I'm pretty happy with this batch!
If only it was always this easy.
High Ridge's Bruh (amber) x Firethorne's Phoebe (broken chocolate)
Did a rebreeding of Firethorne's Stryga x Dreamin's Thorin. She's the first of, hopefully, a decent string of litters due over the next couple weeks.
It's always fun watching those little mouths vacuum up a treat
I've had a few requests asking how I groom my Rex so I decided to make a post about it. First off, many of you may know that Rex pelts are sensitive to being brushed. One reason being that their guard hairs are not longer and coarser like standard furred rabbits. This means that they lack the protection against brushes and their skin can be damaged. Another reason is that half of what a Rex is judged for on the show table is their fur. The more "grooming and brushing" done to their coat the less likely they are to be finished on the table.
But molt season is upon us. My typical tools for basic care of Rex coat is a saw blade (18 TPI) and a spray bottle of water. That won't cut it right now unless I wanted to spend FOREVER on each rabbit, possibly causing pain.
Using a high velocity blower is perfect. It'll blow all the dead coat and dander out without hurting their incoming fur or skin. I've seen others mention using it as well BUT THE GROOMER IN ME NEEEEEEEEDS TO GO OVER A COUPLE THINGS WITH YOU.
1. Always, always wear a mask. Groomers lung is a real thing, and as a groomer I've seen it first hand in coworkers. What it means is that little, tiny hair particles (and dander, dust, dirt, grease, etc) gets inhaled as you blow out an animal. Since you're not ingesting it, it goes and gets lodged in your lungs. Once something goes there it doesn't come out. Over the years those hairs pile up and cause breathing issues and you get sick more often and worse than normal. It causes chronic cough. Utilize those old C*vid masks while grooming please.
2. ALSO always wear ear protection. As with any loud noise you should be protecting your ears. Those dryers are loud. And I personally know from experience, after years of working with barking dogs and dryers that it DOES cause hearing issues later on. Just take care of yourself. :)
3. You may not notice but I'm holding Lotus's ear canals shut the whole time I'm blowing her out. If I should protect
Oh my goodness, the last 5 days have been insane but yesterday was our first day in our new home. My sister, brother in law and I got the rabbit area set up last night. Have I mentioned we are living with them? They are the best. My whole family is amazing actually. My parents came to help us pack up and transport all our stuff and my brother met us at the house to unpack.
I'm sure there will be plenty of changes but for now I'm happy with it and the rabbits are happy to be out of transport cages.
And while I'm now here working with 94 degree weather this week, trees and shade and am almost constant breeze, Middleton is getting up to 106 ðŽ
Life has been a bit crazy lately with packing and cleaning so I haven't been on to post much. Walked through the rabbitry to Lotus feeding her 6 week kits. ðĨ°
Aster had a bit of a rough labor yesterday. Ended up having 2 DOA kits on the wire. I managed to get a video of the second one. She's doing well for now. We'll try once more in the fall
Went outside to feed and water the rabbits. She was breathing hard and pacing. By the time I was done feeding (10 min) I believe she had already finished delivering. So far Summer is a way better mom than her crap mom Autumn
Kaia (mom) died unexpectedly earlier this week leaving her kits behind. Luckily they were just hitting 8 weeks and already weaned. They sure are curious little cuties though.
Spending a moment with Casper while I ice his back for a few minutes. He seems to be doing well. I'm watching his intake/ outtake very closely.
*****controversial message ahead ******
Some may wonder why am I doing all of this extra work. Why don't I just terminally cull him? The simplest answer is because I love animals. He's willing to fight and so am I. I also have never dealt with this before so I'm using it as an incredible learning experience. His pain is being strictly managed so he can focus on healing. As soon as I notice this is a losing battle or that he's suffering, I won't hesitate to end his pain.
Some may wonder why I don't seek vet attention. In the end my rabbits are livestock and used in many different, respected ways. I love them and am willing to ice their backs when needed but I am unable and unwilling to drop $100s on a livestock rabbit. I will learn everything I can from this experience, and every experience (and believe me there's been more than I can count) so that I can be better at animal husbandry.
Someone is actively giving birth right now ð
