Rabbit Rhythms March 2022

Blue Havana Rabbit.

Welcome to the March 2022 edition of Rabbit Rhythms!

This month's Breed of the Month is the Havana rabbit, This brown beauty was named after another brown luxury item, Havana cigars. 

For families getting a new Easter bunny, we have some tips on helping your rabbit adjust to its new surroundings in Making Your Bunny Feel at Home. 

This month we are covering a serious topic: Refugee Pets. The war in Ukraine has brought many challenges. We would like to give you our perspective about stories on social media.

And lastly, we are introducing a new section to the newsletter, Random Rabbit Rantings. Here we will cover off the wall topics, products, or funnies to brighten your day.

Breed of the Month: The Havana Rabbit

Gorgeous Chocolate Havana rabbit.

Our March Breed of the Month is the Havana, “the mink of the rabbit family.”

Would it surprise you to learn that your Havana is actually an Ingrid, not an Isabella? Havanas originated in Holland in 1898, when a Dutch farmer neglected to properly chaperone his new doe when she came to the farm. A month later, she had a litter of the most beautiful chocolate brown kits with a rich ruby glow to their eyes. 

They made an impressive debut at their first shows in Holland in 1899, where they caught the eyes of French bunny breeders. In French shows, the universal consensus was “fah-bu-lous dahling!”

Before the ink on their passports had dried, they were already booked for a grand tour of Europe. While in France, it was suggested to name them after an imported, rich, brown, luxury item, cigars from Havana, Cuba.  (Please note: Havanas are very health conscious. They do not smoke, nor do they endorse use of any tobacco products by their humans.) 

In order to quickly propagate these brown beauties, European breeders began crossing Havanas with Black and Tans and Himalayans. This bred out the white speckling that sometimes popped up, as well as stabilizing the color. After conquering Europe, the bunnies set out to the New World. 

Beautiful Blue Havana

In the United States, Americans had big plans for them. The HRBA (Havana Rabbit Breeders Association) was established in 1925. Their website is one of the most informative of all breeder club websites, actually having content and history about the rabbits.

In 1934, an Indiana farmer discovered that his doe had kindled the finest Havana kits ever, the very first Satin rabbits! (Spoiler alert: Satins will be the April Rabbit-Rhythms Breed of the Month!) While Havana fur had always been highest quality, Satins were the new pinnacle of rabbit fur. They demanded to be recognized as a separate breed with their own fan club. Havanas just laugh them off as “the snooty cousins.”  

Because of the beauty of Havana fur, show standards have always focused on fur quality.  Havanas have their own unique varieties in America, which now include Blue, Black, Broken, and Lilac.

Oh, the irony… European breeders worked so hard to achieve the distinct Havana chocolate brown color, free of any any white imperfections, and then quirky Americans quickly undo that exclusive standard. Intentionally! 

Havanas are easy to care for. They have one inch fur which is very light on shedding, just spring and fall molts. Brush them weekly during shed season, and once a month in non shed seasons.

Havanas are sweet and playful. They’re good for kids, as long as kids handle them with care. Although Havanas are calm, it could start banging the cage door if it is bored. Keep plenty of toys on hand, such as our great chewable toys and Chew Stix available below or in our Bunny Bazaar.

If you would like to learn more about this easygoing, friendly, luxury rabbit, check out our e-book, Domestic Rabbit Breeds.  All of our e-books are 30% off with our Big Spring Sale! 

Making Your Pet Bunny Feel at Home

When purchasing a new bunny, there are lots of options. You can look for a bunny at:

• Rescues
• Social media apps
• Pet stores
• Professional pet rabbit breeders

Some people balk at the idea of professional breeders. You've no doubt heard the slogan, “Adopt, don’t shop.” You may have dismay over the higher price. However, professional pet rabbit breeders really do provide a great deal of service in addition to the bunny itself.

