Anwen's Lost Litter

Sad news at Koenigland Rabbitry today. It appears the former owner of Anwen was lied to, and the litter of one she gave birth to this past night was in fact her first. With hallmarks such as uncertainty and fear rather than practiced ease; a long, strenuous labor; and one, large, single kit that was stuck and birthed broken, that is my impression.

However, Anwen herself appears to be doing fine. Now that she is no longer pregnant, she is relaxed and friendly, nearly snuggly. She's let me pet her head and ears and even back, her back which was a no zone only a couple of days ago. She's even moving much more freely, including happily flopping into her nest box which I have left just in case she gives birth to another kit or two later on, much like Kyle's rabbit who gave birth to two new kits sixteen hours later. Patience must be had.

Despite the loss of her first kit, Anwen showed good mothering qualities. She made a decent nest, pulled fur, and was protective of her nest box. She even cleaned up the stillborn kit and ate the afterbirth (if that has been passed, as I presume it has because of lack of contractions). She only dropped her guard when I moved her head to dispose of the kit, and even then she was clearly confused and a bit upset (I can't blame her).

According to a veteran breeder, I should rebreed in the next few days, which should hopefully give me a larger litter with smaller kits. I'm looking for an outside stud to do a cover, but that's risky, just because said stud could carry a disease. I might end up breeding her to Basil, just for peace of mind. The kits would be even smaller and she might have better luck. If I do breed to Basil, all kits should be black or minimally white-spotted black and not have rex fur. Any that carry the dwarf gene should be 4-5 lb., but the larger kits could get up to be 9-10 lb. though that is unlikely. While it wouldn't do terribly much for either my American Sable or Mini Rex program, it would at least prove to me that she can give birth to healthy, living kits. If she can't, a pet home is in her future. I hope this won't be required, because I have already gotten a bit of a bond with this shy, gentle rabbit.

Prayers and well wishes would be well received.

Mini Rex

The Rex breeds were borne out of a mutation in French rabbits in the late 19th century and have been pretty endlessly popular since then.

Mini Rex are dwarfs. They generally won't ever get bigger than 4 1/2 lb. unless otherwise noted. This means they need less space, food, etc.

They have guard hairs the height of their undercoat, which makes them look a bit like they're made of blown glass. To touch the fur is to stroke a length of velvet.

The colors they can be shown in are as follows: black, blue (dark blue-gray), broken (white-spotted), castor (like a wild bunny but more reddish), chinchilla (like the animal of the same name), chocolate (deep brown), Himalayan (a pink-eyed white bunny with either black or blue nose, ears, and feet), lilac (pale dove gray), lynx (agouti like castor, but they are fawn topped with lilac), opal (agouti like castor, but with dark blue-gray ticking), otter (black, blue, chocolate, or lilac with notable creamy-tan bellies and eye rings), red (dark orange), sable point (much like a Siamese cat), seal (like a Himalayan, but only in black with a mocha brown body), silver marten (same as otter, but with silvery-white markings), tortoise (a red rabbit with black shading on its nose, ears and feet), tricolor (a broken rabbit with either black and red spotting, blue and fawn spotting, chocolate and red spotting, or lilac and fawn spotting), and ruby-eyed white (REW), and blue-eyed white (BEW).

I currently breed for castor, opal, black, and blue. Often I will have broken; half-BEWs, known as Viennas or Vienna-carriers; or broken Vienna. Most of these will be sold as pets unless a breeder wants them for their BEW program. Most brokens will be blanket or booted. The Viennas may have things such as white markings on their faces, small white spots elsewhere, or blue eyes. Vienna brokens tend to have colored rings around their eyes and perhaps some spots of colors on their pelts. Viennas and broken Viennas normally cannot be shown, but will make just as good pets.

They tend to be active, friendly bunnies, and fairly easy to handle. They are not suggested for young children because of their size.

Welcome, Welcome

Hello, one and all. I'm Carly, the owner of Koenigland Rabbitry. I reside in Central AL.

Owning a rabbitry is madness, joy, and hard work. I suffer from a myriad of illnesses and a rabbit named Basil was my first therapy animal. His ability to get me up and moving and keep me laughing made me decide that the more rabbits I could care for well, the merrier.

Right now I run a small rabbitry with only two breeds. I have a pair of Mini Rex, Basil and a new doe, Primrose, and a single American Sable doe that is due.

Basil is a booted black. He looks like he's wearing a suit and tie. He's not show quality, but he has some of the best fur I have ever gotten my hands on. It's truly like velvet. He also has a nice blocky head, bold eyes, and nice fat ears. I'll get a photo up of him ASAP. His best qualities, however, lay in his personality. He is a ham and a snuggle-bug. You feel down? All the binkies (funny bunny hops) for you! If you sit in the floor with him, he'll clamber in your lap and lick any available skin. Bunny licks are quite superior to other animal licks, because they lack slobber and roughness, FYI. He'll even let small children handle him.

Primrose is a Vienna-carrier castor. Here's a candid photo of her:

(Photo Credit: Melinda Koenig)

As you can see, she's quite young. She won't be bred until late September of 2013, but when she is, it will probably be to Basil. She is show quality except for the Vienna markings. She has nice hindquarters; small ears; blocky head and bright, bold eyes; short midsection and shoulders; and insofar, about as deep as she is wide. She could use a little bit better fur, but that may come with age, and a little less gray in her coat. She also has great personality. Bit shy at first, but within a few days she was letting anyone hold and cuddle her. Good at being handled. Let me pose her at six and a half weeks.

Basil's father was a tri out of tri and red lines, so I'm hoping he might give the kits that russet boost. Together, they should make some pretty babies. About 75% will be pet or brood quality (Vienna-marked, booted, or broken Vienna), but I'm hoping to get some good, solid castors. Maybe even opal, or black and blue. Not all kits will be show rabbits, or even good for a Mini Rex breeding program, but if they inherit their parents' personality, I am almost absolutely positive they'll make fantastic pets.

My last rabbit? Anwen, a lovely American Sable doe. She's a bit skittish as I got her when she was pregnant and just recently, but she's warming up with head scritches and ear rubs. She seems to have bonded to my little sister, who is able to hold her easily. The American Sable is a heritage breed with only 500-800 animals left. They have silken coats and can get up to be 10 lb. They can be used as pet, brood/show, meat, and fur animals. Anwen is show quality and the buck she was bred to was at least breed quality (nice head, nice body, not very good fur). With luck, the kits will take after their mother. We're expecting seals and sables for sure and either Himilayans (white with black noses, ears, feet, and tail) or red-eyed whites. I would prefer to sell to people who plan to breed American Sables, but some will be sold as pets.