Don't Leave Home Without A Mask This Weekend!

There will be quite a crowd at a certain place this weekend. Some of us are still contemplating whether or not to make an appearance at this place. The Influenza A (H1N1) virus has since made its debut in Malaysian shore through the many "import" cases. Someone even wrote about how our officials are reckless is allowing people to pass through the gates without proper screening in an article entitled No Wonder A (H1N1) Cases Are On The Rise. I am sure they are even allowing air passengers from high risk areas/countries to pass through without any proper screening and only to recall them when there are reported cases of infections.

Maybe that's just because most of the people on the airplanes are foreigners and as I have mentioned how friendly Malaysians are, we rather keep a blind eye whenever we see a tall/dark/beautiful/handsome caucasian walking through our arrival halls.

I will definitely not take chances this time if I have to be there with my friends and I would like to urge everyone and everybun to do the same. Here is how we're gonna do it....

Wear Your Masks Everybun!

Make sure you know where your guests are from. No offense but just as a precautionary measure, here's the latest projection by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention:

FluView courtesy of http://www.cdc.gov

And by the way, I just can't find a nicer map with statistics compared to this one and I definitely do not mean to defame anyone or country in particular.

A Good Decision Made

I am very happy that I made the decision to keep Seychel for my breeding program because she is in fact turning out to be quite a nice brood specimen. The only complain I have is her long ears. I proud to say that she is a shorter version of Noobie as far as the mid section is concerned. I guess she'll be the foundation of my chocolate project.

Can't you see that I am bored of you taking my photos?

Not bad huh?

If only the ears are shorter

Noobie: Improving 1 thing at a time I was told...

A Less Moody Me!

Father & Son Day Out

Someone wanted to have a look at Truffles today so I woke up very early and started packing. I figured that it would be nice to bring Skor along. I promote ethical breeding and I believe showing at least the father of the kit would be the best thing to do. If I could, I'll pack Holly Hope along but she's having yet another "Honeymoon" with Clark at the moment.

Looking at these 2 fellows is super hilarious. They are so identical. If you have ever heard of the "Clone Wars", then you'll understand what I mean. It is amazing how Skor's genes was stamped onto little Truffles. It made it all seemed as though Holly Hope was just a host or surrogate mother.

Who's Who?

It is proven that young bucks have a zest for life!

Today was the last day that I have this DSLR camera with me and I figured that I better make full use of it before returning it to my cousin. So here are all the photos with caption. I need to get this post up before I leave for the appointment.

Skor boy!

The trademark pose!

Molting mad!

Jungle Rule #1: Ask permission from the Bamboo-god before trespassing

Always be courteous before showing off his true colors

Am I Cute Or What?!

Taken in between zooming all around the garden

Inquisitive As Ever!

Something's cooking...*Slurp*

Here's a few for the album. Father and Son portraits:

Told ya they are like clones

Almost identical markings!

My Dad, My Protector!

Really had fun capturing these moments. They are such well behave bunnies I could do it all by myself. LOL!

EmJay's Not Here

This is another post I would like to dedicate to the King Of Pop, Micheal Jackson. I felt it was such a pity that he did not get his last wish which is to make a come back through his last concert tour. He missed it by just 2 weeks.

Holly Hope was suppose to be due today with Clark's offspring. Unfortunately she missed. I was quite confident she took but at the same time was skeptical when she started building a perfect nest 2 weeks before her due date.

I expected at least one black kit out of this litter and I was planning to name it EmJay.

Recalling all the songs by Micheal Jackson that I have listened throughout my life so far, I just cannot help but to share the feeling of emptiness with all those that mourn his death around the world. Just take a look at this empty nest. It is like our world today. We are missing a significant part of it.

Let's ponder what good can we make out of this void that we are experiencing today. I guess we are lack of love. How did we treat Micheal Jackson when he was alive? The many things that Micheal Jackson was in my opinion was the outcome of the impact the hungry mass media had on him. The invasion of his privacy among others was what shaped him to who he is in our eyes today be it good or bad. Why did we not appreciate him as much when he was still around? Is it because goodness will never last and we are quick to judge on the first mistake? Do we sentence someone to death the moment they make a mistake?

Shall we all appreciate our bunnies more today?

I guess we will never know how much we miss someone or something until it/he/she is gone...

Chopped Hay Is Junk!

