Official SS Rabbit Thread

[tortoise]

Even if your rabbits are not pets but intended for the table, handling them from the time they are born is very important because you'll also need to handle them when they're 5 - 10 lbs of muscle. You want them to be easy going.

Ditto!

I tattoo my rabbits while they're sitting on a table on a carpet square - no restraint. I've seen too many good rabbits break their backs confined in one of those tattoo bags or wrapped in a towel.

I was chatting with a rabbit breeder about this today. She says she has seen it a "couple times" in 20 years of breeding rabbits. (She has more than 100 rabbits now). She thought it was from being too tightly restrained behind the neck. Any thoughts?

 

[tortoise]

Video as promised. One-handed rabbit restraint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPNJIsiZsbA

I finally got my last cages in! No more! I'm done expanding! I might add another pair this year, but I'm probably going to cull (sell) 2 of my rabbits. I've been pouring over the breed standards and I'm not impressed with my rabbits. One I bought as "show quality" has a wry tail - disqualification. The other also said to be show quality has bad ears - they should be together, not splayed apart! I'm peeved. The seller knew that I hadn't received my copy of the breed standard and completely took advantage of me. I swapped 2 ACTUALLY show quality and sold her 2 more show quality and I got her culls!

Anyway - here is the rabbitry photo.

 

[Aidenbaby]

Alrighty, as you guys know I've been having trouble handling my rabbit. She has become more and more aggressive. Today, I was trying to get her out to put her in the run and she managed to bite me. She didn't draw blood but let's just put it this way, if it occurs again she may not have a home here anymore and may very well end up in the pot. I tried the touch her nose thing when she had charged me and that is when she bit me. I'm now hesitant to handle her which I'm guessing is part of her goal. I feel horrible if she were left in her cage all day and not allowed to eat grass. Any advise will be well received.

 

[Bettacreek]

Alrighty, as you guys know I've been having trouble handling my rabbit. She has become more and more aggressive. Today, I was trying to get her out to put her in the run and she managed to bite me. She didn't draw blood but let's just put it this way, if it occurs again she may not have a home here anymore and may very well end up in the pot. I tried the touch her nose thing when she had charged me and that is when she bit me. I'm now hesitant to handle her which I'm guessing is part of her goal. I feel horrible if she were left in her cage all day and not allowed to eat grass. Any advise will be well received.

At this point, she'd be done for at my house, but I also have young kids who stick fingers in cages. She's probably being territorial, at least that's my guess. I have no advice, except for either swatting her on the nose or having BBQ.

 

[MorelCabin]

Video as promised. One-handed rabbit restraint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPNJIsiZsbA

I finally got my last cages in! No more! I'm done expanding! I might add another pair this year, but I'm probably going to cull (sell) 2 of my rabbits. I've been pouring over the breed standards and I'm not impressed with my rabbits. One I bought as "show quality" has a wry tail - disqualification. The other also said to be show quality has bad ears - they should be together, not splayed apart! I'm peeved. The seller knew that I hadn't received my copy of the breed standard and completely took advantage of me. I swapped 2 ACTUALLY show quality and sold her 2 more show quality and I got her culls!

Anyway - here is the rabbitry photo.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4604198250_7306d2cffb.jpg

Wow! love your setup! Looks so neat and tidy and contained. Where do you find cages with trays like that?

Your one handed rabbit restraint looks too easy on that bunny...what are you feeding them, leftover marijuana leaves??? She is wayyy more docile than any of mine have ever been!

 

[tortoise]

Wow! love your setup! Looks so neat and tidy and contained. Where do you find cages with trays like that?

The cages are at farm stores for about $60 each (including the legs). I bought 1 or 2 new when I was just starting out, but I bought most of them off a craigslist for super cheap. The last 3 I paid $10 each for. I have a thing about having things neat and tidy. Thanks to my first bunch of rabbits being killed by a stray dog, the rabbits haven't "paid for" the first bunch of cages. But since then, they have been paying for their cages. Now to get them to pay for summer ventilation fans and their feed. I'm just sick that I lost the good litter from that other doe.

Your one handed rabbit restraint looks too easy on that bunny...what are you feeding them, leftover marijuana leaves??? She is wayyy more docile than any of mine have ever been!

Thank you She is a sweet little thing. She has been a bit suspicious of me. The first time I plucked her, I pulled on a spot that hadn't quite molted and tore her skin. She has been a little iffy since then.

My "baby" girl I carry around with one hand. She is a big rabbit but so sweet. She cuddles up like a baby. She was an absolute @$$ when I bought her and I almost butchered her! It's a good thing she makes nice babies because I just love her!

They all get handled every day. I have the litter that isn't weaned yet and they all get handled every day too. Since day 1. I had an aggressive rabbit when I was a teen. I WILL NOT tolerate that now!

Alrighty, as you guys know I've been having trouble handling my rabbit. She has become more and more aggressive. Today, I was trying to get her out to put her in the run and she managed to bite me. She didn't draw blood but let's just put it this way, if it occurs again she may not have a home here anymore and may very well end up in the pot. I tried the touch her nose thing when she had charged me and that is when she bit me. I'm now hesitant to handle her which I'm guessing is part of her goal. I feel horrible if she were left in her cage all day and not allowed to eat grass. Any advise will be well received.

I know you've been sitting with her an encouraging her to come to you for treats. At this point, I would resort to heavy handling. No more Ms. Nice Girl. I'd put her in a small cage and handle her often. Any aggression gets a tough whack on the head.

The idea is to give a correction that will make her think she is going to die if she continues the behavior. Which is quite correct, since she will be butchered if she keeps it up!

I have a buck that is getting to be a PITA to handle. The more he fights, the more I hang on. I don't care if all I have left to hold onto is a tuft of hair and his ears. I am NOT going to lose to a 9-pound rabbit! He is learning that resistance is futile and settling back down.

 

[MorelCabin]

Well...the ear mites are all but gone. I mixed a clove of garlic in with some oil (in my case grapeseed oil cause that is what I use to cook with) and kind of tried to quickly dab the ear with a Q-tip while she ate. I didn't think it would work well cause I didn't get to massage the oil in, just drizzled it off the end of a Q tip and hopefully it went to the right place...but I guess earmites don't like garlic because the ear looks pretty well healed up and it's only been three days! It looked terrible before...all red and crusty for about four inches.

 

[tortoise]

AidenBaby - how is your bunny doing?

I have 2 rabbits that are not showable colors - don't even fit into a showable color category. Disappointed because one of them is a buck I was going to keep and the other is VERY close to having the elusive and valuable "chocolate chinchilla" color.

But now I'm raising 2 meaties. They are just 3 weeks old now. How old (or how big) should they be for butchering?

 

[Aidenbaby]

She's grounded to her cage inside right now. I started all over with trying to tame her. I'm back to giving her pets while feeding her treats. It seems to work... sometimes. When she stops growling with that, I'll take the next step. I think it's lot of two steps forward and one step back but progress is progess.

 

[Aidenbaby]

I thougth it was similar to meat chickens but I could be wrong.