Meet the new rabbits!

So I ended up with a total of 5 rabbits - two over my personal limit. I'm very pleased and fingers crossed everyone settles in nicely over the next few days. It's always lots of fun to go pick out some new farm animals. I'll probably end up finding new homes for my two extras, I don't want to over crowd my rabbit setup. I apologize in advance about this post - as none of my rabbits have names yet, you may also notice I talk about the rabbit in a more serious utilitarian tone - but I love my animals and treat them with the upmost care and affection! They are both my pets and farm critters.


Rabbit #1 - BEW Lionhead Buck

First impressions with this young boy is that he has a great personality and doesn't fuss when being handled. I suspect he is about 4-5 months old. He's curious and outgoing compared to the others, and has already escaped from his holding cage area two times, very clever. This was the first BEW lionhead I spotted and I knew I wanted a buck in BEW form. He has a long tufted mane look with some decent under body mane. His back is smooth and shorter. On the more negative side - his ears and body are very long for a showable quality lionhead. Whether or not I get around to using him in the breeding program is still questionable. I might use him to make one litter, but otherwise as adorable as he is, I'll probably end up trying to find him a new home.

Rabbit #2 - BEW Lionhead Buck

So yes, I have two BEW bucks. This was a BEW I spotted later in the rabbit search, and he's definitely more of what I'm looking for. He's super maned and his body form is even, small, round and he's very sweet and calm. He's definitely of breeding age, as once I got him home, he started humping everywhere! Slow down ya' rascal! My does are a bit too young yet. This guy will certainly be the foundation to my program as a strong BEW - he will hopefully sire some strong Vienna marks and carriers.

Rabbit #3 - Opal/Blue Lionhead Doe

The first time I saw this doe's litter I went wow! She was quite the puffball and I got to see her mother and siblings - which told me how big she might get and how her mane might settle in. She is a Blue colour but this might actually be a self-blue chinchilla or opal colouration. I'm going to get this verified and confirm this later. Her eyes are brown and therefor she is considered a "regular". Crossed with a BEW she will have a litter of 100% vienna carriers - but we wont know how many will express this gene with blue eyes. None of the kits would be BEW. Her personality is lovely, she's a bit timid, and she loves to cuddle the other rabbits. She went crazy for a fresh marigold flower this morning.

Rabbit #4 - Harlequin Vienna Lionhead Doe

Second youngest of the whole group, this sweet little doe is super maned and very timid. I have my fingers crossed she becomes a bit more alert and active, she hasn't been a great eater yet and seems that she wants to do is cuddle the other doe more than search for food. They have all the best food, veggies, fresh water and hay access right now, so hopefully she figures things out soon. I might have to get her a little boost and hand feed her with formula - keeping a close eye for now. The adjustment might be scary. She is a Vienna marks with blue eyes and a white blaze - I may have judged her colouration wrong but either way - crossed with a BEW she will have a litter of 50% BEW and 50% Vienna carriers, and again we wont know who has blue eyes until they start to open them. I suspect this doe is quite young, maybe 2-3 months old and has a while until I breed her.

Rabbit #5 - Broken black Lionhead Buck

This little guy is very small and maybe only a month or two old, I was worried about his age and maybe being away from his mother too soon, but he's eating all the food types and hay like a piglet. his current nick name is "Moustachio" and (so far) looks like a broken black double mane. His mane might change with age and he has regular brown eyes. As I don't have a BEW doe, he would have to be bred with the Vienna doe to be a apart of the blue eyed project. A regular crossed with a Vienna would result in 25% Vienna carriers and 75% regular kits. The advantages of this for the project is that it would bring in some more colours and potentially unique Viennas. As for this little guy, I'm just not sure yet. Each buck has to be housed separately, and I have awhile until he is ready for breeding. For now he lives with the two does, and is very happy, doing the little bunny jump twist dance and cuddling with his new buddies.

Sorry for not including all of the pictures! It started to rain so I had to take the bunnies inside and I haven't had time to take my big camera out since! Stay tuned, more pictures to come! I've also been making updates to the rabbit pens, so I'll be posting that soon also!