Is This It, This Is It?

I was watching the tribute speech Madonna gave during the recent 2009 MTV Video Music Award. Very touching it was. For those that have missed the speech, here is the video.

MTV Shows

I was especially touched when she said something to the effect that we take others for granted when they are around. If we look at Michael Jackson, most of us have many things in common with him especially in the events that has unfolded towards the end of his life. We are being JUDGED most of the time! Not only that, we are subjected to being BULLIED.

When I watched the video, I wondered if the music industry is as competitive one and I wonder if musicians are subjected to bickering. I believe that competition is what makes us improve. But out of the competitiveness, some may subject to backstabbing, cheating & even ganging up to bully & abuse whoever that seemed weak on the outside.

In my opinion, we cannot govern how we want others to treat us thus, it is best to stay close together with friends who appreciates us and with that, draw strength from each other and face all the adversity together.

Why am I writing all these and what does Michael Jackson has got to do with rabbits?

Please allow me to share and speak my mind.

Thousands of rabbits are gathering in San Diego as we speak. I am in no position to comment much on it since I do not have first hand experience. It would be a dream come true if I am able to attend such a prestigious rabbit event. A lot of efforts is needed to organize such a grand event. The only word that I know to sum up everything is COMPETITION.

There will even be a documentary entitled "RABBIT FEVER" highlighting what goes on behind this huge production and especially the degree of competitiveness.

I do wonder what is the motivations behind all breeders swarming into this Mother of all Nationals. Thousands taking a shot at the possibility of garnering the one Best In Show?

I am sure that there are more to it than winning. To many, it is for the friendships and to be in a common place where everyone speaks just 1 language - BUNNY LANGUAGE!

In the midst of all the competitiveness, some are also caught up in the web of bickering. Competition sometimes do breed people problems. When one takes competition too seriously, he or she may get caught up in slandering another. Isn't that a common human trait? How we sometimes alleviate ourselves through putting others down. People act nasty when they are too caught up in the game.

Now let's bring it all together. Have we ever stop to ponder if we are the only ones in the game, would it be or feel the same?

What I am trying to say is that we do take for granted most of the time. Just like how we take Michael Jackson for granted when he was around. Just like how we judge him when he was alive.

If I am lucky enough to be in the game, I will go for friendship anytime. Winning will be a bonus. I do hope everyone compete on level grounds without the bickerings. Besides, it is not us that win at the end of the day. It is the rabbits that win at the end of the day.

There are many breeders out there that deserves very much to win with their stocks and there are many more unethical ones that in my opinion should just get out of rabbits. All these are just my personal opinion because of how I have been wronged in the past.

We then ask ourselves, why are we breeding to hard if it is not for the win. We all breed for many reasons. And many reasons keep us doing what we do. I do not know what motivates other breeders to do what they do. I do not know why people drive 72 hours to get to convention.

But I do know, I do it for this...

The Future of Holland Lops

They are worth much more than all the bickerings in this world. Let's bicker for all the right reasons. Let's not bicker because someone else have something better than us. Let's bicker because we want to get bad apples out of the basket. Let's bicker to put those unethical ones out of business.

Let's bicker for the good of all our beloved rabbits. Let's bicker to ensure we safeguard the future of our rabbits!

Caca & Footy need a home

I understand that it is always difficult to part with our beloved pets and especially in our culture there are many taboos. Although I have written about the linkage between fur and asthma problems, I also refuse to give in to the unproven facts - LOL. Unfortunately, there are many more forms of pressure besides the excessive stray fur issue. In our culture, we are very obedient towards our elders. Sometimes whatever they say goes...

A fellow bunny enthusiast is now under pressure from her elders to give up her 2 beautiful bunnies. She just need someone to take over the daily care of her bunnies for a few months until her baby is old enough to have them around again. She will provide all the basic needs and expenses. In short, she just need the rabbits to be away for a short while.

Please visit http://www.thejoyofbeingrabbit.blogspot.com/ for more information and I will post her contact here again if need be.

Caca

Footy

Please email antchw@hotmail.com for more information.

P/S: They do not live in the bathroom. These photos were taken after their grooming sessions in the bathroom.

86th ARBA Convention & Show

Thousands of rabbits across all breeds gather together. Not to dominate the world (which they already did), but in search for the 1 BEST IN SHOW. Happening from 1st to 5th November 2009 in San Diego, California. This is the mother of all shows where the best from all over US will come together to compete for the top spot. This will also be a week that I will miss most of my bunny friends in US because they are all having so much fun at Convention.

I wish all of them participating in this great event a safe journey and all the best with their rabbits!

Day 14: Sleepy Hollow Inn

It is Halloween and I thought of taking a few photos for the occasion. Turned out it was total disaster!

First of all, the the only prop I have is a little mini trick or treat plastic basket that was too small for the little kits to fit in. And secondly, that's all I have - LOL. I thought of cutting out some bats so that it would feel much more eerie.

