Making tough decisions

TinysMom · Feb 18, 2008

I already shared this in my blog but I thought I'd share it here with y'all. I've made the very tough decision to get out of breeding once my currently pregnant does have delivered. I'm currently working on ways to rehome much of my herd - mainly keeping my favorites.

I am still going to be in here helping moderate and stuff....I'm just going to stop breeding - most likely forever.

It's been a tough decision - one I've struggled with for about a year now. I've come across so many unethical breeders that do things that make me cringe that I wanted to stay in breeding - to show that a person could be ethical and breed with integrity - putting the lives of their animals ahead of profit or "fun" or whatever. It was important to me also to see certain colors get established in the lionhead breed by people who were willing to breed to the standard.

A few things have happened recently though that made me realize....I no longer have the heart for breeding. Some have happened on this forum...one of which was a post by Katt in her blog when she talked about when she got out of breeding. Wow...that touched me and I sat and cried and cried and cried for a day or so.

Tomorrow I'm taking Saphira to the vet - its a long story - but I'm going to get her checked out. When I bred her - she was a "breeder bunny" to me....which meant I knew the risk (which is minimal) and willing to risk it. But during the weeks she spent by my desk - particularly after Tiny died....she became "beloved"....to see her not be herself is killing me.

This was the final thing to make me say, "I can't do this". I myself can not make the choices that possibly can put a doe's life at risk anymore. The risks are slim to none...but they would be even less if I didn't breed.

I guess that since some of the losses I've had - I just can't look at bunnies anymore as just for breeding....they've all become too precious to me.

Anyway - I'm not "anti-breeder" and I have respect for the majority of breeders on here that I've dealt with....and I will get to enjoy watching your litters grow as I go "MORE PICTURES..."....

Thanks for reading this - I just didn't want y'all to hear it from someone else on the forum or something. No need to reply to this - honest.....I just wanted to share.

Peg

bunnybunbunb · Feb 18, 2008

You have just did what I haven't been able to do. For the last 3 years I have decided over and over again that I quite. I can't take doing it more yet I can't stop. I love my mommies and mydaddies and my babies. I have kinda been in the dumpers fora few days now and I am comtemplating what I should do. I have one more litter due if she holds them till they are due. This is one of the main reasons I'm consistering it so much. My does arn't holding their litters. the last 6 months all my does are misscarrying or absorbing their babies. Fine and pregnant one day and not the next. I have been working so hard for a litter(wanting a DM lionhead litter very bad) and I finely got 3 litters born. All has a lionhead/(lop) for a parent but none is DM. I had an awesome PB DM Chocolate carrier litter due and what happens? She misscarries 10 days before her due date. I got out to fine 1 baby and 3 -meat- balls over the cage.

My current litters I have having horrible trouble keeping alive. I have to -milk- all 3 of my does so I can feed the runt because it can't suck and get fed enough. It's hard on me but mostly on the moms and thepoor runt. To see how tiny and thin she is even though I work for 2 hours getting the milk out of the does into a syring and then slowly feeding it to her and hope it is enough to keep her doing till the does have enough milk to squeeze out and feed her again. It is so hard. I have to time to do it and I will do it as long as it is needed but it breaks my heart.

I applaud you for being able to quite! Good luck.

TreasuredFriend · Feb 20, 2008

I'm reading this Peg with tears flowing down my cheeks. Tears of happiness, the tissue wads say.

I catch a glimpse of posts here and there and hop to Tiny's RIP Bridge thread when time avails. Inspiration flows from your words ~ and photos

~ there. All your insightful messages.

Miss Bea and Tiny's Forum Valentine photo is lovingly looked at !! :hearts:hearts

In respects to people being unethical & improper in introducing new rabbit lives into the world, it is a choice. As fence "end posts", you have the knowledge to educate on conception to birth; my passion is the continuance of life before the lethal injection goes in to an innocent being, unwanted (i.e., disposable), whether old or young.
A visit to the fairgrounds rabbit tent a couple years back..., the chair-lady inside told me "we don't believe they have emotions or feelings."

You can imagine the knife that went into my heart at that time, unfathomable that a human being would think that way. (No emotions or pain receptors in these 4-legged furries.)

Ear rubs and kisses to every one of your precious heartbeats. Everytime I see a lionhead, cousin in sizing to Tiny:kiss:, White Flemmie, rosey-eyed NZ ... !!harley!! ... i'll think of Peg and smile.

{{Peg and Art, and family}}

TinysMom · Feb 20, 2008

You know what is amazing to me? Out of over 100 bunnies....no two are alike. They all have their quirks....their own personalities...their own favorite things.

I can't believe that woman said that about the bunnies - obviously she knows nothing about them.

Tonight I was working near the rabbitry - Sting is in Dusty's old cage and he stood up and was biting on my shirt to pull my arm into the cage. He's the first one to do that in a while....Dusty would've been sitting pressing his nose out the bars flirting with me.

Two bucks...same size...same breed....but oh so different. (And I love them both).

Peg

TreasuredFriend · Feb 22, 2008

Taking this further, we've seen our yard cottontail come running from the Colorado Blue Spruce tree to the back of our house, doing binkies. And another time, a contented bunny flop after she nibbled on handouts. :shock:
To see an eastern cottontail express their emotions that way was incredible.
Yup, amazing how their personalities & quirks can give them unique character.
*** Makes you smile ***
I'll search your blog to find an update on Saphira.