DeniseJP
Well-Known Member
Years ago, my sons and I raised and showed Holland Lops - and the occasional Fuzzy Lop that would appear in the nest boxes. My last Hollands and a pet Rex passed some years ago and I was ready to donate the last of my cages to our humane society but it never happened... guess the universe knew I was destined to be owning rabbits again or being owned by rabbits.
My oldest son (almost 19) started talking about Checkered Giants again this year... it was a breed he wanted to get involved in at the age of 12 but was discouraged by a breeder (oh, they bite, they are nasty...you are too little to handle them). That breeder was recommended to me by three different people but when the breeder did not answer emails and phone calls, my rabbit quest was reinforced ten fold.
I visited a local show in January and while no Checkered Giants were competing, I found myself drawn back to my first breed, the Hollands. I met two breeders and then a third online who provided me with my newest Hollands, Naragon's Axel and Cy's Juno.
Dusting off the old cages, I realized these special bunnies need better accommodations so I am working on larger cages. As I enjoy the antics of rabbits, and believe they are stimulated when they can explore beyond the confines of their hutches, I am hoping to enrich their lives as much as they are enriching mine.
The quest for the Giants continues as I will feel like I never fulfilled a want of my son (if they are not here), which has now become my want. But, rabbits are rabbits, no matter what shape or breed and having that lagomorph presence right now in my life and looking forward to the shows is making me young again. I remember the early shows... lugging the carriers in... my sons selecting those rabbits they wanted to show and going over the judges cards with them... celebrating wins and losses and tears when a favorite rabbit crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
It is a celebration of life that I hope to share my perspective on as I venture forth on my own as the rabbit owner of my family. There is nothing like having young kits... showing, cuddling a rabbit, watching them cut loose with "scamperbunny" (aka binkies) or getting marked by a rabbit's nose (I like that they think they need to belong to me) or the obnoxious buck behavior of spraying like a Spin Art machine and the look on the buck's face after the fact (gotcha!)...
First buns to make a return to Silversong Farm are Naragon's Axel, a 2006 tort Holland Lop buck and Cy's Juno, a lovely broken black doe who reminds me of my oldest son's first show buck, Winslow.
Today, 24 hours after they have joined our family, Axel is on his hind legs, wanting to look at everything. I know he is wondering what does are around for him. I took him out to let him visit with Mercy, our matriarch miniature horse and they had a sniffing session before both of them decided they had enough.
Juno is now coming to the front of the cage, her ears still showing some control but I am hoping that the more she sees me, the more relaxed she will get. As a littler baby her pictures just caught my eye with her pose. Tonight she let me pick her up and cuddle her, then she was happy to pose with one ear lifted.
Axel's nose was going a mile a minute.
My oldest son (almost 19) started talking about Checkered Giants again this year... it was a breed he wanted to get involved in at the age of 12 but was discouraged by a breeder (oh, they bite, they are nasty...you are too little to handle them). That breeder was recommended to me by three different people but when the breeder did not answer emails and phone calls, my rabbit quest was reinforced ten fold.
I visited a local show in January and while no Checkered Giants were competing, I found myself drawn back to my first breed, the Hollands. I met two breeders and then a third online who provided me with my newest Hollands, Naragon's Axel and Cy's Juno.
Dusting off the old cages, I realized these special bunnies need better accommodations so I am working on larger cages. As I enjoy the antics of rabbits, and believe they are stimulated when they can explore beyond the confines of their hutches, I am hoping to enrich their lives as much as they are enriching mine.
The quest for the Giants continues as I will feel like I never fulfilled a want of my son (if they are not here), which has now become my want. But, rabbits are rabbits, no matter what shape or breed and having that lagomorph presence right now in my life and looking forward to the shows is making me young again. I remember the early shows... lugging the carriers in... my sons selecting those rabbits they wanted to show and going over the judges cards with them... celebrating wins and losses and tears when a favorite rabbit crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
It is a celebration of life that I hope to share my perspective on as I venture forth on my own as the rabbit owner of my family. There is nothing like having young kits... showing, cuddling a rabbit, watching them cut loose with "scamperbunny" (aka binkies) or getting marked by a rabbit's nose (I like that they think they need to belong to me) or the obnoxious buck behavior of spraying like a Spin Art machine and the look on the buck's face after the fact (gotcha!)...
First buns to make a return to Silversong Farm are Naragon's Axel, a 2006 tort Holland Lop buck and Cy's Juno, a lovely broken black doe who reminds me of my oldest son's first show buck, Winslow.
Today, 24 hours after they have joined our family, Axel is on his hind legs, wanting to look at everything. I know he is wondering what does are around for him. I took him out to let him visit with Mercy, our matriarch miniature horse and they had a sniffing session before both of them decided they had enough.
Juno is now coming to the front of the cage, her ears still showing some control but I am hoping that the more she sees me, the more relaxed she will get. As a littler baby her pictures just caught my eye with her pose. Tonight she let me pick her up and cuddle her, then she was happy to pose with one ear lifted.
Axel's nose was going a mile a minute.