I guess I took too much time figuring out what props to use and both of them got pretty bored with me. Nothing is scarier than to see 2 kits sleep all the time! LOL!

I guess it is better to sleep the scary night away?

Trick or Treat?

Hypnotizing my litter mate...

zzZZzzZzzzzz

SnooooOOOre...

Sleeping in style?

Where is the symphony coming from?

I hope no fly goes into this little fellow's mouth - LOL!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Day 13: Another dose of cuteness!

These 2 are literally sucking Holly Hope dry...

Blur cases...

This one's really cute!

Day 12: The Poser & The Wanderer

I was so preoccupied last evening and by the time I came home it was well over 12 midnight. So I had to skip day 11 and go right into day 12.

These 2 kits are so adorable. Mooruku has got its eyes opened while Papadoom is taking a little while longer. I believe they will be opened tomorrow.

I placed them in my living room and boy were they both fiesty! I realized that Mooruku likes to pose while Papadoom practically wandered all around my living room.

Arent's they cute?

Posing already and look at the bone!

Day 10: When Every Door Opens

Mooruku's eyes opened today. I believe Papadoom will have its eyes open pretty soon too.

I came home with a good laugh as I discovered that somebunny has been up to no good. Caught red handed for stealing food!

These rabbits are my #1 entertainment. They never fail to cheer me up and there is always something new everyday!

On a happier note, I just found out the number of countries that visits TLR everyday. I was shocked myself to learn how many people this blog has touched and I am very happy indeed. The people in these countries has visited truluvrabbitry.com for the past few days:

• United States
• Indonesia
• Canada
• Singapore
• United Kingdom
• Thailand
• France
• Italy
• Germany
• Ukraine
• Kuwait
• Australia
• Philippines
• Netherlands
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Poland
• Kenya
• Finland
• Lithuania
• Puerto Rico
• Brazil
• New Zealand
  
• Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
• Mexico
• Bulgaria
• Turkey
• India

Thank you all so much for your support and your friendship is much appreciated! Each and everyone of you has inspired me to continue this adventure! Words can't express how much this means to me! Thank you all!

Day 9: Mooruku & Papadoom

I wonder how many positions and angles that I can take photos of baby bunnies. It is quite limited as they are quite helpless at the moment. Hope to see their eyes open tomorrow. They kept on coming out of the nest box to terrorize poor mommy and I normally come back home to find them in ecstasy with their tummies full.

Mooruku fits nicely in my palm

A few days back Papadoom was a little hairless pinky...

And as usual, my little angel will come and pat them while singing...

I love you, you love me.....

Day 8: Mooruku & Papadoom

There isn't much space left in the container

I am loving the color!

I am *shy*

Kits Next Door!

Guess what!? BlueBerry & Eclipse had 4 kits over at the other end of the world. Thanks to LB for these photos:

4 healthy babies born this morning!

YeahooOOOOoooOOOOOOOOOOoooooo!

Day 7: Mooruku & Papadoom

Blek!

Cuddles!

Contented...

zzZZZzzZzzzzz

Walk The Lines?

I am not sure if I have written about this issue but I suddenly felt the urge to write about it. It can be seen as an issue but some may not agree. As we all know, there are tons of rabbit breeders in this entire world. And most of the time we are caught up with "who is the best". That is what rabbit shows or any other animal conformation shows do to most of us. If someone's winning tons, that is definitely a sign of top crop/stock. But bear in mind that each breeder produces rabbits that are closest to the breed standard and also some go the extra mile to develop their own distinctive look - a trademark so to speak. If you think about it, if everyone interprets the SOP the same way, there wouldn't be any variety. The SOP even call for varieties and especially in colors. Therefore, some breeders go for the extras e.g. bigger heads.

So as a new person coming into the hobby, how do you choose which breeder to obtain foundation stocks from?

There are generally 3 guidelines that we can follow:

1) Our preference

You may have a rough idea of what traits you like in a Holland Lop. If that is the case, search out for breeders breeding these particular traits and continue working on it. As much as you like to have a distinctive look in your rabbits, please do not overlook conformity to the SOP.

2) Lineages

This is always a controversial. Honestly, I have been fooled previously into believing that lineage is everything. Boy was I wrong. Some breeders tend to mislead newbies by flaunting and bragging about the lineages filled with GCs. Many breeders have shared with me about their failures in out crossing even in stocks with generations of GCs. I have came to believe that lineages should not be taken as the sole determining factor in choosing a rabbit. On the other hand, I must stress that some lineages work well with others and have been proven to produce good stock. Let me share with you my personal opinion about how lineages can be used as a PLUS point. GOOD breeders normally cull very hard and only retain the best of the best. Ethically speaking, they will never ever pass on something that they do not want to keep for themselves to a fellow show breeder. You just have to sort these honest breeders out and I must say that the quality of their stocks are always consistent. In every venture that we embark, it is definite that we will encounter dishonest people that are only in the trade to get quick bucks. Honesty or not is basically a variable and factor that we cannot control. Therefore, do not be fooled when someone tells you that this rabbit is the offspring of a Grand Champion or it has got 14 Grand Champions in its lineage. It does not really justify as it is not guaranteed that a GC will 100% produce a GC. It only increases the chances through selective breeding. Also, don't go hunting for a GC and expect that every kit that it produces will in turn be a GC. Most often than not, you will be disappointed.

