Rabbit Rhythms September 2020


Rabbit Rhythms September 2020: Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the biggest ears of them all? That title goes to the English Lop, one of the most ancient breeds in rabbit history!

Speaking of ancient, one of the most common questions we receive is how to sex baby rabbits. In this newsletter we give resources for how to tell whether your cute young bunnies are male or female.

Have you ever made detrimental mistakes in your rabbit raising experiences? You are certainly not alone! We've compiled a page of common rookie mistakes to help others avoid them! (And you'll find an opportunity to add yours to the list if we did not include it...)

News Flash: The demand for rabbits is high! If you are a rabbit raiser, we can help you find a market for your rabbits! 

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Featured Rabbit Breed: English Lop


English Lop Rabbit on a rabbit show tableEnglish Lop Rabbit on a rabbit show table

Breed History
Despite the name, no one actually knows where the English Lop originated. This breed is among one of the oldest, most likely predating the 1600s with carvings found in China, and a lineage tracing back to Madagascar, Africa.

However this breed was coined the English Lop when very long eared rabbits started popping up in England in the mid 1800s. This single handedly spurred on the ‘fancy rabbit show’ as people began to become more competitive with breeding and meeting to compare their rabbits. The bigger everything, the better; longer ears, wider ears, and bigger body made the rabbit more prestigious.

This eventually led to the founding of The National Lop Club of England in 1850. Around this same time imports of English Lops began making their way to the United States.

Breed Information
Because the breed has been around so long, these rabbits are very gentle, relaxed, and playful. They don’t mind being handled, making them ideal family pets.

The only complication that comes with owning an English Lop is their extremely long ears. With ears spanning to almost two feet, it is important to keep their nails trimmed in case the rabbit steps on them. However these gigantic ears are endearing; they make them extremely fun to breed and show. (The current record ear span is around 31.125 inches since 2003.)

How to Tell Whether your Kits are Male or Female


The underside of a young rabbit, with the vent area circled."Press Here" - The underside of a young rabbit with the vent area circled.

*****Meghan Wonders*****

Q: How do you tell the difference between male and female kits?

*****Karen Sez*****

A: Determining the gender of baby rabbits can be difficult when they are extremely young. Their undersides look virtually identical, but as they approach 6 weeks of age, there will be a few key signs to tell whether your bunny is a buck or a doe.

The general rule of thumb is: "Burritos" = boys, and "tacos" = girls. Male parts protrude in the vertical shape of a burrito, while female parts stretch into a horizontal taco. The trick is in applying the correct amount of pressure.

  • Too much pressure distorts body parts, and you'll think little girls are boys.
  • Too little pressure, and body parts remain partially hidden. You'll think little boys are girls.

It is possible to tell at birth, but because the parts are so tiny, there is huge room for error. I typically do not even hazard a guess until a minimum of 2 weeks of age. And I don't need to; the kits are only just leaving the nest box at that age.

By the age of 6 weeks, you should be able reliably to tell the boys from the girls. For a complete explanation on how to sex both kits and adult rabbits, check out pages 148-149 of the book, Rabbit Raising Problem Solver, or our Sexing Rabbits page for step-by-step instructions and clear photos.

Rabbit Raising: Common Rookie Mistakes


Have you ever made a detrimental mistake in you rabbit raising experience? You're not alone! 

The idea of raising rabbits can be deceptively easy, especially when starting out. This is because there are tons of things to learn that sometimes only experience can teach. People DO make mistakes without meaning to. The courageous ones then share what they've learned so that others can learn without having to make the same mistakes themselves!

We've compiled a page of rabbit owners' rookie mistakes to help you and others avoid the more common slip-ups. 

The most common rookie mistakes we found were:

  • Using the wrong cages and hutches
  • Buying low quality rabbits
  • Misunderstanding health needs (from overfeeding to snuffles)

Have you made a few rookie mistakes of your own? We'd love to hear from you! Comment at the bottom of our Rookie Mistakes page to share your own experiences in rabbit breeding.

We (Still) Need More Breeders!

The demand for rabbits is high! People are actively looking for rabbits to love as pets, and rabbits to feed the family as part of a subsistence or self-reliance lifestyle. Month after month, our Rabbits for Sale page by itself receives 500 - 700 views every single day of the year. Additionally, our individual rabbits for sale by state pages collectively receive at least 950 views PER DAY. People are seriously searching for rabbits to buy. 

If you are a rabbit raiser, this is good news for you. And even better, we can help connect you to these individuals in your area who would be happy to purchase a rabbit or three from your rabbitry. If you breed rabbits on a somewhat regular basis, we'd like to help you for free!

But we can't help you if we don't know you're out there. We know there must be rabbit raisers in every single state in the Union, and province in Canada, but we currently have 25 state pages with two or fewer breeders and the states mentioned below currently have no breeders listed:

People are searching these pages right now, and finding NO breeders. Why don't you let us know your town and state, and what breeds you raise?

If you breed rabbits in any state, or in Canada, or internationally, and are interested in obtaining a FREE listing on our website, it's easy - simply request a listing by filling out the form below. 

If you prefer, and for a nominal subscription fee, we will give you a whole page dedicated to featuring your rabbitry. Check out the details here.

Rabbitry Listing Request Form
Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.

Please enter the word that you see below.

  




Like this Rabbit Rhythms September 2020 Newsletter?


Maybe your friends would too...

Your friends at Raising-Rabbits.com wish you a wonderful September 2020. 

Enjoy your rabbits!





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