2011 Texan Tales & Tails

[TinysMom]

Well - we lost three of the "flee-lops". Brownie is still with us....

The two little newborns are gonna be touch and go for the next 24 hours probably as they don't seem to understand nursing the way we are trying to work with them. We're gonna work with them every 3-4 hours though and see if we can pull them through.

Not much else to say - I hope to take more pictures later but right now - I think I'm emotionally exhausted and just want to cry for a bit...and rest.

More updates later...

 

[Jynxie]

I'm sorry Peg. ):

We all know you were trying to feed them and save them as much as you could. It's hard to keep them all alive when the mother won't produce milk.

Feel better.
RIP little guys.

I hope your new fosters make it. Good luck.

 

[TinysMom]

Can my life get ANY more stressful?

One of the Californian does is now nesting....I had to do more cage rearranging....and Robin has suggested that I check the New Zealand does too.

:banghead:banghead:banghead:banghead

Hmm....wonder why I have a headache?

 

[TinysMom]

One of the two Cali does (don't ask me which one).

Since one was honking - Robin has been calling them "Honky" and "Tonky".

Uh...yeah. I think they need new names.

Oh wait - NO NAMES. I can't name them cause then I'll want to keep them.

 

[TinysMom]

Jynxie wrote:

Wow, you have your hands full!

Aw thanks.

Yes...my hands are full (as are my cages)- but my heart - and my home - somehow always seems to be empty enough to take one (or six) more when they need a place.

Alicia keeps telling me I should work in rescue - but we don't have a rescue within 180 miles of her.....so it isn't like I can work with anyone - and if I get know as the "rescue lady" - I'll get bombarded even more.

Its hard too cause around here - people just dump their bunnies out in the wild. I want to find a way to educate the community.

Just not with babies...

 

[TinysMom]

Great...I need to head to bed now - but the doe is making her nest on the cage floor BESIDE her nest box.

Oh - I had to move Ske-doosh into Angel's cage so he's beside Brady Hawkes sorta (slightly different level).

The two bucks can't figure out if they want to fight...or flirt through the bars. Brady likes to flirt with everyone....

 

[Nela]

I think you going from breeder to rescuer would be great. You wouldn't be torn between wanting to breed and not wanting to breed. You'd still get to experience litters. I don't know how your home is made though so I don't know if you could make it work for you and your family... However, there is obviously a great need for a rescue in your area. You could set down conditions for taking them in if you cannot afford major vet bills and take in a presetmaximum amount. Of course, you'd have to learn to say 'no' and let them go after. I think you could make it work if you wanted to head in that direction. I think it'd be awesome. Maybe in the future...

That Cali girl is beautiful. It strikes me as funny at how much I am attracted to her because, honestly, I do not normally like calis much in terms of looks. She's just stunning. Honky and Tonky are great names :biggrin2:Hehehe.

Ske-Doosh is adorable as well. I'm glad he loves his new spot. Those toys are lovely! I bet they will love them

I'm sorry about your losses. To be honest, I always cringe when I hear you waiting for litters because I know how sad you get when things go wrong. I hope the others thrive and make it all the more special for you.

Meanwhile, consider that rescue idea some more

 

[TinysMom]

I love Calis....I can't believe how much I've grown to love them and it isn't so much about their looks for me as their personality. After all - I have two Cali bucks that live together - are both intact - and yes - they do have mounting issues but no fighting and I know if I were to separate them - they'd be heartbroken. I'm actually worried that when I lose one - the other one may pass also because they're that close.

Anyway - back to my little nester...she had what looks like three kits (unless there are more hidden in the hay). She was very happy to see me and was like "Aren't you proud of me??"

She didn't pull fur....but it is warm here so I'm not overly surprised.

Later this morning (after I get up again) - I'll move them into her nestbox and put the others in there too to get her babies' smell on them....and hopefully she'll feed them all.

I gotta admit - I'm getting close to her (I get close to my mama does anyway)....seriously considering calling her Fiona Grace.

