And Her Heart Is Set On Tri-Color Mini Rex

Clarissa and Miss Pris

So my daughter Clarissa has been all in when it has come to rabbits from the very moment that I suggested we start raising them.  She is also very good at convincing me to give in and get her things when I probably shouldn't.

Patches

Case in point:  we are walking through a swap meet in the middle of May.  It is a warm day and she spies bunnies.  We were there looking for chicks.

We had a hutch at home mind you, I just hadn't decided what type of rabbit we were going to raise yet, except that I wanted it to be a meet breed and my book recommended starting with high quality pedigreed breeding stock.

All the couple selling the bunnies could tell us about the rabbits my daughter found was that they were young fryers.  So she at least found meat rabbits.

Nala

I should have known better then to take the kids with me to go animal shopping whether it be for rabbits or baby chickens or animals of any kind.  But there I was with my five kids in tow and a goner for sure.  Between all five kids trying to use reason and logic: like we already have a place to put them mom, and I will pay for her with my babysitting money, to the giant pleading eyes.  I gave in and we brought home 4 rabbits: Miss Pris a red eyed white (REW) new zealand mix, Patches a broken black mix, Nala a broken chinchilla mix, and Shadow a sable colored new zealand mix.  And my daughter found something she loves so much she has given up other hobbies and activities to keep doing and learning more about rabbits.

At first it was always being willing to go feed the bunnies and clean the cages.  She was also always watching the weather and making sure we got the hutches covered when it got too windy or it started to rain.  She also spent more time then even I did just sitting outside the hutches or sitting with her hand just resting on the floor of the cage so the rabbits would get used to her presence and recognize and trust her.  Then one day she came to me and said:

"Mom, if I stop doing horseback riding lessons can we use my lesson money for the rabbits, so I can raise a different breed then you?"

Shadow

I have to admit that I was really surprised and very pleased.  Not only was she recognizing that her activities take money, time and resources but she also recognized that she was more interested in the rabbits then she was in horseback riding and had figured out a logical way to allow herself to continue to pursue and grow her very own rabbitry project.

We have both since grown and moved on these first rabbits taught us a lot.  First, the ones that bite all the time get called dinner very quickly.  Second, that I really did want pedigree stock, because not only did I want to breed and raise meat for my family, but I wanted to breed and sell good quality rabbits to others.  And Finally I discovered that I love rabbit shows and good quality rabbits are a must if you are going to be competitive and have fun at the shows.

So it is with much excitement and a little bit of motherly pride if I am honest that I am pleased to announce that Clarissa is starting her very own branch of our bowery which will be focused on mini-rex rabbits.  She has read and researched and looked at the different breeds and this is the breed that she has decided she wants to raise.  I think part of it is wanting a slightly smaller rabbit that she can lift and handle easier, but she may be in for a surprise on that score.  She has also researched and looked at all the different colors and varieties that mini-rex rabbits come in and she wants to breed Tri-Color.  So while I am sure that there will be other colors in the bowery as well her focus is going to be on the black/orange tri-color mini rex.