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Our Rabbitry
Philosophy
We attempt to provide the best possible life
for each rabbit by placing it in an environment that includes:
We accept responsibility for every life that
comes into this Rabbitry.
This is a NO CULL
Rabbitry.
This Rabbitry commits to the preparation of every rabbit
for its future life as either show animal, breeder or pet
by:
• early familiarization
with human contact.
• promoting early socialization.
• providing new owners
with unique bonding information and techniques.
• following the progress
of each rabbit sold to ensure animal comfort and owner
satisfaction.
WHAT WE DO
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Sunshine
- We live in as area known for its long sunshine hours and
our rabbits take full advantage of it in large outdoor pens.
Most of our rabbits live outside 365 days a year. All have
access to insulated hay filled hutches as well as digging
ground, in which some of our rabbits prefer to make their
homes.
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Exercise - We build Natural
Style Habitats that recognises a rabbit's instinctual need
for burrows and platforms.We buy hay bales by the dozens and
use vast amounts to create and support natural styled homes
with tunnels, high spots and burrowing areas. The pens were
originally built by digging out the area to a depth of three
feet and laying down stucco wire as a barrier, refilling the
hole with wooden and plastic structures that were then overlaid
with hay (lots of it!). The hay eventually breaks down into
a form the rabbits are happy to dig in.
For rabbits whose areas are not big enough for natural styling,
we provide a large "common" area where each rabbit
has its own "playday".
We believe it is important to our rabbits' health for them
to get up to speed at least a couple of times a week.
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Diet - We feed a consistant
diet of:
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16% Pro feed Rabbit kibble |
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crushed corn, oats and barley with molasses (C.O.B.) |
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blackoil Sunflower seeds |
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33% protien Calf Manna |
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Plus Apples, Carrots, Pears and any inseason greens
including fresh alfalfa, grasses and tree twigs. (For
more info please see FOOD)
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Friendships - We raise
rabbits in groups and honour pair bonds. Mated pairs live
next to each other for the duration of the litter to its weaning.
We have smaller groups of four and five Does who live happily
together with a single male housed next to them. The cages
allow for noses to touch and even for some grooming to take
place between them.
Our largest warren group is sixteen Does with one neutered
male. Single males are housed around the larger pens to allow
for nose contact with Does.
Our Bucks are always healthy and hopeful.
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Challenges and Experiences
- Because we raise in groups, the natural order of the warren
is recognised and rabbits learn to socialize and work together
(yes, they do). Rabbits are problem solvers by nature and
we provide them with cloth and cardboard structures with food
hidden inside, something the rabbits have to push over, chew
on and dig at.
We also use hay, tree limbs, wood and stucco wire to create
habitates that challenge the rabbits to think and work together
to alter their surroundings. Every day has an adventure.
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Human contact and Love
- Right from birth, we handle our rabbits, the Does trust
us and don't mind our hands in the nests. Young rabbits are
socialized early with humans by spending time as 'pet therapy'
animals in local Extended Care Facilities, as well as being
part of a hands-on program at local Schools and Daycares.
We spend a great deal of time with our rabbits, talking to
them, interacting with them and watching them.
The rabbits have taught us quite a bit.
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Natural Experience Births
- Although this Rabbitry breeds in controlled situations (not
in the large pens) we do allow some of our Does to experience
a natural underground warren situation (Doe digs out her own
tunnel and nest chambers) for at least one mating and pregnancy
up to weaning.
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Natural Family Interactions
-This Rabbitry allows for fathers to participaite in the rearing
of their babies. Dads are kept in adjacent enclosures to the
Mothers with a small doorway between them that allows baby
bunnies to visit and interact with their dad.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO.....
After many years of observing and tracking the numerous bunnies
we have placed in homes, we have noted how much healthier
and socialized the rabbits that have been raised in natural
surroundings are. By observing the natural actions of rabbits
in groups we have discovered techniques for bonding and training
that use the rabbit'sl instinct as an herbivour as well as
its nessecity to be part of a group to allow for a Pet/Owner
experience unlike any other!!!
We believe our rabbits are unique, not just as beautiful
examples of the amazing Lionhead breed but as Rabbits who
are eager to face the world ahead, ready to show their love,
ready to communicate and are certain of their place in the
world!
