Oreo's litter of 6!!!!

My purebred can't have babies anymore for some reason and I really wanted babies. Oreo & Cinnamon were the sweetest couple ever and I couldn't resist. I tryed 3 times to get babies from my purebred and there was already people waiting for babies. So when I got my new doe from the petstore(I was going to get one of her babies tunrs out they were all...sold!) and I decided, Oreo's babies are adorable who can't resist them? Even Oreo is just as adorable as her babies! So I bred her and wa la there they were, I'm keeping two, the owner(my best friend) of Cinnamon is keeping one and the rest, my best's friends aunt wants one maybe two and my neighbor too. Even my cousin who hates rabbits and think they are creepy liked them. Trust me there are many people who want babies, they don't care purebred or not they want a loving pet.I would never have bred my rabbit if I knew I couldn't get rid of them. The babies are definitly NOT going to the petstore, i hate that place, many rabbits are sick there and I would never know where my precious babes went. This will be the last breeding ever anyways, Cinnamon is getting neutered and so are Caramel or Fudgeo if they are boys. I'm also getting my purebred spayed. My sister doesn't want Oreo spayed though, but I warned her! I am NOT an irresponsible breeder and never will be!

actually it isn't different at all! My aunt bred purebred Mini Rex for about 5 years and gave practically every batch of buns to the petstore with great difficulty finding homes for them. Some babies were even let loose by owners, I am very upset about this it actually horrifies me,and if you ask me I rescued every Mini Rex I got from her because they would have ended up loose or in the petstore turning into a classroom rabbit or worse! I'd never do that to my babes and I think it is offensive to judge the way I raise my bunnies!You have your opinions I have mine. Besides I've already helped, I adopted Oreo, she herself was dumped by her old owner, then found and placed in a petstore, I took her. She is still very nervous of humans,most likely neglected. For all rabbits it's heaven here, I spoil them rotten and they have everything they need. I have a male but he is neutered. I believe in neuter/spay to avoid overpopulation. But some people just can't afford it....it took me a few months to save up and now i finally have enough, finding the right vet for the operation and making sure I don't lose my precious Spoicley is what I need to do now!

come on folks...i'm a HUUUUGE animal lover too, but this poster only posted so she could share something that made her happy and proud, and ya'll kinda jumped (or hopped, since we're talking bunnies) on her...I'd say it's making her sad that she came on here to share something that made her smile, and instead, she's being questioned. She didn't have to post at all, ya know....

just my two cents.

THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!!! For one thing I am fully educated on rabbits and I know SOOO much about them...they are my favorite animal and I read everything I can possible about them. If me breeding my bunnies bugs you please keep your opinion to yourself! I mean come on it's almost as bad as the house rabbit society NAGGING me about every last detail about my rabbits and talk to me like I know absoloutly nothing but I do! Why else would I have a website all about rabbit care!?

Rabbits are much different than dogs or cats. Especially around here, there is no over population in my area, in the shelter there are 2 rabbits that's it! maybe even one! not very many people abandon rabbits around here maybe the odd person but not MILLIONS AND BILLIONS per year! I actually saved another abandoned rabbit. Charlie who was a really friendly guy after of course Spice. I lured him into a cage with a peice of Spice's fur and he was caught, and the best part someone adopted him right away! She calls all the time to update us and how wonderful he is. Most rabbits around here are kept outdoors too, which I do. I don't see a problem with it, no rabbit I have ever known has died from freezing to death or heatstroke around here(baby bunnies of course but not full grown bunnies). My Aunt had some luck with her rabbits, I know a black one who still has the same home, and two does were put in the petstore and were gone the next week. The petstore up there has a vet working there! The only worst incident with loose rabbits was recently, my aunt gave away 7 babies and ChocolateChip( a BEAUTIFUL mini rex doe,Spice's full sister,gone to many different homes,including mine,my parents made me give her back:( ) and the people drove all the way out miles and miles away and dropped all the rabbits at the camp ground, some must have been found! Most likely ChocolateChip, she was a smart one. And the second worst was about 2 years ago when people got 2 Mini rex from my Aunt,ChocolateChip & Peter(both Spice's full sisters), they got a new rabbit from the petstore,ChocolateChip attacked her so they gave her back, then a few weeks later Muffin gave birth to 4 babies(Cinnamon came out of this litter<3), my best friend had both choosen and everything but we forgot to tell my aunt, then she gave them to those same people who gave ChocolateChip back, poor buns had to go live with a 3 year old, anyways, one morning they woke up and there was a whole in the ground and all the rabbits were gone and...never came back so everyone knows what that meant!:( I've only ever bred with success twice and have never had any problems. Everyday I go out and spend time with my rabbits,bring them in the house,put them on there harness which is risky and i'm not very keen on, there are many eagles up there since I live on a lake, I always have too look up at the sky every 5 seconds, I'd know if there was one my rabbits would get spooked.

Quote:

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Originally posted by dogs_4_me


Ps:I dont think it was fair to question wabbitwuver like that, Though it is a wide spread problem i think you should support fellow Pters instead of questioning them.