The main service they provide is training the rabbit to be a pet from birth. In the wild, rabbits are prey animals for just about anything that is hungry. They are prone to anxiety because it helps them survive by evading predators. This behavior does not make for a good pet though, because the bunny will view its humans as potential predators. Professional pet rabbit breeders overcome this by daily handling of the kits, feeding them, and playing with the bunnies using toys.

The bunny used to being handled and petted won't panic, and therefore is far less likely to bite or scratch as you attempt to pet and cuddle your rabbit. The rabbit has a familiar routine with healthy food  treats and entertaining toys that become comfort items.

When the big day comes for you to pick up your new bun, the professional rabbit breeders will often provide TRANSITIONAL FOOD AND TOYS.

Moving can be stressful for anyone, especially an animal prone to anxiety like rabbits. The transitional food and toys help bunny adjust to its new surroundings by having familiar things on hand. One great example is the "Starter Kit" sold by Sweet Dream Bunnies and Beyond. You can find out more by visiting their Featured Rabbitry page, SWEET DREAM BUNNIES AND BEYOND.

Besides emotional comfort, transition feed also provides good gut health for rabbits. A sudden change of diet can cause health issues for bunny, so the best way to switch them to their new food is gradually. For the first couple days, feed them the food from the rabbitry just as they are used to. Then start introducing little bits of the new food mixed in with the transitional food. Every day increase the food a bit more, and keep an eye on bunny’s poo, to make sure the system is rolling right along. The process should take 1-2 weeks. Take the full two weeks if you are able to do so.

Your pet bunny will be with you 7-10 years, it’s whole life. It is definitely worth it, to you and your rabbit, to go through the transition process. While professional rabbit breeders will cost more than other sources, you find that they usually have a waiting list because they provide rabbits that are such excellent pets, as well as providing aftercare. Our Featured Rabbitries, the best bunny breeders we know, do provide transitional food and toys as part of the aftercare when you purchase a rabbit.  The Featured Rabbitries are all over the country, and we even have one in Quebec, Canada. Check out our Featured Rabbitries page to see what premium service looks like, as well as looking at the cutest buns waiting for fur-ever homes. 

Raising-Rabbits does have great toys and treats in our Bunny Bazaar that you can use to transition your bun from the rabbitry to your home. Contact your rabbitry and let them know you would like them to use one of these. We would be happy to ship to the rabbitry if you like. Scroll down to the next article for more information.

Happy bunny, happy family.

Toys and Treats!

4 Delicious Flavors of Bunny Branola

Its that time of year, when spring flowers are blooming and people have bunny on the brain! If you have a new bun, Toys and Treats are a great way to bond with your bunny as well as teach them appropriate chewing.

Treats: Our Bunny Branola is not only delicious, it's nutritious also. It comes in 4 great flavors available year round: Classic Original, Pumpkin Spice, Cranberry Crunch, and Merry Mint. Besides the wonderful smell and flavor, Bunny Branola is also a fur conditioner, helps with digestive health and prevents woolblock, and even gives extra nutrition to pregnant and nursing does!

We have two kinds of fun toys: Chew Stix and bigger Rabbit Toys (pictured). Rabbits love playing, chewing, and tossing toys. These Rabbit Toys and Chew Stix are all bunny safe.

Rabbits need to chew to keep their teeth healthy, so to prevent naughty gnawing and bunstruction, give them fun and safe alternatives. This will save your sanity as well as your phone charger cords. 

Chew Stix are made with 2 ingredients: sticks and apples. Nothing else.

You can check it all out in the Bunny Bazaar, our online shopping mall.  Check out our BUNNY BAZAAR!

(Pictured: our Chew Stix come in 3 sizes: Mini/Dwarf, Medium/Regular, and Large/Giant. Pick the right size Stix for your bun. The Stix are ethically harvested from Alderwood in the beautiful Washington forests, then infused with Washington apple flavor and smell. Stix are heat dried, so no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.)

Refugee Pets

Recently social media has seen a swarm of pictures of Ukrainian families fleeing bombs with their pets in their arms. The pictures are captioned with something along the lines of “if they can keep their pets, so can you.” While the people sharing these pictures may have good intentions, the result isn’t pragmatic because situations regarding pet ownership are quite different.

