Storrs, Connecticut show - October 18, 2009

[TinysMom]

Oh wow - I have got to share with y'all about some things.

First of all - Art is agreeable to me getting a mini-rex (even if it has a surprise inside as long as I promise to not get overwhelmed with mini-rex like I did with lionheads - I agreed). For instance - no breeding extra litters to go to mini-rex nationals (stuff like that) - and then have the car break down.

Secondly - I'm already working on the rabbitry (in my mind right now) - designing where the cages are going to go for the flemish giants and how I want to do things. Right now I have 5 flemish giants and I'm looking at adding probably 3-5 more in about 4-6 months. I have a lot of planning to do - and making sure that I will have enough time for the flemish and all that.

But it is neat that Art is ok with what I want - that he is seeing me take time to think this through and figure out my expenses for the larger cages, etc. I'm trying to figure the extra food costs, etc. so I can make sure this is the right choice for me.

I can so hardly wait for springtime when I can get some rabbits from up there (or late winter?). Art even seems like he would like to see/have the mini rex....

Now to bug Cathy with questions about cage space for my girls when they're bred....and have a litter!

:wave:

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

That's great that Art is supporting you. My wife would love nothing more than to see me sell all of my rabbits.

I will have to figure out if any of my castor does carry self. I usually only breed castor to castor but I could breed one of them to my black otter buck Angus. He has a strong castor background and throws nicely colored castors.

 

[JadeIcing]

:highfive:

Cathy was awesome, Roger was awesome, Sharon is always awesome and Juan was awesome. Cathy's daughter was awesome. Fell in love with her. Also fell in love with Juan's son.

I want a standard castor rex! :tears2:

 

[TinysMom]

RAL Rabbitry wrote:

That's great that Art is supporting you. My wife would love nothing more than to see me sell all of my rabbits.

I will have to figure out if any of my castor does carry self. I usually only breed castor to castor but I could breed one of them to my black otter buck Angus. He has a strong castor background and throws nicely colored castors.

I think Ali is trying to convince me to ask you for a doe with a surprise inside - and a buck too - that isn't the daddy - so that I can start my own breeding program.

It was her idea - but it is sounding better and better...

I may contact you to see how much your bunnies run and if that would be doable.

All I know is I've been thinking a LOT about how good it felt to hold your rabbit - honestly - I was afraid if I held him longer - I'd break down and cry into his fur and run away with him in my purse - that was why I gave him back as soon as I did.

But I still remember (and even dreamed last night) about how soft he was to hold.

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

You would have never made it to the door LOL.

A pair can be arranged. I have several litters of castors right now some of them sired by Tigger(the buck you were holding) and the rest sired by Binks. Binks sired the BOV youth castor at MR '08 MR nationals and has a bunch of GC kids all over the U.S. You will probably get a GC doe because almost all of my castor brood does are grand champions.

Your other avenue is to take a castor doe bred to an otter and an otter buck if you want to do otters. You will get both castors and otters. I can't guarantee how good the castor color would be although my otters came down mostly from castors.

 

[TinysMom]

Roger - I feel like a little kid in a candy store - drooling over all the choices.

Black otter is one of my favorite colors - BUT - your castors are so gorgeous.

I may just have to set aside some $$ and BUY a trio off you and trust you to put together something that would do well in Texas. Does anyone in this state have your rabbits?

BUT - I will say this - if I were to work with mini rex - it would be very limited and I'd only have TWO breeds...the mini rex and flemish. I'm out of lionheads largely due to the politics of the breed right now....although I love that breed.

I'm sure glad I have LOTS of time before I get anything from New England...time to think things through and study up on the standards, etc.

 

[TinysMom]

Wait a minute - I think that just hit me...

Almost all of your BROOD does are grand champions?

BROOD does?

Oh my....no wonder everyone at the show was saying, "You need to see Roger if you want a mini rex.." (that's what Ali was telling me...I was too busy drooling over the flemmies).

 

[Blaze_Amita]

I want one too!!! MR i mean. i like the black otters(love and adore blue otters) and i've never seen his rabbits, but then again there aren't alot of rabbit breeders in KY that I've found. but then again i don't think the otter would work with either of my girls. Poppy's a tri and the baby is poppy and Eddy's kid(Eddy's a blue with blue and himi black/blue behind him)and she's a brk chin. *sigh* I want one! I had the option to buy a black otter buck once but i turned it down- how stupid of me. He was a Sam's Choice rabbit and I wasn't keen on their stock

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

Whatever you decide Peg. The castors I have are competetive and should do well in Texas. I don't think I have sold anything to anyone there.

Yes pretty much all of my castor brood does are Grand Champions and 3 of them are BIS winners. My show does from the spring and summer are now brood does. There is not many people showing castors up here so they in order to grand they have to take BOB, BOS or BIS.

I would buy stock from Carlos and Soren of Sam's Choice. They have some very nice rabbits and are very competetive. They got their starter stock from top names in the MR world.

 

[Blaze_Amita]

The one buck of theirs that I had option to buy was a bit longer in body and a bit larger than i liked. he was on the larger side and my doe is already on the larger side. They didn't have any black otters for sale when I was looking and ended up with Eddy instead.

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

I love the black otters. I am breeding now for Mini Rex nationals next spring and have some promising ones coming out of the the nest box. I have a repeat litter now that is the same as my BOV otter doe from convention last year and ther older sisters. I had a little blue otter doe pop up in a litter a few weeks ago. Too bad I don't care for blue otters.

All I know is that Carlos and Soren have kicked my butt plenty of times when we showed at the same shows. I don't see them as much in New England since they moved.

 

[TinysMom]

As much as I love black otters - I think I'm leaning more and more towards the castors....yours were just so awesome....

 

[irishbunny]

I'm so jealous of you all getting to go to rabbit shows and stuff I wish it were like that here! Before college or after college I'm really considering visiting the US just for a rabbit show or two and maybe see some rabbitrys, it would be so much fun and a great experience.