Baby Tans

[DharmaBuns]

Go Antonio!!! Tear up those tables

 

[Ilovemyrabbit]

Cuties! All these tans are really cute! I think I'm having a cuteness overdose!

 

[woahlookitsme]

So just changing around the rabbitry a little bit and FINALLY adding two new cages for tans!! I'm so happy! What we are going to do is change out the cages on our PCV hutch. We're going from four 24x30s to six 24x24s! This will allow me to keep herd bucks and growing juniors in so the moms and litters can move to the side of the house to stay in our other 24x30s. I have been dying to get another herd doe because I have soooo many people around here requesting tans that I cannot keep up! Ill attach pics below of the cages then two of my boys captain jack and seawolf (sorry for his ugly fur lol hot weather has finally settled in Texas to stay). We only did the top cages. I am waiting for seashells babies to be weaned and then well switch out the bottom

In other news no updated baby pictures but Serena is expecting this weekend. Silly me I didn't even palpate her so it will be a guessing game. I've been super busy got a new job finished college and am graduating on the 3rd then I also still have my vet school applications to finish. Yes craziness has ensued

 

[Ilovemyrabbit]

Cute tans!

 

[woahlookitsme]

thank you even with their rusty fur they are still handsome haha

 

[Ilovemyrabbit]

They are!

Oh and I didn't read what you had said above the photos. I just want to say that I'm sure the new cages will work great.

And congrats on Serena! Can't wait to see her babies!

 

[woahlookitsme]

lol Its okay! thank you im sure they will be perfect! And I cant wait either I already have people on a waiting list for them!

 

[Bonsai]

Tans are so pretty! Their fur is sleek and shiny, really shows off those rich colors of theirs. I love this breed, they seem to have a more athletic look to them, moreso than your standard pet rabbits. Wonder what it is about them that makes me think that, hehe.

Pretty sure I need at least two of these adorable babies I've seen in the pages I browsed. On a serious note, I am eagerly anticipating the baby pictures! Tans are so pretty, I'm fairly attached to blues and chocolates. Your black & tans are sooo pretty, though, so it makes it difficult for me to say I wouldn't eagerly grab a black from you if given the opportunity. Too bad I live in TN.

 

[Azerane]

Tans are so pretty! Their fur is sleek and shiny, really shows off those rich colors of theirs. I love this breed, they seem to have a more athletic look to them, moreso than your standard pet rabbits. Wonder what it is about them that makes me think that, hehe.

Hopefully I'm not butchering the breed standard when I say this, but at least from my perspective they seem more athletic because of the arched backs. The arch in turn brings their belly higher off the ground which gives them a tendency to look sleeker and more refined as opposed to the fluffy ball that a lot of other bunnies can look like

 

[woahlookitsme]

agree with azerane You didnt butcher anything. Tans used to have an older standard which where heavier boned, and overall thicker rabbits. Recently the tan underwent a dramatic appearance change. The bone got much lighter and so did the animals. This allowed them to have a higher metabolism, be more active, and in turn sleeker and in my opinion more elegant in their appearance. The thinner bone came from breeders who were able to import tan stock from overseas. Tans have changed but I like them much better this way. I cant wait to post baby pictures either The blues have definitely stole my heart especially because I produce such nice ones lo

 

[DharmaBuns]

The blues have definitely stole my heart especially because I produce such nice ones lo

So true! I completely agree with this. I love Whiskey and her daughter, if possible, is even more beautiful than she is!

 

[Bonsai]

Oh wow, I didn't realize their standard had been overhauled! That's pretty interesting, makes me wonder what other breeds have been "redone". I can definitely see that the arch and cylinder-shaped bodies are what makes them seem athletic. They're very elegant and just overall sleek. I believe they could be in one of those sports car commercials.

I can't wait to see more of your blues! Seeing all the pictures and upcoming babies is whetting my excitement for my own bunny in a couple months. Man, waiting is the worst! Must be even worse if you're the breeder, eager to see all those babies.

I suppose I should ask here (if you don't mind) but do you have any advice for anyone looking to get into rabbit showing and breeding? I've been seriously thinking about it lately and I get to go to my first rabbit show in August - the day I pick my baby up. I've asked a couple other breeders but I like getting more advice Doesn't hurt to have a few peoples' views to store as food for thought!

 

[woahlookitsme]

Lol thank you Elizabeth!! I bet her daughter is gorgeous! So jealous the only blues I could get both had to be boys haha rats

Bonsai I don't mind at all. It definitely takes a lot of work! BUT if you are willing to put in that work the rewards that come make everything worthwhile! What breed are you getting at the show? Ask anyone you can for advice and/or about their rabbits! Don't be afraid to talk to someone (unless theyre grooming or frantically getting their rabbit ready for show lol) majority of breeders and exhibitors love to talk about their rabbits (I know I do!) find a breed you will truly enjoy and try showing a couple of times. When I first started I didn't get many good comments but that pushed me into working harder! Also make sure you have some space for it. I am pretty small with me and my mom only having about 18 broodstock In between two breeds (tans and polish). You don't have to have a big rabbitry to produce good rabbits but you must learn when it's time to move one on if they aren't doing what they need to for your herd. It can be hard but most of mine go to other exhibitors (especially if its a nice rabbit but I just either can't use it or its not working out) who knows it may work out with someone else. I rarely have to find pet homes for mine.

