

08/08/2023

This little dude (or dudette) is my current favorite! 5 week old New Zealand doe x Champagne d’Argent Buck. This is a black tort and the picture doesn’t capture how truly beautiful it is 🤩 Fun with genetics!

*I need more cages 😂

07/18/2023

12 new babies last week. 12 😳
Summer heat makes raising babies harder - and makes the boys go sterile. Also growouts are slower to make weight. A lot of things stacked against production in the summer. So this was definitely a welcome surprise!

06/26/2023

A whole litter of mini Henry’s (or Henrietta’s). I just can’t with all this cuteness 😩

06/17/2023

People ask me “do you feel safe at home?” I guess that depends on how many babies I have growing out 😅

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Videos

Some movement from my critical kit that needed to be warmed up (up previous post)

Tour of the Rabbit Room

I thought it was time to give an updated tour and what we have going on. As some of you may know, we have partnered with @WildHartsFarm.org and have a 2nd location! A tour of that location will be coming soon. Here is our revised Rabbit Room and some babies 😍 Did you know that the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) which governs all the best practices, recommends 4 square feet of floor space for rabbit in our size category? Circle of Life provides 7.5 square feet of floor space per rabbit! Our cages are 30 inches deep, by 36 inches long and are a height of 18 inches. The ARBA recommends a 14 inch height. We prefer to exceed the recommended measurements to provide the best possible environment!

A new litter in the rabbitry! 8 babies born yesterday. Checking to make sure they are getting fed. We check and handle our kits twice a day, every day, until their eyes open. Then we handle them daily to ensure they are used to being handled and held. Did you know it can take up to 48 hours for mom’s milk to come in and for the babies to eat their first meal?

New Zealand / Tamuk babies - with two reds in the nestbox 🤩

Some super colorful baby rex 😍

6 little poppers! Henry (New Zealand) x Bee (TAMUK). Looks like 2 commercial whites, 3 variation of black (maybe gold tipped steel) and *maybe* a red! Not sure yet what that golden sheen colored one is - but I can’t wait!

We have a special guest all week at Circle of Life! Emma is hanging out with all the buns and giving lots of love and snuggles! This is Bee (a Sr. TAMUK) - not known for her charming temperament. But with some forced love she is becoming a much sweeter girl ❤️

So these TAMUK kits are all thriving so far! First time mom doing a great job with 9 kits! Fat and happy little poppers 😍

The first rex kit went home! Already adjusted to home life and loving being held and handled ❤️

Things don’t always go smoothly. But this is why I check kits morning and night to make sure they are fat and happy. My first-time mom (TAMUK breed) either didn’t have milk come in, or doesn’t really know what to do. So I turned to my mentor By The Pine Rabbitry and the TAMUK breeder to see what I can do. I decided to “shelve” her kits. Meaning I pulled her nestbox out, and my experienced mom’s nestbox out. I gave my first-timer’s kits to the experienced mom. I’ll let her feed them tonight, and then give her own kits back for the morning feeding. They can survive on feeding once a day! Not ideal, but hopefully it will keep all 13 alive. But I do want to give first-time mom a chance, so I am holding her kits on her 2 at a time to see if I can stimulate her milk production, and to see if she can feed them. These were the last two - they didn’t get much. The other 6 got a fair amount. She only has to feed 6 because I put 2 with experienced mom on day 1. We’ll see how this all plays out in the next week or so! Stay tuned 😉

We have a new litter! These 8 little kits are 1/2 TAMUK and 1/2 standard Rex. We got some really beautiful colors this litter! Check out the photos in the comments of one of the m 😉