For most of us breeders we know the importance of weeding out flaws in our herd. As we are still learning in our rabbitry we have used the shows and judges to help guide us in who to weed out just by ears, or hind quarters or shoulders. But from the time the rabbit is born we observe their bite. So far we have been so fortunate. With our first litter of sables I was really starting to worry. Firstly because this is Quinnes litter, and she is so in love with them and will possibly finally have a rabbit to show. I was really concerned the one little one was going to have bad teeth. It was with great relief yesterday that we saw they are actually lining up just perfect! Hooray. I was not only worried for the kit, but I was worried that I possibly had rabbits in our herd that would create poor teeth. For us, this is not an acceptable trait to breed into your stock at all. I have read numerous vet records of trimming and filing and extracting. Some people are content with that. Some people notice the stress it puts on the animal. Some people even syringe feed theirs. All of that is fine and dandy if that is the route you want to take. I know how much love goes into our babies. But when it comes to the breeding program in our rabbitry this will not be accepted. It is sometimes nobodys fault when you end up with a rabbit with bad teeth, but it becomes your fault if you breed that into your herd. So I am so thankful I have not had to encounter that as of yet but I know the day will come. At 4 weeks, Allan Ormond had explained, is a good time to check feet. He said that feet that are short and fat at 4 weeks are usually a good sign of ones to hang on to and long and skinny feet are most likely going to turn out to be pet quality. Well, we hit that mark next week so this will be very fun for the girls to follow up on and learn.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2016
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