Texan Tales (& Tails) - by TinysMom

[TinysMom]

Sorry - I only have links to photos...but today I picked up my totes that are made out of recycled feed bags.

Imagine this picture (my favorite)

http://mannapro.com/images/ss_products_r1_c1.gif

or this one:

http://mannapro.com/images/ss_products_r3_c2.gif

made into this:

http://elojodeagua.com/webstore/store/catalog2/2135-2.jpg

You can find more information about the company here:

http://elojodeagua.com/webstore/store/listcategoriesandproductsingrid.asp

I may try to buy some of this for the flemmie mamas to get another bag...

http://mannapro.com/images/ss_products_r1_c1.gif

Also - I found out that Justin can order Manna Pro for me - so if I want to switch I CAN!

 

[TinysMom]

Oops - I got the "Pro" one made into a tote...will share photos of them later.

 

[irishbunny]

Sorry for your loss x

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Peg, those bags are so cool! How are you doing today? :hugsquish:

 

[TinysMom]

SnowyShiloh wrote:

Peg, those bags are so cool! How are you doing today? :hugsquish:

I'm not doing well at all. I find myself crying at the smallest things - and when I'm not crying - I'm trying to sleep (of course part of that is that the bedroom is cooler).

I can't stop going into the rabbitry and petting my mamas and their babies. I keep thinking, "What if Harmony dies?" or "What if we lose all her babies?"....

A funny story though.

Today I spent money and got some food storage containers that are a bit pricey - but I think they'll be well worth it. I bought a 40 pound one and two 20 pound ones (I bought out all they had and asked them to order me two more).

Now that the girls can't get into the food during playtime cause its not in the rubbermaid container - Nyx and another girl like to hop up ONTO the storage container and look around and get hay out of Truly's cage if they can reach it...or see what else they can get into.

My girls...such brats. I guess that is why I love them so much.

I need to check Nyx soon to see if she's pregnant...I sure hope so.

 

[TinysMom]

I just want to add that I know I have pictures, etc. to upload...I just...I don't know. I can't seem to get to it.

For those who know me well - Calypso's passing is right up there next to Tiny's as far as the grief goes...perhaps more because with Tiny at least I knew to try something and I did the best I could - with Calypso I can't figure out how I didn't know she had a fever and was sick. So I had no time to prepare and was deprived of being able to try and do something.

Life sucks right now....it really does.

That is - till I go handle a baby or pet Harmony or Athena or any of the other bunnies.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

I'm truly sorry, Peg. Losing special bunnies is devastating. I know how incredibly guilty you can feel over it. I've always wondered if Tallulah would still be here if some things would have gone differently, and if we could have held on to Skyler longer if I'd recognized that he was going downhill (even though the vet said his brain was covered in lesions which is what killed him- not much you can do to prevent that). You know this very well, but bunnies are so good at hiding their illnesses. She didn't appear sick and you had no reason to think she was. You have so many rabbits to take care of, and you do such a good job!

Those storage bins are nice. Will you be able to lift them? Knowing me, I'd get it lifted up, then go to pour, and dump 10 pounds of pellets into (and around) the food bowl. Bunny party! Or do you scoop them out rather than pour? How much bunny food do yours go through every day? Your girls sound spunky for sure. Phoebe Mae would fit in there, she jumps on top of everything!

Also, don't feel bad about not uploading pictures or anything right now. Take your time

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

I have one of those storage bins. It came it quite handed when we were buying 10lbs of food.

Shiloh, the container comes with a sccope that clips wonder the lid.

:hug:I know its not easying loosing your beloved Rabbit.

 

[TinysMom]

SnowyShiloh wrote:

I'm truly sorry, Peg. Losing special bunnies is devastating. I know how incredibly guilty you can feel over it. I've always wondered if Tallulah would still be here if some things would have gone differently, and if we could have held on to Skyler longer if I'd recognized that he was going downhill (even though the vet said his brain was covered in lesions which is what killed him- not much you can do to prevent that). You know this very well, but bunnies are so good at hiding their illnesses. She didn't appear sick and you had no reason to think she was. You have so many rabbits to take care of, and you do such a good job!

Those storage bins are nice. Will you be able to lift them? Knowing me, I'd get it lifted up, then go to pour, and dump 10 pounds of pellets into (and around) the food bowl. Bunny party! Or do you scoop them out rather than pour? How much bunny food do yours go through every day? Your girls sound spunky for sure. Phoebe Mae would fit in there, she jumps on top of everything!

Also, don't feel bad about not uploading pictures or anything right now. Take your time

Maybe this weekend I'll take a video of how we do it and let y'all see. We have a blue scoop that is like for feeding horses or something and we scoop the food out into a mop bucket that we carry from cage to cage....and then we use a measuring scoop (2 ounce stainless steel restaurant type spoon) to put food into each lionhead's cage.

For the flemmies - we scoop it out with the blue feeding scoop and then I use a plastic cereal bowl to give the flemmies their food.

For the flemmies - I am going through almost 50 pounds every 3 days. For the lionheads and others (minus the hollands) it is about the same.

For the hollands - I don't know how long it takes me to go through a bag - maybe a month or 6 weeks? I'll have to think on that one as I haven't gone through a whole bag with just them yet. (Angel gets the holland food since it is higher quality than the lionhead food).

I expect my food budget to go up for a while because we are feeding six baby flemmies who will start eating us out of house and home soon.

When I bought food on Thursday - I bought 6 50 pound bags for the flemish giants, 1 50 pound bag for the hollands, 5 50 pound bags for the lionheads, a bag of oats, a 25 pound bag of calf manna and I think that was all. That should do me just a bit over 2 weeks.

