In dogs and cats, the loose fur at the base of the neck is called the scruff. It's mostly used for the mommy dog or cat to carry the babies wherever she needs them to go. But in rabbits, the mother doesn't carry her babies by the scruff. In fact, she doesn't carry them at all.

Ever since Cinnamon has had her babies, she hasn't wanted me to pick her up. Whenever I go in there to scoop her into my arms, she gets angry. One day I grabbed her by the scruff for a split second - just long enough to get my hand under her bum and the hand holding the scruff under her front legs - and she was fine. No squealing, running, or kicking. Total calm. 

I don't suggest picking up your rabbit by the scruff unless you only need to do it to get the rabbit off the ground. In Cinnamon's case, she thinks leaving her cage wouldn't be fun. As soon as she's in the air, she doesn't care. And like I said before, I only pick her up by her scruff for a split second.

If you pick your rabbit up this way all the time (meaning that's the only way you pick up your rabbit), the hair on their neck may become worn and the rabbit can become unshowable. If the rabbit is shedding, you have to be careful - they could slip right out of your hand. 

I absolutely wouldn't say that it's okay to carry your rabbit by the scruff. Their back legs do need to be supported or they feel like they're falling. And it's just bad for their neck - plain and simple. 

I definitely wouldn't pick any of my larger rabbits (over 4lbs), up by the scruff. Since Cinnamon is a tiny thing, barely 3lbs, I feel safer about it. And with any heavier breeds - I wouldn't advise it. It's just not healthy for the rabbit to have so much weight placed on its neck. 

But for a simple scoop, or an emergency (in which you just can't get your rabbit underneath their front arms and need to pick them up NOW), I think it's okay. 

What are your views on picking rabbits up by the scruff?

So you want to get a second rabbit (or want to start with 2), and now know what to expect.
I love this semi-chapter from one of my favorite rabbit-related books, Living With a House Rabbit, by Linda Dykes and Helen Flack. 

Starting out with two baby rabbits from the same litter is one of the best ways to start out. Baby bunnies are friends with everyone, especially their own siblings. And since they will not be moved from all their siblings and possibly mom on the same day, they will adjust to your home much quicker than if they were alone. However, like with every pairing, there are also drawbacks to this arrangement. 
Litter mates will already be bonded to each other, so trying to form a strong bond with either of them will be futile. Second, they will also reach sexual maturity at the same time. If you have a buck and doe, you will need to plan the buck's neutering surgery immediately after his testicles descend, or else you could end up with a pregnant female overnight. 
Two bucks will need to be neutered simultaneously, before they begin to fight. With siblings, same-sex pairings often work out fine, as long as both are neutered or spayed as soon as possible, since the rabbits grew up together and are already bonded. 

Let me talk a little bit about age for a second. If you already have a resident rabbit, the age of that rabbit doesn't really matter. You don't need to make it a priority to find a rabbit of the same age. If you have an old rabbit and want a baby, go ahead and introduce them to each other. Chances are, the older rabbit (if it's a doe especially), will be more prone to liking the baby, as her mothering instincts will kick in and she'll care for it. 
Introducing an older rabbit to a baby can be just as profitable. Babies are friends with everyone, and the older rabbit will be the newcomer so he or she will be less inclined to dominate over the baby, whereas the baby will just want to snuggle up and be friends!

My next blog will be about where to buy a second rabbit if you already have one. Like stated above, it's much easier to introduce a new female to a resident male, rather than the other way around, though both can end up working out just fine as long as you have patience. 

I'm going to be starting a 5-part blog series on owning a pair of bonded pet rabbits. What to expect when owning two rabbits, possible pairings, where to buy a second rabbit if you already have one, introducing the pair, and what to do if you face failure.
 
PT. 1 IS WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU OWN TWO PET RABBITS
PROS: Having two rabbits means that you will be less inclined to spend hours with the bunnies. They will be able to give each other the stimulation and attention/love they need to grow healthy and strong. Seeing a sibling bond, or two rabbits that can't be without each other is a rewarding experience. They will groom each other, keep each other clean and happy. Neither rabbit will ever be bored, as they will have constant companionship. 
CONS: The rabbit may be more reluctant to bond with you, the owner, and become more attached to its bunny friend. You will need to neuter or spay at least one of them; preferably both, so that the neutered/spayed rabbit isn't subject to attack.

If you have a lot of time to give to your rabbit, one should be enough. If you want a rabbit but work full time and have a busy lifestyle, two will be better for you so the one doesn't get lonely. 

Introducing two rabbits to each other isn't as straight-forward as you might think. I will tackle some of the best methods to introducing two rabbits to each other in the next couple blogs. 

In this one, I'll give you some more detailed explanations of what to expect with two rabbits.