Everytime I pick up the last strands of hay from the package, I realized how much loose hay and powder I have. As of late, I found that there are people repacking all these loose hay to be sold. Very good enterprenuer. Unfortunately, loose hay does not serve much purpose for our rabbits.

Rabbits should be given strands of hay that will upkeep the motility of their guts.

So the next time you see chopped hay being sold, bear in mind that it is like someone selling their shredded paper which serve no real purpose. Stop wasting your money and time on those useless chopped hay. The only good thing I see in them is that you can fit them in the bowl.

Let's come back to the real and actual reason we feed hay to our rabbits. It is all about stomach motility. Cellulose and fiber that helps a lot in the rabbits' stomachs.

Have you ever seen the rabbit's anatomy? They have very long intestines that needs long strands of grasses to help "flush" those "blockages" and poops out. Chopped hay is no different from just feeding pellets which are made of hay too.

Just get fresh hay in strands will ya?

R.I.P. Micheal Jackson

I cannot not write this post because Micheal Jackson is the 1st person who introduced me to the world of music. His songs are the first songs I listened to when I started appreciating music. The song that will be closest to my heart would be WE ARE THE WORLD.

We are indeed the world. A world so torn apart which only music could unite. I cannot think of any corner of the world the voice of Micheal Jackson is not heard at this very moment.

We all know Micheal Jackson to be an animal lover due to the fact that he has got a zoo in his Neverland.

I am sure the angels and animals in Heaven are now dancing to his pop tunes!

Rest In Peace and binky free King Of POP!

Tails From Meadow Have Chapter 10: Top Buns

"Hey you there, what's the name again?"

"That's Mr. Skor for you bunster..."

"Whatever. You look bored. Ever date the honies buhnies before. Look at me, am I top bun or what?"

"Don't speak too soon bunster, I date and made more honies buhnies than you so far"

"Let me see, there's a Carmel, a Haley, a Holly Hope. Life's good I must say"

"Alright bunster, you've gone too far there"

"Bring it on Skor boy, tell me what ya got"

"Not much just a Noobie, a BlueBerry and a Holly Hope"

"Now that's what I call equal"

"No bunster, with the 3 honies buhnies I had Luna, Tinga, Muffet, Eclipse, Charlyz, Moesha, Truffles, Camior, Seychel, Shiro Milkyway to just name a few. So now, what say you?"

Bunny laughters could be heard all around Meadow Haven..

To be continued...

My 5 Likables and Unlikables!

Nothing much seemed to be happening among the bunny "bloggersphere" these days and I thought of coming up with my own tagging "thing". I call it the Likables vs the Unlikables. Those tagged must list down 5 of their most unlikable and 5 most likable things/events/happenings in their bunyard or rabbitry.

So here's mine for starters:

Likable

1. Healthy newborn kits snuggled warmly with a nice nest (this is top priority for now)

2. 5 months old growing up handsome/pretty/cute

3. Stock up day (makes me feel complete! and the smell of fresh HAY!)

4. My bunnies going to very good homes

5. Learning something new from a fellow breeder

Unlikable

1. Bad inquiries (no proper introduction & scary/demanding inquirer)

2. Having 8 bunnies molt all at the same time

3. Bunnies falling ill

4. Waiting for does to kindle and they missed

5. Stubborn rabbits with bad toilet habits

I would like to tag the following bloggers:

furfurries.wordpress.com, thefluffies.wordpress.com, furrybutts.wordpress.com, lazzybunny.wordpress.com, scbunnay.blogspot.com, sonshinerabbitry.wordpress.com, keepsrabbitry.blogspot.com, starliterabbitry.blogspot.com, mini-lop-blog.blogspot.com, lilbitfarms.blogspot.com, mrbarrington.blogspot.com, kismetrabbitry.blogspot.com, suburbanbuns.blogspot.com, bunnychoy.wordpress.com, cocojune.blogspot.com & allbunniesgreatandsmall.com/category/blog/

HAVE FUN GUYS & GALS!

Happy Father's Day!Happy Father's Day!

Would like to wish all BUNFATHERS a happy hoppin' belated Father's Day!

Life's Little Rantings

I am in my foulest mood today and apologize for using my little space here to vent my frustrations.

At times like these, I tend to recall craps that a certain breeder told me that I later found out to be total blasphemy and they are things that this person do herself.