What was so cute was seeing her run to the front of the cage and looking at me like, "Gonna see what I got for you? I was WAITING!!!"

Now to take her some more food...

 

[TinysMom]

Nela wrote:

I think you going from breeder to rescuer would be great. You wouldn't be torn between wanting to breed and not wanting to breed. You'd still get to experience litters. I don't know how your home is made though so I don't know if you could make it work for you and your family... However, there is obviously a great need for a rescue in your area. You could set down conditions for taking them in if you cannot afford major vet bills and take in a presetmaximum amount. Of course, you'd have to learn to say 'no' and let them go after. I think you could make it work if you wanted to head in that direction. I think it'd be awesome. Maybe in the future...

That Cali girl is beautiful. It strikes me as funny at how much I am attracted to her because, honestly, I do not normally like calis much in terms of looks. She's just stunning. Honky and Tonky are great names :biggrin2:Hehehe.

Ske-Doosh is adorable as well. I'm glad he loves his new spot. Those toys are lovely! I bet they will love them

I'm sorry about your losses. To be honest, I always cringe when I hear you waiting for litters because I know how sad you get when things go wrong. I hope the others thrive and make it all the more special for you.

Meanwhile, consider that rescue idea some more

Well - part of my problem with rescuing (besides wanting to keep them all most of the time) - is that I can't afford to neuter them and no one would pay $75 for a rabbit here (and that wouldn't even cover the neutering). I mean...they can go to the feed store and get one for $10 or $12 or whatever...or they can go to the flea market and get a 4 week old for $5....you get the idea.

Also - I don't want to be giving/rehoming rabbits with people who are just going to turn around and use them for commercial breeding - or eat them. That's part of why I am hesitant to leave adult rabbits with Justin when I see he has them....because I know that Justin will do his best - but at some point - he HAS to move a rabbit to make room for others. While he doesn't knowing support selling rabbits for meat - for $10 - some folks from Mexico (or even from here) - just might buy the rabbit for supper. (Sorry - but that is true).

That's why IF I were to do anything I'd have to rehome rabbits either at shows or with 4H leaders or something.

I don't know what to do....I guess for now - I can at least enjoy the ones I have and love on these fosters and try to keep them as fosters in my mind.

I'm still trying to figure out cage space - I may have to buy more cages this weekend because I'm bringing home Popcorn this weekend. For those who don't know - another forum member (Snap) posted in the rescue me section a couple of months ago that she is going to college and her mom can't take care of Popcorn because she's an 11 pound New Zealand that is cage aggressive. (Her mom can take care of the rest of her rabbits).

So I took these six - knowing I'd be having another doe coming here this weekend too.

Oh well - off for another peek at these cute little babies and to give Fiona some more food and love on her and tell her what a GOOD mama she is.

 

[TinysMom]

I just started looking at Fiona's markings (she was letting me pet her while she ate some pellets).

She is NOT the doe that I pictured up above...that is her sister.

Now I need another F name for her sister (who will probably have babies in 30 or 31 days).

 

[TinysMom]

I got to thinking about it and feel I need to add something to this.

When I get adult rabbits from the feed store - I consider them "fosters" and will try to rehome them.

In the case of Popcorn - and Ske-doosh - they are NOT fosters. I saw a need and chose to take them and consider them ours. When I took them - because someone was entrusting me with THEIR bunny - I considered it a sacred trust and will not find that rabbit another home. I consider it a commitment.

I just didn't want anyone saying, "Well...why don't you just rehome Popcorn at the show" or something like that.

She's from a forum member and she was chosen to come live here.

Also - I wanted to update on the three fosters that I took back (I do have photos to share later).

I was able to return them to the feed store and felt like I had no emotional attachment to them (well - some). But it was one of the most fulfilling things - to be able to care for them - and then move them on and know I did the right thing for them.

Also - while my hands will probably ALWAYS be full - my heart - and my home - will always be open to any bunny in need that I can help - even if it is for just a few days.