In the Ukrainian war zone, families will have hours, perhaps minutes to mobilize. They, and their pets, have only 2 options, run quickly or perish. Any pets or livestock that are not taken with fleeing families will be culled under the Scorched Earth policy that is the standard for warfare in that part of the world. Those who can, will take pets, even if they have no idea if they will be able to keep the pet. Their priority is to do what they can right now.

Everywhere else that is unaffected by sudden attacks, the situations are much different. There are a wide host of reasons as to why a pet may need to be re-homed. Loving and responsible pet owners will do whatever they can to find an appropriate home, because a better home serves the best interests of the pet. It is far kinder to adopt out a pet that you can’t properly care for than to force it to languish in unhealthy circumstances. Doing the best thing we can for our beloved pets can involve making very hard decisions. However, the greatest love puts the well being of the one who is loved as highest priority.

At Raising-Rabbits, we understand that responsible pet owners will sometimes need to rehome their bunnies, and we want to help you with this. Also, there are others who are looking for pets. Some may worry that older/adult pets may not be adopted, but there are many people, such as seniors or those looking for therapy pets, who would welcome an older, calm companion. In our CLASSIFIED ADS page, we have free 30-day classified ads for people looking to buy or sell their rabbits. Check out our link to find a new home for your pet, or to find a new furry friend.

https://www.raising-rabbits.com/rabbit-classifieds.html

Random Rabbit Rantings

Off Topic News, Items of Interest, and Funnies We Want to Share

Crowing white American Bresse rooster at Ambresse Acres

Raising-Rabbits is proud to announce the arrival of a baby sister website: Ambresse.com

American Bresse Chickens (Ambresse for short), are descended from French Bresse Chickens, the ultimate gourmet poultry.

They are the finest of chickens, with a reputation of being the most tasty chicken in the world. American Bresse can be expected to have succulently flavored meat, heavy egg production, and even temperaments. If you go to one of those fancy restaurants where you need a second mortgage to pay the bill, they will be serving Bresse chicken. (And if they aren't, they should be!)

What makes American Bresse American? They are naturally red, white and blue, just like Old Glory! Their feathers are striking white, their combs and wattles (fleshy head features) are bright red, and their legs are blue! Really, that's not photoshop! 

Ambresse.com is a new website, so it's got limited content right now, but more is being added all the time! It will have the history of the chicken, animal husbandry for chicken novices, recipes for the meat and eggs, and more! Check it out and bookmark it so you can watch it grow! 

Like this Rabbit Rhythms March 2022 Newsletter?

Bunny Branola - Ultimate Rabbit Nutritional Supplement, and Treat!

Bunny Branola.

What bunny doesn't love Bunny Bran??!
1 Tablespoon per day of our tasty and nutritious snack mix
sprinkled on their regular food is all your bunny needs to be happier and healthier.

• Bunny Branola makes fur softer and shinier, teeth and tummies healthier, and helps relieve stress due to things like barking dogs, new situations, or ultra cold winters. 
• Bunny Branola is a wonderful rabbit superfood supplement for pregnant bunnies and growing bunnies. 
• Bunny Branola now available in four flavors - Original, Pumpkin Spice, Cranberry Crunch, and Merry Mint!
• Bunny Branola can be ordered in Multi-Variety Packs!

Yes! I want to find out everything Branola can do for my bunnies!

Buy Bunny Branola Now!

Chew Stix by Raising-Rabbits
Just the sticks your bunnies need for chewing and gnawing!

Fruit-infused Raising Rabbits Chew Stix are nature's blessings from the beautiful Washington State forests and orchards.

Fresh alder branches are harvested from trees grown without chemicals, pesticides, or smog. Those branches are then hand cut down to bunny size portions, and infused with apple from Washington’s famous apple farms.

Alder is perfect for rabbit dental hygiene! The apple taste and smell will attract your bun, and they can chew to their heart's content, saving your phone cords and your sanity. 

Check out Raising Rabbits Chew Stix Here!