This person claims that her rabbits are of top quality and quoted her standings in the sweepstakes. With all due respect, there are validity to the sweepstake points but it is somehow advantageous to people who show their rabbits in every single show.

If you're looking for a good breeder, do lookout for those who don't show much but still get their name on the top breeders list. Those are the legitimate show breeders.

Sweepstakes standings more often than not reveal the best of the worst. They just do not reflect the actual QUALITY standings of what the breeder produces.

Another crap that was fed to me was how adults breed rabbits and get their children to show them at the youth level. This person was using this sort of excuse to alleviate herself. What a freaking cheap shot!

I do not think ARBA judges are quacks in that sense. If the bunny is good, be it youth or open they remain as good bunnies. I don't think a judge will pick out a BOB for the freaking sake of doing so. It is competitive at the end of the day.

I will never again believe a single word this breeder tells me and it is sad that many will not have the chance to leverage on the craps when she start opening her gap in days to come!

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet was born on the 5th of July 2008 together with Eclipse, Tinga and Luna. Little Miss Muffet is one of those forgettable kits almost like the ugly duckling. Today, I dare say she is looking good. What I really like about this doe is that she has a very nice crown. She is always having this melancholic expression on her face and it tickles my heart to see her. She's like a little Basset Hound with droopy ears and eyes. LOL!

Here's some photos from Day 1...

Day 1

Day 16: Can you spot Muffet, Tinga & Eclipse? I miss Little Luna here. She's the last one on the right.

Day 19

Day 32

And these are taken today. Really love the way this "ugly duckling" blossomed into a "pretty swan".

Notice the prominent crown

Took me a good 20 minutes to get her to pose. LOL!

Puppy or Bunny?

Tough Inquiries!

Once in a while I do get inquiries through emails and phone calls with the toughest questions. Some questions are easy but they often caught me off guard. The past few days I have been receiving quite a number of calls and emails. Most of them are easy to handle but I needed time for some because they are to be tackled with care.

Simple questions are difficult to answer because these are issues of the past which I no longer have to deal with. Sometimes even when simple things happen in the rabbitry, I find it hard to think of the solution because they caught me off guard most of the time.

As much as I would like to be very honest and bluntly straight forward in my emails and phone calls as how I write my blog, I must be tactful in handling certain issues. Most of the time I am getting emails and phone calls from strangers and my words could be used against me. Past experiences has taught me to very careful and the good thing is, I do not operate a farm and my rabbits stay exclusive.

Just to share some questions I wish not to answer. Please do not ask me these questions anymore.

1) I noticed that your rabbits are so different from what I have seen locally. Why is that so?

If you have been following this blog, you'll get the answer to that question easily. But since I have written so much and some may have missed it, here's a little short explanation. Good and responsible breeders will always fall back to the breed standards. You will only get a certain look in the breed if you breed rabbits based on the Standard Of Perfection. You will never get a Netherland Dwarf if you are breeding towards the Holland Lop direction. Let's start off with www.arba.net where most of the breed specification can be found.

2) You are one of the known rabbit breeders locally, may I know whose rabbits are the best?

My answer to this is, PLEASE JUDGE FOR YOURSELF. I do not like to mention names and I am not even bothered to compare. I just do not mention whatever or whoever I feel not worthy of recommendations. If you don't hear it from me, please don't ask. Just understand and pick up whatever I mention.

3) There is a show coming up, will you setup a booth there or are you participating?

Please do not misunderstand. I am NOT a farm operator. I am doing this solely for leisure and as a hobby. My rabbits will always stay exclusive. I emphasize on Quality & not quantity.

On whether I am participating or not, all I can say is that, I rather participating in something worthwhile where I can earn ARBA legs.

Well, I am sure most of you may be very confused with all the MAMBO JAMBO I am ranting. I guess what J of J & J told me once was very true indeed. I am honored that she told me so and it was quite enlightening for me. I do not mean to be braggy and proud but she did mentioned that TLR is a little too advanced for Malaysia. I truly understand that because the terms I use may make some go bonkers!

I still believe strongly on AWARENESS & EDUCATION. People just have to be exposed to the right thing from the start so that we can all move forward together. TLR will remain as a platform for educating the general public on this entire rabbit Hocus Pocus thing!