And since we're hopefully FINALLY gonna get our bunny barn next month (we had to put it off due to finances)....I'll have cage space (Lord willing).

 

[TinysMom]

One more short update.

First of all - Adam is so thrilled cause he's an "UNCLE" now and he keeps trying to look into her cage at where the babies were.

I put Fiona's babies in her nestbox and then I put in the others. She keeps getting upset cause her babies aren't where she left them - so I showed her the nestbox.

She peeked in at the babies - sorta sniffed at them and turned around and gave me this look as if to say, "WHAT DID YOU DO???"

I'm not sure that she can count - but I'm pretty sure that she can tell that 9 is more than 3 - especially when four of them are blackish.

She is NOT happy with me although she isn't showing any aggression to the babies at all.

She just keeps going to where she'd made the nest and thumping - probably to call her kids out or something.

 

[Nela]

Hehehehe I couldn't help but laugh. :biggrinoor mama! Lol.

 

[Nela]

Okay, I can see your post now... Lol.

I can see why neutering and spaying might be an issue. I can certainly understand the finances involved. When I was doing my thing, I wasn't spaying or neutering them but the people that were adopting them were to have it done. Of course, there is no guarantee that everyone spayed and neutered the bun they got from me. I guess in the end, it was a gamble I had to take. For me, it was more about helping those I could at the time. Most of the rabbits I took in were strays, about to be abandoned in the wild, and/or already abandoned and severely neglected. I don't really know that all of them are still happy and alive but I did get updates from a few families and quite a few of them did seem very well off. It's one of those things though... You just never really know. I can understand why others would be reluctant to function in that way.

Either way, any bunny that comes to you is a lucky bunner. I hope you get your barn as planned so that you can get everyone settled in comfortably in a way that you are happy with :biggrin2:

 

[JadeIcing]

What about Filomena? Farrah? Fanny? Faith? Fallon? Felicia? Fancy?

 

[TinysMom]

I'm leaning more towards Felicity & Fiona for those two...now two E names for the New Zealands....

 

[Nela]

I had a pet skunk as a kid - and LOVED it.

Its the one thing that Art says no to..I can't have a pet skunk.

I've told him that when he dies - I'm getting my pet skunk.

So there.....

:biggrin2:






Geez Peg... I know women say husbands can be stinkers but from there to replace your man with a skunk?

Hehehehe.

Sowwy, I couldn't resist

I thinks skunks are stinkin cute. Haha get it? I'm on a roll... LOL

How about Esmeralda for one? I know it's a bit long but... I'm thinking of more...

 

[TinysMom]

PICTURES!!!!

[align=center]

Zuba napping

One of the NZ girls

The other NZ girl - does she look preggers to y'all?

ADAM! My BRAT!!!!

"Newborn" baby Cali - about 12 hours old maybe

Fiona (mama)

[/align][align=center]Felicity
[/align]

 

[Jynxie]

I love love love Zuba.

 

[TinysMom]

Thanks Carley. He is cute - Finnster is cuter - but not as showable. I'll have to get a photo of him soon.

Nela - I LOVED the pun.

About Art....we've been married for almost 32 years now - I'd say maybe 75-80% of it has been happy. I've had what many would consider a good marriage - if he were to die...I would not want to get remarried at all. We have enough insurance on him so that I wouldn't have to depend on a man and be able to live on my own too....so that is good.

The two things I very much want - and Art hates - are the "Fiesta Dinnerware" type dishes.....and a pet skunk.

They are pretty much the only two things he's ever said "no" to and really stuck to it and meant it.

He already knows that if he dies before me - his stone will be sapphire - about 1 carat (kidding folks!)....and that I will probably get a pet skunk (if its not illegal) and the dishes I like.

I tease him about it....then again - I already know that if I die - he will HAVE to remarry as he just can't be alone. He's miserable if I'm out of town and sleeps most of the time cause he's bored.

So yeah...I tease Art about being a stinker....but he knows that at least I love him more than a pet skunk since I honor his wishes!

I guess that should mean something????