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1. It was just a question

and

2. Just because we are fellow PTers doesn't mean what we do it right or ok (not sayign what you did Wasn't ok, it acctually sounds like you are VERY responsible and it seems like you have your rabbits best intrest in mind!) If I told you I let my bunny run around my yard 24/7 would you say O she's a fellow PTer lets, not question her and tell her she is wrong in her ways? No, you would tell me that its NOT ok to keep a rabbit outside running around free (or I hope you would). It's kinda the same thing. If Wabbitlover said " O I just bred her to bred her because I deced and I really don't know much about it and I'm not sure what is even going on but O well" then we would have told her what she was doing was wrong and she was indangering her rabbit's life. (Thankfully Wabbitluver seems to be VERY responsible in her ways).

My thought, is that it is the animals well being that we should be thinking about. If Wabbitluver was NOT being reponsible and didn't know anything about breeding, then yes, I will admit that I would tell her she was wrong and indangering her rabbit.

Ashley

Quote:

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Originally posted by dogs_4_me
I think you took that statement "Fellow pter" very wrong. I was just stating that when someone is happy and proud of there new additions i dont think it is kind or fair to come and start questioning her love and knowledge for animals. People are allowed to breed rabbits, and she was resposible and had homes for them as i recall her saying she found homes for them in the first post. I know if i was happy about somthing and someone started doing that i would feel rather hurt. but then again just my opionen,

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I for one, NEVER questioned her love for animals or her knowledge. I just asked a simple question " Why did you breed your mixed breed rabbits. " This was not meant to be taken rudly, I was simply asking, did I say " O you must not love your rabbit because you bred it? " Nope. did I say " O you must not know alot about rabbits because you breed? " Nope. I just simply asked a question. " Why did you breed your mixed breed rabbit? "

It is what it is and it is a question, nothing more nothing less, just a question.

Ashley

More pics of the bunnies please;)

I hope I cna get some more on here soon. I don't have many updated pics since the camera's battery died. And I don't have the pics on this computer but I will get more soon. The babies are cuter and fluffier than before!

oopsy! I just realized I was looged in my old account haha!

Oreo's babies are adorable and I can't wait to see more pictures!!! :D

As for the "controversy" here, I think everyone has been so polite through it all. Believe me, there have been waaaaaaay worse arguments on Pet Talk in the past!!!! Thanks to all of you, this one has been civil, and I think we've gotten good explanations and all feel confident about what you're doing!!! :)

May I ask you some questions?

What are some signs a rabbit is close to giving birth?

Is it hard to build a nest box?

What kind of things do you put in there nest box?

How do you check to see if there are babies inside?

Does the dad need to be removed from the mom and babies, will he eat them?

Will the mom and babies need a larger cage then what the mom lived in?

If the mom's cage has a shelf in it for her to sit on, should you take it out?

When will the rabbits learn to jump? Should the food/water be moved to the first floor?

When will they start to eat solid food?

When can you hold the babies?

Sorry for SO many questions!

Ash

Sure thang!

What are some signs a rabbit is close to giving birth?
swollen nipples,nest building(usually 28th day). You can't really see when the rabbit is in labour because usually she gives birth late night or early morning, a rabbit can have babies between 28-35 days after breeding.

Is it hard to build a nest box?
no! It was the simplest task ever. I've made 3 nestboxes so far and all were a success(see my nestboxes at piczo.com/rabbits, they should be on the breeding page with nests already built)

What kind of things do you put in there nest box?
line it with hay the doe will do the rest. If the doe does not pull fur you can use fur from a previous litter or use cotton.

How do you check to see if there are babies inside?
I myself lift the fur and see and remove any stillborns. The doe shouldn't kill them, a pet rabbit usually doesn't but a wild rabbit will if you touch them

Does the dad need to be removed from the mom and babies, will he eat them?
He'll most definitly eat them! Or atleast hurt them. You should only keep a male and female in the same cage for mating(in male's cage ONLY!)

Will the mom and babies need a larger cage then what the mom lived in?
well let's see here a trick question eh?;) well since Oreo had a litter of 6 I waited until they were 2 weeks old then moved them to the larger cage. But the mother and babies should not be kept together after the babies are weaned(6-8 weeks of age). Keep all males in seperate cages from each other(they'll fight!) and females can stay together. I seperated Hershey from my females until I got him neutered.

If the mom's cage has a shelf in it for her to sit on, should you take it out?
no, this will help the mother take a break from the babies. if they are trying to nurse her when it's not feeding time the doe can go up there.

When will the rabbits learn to jump? Should the food/water be moved to the first floor?
when they are about 14-18 days old. I don't have levels in my rabbit cage, I have an outside run and inside part. I keep the food in the same place, the babies always get at it no matter what, lettuce is not good for babies, it can cause them to get "high", pellets can also block them up so your "supposed" to feed them oatmeal, I can't though, this upsets my rabbit's stomachs(poor Spice tryed it and had a bad stomach ache, some pineapple juice cured that,banana helps too). Water is out of reach of babies and most breeders let the babies eat the mother's food, I don't know about House Rabbit Society and all their fancy little rules, I don't always let's say agree or get along with them.