Simply put, only trustworthy breeders can be trusted when they talk about lineages.

3) The rabbit itself

This is the best determining factor in my opinion. If you are familiar with the acronym WYSIWYG, then you will know what I am talking about. What you see right in front of you is what you will get when you try to reproduce. Therefore, breeders normally chooses traits in 2 rabbits to complement each other.

There you have it. Some tips in choosing the right breeders to work with and hopefully no one gets rip off at the end of the day.

Day 4: Tru-Luv Mooruku & Papadoom

First of all, I just realized that my favorite Indian snack is Papadum - a crispy cracker must have whenever I dig into banana leaf. With that realization, I am switching Thosai to Papadoom - LOL! Talking about indecisiveness!

Anyhow, I was messing around in the rabbitry as usual and took some photos that I would like to share.

Haley darling

My massive Haley. I just love this doe!

If you are wondering how Holly Hope looks like after building a nice and warm nest, here you go...

Hope with bald patches

I like to capture photos that focus on baby bunny tummies.

Isn't Mooruku cute?

I believe Papadoom is a Solid Blue

I learned this trick from Alicia of Pet Epicure on how to teach young children to hold small animals

Joke of the day, Papadoom pee-ed on baby Beth. Talking about fire extinguisher, Papadoom shoots pretty far for a little wiggly...

Day 3: Tru-Luv Thosai & Mooruku

No time for long stories, just photos to post. Enjoy friends...

Gotta start them young. Was cleaning up her mess while she sneaked into the kitchen to play with the kits...

Look at the tummy!

Notice the milk!

Day 2: Binky Free Tru-Luv Kacang Putih

Another familiar crossroad. The faith of a peanut is always sealed the moment it is born. The case of Kacang Putih through my observation is that, it was born without a proper tummy coupled with a bad pituitary gland, its development and growth was severely stunted. This is again the cause of the lethal double dwarf gene. I found Kacang Putih "dried" up at one corner of the nest box far away from its siblings. The obvious signs of a peanut includes the buldge on the head, a hind quarter that is not developing and also the very tiny little ears.

Goodbye little one

Thosai and Mooruku is doing well on the other hand. I am just going to concentrate efforts in keeping these 2 alive and well.

I notice that Mooruku is pretty broad

Please concentrate on Thosai and stop staring at my smooth hand! :P

Praying for a bright future for the both of them!

Day 1: Tru-Luv Mooruku, Thosai & Kacang Putih

As you can see, I have the initial names for all three of them. Since they were born on Deepavali day, I named them after the festive's favorite delicacies.

The peanut is called Kacang Putih because Kacang means peanut. I always relate broken blacks to the dairy cow so instead of Muruku, I am calling it Mooruku. As for Thosai, it is made mostly using flour and always served for free during this holiday in Indian restaurants.

Here's how they look today. I don't have much hope for Kacang Putih because I noticed that although she suckles, there isn't any milk going into her tummy.

Notice the big bulge on Kacang Putih's head!

Warm & Toastie!

I was told by a friend that the lighter colored ones are BLUE TORTS! YAY!!!!

MariWiki.org?

I think we have our very own equivalent of the Wikipedia going on here too. I believe it is called MariWiki.org.

Quite surprised to have picked up an incoming link from http://mariwiki.org/my/Tru-Luv_Rabbitry.

A good Samaritan started this wiki page for us and I am extremely grateful. I guess there will be tons of hits to this blog soon.

Thank you whoever you are!

Live Report: Holly Hope

She got through the stress from all the fireworks and crackers. There were massive celebration everywhere when the clock struck 12 midnight.

Here's the live report from Meadow Haven:

(UPDATE) 4.00 p.m. : I woke up from nap to find wiggies!!!

3 kits in total once again. 2 seemed to be alright but 1 seemed to be a little peanut/runt.

Isn't that a lovely nest?

1 Broken Black for sure

This little one reminds me a lot of Holly Hope. It's getting a lot of my attention for sure. I hope it thrive...

Broken Black? TLR trademark lives on...

I can't make out the color but most probably Black? Looks a little chocolate to me...

I can now go enjoy my dinner! Thank you everyone for your prayers over this end. Baby drought just broke...

(UPDATE) 12.00 noon : More fur in nest box without any action...

6.30 a.m. : Nest box lined with fur

8.30 a.m. : More fur in nest box, Holly Hope has bald patches all around and babies kicking mad inside

Nice nest!

A lot of fur

Stay tuned for more updates.