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU if you are a Rabbit owner
or breeder with POSITIVE experiences to share.
WE ARE NOT, however, interested
in debating the merits of our breeding or natural style raising
philosophies. We have found our methods to be very successful
and we believe them to be more humane than other methods being
employed by many breeders and owners. In that regard:
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If you disagree with our No Cull policy.
It is the regular policy of many Rabbitries to choose
the best one or two babies from a litter and kill the
rest. Entire litters may be sacrificed to keep within
exact breed parameters. It had been argued that our
failure to do this "weakens" the breed and
"dilutes" the stock.
If all breeders kept to this policy, it is highly unlikely
the Lionhead breed would even exist.
Planned breeding and manipulation has produced detrimental
traits in uncounted species around the world. This Rabbitry
refuses to contribute to the overengineering of a species.
Biodiversity is the key to ALL of our survival.
This Rabbitry chooses the best of each litters to offer
as pedigreed breeding stock, the rest
are privately sold as non-pedigreed petstock
to loving owners. Petstock does not reenter the pedigreed
breeding lines.
Every rabbit from every litter is a
loving and intelligent animal.
We choose to share these blessings with
as many caring people as possible.
There can never be enough BUNNY LOVE
in the world!!!
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If you disagree with our breeding policy of
allowing Does to experience natural tunnel births and
raising of young.
We've heard the arguments that:
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Domestic or caged rabbits have no instincts in
common with wild rabbits and therefore do not
require or recognise natural breeding situations
and...
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That baby rabbits raised in earthen tunnels (the
ground) are diseased.
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To the first, we can only provide our observations.
We believe that some behaviors are universal whether
the rabbit is caged or wild. For example:
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every time a rabbit thumps its back foot on the
ground to signal danger,
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every time they run for cover at an unexpected
sound, presenting their back for defence,
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every time a new mother makes a nest of her own
fur,
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we are seeing instinctual behaviors.
We have had experiences with a number of Does who,
although their ancestors were raised in cages for generations,
have dug perfectly constructed tunnels with two chamber
dens (the perfect nest) and succeeded in raising large,
healthy litters.
We are convinced that instinct remains strong in every
rabbit.
To the second, we would dispute the belief the babies
emerging are diseased. On the contrary, We've found
them to be brighteyed and healthy, even more adventurous
than their caged cousins.
We are well aware of the bacteria, germs and even disease
that can be present in soil. Beyond following standard
cleanliness practices of regular clean bedding, fresh
food and water twice a day, we leave the rest to nature.
We trust in the Does ability to keep everything clean,
she works very hard to do so and she is the result
of millions of years of evolution that have well shaped
her for the task.
We believe the rabbit's immune system is strengthened
by exposure to the germs and bacteria of everyday life.
Here to date, we have never had a disease related
death in this Rabbitry.
As Rabbitry policy, we routinely follow the life and
health of each rabbit sold and so far have not had
a single disease related death in over 300 placements.
Our rabbits regularly outlive companions from other
sources.
We will let that record speak for us.
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If you believe that rabbits raised in small cages,
never to see the light of the sun or have real earth
beneath their feet are happy, healthy and fulfilled.
How can any animal be happy in that situation? Rabbits
are not hothouse plants or steel widgets, they are living,
thinking, feeling creatures. They experience love and
joy, they are capable problem solvers and have a sense
of humour.They are capable of tender expressions of
caring and concern. They can fall into deep depressions.
They know sorrow and they grieve.
We honour all of their natures by providing environments
that encourage social expression and interaction.
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If you disagree with our policy of allowing Bucks
to interact with their babies, the argument being
that it's 'unnatural' and the Bucks will kill the babies.
In nature the fathers are the ones to train, clean
and watch over the babies. Mothers stay away from the
nest except for feedings, part of a strategy to keep
predators from finding the young. Fathers play an important
part in the babies development. Given the choice, babies
will spend the majority of their time with Dad.
We can't think of anything more natural.
We have found the babies develope into calmer, smarter,
more trainable rabbits that are quicker to accept new
situations.
In over 6 years of maintaining this policy, we have
never had a Buck injure or kill a baby.
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