|
| Our Rabbitry |
Feeding:
My
rabbits are free-fed on Pfaus 18%. I have tried many
different
brands of feed and I feel that Pfaus is
definitely top notch. It's a nice fresh
green color
and my rabbits gobble it right down. Since I started
feeding Pfaus,
I've noticed much improvement in
their over all condition and my rabbits seem to
like
it much better than other feeds I have tried. My rabbits
also get a handful of
hay and half a cup of my grain
mix each day. It is important to keep some sort of
roughage in a rabbit's diet as it helps to keep their
digestive track regulated.
Each rabbit also gets
some sort of fruit or veggie (usually a piece of banana,
carrot or apple slice) but in moderation. Too much
can cause diarrhea and an
upset tummy. Every bunny
also has a salt/mineral spool attached to their cage.
I
like to put a chew block in with each bunny as well. It
helps to keep teeth in good
shape and my bunnies
have a pretty good time playing around with their
chew blocks.
|
 Housing:
My rabbits are housed in my well ventilated garage, as I
prefer to
keep my rabbits in a climate controlled
environment and out of harsh weather.
The AC/heating
ducts are hooked up to the garage, so the bunnies are
pretty
pampered! I have a series of 3-4 hole condos
(30" X 30") in which they are
housed. I have about
22 cages right now and hope to expand a little bit more.
Because english lops and champagne d'argents are larger
breeds, it is very
important that they have an EZ
mat to sit on to give their feet a break, as larger
breeds are prone to sore hocks. Cage pans are cleaned
thoroughly once a week (twice in the summer months). For
bedding in the cage pans, I really like Dry Den pellets.
They are very absorbent, so a little goes a LONG way.
They also reduce
odor by quite a bit. Sanitation and
cleanliness is a top priority here!
New
rabbits
are put in a different area away from my
other rabbits for a week, I feel it is important to
quarantine newbies just in case.
|
Our Standards: At
Pease & Carrots Rabbitry, we do not breed for fancy
colors or record holding ear lengths. Granted, it is fun
to have a variety of different colors in a
herd. But I am not willing to sacrifice stellar body
type for 30" ears and fancy colors. I breed for
OVERALL BALANCE and easy-going temperaments. I prefer
any rabbit in my herd to have at least 24" ears
(again, it's about balance). I have a small rabbitry and
have to be very selective. I like english lops with big
bone and capacity to them. I didn't like the "race
horse" look when I raised sheep, and the same applies to
my rabbits. Breed character of course is very
important. No visible crowns, nice shape and texture to
the ears, correct structure, excellent depth and full hindquarters with
that mandolin body type.
Pictured at the right: My BOSV youth winning rabbit,
Big Louie & I at the 2004 Lop Nationals.
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
