Happy Week Ahead!

There goes CNY and aren't we all in the blues as Monday arrives...

Ignorance is BLISS, stay ignorant...

Bid For A HL Painting

I am helping my dad to send 2 Holland Lop paintings to be auctioned at Loveland, Colorado in April 2010. It is in conjunction with the 2010 HLRSC Nationals hosted by Hollands & Friends.

We would like to thank Kay Miller for appreciating my dad's work and allowing us to share it with the rabbit world. We do hope that they will be well received and appreciated.

Have a nice Nationals everyone!

And for those of you who do not have the slightest idea why I am so obsessed with this bunny raising business, check out the video below.

Fabulous Fours at Fourth Week

Look at the smug on that face

I like all the kits born in Meadow Haven but this litter is the most amazing one thus far. All kits are pretty consistent on most of the traits. I have been told that breeders could tell if kits are different after spending some time and I believe this is what they meant. Somehow, they are just different. The best word I could use to describe this feeling is intuition. I am not sure but my guess is, if you know your herd well, this sort of feeling could be felt easily.

The kits weren't all cooperative today but here are some of the photos that I took this afternoon.

Boy #1 - Absolutely love his bone and I would like to think that he is my Thunder Jr.

Boy #1 - Front

Boy #2 - Not too bad, I like his head most

Boy #2 - Front legs not as thick as I want but he has got broad chest

Girl #1 - She is darker just like her mommy. I like her head too.

Girl #1 - A keeper for brood at least

Girl #2 - She is such a baby but has got big head

Girl #2 - Pretty lazy when it comes to posing

For now, I'll like to keep and hold on to them for much longer.

And for those who are interested to have show quality pets, please drop me an email at truluvrabbitry@gmail.com. I have a couple of RETIRED Show Quality Does (IMPORTED) to pass along.

Massive!

I am too tired to take photos tonight but I got a shot of kit #2. I absolutely love this litter!!!

WOW!!!

My BIG head dream come true!

Moshi Mishu!

What a cutie pie!

Fiesty little girl!

Don't you just love her?

Meltz....

I am trying to refrain myself from bragging and showing off so much, but I just can't help it. I just need to share cute photos!

Today I had a little time to do a little photo shoot and the outcome was fantastic!

I could not recognize 2 of the 4 kits so I had to make a mark using permanent marker on their right ears. That will help me remember who's who - LOL!

Kit #1

#1 again, I totally love his flat face and big head!

#1 striking a pose!

Then I place #2 on the table and boy did I get blown away!

#2 posing well

#2 cute bum shot

#2 with a good front shot

This pose of #2 totally blew me away!

The cutest kit I have ever seen in my rabbitry!

#1 and #2 reminds me a lot of Thunder. I absolutely love this cross and I hope that many more will follow...

#3 looks exactly like Brown Sugar aka Java even with the darker tone

Bones and Head!

Just can't get enough of them! #3 again!

Kit #4 is a pretty small. It has a small body with a huge head. So huge that it just can't keep its head up - LOL!

#4 is the only one that did not need a mark. Just can't keep its head up - LOL!

#4 just can't stop showing me the bum!

So cute that you just have to squeeze it sometimes.....

These kits are by far the best that I ever had in a long time. I must thank Scott Rodriguez of Ivy Crescent Rabbitry and Teri Reymann of Sonshine Rabbitry for their sire and dam. Absolutely love this cross and will not think twice to do it again!

And by the way, I saw Tru-Luv Mirrhi today at my friends place while we went visiting. She has grown so much and I must say that she has quite a nice crown.

Quite good for a local crossed...

And a little photo update on Tru-Luv Sibylla

Needs wider shoulders and a better crown placement

The slipped crown is pretty obvious here

I am keeping this girl as brood because for an F1 out-cross she is pretty decent. When you start off having below average quality you really need to work super hard to get to the quality. I am very glad that Miller's Clark has helped me shorten my journey tremendously. I am sure that by the time the Tru-Luv prefix fills up the pedigree, we'll be having some decent show quality stuff as far as COLORED Hollands are concerned.