When will they start to eat solid food?
About 2 weeks of age.

When can you hold the babies?
I held mine when they were a few days old. I have a very trusting doe. Most breeders hold the babies when they are newborns. There is a common myth does will eat they're babies if you handle them is not true. While some people do wait until the babies are a few weeks old. It is your own decision.

Is this a quiz to test my knowledge of rabbits? I already told you I read every book I can get my hands on and why would I lie? My cousin quizzed me out of a book for fun and guess what I got them all right! woohoo! Anyways I would appreciate if I don't get any negative replies to this....I hope you are not trying to prove me wrong! I am smarter than you think.

Thanks Logan. It is quite frusterating about how many people butt in on my buisness! I thought this was a place to enjoy pets not critisize the ways others raise their's! It's like everyone saying that Axle is illegal when he's not. People learn from mistakes....I have learned an awful lot from just about 3 years of owning rabbits! I spend hours reading websites by breeders,ect..
I do find it quite offensive that people judge my knowledge of rabbits just because I bred my mixed breed WHOOP-DE-DOO! Anyways mixed breeds are healthier and make better pets. They are healthier because there is no risk of being inbred. Also I find my Mini Rex much more stuck-up and WAY less friendly than my mixed breeds, mixed breeds I find are also easier to train. Also my Mini Rex had stillborns in every litter and Basil's problems where caused by being purebred. Yes I admit Spice and Cinnamon where inbred, they were from different litters but have the same parents. Please don't jump all over me because inbred. Most purebred breeders in-breed, it's a way of improving color,shape,ect..What do people want purebreds for anyways....breeding that's it. Sure peopel want Mini Rex for they're soft fur but mixed breeds are usually preferred,as I said before they are better pets. My aunt inbreeds, and breeds to mix breeds, and oh no your gonna flip because her doe is 6 years old(that's right SIX years old) and there is nothing I can do because she is my aunt and I can't tell her what to do with her rabbits, it's her decision, even though I feel sorry for Muffin. I also think people judge me because I am 13(almost 14,thazzzz right;)) years old. I'm 13 so what? doesn't mean I'm stupid or incompetant does it now? I know much more about rabbits than ALOT of adults...excuse me....most adults! The House Rabbit Society got this crazy idea that just because a few youths(yup thazz right I'm a YOUTH) or kids hurt rabbits or can't handle the responsibility of caring for rabbits means all can't. Only a true rabbit lover should own a rabbit! The HRS also claims it is cruel to house your rabbits outdoors well I have news for them it's not. Rabbits have always been housed outdoors in history,in pits actually, and rabbits are climatized. Mostly old rabbits die of heatstroke. And never have any rabbit I've known around here EVER died from freezing to death or heatstroke. My dad didn't spend 3 weeks building an awesomely huge rabbit cage with all the protection they need for me to make my rabbits live indoors. Yes some people disagree. But they can of they want, I just would rather not soil or stink up my house, sure they can be trained but that takes some house stinking(no offense to anyone :S), my mom sure won't allow it. And trust me no rabbit can ever be perfectly littertrained, Spice is, but she usually let's a few turds, but Hershey eats every single drop of turd he has,lol! Every rabbit is different. My rabbits absoloutly HATE being indoors for a long period of time. They love outdoors no matter what. Indoors they tear apart their cage making a huge mess. Anyways this is how I prefer to raise my rabbits, but everyone has a different method. Please don't critisize my method, sure you may have a different one but don't say mine is wrong because it's not!

Quote:

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Originally posted by wabbitwuver

Is this a quiz to test my knowledge of rabbits? I already told you I read every book I can get my hands on and why would I lie? My cousin quizzed me out of a book for fun and guess what I got them all right! woohoo! Anyways I would appreciate if I don't get any negative replies to this....I hope you are not trying to prove me wrong! I am smarter than you think.

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NOT AT ALL!!!!


Ok, see, I'll come clean right here! HA ha. I reascued some rabbits from a meat farm. I had them sexed by 2 people who were both 100% they BOTH were females. I NEVER thought ANYTHING of it untill they started to "fight" or make alot of noise. So I sexed them last night and "Sharra" is a boy and Molly is a girl. I am so angry at myself beyound beleaf at how stupid I have been. I should have checked them! But I never gave it a thought.

Both of my rabbits are inbetween 4 months and 10 months. They have been together since they were 2 months old. I spoke to a breeder last night who said I should prepare for babies just in case she is pregnet (they are now seprated).

I am trying to gather information and I find that information from someone who has done it before and who has done los of reascerch is good to add into the research I do by myself.

So, that is the reason I asked you all my questions. I'm sorry to bother you, I just wanted help. I will look else where for answers.

You were a big help to me though,
Ashley

Also, About rabbits never being 100% litter trained is not true. I have 2 males have NEVER had an accident sicne they were litter trained. They live seprate so it's not like one could eat the other poop either.

It just takes time and patience.
Ashley