 

[Bonsai]

Thank you for the advice!

I know it'll be a lot of work but I wanted to do "small-scale" to begin with. Maybe a pair or two (probably one, to begin with...).

The breeds I've been interested in working with are Dutch, Netherland Dwarf, Himalayan, Mini Satin, and Holland Lop. I wouldn't do ALL of them, it would just depend on whichever I feel I'm drawn to more, you know? If my Nethie baby works out and I really like what I see of the breed, Nethies would most likely be my choice. My only worry with them is the "peanut" babies... The necessity to breed a dwarf to a false dwarf worries me greatly, I wouldn't want to screw up somehow. So after Nethies, my second choice is either Hima or Lops.

I'll definitely talk to a few exhibitors! I've always wanted to show rabbits or dogs or SOMETHING so it really is something I'm very interested in doing, I just never had the chance to. My biggest worry was the exhibitors not wanting to talk, hehe. Now that I know they enjoy talking about their rabbits and such, I feel more comfortable. I'm really excited to go to my first rabbit show, even if I'm not participating.

Some more questions I have... How do you control smell and how does "exercise time" go? I imagine with more than a couple rabbits, finding time/space to allow them to run around is difficult... So how do you manage that personally? I know unaltered rabbits spray/their urine smells stronger and that's the only reason I'm asking. My unaltered girl (she's getting fixed soon, hehe) hasn't sprayed before for some reason, so I've never had to deal with spraying but I've heard/can imagine it is difficult to deal with.

 

[majorv]

Maybe we've been fortunate but none of our rabbits spray. We have outside stackable cages that are two tiers so we have the boys on the bottom and the girls on top. The boys have a stronger smelling urine so their pee and poop falls on the ground. We periodically take the top layer off and use it for mulch. Keeping the sexes on the same level greatly helps with any possible spraying. Once, I had a buck next to one of my does and SHE was the one who sprayed! As soon as I moved him and put a doe next to her, it stopped. You shouldn't have a problem with smell, as long as you keep things clean. If yours will be inside then it's more of a challenge.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Nethies definitely have a hard reputation. I highly suggest talking to other breeders if you do choose them. The peanuts are a big worry but also does either not catching or having hard times with litters is another complaint I hear. Netherlands are also super competitive especially down here so make sure you know the standard backwards and forwards before picking out a breeding pair.

My mom raised himis for a little while they are sweet rabbits and its not too hard finding good quality. There was not alot of competition down here so she switched to polish instead. My mom answered cleaning pretty well. For me exercise time is much different especially since I have a running breed. My tans exercise is running on a board or in my house. My older tans aren't as active and lounge around a lot so they don't get a whole lot of exercise. I try to bring them in for a stretch when it's time to breed. My juniors go up on a table for about 10 minutes (i usually try it once a week) in the summer heat right now I won't do it too much but I might take them inside more. I run my juniors because they could use the exercise but more so I do it to build their confidence for shows. Sometimes if we have a lot of babies I will throw them all together in my bathroom and let them explore for a half day or so this is a great video opportunity lol.

But my moms polish (much like how your dwarfs will be) can be pretty sedentary and don't move a lot. They normally don't have that outside exercise time. Part of it is because I don't have time for it either. I come home on the weekends from school and work and really only have time to do what I need to do with my tans. I also wanted to add I'm going to get new pics right now actually. The two blue babies are going to get exercise and I need to take the Sinatra babies out for new pics. Sooo cuteness overload will comense soon lol

 

[woahlookitsme]

Alright so this will be with quite a few posts now that we are only limited to 10 pics. The two blues will be first. Then Sal, Toni, and Ava. I also wanted to post up a pic of JS1. She is now 5mos and still drop dead gorgeous

 

[woahlookitsme]

more pics

 

[woahlookitsme]

more pics man ava has certainly come out of her shell. She is such a natural poser I didnt have to use the grass to get her to stand up as much as I did the boys.

 

[Bonsai]

Thank you both so much for all your information! I didn't realize Nethies were sedentary - a few people I'd talked to told me they were average "energy". However, when you say they have a "hard reputation" how do you mean that? They're hard to breed or they're difficult rabbits? I've been paranoid lately that I'm going to wind up with a bad rabbit or something because I've read conflicting reviews on their temperament. The breeder assures me her bucks tend to be laidback (and my boy is supposed to be, but you never know when they're babies...) but I've just got this nagging feeling. Sorry for unloading that question on you!

It is a good thing you guys haven't had spraying problems! Whenever I get into breeding, hopefully I won't have one either! You two seem to really know what you're doing and your system seems to work very well. I may have to keep the double-decker cages in mind, hehe. You would think they would spray more if there's two same-*** beside eachother, not the other way around! Silly rabbits.

I've heard Himis are sweet! Too bad I have yet to find a good breeder for them around here. I may find some at the rabbit show, who knows. I love their body shape, they look like slinkies. Or loaves of bread, even, hehe. My Heidi looks a bit like them (she's a black pointed white) and I think she may be part-Himi because she often assumes the bunnyloaf position and looks a LOT like them confirmation-wise. If she is part-Himi and her personality is standard for them, they are sweet bunnies.

Your babies are GORGEOUS! Those blues, oh my... I believe I need them. Not want them, I need them, hehe! Texas is just a hop and a skip away from Tennessee, right?