DOUBLE THE COST. You won't need double of everything; feed and hay yes, but they should play with the same toys  so you won't need to buy extras of those. You will need double the cost of spaying and neutering. I would recommend having two hidey houses in case one rabbit needs to get away from the other; it happens with us humans, it happens with rabbits too! If you will have a house rabbit you will also need two litter boxes. Rabbits can become territorial over "their" space - even when neutered or spayed. 
DOUBLE THE ROOM. A two feet-by-two feet cage won't be large enough as a permanent abode for two full-grown rabbits. You will also need to consider what you will do with the rabbits if they just won't bond together and need to live separately. Not all rabbits are suited to be life partners. 
DOUBLE THE MESS. During the introduction period, often litter training is abandoned and they become messy. Plus just the messiness of being babies (if you are introducing babies), will be twice as much. 

Look for my next blog, POSSIBLE PAIRINGS! 

I do my best to make every baby bunny born here cuddly and friendly. I can't morph my babies' personalities, but just by handling them since birth cuddling with them as soon as they open their eyes, they jump out of their nest box craving attention and love! They love to be held and pampered. 
Some babies will be more chill and relaxed, while others will be more feisty and crazy. I do my best to pair you up with the best bunny to suit your needs and wants.

If you want a cuddly bunny, I'll do my best to pair you up with one. However, once you bring your bunny home, you need to work with it towards bonding to you, otherwise it might become shy and suddenly not be so cuddly anymore. 

The best way to keep your bunny cuddly is to play with it, hold it and cuddle it daily. I know life gets in the way of handling our pets sometimes, but if you shove your rabbit in a cage and never play with it anymore, how will it stay cuddly?

Part one of getting a cuddly rabbit comes from the breeder. Part two comes from you. They won't stay cuddly if you don't continue the handling process that I begun.

I just love these little guys! They are 1 week old tomorrow. Getting super cute already! So far I know we have 2 broken blue torts and 4 broken black torts. Each tort has a different broken pattern. It's going to be really fun to watch these guys grow up! I already have my eye on one. I know its almost impossible to tell quality at this early age, but this baby is so much wider than her siblings (yes, I'm calling it a she because that's the gender I need it to be!)! 
On to pictures! 

Sir Lancelot, above, is a broken patterned rabbit, meaning that he has a white coat with color (in this case, black tort), "broken up", on it. 
The gene for the broken color is Enen. 
The solid gene is enen. As long as there's no color "broken up", over a white background, the rabbit is not a broken, its a solid. 
Each broken colored rabbit "carries", the solid gene, which is (en). 

When you breed a solid to a solid, you will get 100% solids, because it's the most recessive gene in the series. Each parent only has an (en), to give to its offspring, so all babies are enen solid, like the parents. 

When you breed a broken to a solid, in theory you should get 50% brokens and 50% solids. The broken parent has an (En), or (en), gene to give to the babies, whereas the solid parent only has (en), to give to the kits. 

When you breed a broken patterned rabbit to another broken, they will have a 25% chance of producing solid, a 50% of producing broken, and a 25% chance of producing a charlie.

What a Charlie is:
A charlie has the EnEn gene. It's basically a broken patterned broken. Charlies often cannot be shown because most of the time they have too little amount of color. 
When bred to a solid, a charlie will only produce Enen brokens, because the Charlie only has the (En) gene to give, and the solid only has the (en) gene to give. You can only tell your rabbit is a true, genetic Charlie if you breed the rabbit in question and it ONLY  produces all brokens. Usually a minimum of three tries is needed, because sometimes an Enen broken can also produce all brokens with a solid pairing. However, it would be VERY strange if a correct broken produced all brokens 3 times in a row! 

What some people THINK a Charlie is:
Some people think a Charlie is just any rabbit that has not enough color to be shown. A rabbit needs to have over 10% color, in the judge's opinion, to be shown. If it has less then 10% color, it will be disqualified. A Charlie is not actually a rabbit that has too little color; it's a rabbit that has two broken parents and can only produce brokens when bred to a solid. Thus, in the rabbit world, a true Charlie is usually referred to as a "Genetic" Charlie. 

How do I know my Holland Lop has enough color to be shown?
I'll include this question in this blog just because it kind of fits the with the theme. 
Usually, if the Holland has color over both ears, on the nose, around both eyes, and a little bit on its back that's enough to allow it to be shown. If it has no face markings it cannot be shown. If it has no body markings, but has severe face markings, it can be shown. 
The little guy below is very sparsely marked with his black tort, yet he has enough color to be shown. At a younger age he only had the face markings and a single stripe down his back. As he molted his baby coat and matured, he grew extra spots and more color. 

Holland Lops are a dwarf breed. That being said, not all Holland Lops have the dwarf gene. Those that do not are known as "false dwarfs", or "normals". True dwarfs have 1 dwarf gene. Often, normals will have longer back feet, a longer head, and a bigger body (usually over 4lbs, but not always). Their body is just overall longer than a true dwarf.
True dwarfs are smaller, have rounder bodies and heads, and make better show bunnies. 

Dragonfly's Gracie, the orange doe above, is a normal, and so is Blue Storm's Sir Lancelot, the broken tort buck above. If I were to breed the pair of them, they would only have normals, or false dwarfs. 

I just bred Holly's Cinnamon to Sir Lancelot and they just produced a litter. Their babies will most likely be 50% true dwarfs and 50% false dwarfs. 

