Spots, Spots, English Spots!

What is it about children that make them so determined to do their own thing?  We began with everyone so excited to help me with the new zealands I had chosen for meat raising.  Then we discovered rabbit shows and realized that we all enjoyed it.  And now all three of my older children have decided that they want to focus on their own breed of rabbits.

My oldest Seriah is no exception.  Having discovered a love of rabbits and after seeing all the different breeds of rabbits at a couple of the shows she decided that she needed to have her own breed of rabbit to raise and show as well.  She picked English Spot rabbits.

She managed to pick a breed that is harder to find and isn't always on the list of sanctioned breeds for rabbit shows.  The English Spot also happens to be a breed of rabbit that I know absolutely nothing about yet.

So the race is on.  Not only do I need to learn as much as I can about the breed but so does my daughter.  And she might find herself having to work at promoting this beautiful breed of rabbit if she wants to compete with them at the rabbit shows.

Meet Houdini a pedigree black English Spot buck born on May 25, 2018.  Our first English Spot to join the bowery herd.  A big thank you goes to Brenna Oshel at Big & Small Animal Farm for helping us get started with English Spot rabbits and selling us both Houdini and his litter mate and brother Jax Lepus.

He is settling in nicely and is full of energy.  I don't think there is a time or moment that I am out in the rabbit barn when he isn't moving around his hutch with spare energy to burn.  He is happy to come to the door when we open it for attention and treats.  He was also our very first escapist.  Fortunately he loves attention enough that it was easy to get right up to him and collect him to return him to his cage.

Meet Jax Lepus a pedigree black English Spot buck born on May 25, 2018.  He came to us with his brother and litter mate Houdini as a two rabbits for the price of one deal.  He is super sweet and loves attention and is always as full of energy as his brother is.  My daughter named him Lepus after the constellation and Lepus is Latin for Hare.  We are looking forward to seeing what the judges think in the coming year.

Her first project now is to build herself a display table so that her bunnies have a place to exercise.  Since they are judged with natural movement and not posed they are going to need to have a chance to use all their energy running up and down her table.  And who knows after the table she might just decide all their energy should be focused with some rabbit agility and hopping courses.  Yes rabbit hopping and agility is a thing, and it has a big national club that puts on events and everything.  You can find out more about it at the American Hopping Association for Rabbits and Cavies.

I am proud of her for working all summer to save the money to pay for her cages, and for her own rabbits and supplies.  Rabbits have been one of the best teachers of communication, confidence, budgeting and responsibility that I could ask for.  It has truly been a pleasure to see not just my oldest but all three of my older children blossom as we begin to rabbit adventure.