Before I put a buck and doe together for breeding, there are certain steps I go through to ensure that the doe has a healthy pregnancy. It all starts before the breeding.
 
First, I check the health of the buck. I check his genitals, and make sure he is clean down there. Then I check his eyes, ears, teeth, fur, nails (and clip if necessary), bones (to check for breaks or anything irregular), and just make sure he is healthy and active overall and ready to mate (bucks are usually ready to mate at all times haha). 

Then, I check the health of the doe. This takes a bit longer. I weigh her, and calculate her weight so that 14 days later I can weigh her again and see if she has gained an ounce or two. I check her health, similar to what I do with the buck. I check her vent to see if she will be up for breeding that day. Typically, if a doe has a palish pink vent, she does not want to mate. If her vent is dark pink or even purple, she should breed easily that day. I make sure her fur down there is clean and clip her nails if needed. 

Occasionally, if I am going to be breeding a buck that occasionally misses or a doe that doesn't want to be bred, I will give the doe and/or the buck Apple Cider Vinegar and this helps regulate the hormones in their body and make them want to mate. Most of the time, your buck will want to breed and will breed easily. But sometimes, does can be cranky and not want to breed. 

What do you do before you breed your rabbits?

LCL's Angus had 6 kits on Thursday, the 18th, at 6:30am. When I went to check on Zuzu and give Zuzu her baby back, I noticed Angie was in the box delivering her kits. 

I left and let her do her thing, and when I checked on her again, at 7:00am, she was still in the box, cleaning something or still delivering. Then, I checked on her again around 8:00 and bribed her out of her box with a treat. She had delivered SIX gorgeous kits, two were peanuts sadly and have passed on, but the remaining 4 are still doing fantastic!! 

Angie and her babies are in the house right now for a week or two. I will make another blog post going into depth, but sadly Zuzu's singleton was eaten by a rat so I want to make sure Angie's kits will be safe until all the rats are dead. 

Angie's kits are four different and really fun colors! She has a chestnut, opal, cream, and chinchilla!!! I just love all these colors and I'm really surprised we got a chinchilla, but super happy about it since it's one of my favorite colors!! The babies are 9 days old today and will open their eyes any day!

Zuzu had her first litter at around 3:30 AM Thursday morning, on the 18th. I woke up at 3am with my alarm, because neither of the girls looked close to starting labor when I went to bed at 11pm. When I checked on them, I saw that Zuzu was in her box, and she was pushing. I assumed she must've had one a little stuck, because they don't push that long for one kit.  When I checked on her again at 3:30, she had two, one of them was dead, so most likely it died in the birth canal while she was pushing. The other was on the wire, but it was breathing. It was very cold though, so I brought it inside and warmed it up. 

After coaxing Zuzu out of the box, I saw that she had one more kit, and it was big and dead as well. Then, when I checked on her at 6:30 am, I noticed that she had delivered another one inside the nestbox, also big and dead. I'm very thankful she was able to pass the kits without too much trouble. She has nice wide birthing hips! Her remaining baby has been with her for several days now, and she's an awesome first time mama! Her baby is always fat and well fed, clean and healthy and Zuzu is doing a great job. 

Her one little baby is a little chestnut. I am so proud of my Zuzu, she did amazing. I have two things I am most excited about her as a mom. #1: She doesn't eat babies like her mom did - score!!! Maybe that's not a genetic trait, but an environmental one? #2: She didn't get mean, grumpy, or nippy during pregnancy, labor, or after birth. After she had her kits she just wanted attention. *LOVE* her!!! 

I haven't talked much about this yet, besides a little update on Facebook, but I have decided that my rabbitry will be semi-closed. 

This means that I do not allow visitors into my rabbitry. Occasionally, there will be a situation in which I will allow visitors, but my family and I have decided that this policy is best for the safety of the family and for my rabbits. 

I also do not allow people to bring their current rabbits to the premises to interact with my rabbits or be near mine. This is for the safety and health of my bunnies. Whenever I bring a new rabbit into the herd, it stays in quarantine for at least 2 weeks. I do not allow random rabbits to interact with mine because of health concerns. I know your rabbit is probably healthy; but some illnesses, or fleas or mites or somethng can be concealed very well and I just don't want to risk it. 

If you have placed a deposit on a rabbit or would like to come and pick up your new bunny, you are welcome to visit the rabbitry, and meet the parents and siblings (if applicable). 

How is a Semi-Closed rabbitry different from a full-on Closed rabbitry?

A closed rabbitry is not open to the public at all; rabbit purchases are arranged at local public places. I think it is completely fine for you to come to the rabbitry if you are intent on purchasing a rabbit from me. If not, I apologize, but during this school year I do not have enough time to visit with people wanting a tour of the rabbitry every weekend. 

I am very open with my rabbitry and the way my rabbits are housed. I am not closing my rabbitry to the general public because I have anything to hide! Like I said, if you are picking up your rabbit or have the intent to purchase a rabbit from HHR, you are welcome here!

I hope you all have a nice week! Let me know if you have any questions about this new policy. 