If you breed two true dwarf rabbits together, you will get (generally), 50% true dwarf, 25% false dwarf, and 25% peanuts. 

What are peanuts?
Peanuts are babies that inherit two dwarf genes. They lack the proper gene to grow, so they wither away within a few days. They basically become TOO dwarfy. They will always die. 

This is why I like to breed false to true. You get the same amount of true dwarfs, on average, which is 50%. And that way, you have a higher percentage of all the babies in the litter surviving; you have a higher chance of no fatalities. 

I'm planning on showing my little show does, like Cinnamon, once she comes off her litter, and one of Cinnamon's daughters that I plan to keep. Sure, I don't have a buck that I can show, maybe he can't win any legs (awards), but I'd rather have that than 25% of babies that will die per litter. 
Wouldn't you?

I saw this amazing article today adapted from Robert D. Bremel. It compares all different kinds of animals' milk.
Human milk has a fat percentage of 4.5, protein of 1.1%, and 6.8% lactose. 
Cow's milk's fat percentage is 4.1, depending on the breed of cow, 3.6% protein, and 4.7% lactose. 
Rabbit milk has 12.2% fat, 10.4% protein, and only 1.8% lactose. The smallest bit of sugar and high fat and protein is perfect for those little growing baby bunnies.

There are much more animals and their milks listed on the page. I encourage you to check it out! I really like it and find it very intriguing! 

The page is HERE

There are so many places to find pet rabbits for sale. Pet stores, shelters, breeders. How can you know the best place to buy, the place that won't leave you regretting something or trying to turn back?

1. Breeders are often experienced. They have studied their breed, rabbits in general, and know how to properly sex a baby bunny - something most pet stores are known for not knowing how to do.
2. Breeders love their bunnies. They don't breed to sell rabbits; they breed because they love what they do and as their own personal hobby. 
3. Breeders usually handle their babies from DAY ONE. Their babies are sociable, playful, and sweet. Depending on the breed and the rabbit's personality, some may be more shy and nasty, but generally a mean, nippy rabbit is a sign of poor husbandry and the breeder or rabbit's caregiver not providing enough attention to the rabbit.
4. You will get a purebred rabbit. There is definitely nothing wrong with having a mixed breed pet, but if having something like a Holland Lop is your dream, don't settle for a Lop mix. You'll know that any Holland Lops from a good, reputable show breeder will be absolutely purebred. And if you ask, most breeders will let you see the pedigree. Most pets are not sold with a pedigree, however. 
5. You will know where your rabbit is coming from. A pet store or breeder will give you no background knowledge on the rabbit. They don't know the parent's traits, temperaments, weights, or if the line has any health issues they are prone to. Many breeders will encourage you to see the parents and even siblings of the rabbit you are considering to purchase, so you know what your rabbit will look like or how it will behave in adulthood. 
6. A good breeder will support you and your rabbit even years after the rabbit has left his or her rabbitry. They will answer any questions you may have in the future, always be there if at any time you cannot take care of your rabbit anymore, and most of the time provide care sheets on the pickup of your rabbit. Breeders only care about the welfare of their bunnies, and want you to have the best rabbit experience a new owner could possibly have.

Now buying from a breeder will be more expensive than any other alternative. But when you think about how much love, money, stress and care they put into all of their rabbits, it is all worth it. Wouldn't you rather have a docile, purebred, good-natured expensive rabbit rather then a mean, mixed breed, biting cheap rabbit? Me too! 

I don't know if any of you guys knit. I'm trying to get into it right now. 
What I realized is that knitting is similar to rabbit breeding. "What?!" You might think. "How can that be?!"
In knitting, if you make your stitches too loose or too tight you need to toss the whole thing and start over. That's the same thing with rabbits.
If your lines are too loose, no one is related, and everyone is from different backgrounds and different rabbitries, you will get unpredictable outcomes. If you want to be in rabbits in the long run, you will need to toss (sell), the whole thing and start over.
If your lines are too tight, no one isn't related to each other and you start having deformed babies, you'll need to toss the whole thing and start over.

As breeders, we should try for something relatively in the middle. Some rabbits are related, but if our stock starts to get too line- or inbred, we outcross and bring in new stock to get some unrelated animals to breed back to the animals that are related to everyone. 
If we start with a bunch of mixed, different lines, we breed daughter to daddy, son to mom, brother to sister - to get better babies and more overall reliable litters. 

Line- and inbreeding is something that every breeder does. If your a small rabbitry, like me, once you start keeping rabbits you won't have a choice but to linebreed. Considering I only have one buck, pretty soon he'll have a daughter I need to find a mate for. 

I only suggest linebreeding if you breed two high quality rabbits to each other. Related, lesser-quality rabbits will produce lesser-quality babies. Breeding two rabbits of related lines is like "locking" in the genes. Good or bad, the next litter is going to be a semi-copy of the parents. 

I haven't linebred before, but I know I will have to do it in the future. Thanks for reading my thoughts and have a nice day!

~Holly