Did I mention breeding ain't cheap? Especially when your main breed is flemish giants?

They're worth every penny to me.

But those nickels and dimes sure add up fast.....

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Where's the jaw dropping icon? That is SO MUCH FOOD! WOW! How many ounces does each flemmie eat every day? Back when I had 4 bunnies, it took like 2 weeks to get through a 5 pound bag... Your Hollands sound like they eat a lot!

 

[TinysMom]

The Hollands and lionheads are on 2-4 ounces each depending upon their size. Angel gets about 2 ounces- sometimes a tiny bit more.

The majority of the flemmies are on unlimited rations right now as they're still growing. Mercury gets a cup to 1 1/2 cups (depending upon how much he ate the night before) every day. If I go by an adult's cage during the day and their food is gone or mostly gone - they'll get a bit more.

When I was at my peak amount of rabbits (lionheads) - I'd go through 50 pounds every 2 days.

 

[TinysMom]

Well - I am guessing that Nyx is NOT pregnant. I don't know why - considering she spent a few days living with Hermes.

However- she got up on the short stool tonight to try and get into Mercury's cage. It seems she has picked the buck SHE wants.

I put her in his cage and she wanted to breed (and he wanted to breed) - BUT - she wouldn't lift her rear. She'd move her tail sideways...she'd wait for him to mount her...but she just wouldn't lift.

After a few moments of unsuccessful attempts...I took her back out because both rabbits were getting frustrated.

I'm going to try again later - and if worse comes to worse...I'll do what is called "table breeding" where I help her lift if need be (hard to explain).

Honestly....I was going to be picking the bloodlines - not a rabbit. But the truth is....Mercury does throw the best rabbits and since I can get steels from this combination.....

I will take Hermes' daughters from Sophia back to him to get his bloodlines going more...and let Nyx have her choice of breeding partners.

Yeah - I have a real soft spot for her...

 

[TinysMom]

I just took these in the last hour....

[align=center]
[/align][align=center]Calamity Jane - whose ears were overgroomed (long story)[/align][align=center]
Ziggy - who did not want to cooperate

Mama Athena after a long day of mothering

Imitation is the best form of flattery - right mama?

Mercury - who would NOT cooperate and kept trying to get on the floor to play with the girls

Angelcakes...uh...Angelface...uh...Earth Angel? Doesn't she look sweet and innocent? Certainly she wouldn't hump a flemmie's head...several times. Right?

Cindy

I HATE it when you take pictures - so take this! (Look for the pink)

Fine - one more shot

Finnster - the flirt

Hard to believe he used to be shy and wouldn't let us touch him

Sending "Auntie Karen" all the luck he can for her school...he practices at this every day to make sure she gets LOTS of luck (cause he can't braid a mane to wish her luck)

Sher has to say hi...

Merc-puppy (aka Mercury) asking to come out and play

This time with the flash

Darling - one of my older lionhead girls who is a diva

Peaches 'N Cream - a shy lionhead girl

Water time?

Hanging out with mama Harmony...

Why did you poop in my bed? Honestly...litter mates. Why couldn't I have been an only child.

Can I be in an Oreo commercial? I's practicing to be CUTE.

Well - I've got an oreo box too - mama Harmony lets me use it. Your box is smaller - you need to talk to mama Athena 'cause yours isn't as nice



Oooh...if I can't has milk right now - I can has water!

This beats a litter box for a bed anytime..plus its mine...ALL MINE!



Hope you enjoy!

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[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

I love the pictures of the babies in the oreo boxes.
You should send the photo's toOREO and see if they want to sign the babies up for a commercial. lol

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Darling pictures! I want to smooch Sher on her fuzzy little bunny lips! All the bunnies are gorgeous Wish I could go to your house and go on a snuggling rampage.

 

[TinysMom]

I just have to share....I'm SO excited.

First of all - when we arranged to buy our rabbitry - I was thinking (I don't know why) that they were going to back the truck into our yard and unload our finished building onto the concrete base or whatever we did for the foundation.

I was WRONG...dead wrong. Look here to see how it arrives. (No wonder we got it for such a good price).

Well - as you know - our building was going to be 16' X 24'....please note the comment WAS.

I've been talking to the parts guy from the company...and it turns out that we've decided to add 2 ventilators.....and....


[align=center]ANOTHER 8 FEET

[align=left]The arches went on sale for $213 per 2' section...so we went out and measured in the yard.

32' is going to make it tight - too tight. We think we'll probably make the building 16' X 28' and then have a 4' X 16' area where we have a "covered" bunny run area with dog runs...and Art can park his motorcycle in there, etc. etc.

If worse comes to worse - we can sell them here locally for someone else to use them.

The cool thing is....when we finagled our deal (and John is wondering if the person is still employed with the company because he's never seen a deal that good as what we got) - and they gave us free shipping - it turns out that shipping to Texas would've been $1500.

I'm so excited.
[/align][/align]

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Yay! Congrats Isn't it nice when things work out like that?

 

[TinysMom]

http://www.nockrabbits.com/LineBreedingChart.html

line breeding chart for my reference

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Thanks for sharing that, Peg! Obviously I know nothing about genetics, so please enlighten me- it seems like there's all this breeding back to mom/dad (then grandma/grandpa) just to end up with babies that are 50% of each line (baby I). Babies C and D were 50% of each line too. Why go through all the additional breeding to end up with what ya had to start with? I'm sure there's a very good reason and I'm so curious to know!

 

[TinysMom]

Good question - I posted the link for my own reference...maybe ask the question in the rabbitry.

I just am trying to figure out at what point I want to bring in new lines or not.