The torts win hands down this round. Well, Clark's a tort too!

Deep Thoughts

How much can one possibly write about rabbits? What happens when you have possibly written most of the important topics? I guess we move on to those unimportant ones?

Two words captured my attention today as I scroll through the social networking website - Pet Blogger. I start to wonder how does one qualifies to be a Pet Blogger and I search deep within myself asking that question - Am I a Pet Blogger?

First of all, I must say that the real definition of a Pet is actually in a singular form. The purest form of keeping pets as hobby is to have one animal at any point of time. With that said, I must admit I do have an obsession over rabbits in their plural form. My problem is that, I can't just keep one.

That brings me to the question of whether a breeder that blogs can be considered a Pet Blogger?

I believe that we breeders walk on a very thin line and it always come back to the question of whether breeding comes first or pet comes first. Most of the pet people I know share the same obsession regardless of the species that they keep as pets. They just can't have one. We know the consequences and most often than not has experienced losing our pet in its singular form and the result, disastrous!

So what sort of stuff do a Pet Blogger write about? How many times does he or she have to write "Fluffy eat kibbles today" before readers get bored of the blog? What is the essence that drives people to keep on coming back to one's pet blog? I really do not have the answer but I am sure it does get a little boring at times.

To be honest, with so many cute photos posted on this blog, it is hard not to fall in love with the Holland Lops. In the past 3 years, I have had 2 incidents (that I know) where my blog caused my readers to acquire my rabbits on impulse. Everything was perfect until the rabbits actually went home and the just don't seemed all that interesting as how it is for me - LOL!

Just like any other species kept as pets, it does take some effort to make the hobby a worthwhile one. You just can't bring Polly home and expect her to ask for a cracker can you?

This is exactly how the term Pet Blogger is for me. It depends very much on how one would want to "recognize" or categorize a person as a Pet Blogger. In my opinion, anyone that writes about animal(s) that he or she keeps, is a Pet Blogger.

Now, I am finding it really difficult to write "Haley took some pellets today, Haley had some Timothy Hay today, Haley slept for 4 hours, Haley drank some water, Haley pooped & pee-ed". Gosh! Just imagine that here and I am sure in no time I will have no reader visiting this blog. But that is actually how it is in Meadow Haven. Everyone is very laid back, with me doing most of the chores of course. And I cannot possibly write "I clean rabbit poop and pee today, I clean more cages today and I clean more litter pans today" right?

So what sets this blog apart? Is it the way that I write? Is it the photos that I post?

I really don't know but it would be cool to have someone come up to me and say, "Tim, you've got a flair for writing". I remember very clearly 2 people that actually said that to me and I do keep those words close to my heart. One was way back when I about 11 years old. It was my tuition teacher that taught composition. She said that I had good imagination and I was good at expressing my thoughts through writing. And the other is still a dear friend I hold closely to my heart. She was my supervisor when I was working part-time back then. She said, "Tim, you've got a flair for writing". It didn't really mean that much to me back then but today, writing is such an important channel for me to express myself. I do get flattered to get some occasional praises for writing well but I do doubt the distance that it can bring me. In this world, it is all about appreciation. If one appreciates Holland Lops, they will put a value into the rabbits. If one appreciates art, they will put a price to it. If one appreciates car modification, they will put an exhaust pipe big enough to fit a coconut in it!

I am really glad that my blog is able to build bridges. People around the world is able to understand what I am trying to say. The irony is that, sometimes I get fellow countrymen that do not understanding a single thing that I write.

I know this entry is a little random (that is why it is categorized as Random Topics). You guessed it right, I am basically expressing myself right now. I am actually sitting here thinking when was the last time that I actually blogged. Has the direction of my blog changed for the worst?

One thing is for sure, I am not writing as much in terms of sharing my knowledge because as time goes by, it felt like spoon-feeding. I realized that people will not appreciate what they get easily. With that said, prices of my rabbits are skyrocketing for sure - LOL! No free lunch people. You want the best, you pay the price - BWAHAHAHAHA! Oh, how I love the art of deterrence.