On Friday night, my friend Liz from Clear Sky Rabbitry picked me up and took me to her house to spend the night so I could go to the show that following morning. I had a great time with her! 
On Saturday morning we drove to Port Orchard and the show began! 
Typhoon's class is first since he's a solid senior buck. In the first show, he got 5th place out of 10 rabbits in the class. In the second show, he got I didn't expect him to do very well because there were some amazing SSBs there. 
Butterfly's class is next, although separated from Ty's class by 5 other classes. There were 5 Broken Senior Does in her class, and in both classes she got 2nd place. The judges had really nice things to say about her, they absolutely loved her wide body! She is in a full-blown molt so that cost her a few points, and most likely the reason she lost the class. This was her first show as a senior and I'm really happy with how she did!
There were only 3 broken junior does in Clementine's class. In the first show, she got 3rd out of 3 and in the second show, she got 2nd place out of 3. In both shows, the judges had nothing but good things to say about her! They both said that she is extremely promising in every respect! She lost the class because she still has her fluffy baby coat and her crown is really tight right now, causing her ears to all wonky. 
I can't wait to see her in a few months! My next show is May 7th and she will be 5 months old. I'm excited to see if she can pick up a couple legs that day!

Hey friends! I feel like it's been FOREVER since I've blogged...my most recent post, Why Did I Choose Wire Cages? was written months ago and posted last week, and so the most recent blog that I've written and posted back-to-back has been my update on Zuzu's hopeful pregnancy. 

School has been super busy. I've had a lot more homework than I expected. Since my previous quarter had mostly *easy* classes for me, I just didn't expect the amount of work that would be required. I'm taking an online Children's Literature class, which I love, English 102 which I don't love as much, and Honors Psychology which is just so much fun. 

Because of the busyness, I haven't been on social media as often as I would like. Friday is my primary day of the week to catch up on Youtube videos, blogs, comments and messages on Facebook, and emails. I try to get back to messages and emails as soon as possible, but sometimes I just don't have time until that weekend. 

Okay - so now onto what I'm sure you guys are mostly here for, the rabbit talk!

Updates on Angie and Zuzu's *Hopeful* Pregnancies - 

I palpated and weighed both does on Sunday, when they were 13 days along. I am almost positive that Angie is pregnant but I don't know about Zuzu. I filmed a video during it for Youtube, and I will post it this week. Keep your eye out, it gives a lot more details. 

Updates on the Remaining Babies - 

Blizzard is not exactly a baby anymore - he's almost 5 months old! This is the longest I've had a baby for sale. But he's so sweet I don't really mind. I wish I could keep him as a pet. He has the BEST personality I could ask for! But I just don't have the room :(. Anyway, he might have someone interested in him, so I'm hoping that all works out and he finds a fantastic home soon!

Charlotte, my other fuzzy, is also still available. She's 3.5 months old so still fairly young. She's a super sweetheart and molting her baby coat currently, so she looks pretty silly. 

Clementine is Butterfly's baby and she's currently 9 weeks old but I haven't weaned her yet. I will be weaning her tomorrow or the day after. Her and Butterfly love each other so much, they are always grooming each other or teasing each other or playing together.

Updates on For Sale Rabbits - 

As most of you know, because of his absence on the For Sale page, my precious teddy bear Lance has been sold. His presence is definitely missed around the rabbitry. 
All rabbits on the For Sale page are still available. Even though I don't have a lot of time to be online, I do keep the Sales page current and as up-to-date as possible. All the rabbits (except Blizzard), on my sales page have a new reduction price because of my need of cage space.

Updates on the Show Schedule - 
I am so excited to say that, most likely, I will be going to the show this Saturday in Port Orchard! I will be showing Ty, Clementine, and Butterfly if I go. Although I have Saige, Rosie, and Wicket available for showing right now too, I know Saige and Rosie don't stand a chance against Butterfly. She's definitely my best doe. Wicket, likewise, doesn't stand a chance against Typhoon. He's (Ty), in prime showing condition right now and Wicket sprays and doesn't like to pose. So Wickies has to stay home, lol. 

I just LOVE how Clementine is turning out! I think she's my nicest doe at this stage in development. Butterfly didn't fully blossom until around 12 weeks. Clemmi is only 9 weeks and she looks amazing! 
My thoughts on her strengths: Clemmi has wonderful width throughout her head, chest, and body. Her legs are spaced far apart which is something most rabbits in my herd don't have. Her body depth is equal to her width and length - another thing my herd needs! Most rabbits in my herd have very poor depth. Her body is wide and compact, and slopes gradually - it doesn't slope too soon and she doesn't have length in her midsection or shoulder. Her ears are the perfect shape and length. Her color is clean and a nice bright, rich orange. I really love her color. I need another broken doe since I am selling two of my main broken does and both my bucks are solid. My herd could quickly be taken over by solids! At this stage in development, Clemmi looks very promising. 
My thoughts on her faults: Clemmi has a tight crown, which is partly due to being outside all the time in the cold. When she comes inside or warms up while I'm holding her, her ears fall. She does have "flipper feet", which is a serious fault in the SOP - but she has so many strengths that my herd needs, I will be keeping her for a while to see her mature. 
Clemmi has been added to my Herd page in the Juniors section :) She is staying here for the time being!!