Sunday 3-in-1

I hope everyone's having a great Sunday. I was contemplating whether to write 3 post and schedule them to appear for the next 3 days. But I am just too lazy to do that and therefore, write about 3 very random topics in just 1 post.

First of all, a little update on Carmel. The more I admire Carmel, the most stunning I find her to be. She is ever ready to strike a perfect show pose whenever she is being placed on the grooming table. Really love this doe tons and million. I am still very grateful for Kay's generosity.

I absolutely love her when she does this!

There is nothing else I could ask for when I this beautiful girl and there are definitely reasons for her to be among the top lops!

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Haley is a very interesting character. I adore her loads! Sometimes I she will just sit at the cage door moving her head from side to side in deep thoughts while looking straight at me. She is such a doll to have and her actions are more of a puppy than a bunny.

Is this a puppy or a bunny?

This is the reason why I love Holland Lops sooOOooo much! They are just like puppies that do not bark!

Please don't mind the messy cage floor. I placed a cardboard at the bottom for her to destroy. Try tearing up a cardboard while stepping on it. Kinda fun don't you think?

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TLR started raising Holland Lops in 2006. Have I produce any Show Quality bunnies thus far? Out of all the breedings so far, I dare say that there are 2 bunnies that in my opinion deserve to be on the show tables. The first would be Eclipse from BlueBerry & Skor cross and Truffles from Holly Hope & Skor cross. To be very honest and judgmental, more work has got to be done to improve from here. I am strictly refering to rabbits of my own breeding. I do not believe in importing Grand Champs and put them on the tables.

Speaking of Truffles, he needs a more prominent crown and bigger head. On the experience point of view, he proved to me that long ears are purely GENETICS. His ears seemed to be long because he has got a slipped crown. Looking at him, I refuse to believe in "Summer Ears". Where we are, it is over 80 degrees fahrenheit constantly. For now, I strongly believe that genetics play a great role in the appearances of rabbits. The only effect the weather have on rabbits here in Malaysia is their coat. I find them molting constantly. I am not considering airconditioning plainly because, we must breed rabbits that are highly adaptable in our climate. I must ensure that my rabbits do not drop dead the moment there is no airconditioning so therefore, it is wise to keep them healthy under the natural condition.

Side Profile

It would be perfect if I could see the crown from this angle

Have a great Sunday everyone! God bless!

Guess Who's Back?

Little Miss Muffet is back in Meadow Haven again. Her owner had to move elsewhere and couldn't take her along.

She is having her major molt at the moment. After an hour of cage cleaning and grooming, she look kind of stunning. Reminds me so much of Luna, Eclipse and Tinga!

She is really shy at the moment. Hope she'll get used to the old environment she's from once upon a time ago.

After a lengthy grooming session

Quite a nice crown from this angle

Shyness

Educational Visits

I spend most of my time educating people about rabbits through the sharing of my experience raising them. I am currently preparing a little presentation entitled "A Hare Raising Experience" to help people understand rabbits and their basic needs.

This presentation is suitable for children and adults alike. I would be more than happy to conduct this presentation to anyone interested in educating the future generation of our country. Drop me an email and we can make arrangements for us (bunnies and human) to pay your school or organization a visit.

Starting Young

I thought it was a nice day to take photos of Seychel as she is coming out of her baby fur molt. Then came Beth walking pass after her “marketing” play pretend session. We all know that it takes many years of experience to be a qualified rabbit judge. I guess Beth’s starting really young. Here’s what happened in pictorial mode:

I.........want to......chor eu how to judge Honand Nop!

Mid checktion a little long...

Girl, if you wanna be a show buh nie you really have to hold your head up ai....

That's better but can you go a little higher?

The clown is a little snip...

Chum bleeders can really be a pain in the BUM BUM!

A Honand Nop's fur must have the roller coaster effect....

Why are you laughing? You think Honand Nop judging is a joker?

The ear should be thick and well fuh....

And the ears must not be 1 linch lower than the......

Oh I'm Goodness! A tatdoo

Number Two!

Good girl, Sea Shell!

In the end she concluded that although Seychel is not perfect, she loves her as much!

AwWWwwWwww....

hug tight tight!

I love you....

On a serious note, Seychel is not the perfect brood specimen but I will be using her in my chocolate project nonetheless. By the looks of it, she seemed to have the characteristics of an F1 choc Holland Lop. Whatever it is, she deserves a chance to be a brood doe.