Before I stop my crap talk, I just want to share my own definition of a Pet Blogger:

1. You write so much that you lost track of time (I was suppose to check on the bunnies like 30 mins ago!)

2. You are always looking for opportunity to show off your pet(s) on the blog

3. You (not me) brags about your pet(s)

4. What you write has more entertainment value compared to substance

5. It seemed as though there is something profound between you and your pet that you must write about

6. Money is not the obvious and underlying reason you blog, you don't have an entire herd of rabbits to sell and everything that you write is plainly and simply based on passion

Thank you for joining me on this whacky post. It's been a while...

Three weeks torts

It has been a really hectic weekend and beginning of the week. I absolutely love the traffic around KL these days and I hope everyone just don't Balik "from" Kampung.

Before I move on to the good stuff, I am sad to say that we lost Knee-Yo on the 1st day of CNY. We found him dead in the cage when we returned from reunion dinner. I am not sure what really happened to him but I suspect the cause of death is cardiac arrest due to loud noises. A week back when I was using the vacuum cleaner, I noticed Knee-Yo running and crashing unto the sides of the cage. I had to stop immediately. I believe that he must have gotten a scare from the loud firecracker noises. I dread leaving the bunnies alone every Chinese New Year due to this reason. Anyway, I tr not to allow this to dampen my spirit in the midst of this festive season. R.I.P. Little Knee-Yo.

On the other hand, the little torts are growing up well and they are so very cute right now. They are really feisty and bouncy. I finally found some ideas for props so that my pictures wouldn't look so plain. Unfortunately, they ended up eating non stop and showing me their bums instead!

Here are some photos and I hope you like them.

Caught red handed for polluting the food bowl!

Another one checking me out!

Don't you dare invade our food!

Synchronized chewing...

The littlest of the litter

All in a row...

It's hard to take a perfect picture

I love my Chubby Pets Garden hay!

Happy Chinese New Year 2010 Everyone!

I believe that I finally have something long to write and with loads of photos. Since it is a joyous occasion, I would like to spend some extra time posting a long one. This is my birthday treat to everyone!

First up, I am sure all of you remember this post and will definitely remember this photo:

I am glad to announce that after almost 5 months and 2 litter of babies, THUNDER IS BACK!

Ohh La La!

A little more and he'll be complete!

Isn't he CUTE?

And I wonder how many of the little torts would be like him. Either way, I am pretty sure they will be good stuff!

They just can't stop moving!

Sibylla is growing up pretty too. Right now she has a little "drain" in the middle of her head where the white patch is. There is a huge crater on top of her head in between the ear cartilages.

Can't wait for her to finish her molt

Since I setup my backdrop near where the FurryButts are, I just can't resist the temptation to snap a few photos of them too. First up was Buttons. She is so huge that she practically took up the entire platform. She is approximately 4x Sibylla's size. If she gets any bigger, she can pass as a Flemish Giant. She is just so nice to cuddle with. So much meat!

And she can pose too!

Bailey on the other hand is a very shy boy. I think he misses Hans a lot and part of his confidence seemed to have faded away. I take time to handle him everyday for at least 10 minutes but there isn't much improvements. He loves his little box very much.

Shy guy

Then we have little Yohji boy. It seemed like yesterday when Yohji was born. It was a very cold rainy morning. Unix had her little of 6, let me recall their names Yohji, Bandie, Adinna, Floppie, Mirrhi & Kiki! Their father was Lumix. It was Unix' 1st litter and all of them survived.

Unix

Lumix

It was my first attempt to develop the Holland Lops using the local lop ears and I must say looking at Yohji, I was pretty close. He has nice crown and has decent bone on him. He could easily pass off as a normal or brood buck.

Yohji the vain pot!

Another cute shot of him

I should have added some mandarin oranges as props but I believe Buttons and Yohji is "orangy" enough for such a joyous occasion.

Here wishing everyone A Happy Chinese New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai and travel safe throughout this festive season!