Has it really been this long since I posted to this blog?  Time certainly flies! 
It has been quite a busy summer, and not just bunny-wise. Brad and I moved out of the apartment and into a house! We have adopted 2 more cats, and Chiweenie!  Sometime, I should create a page on here just for non-bunny kids. 

We have been very fortunate in 2008.  Bunnies galore!  I actually ran out of sale rabbits, but the nestbox gods have been kind, and blessed us with LARGE litters.  We had a REW doe knock out ELEVEN on her first try! Sadly, it was too many, too fast, and she lost a few before she could get them cleaned off.  Mom or I are usually pretty good about being ready, but I guess the doe wasn't the only one surprised!  On a good note, between her and her sister (who had 6), we have a LOAD of SIAMESE SABLE! Funny how we bred for REWs, never expecting Siamese Sable.  And those are SO few and far between for us.  I'm actually going to have to sell some of them!
We have some GEORGEOUS new does at the rabbitry, thanks to Ann Cummings, JoAnn Snodgrass, Becky Brim, and LeAnne Caraway.  It's so nice to have great friends that are willing to help us build the herd back up.  Hedda Hopper, from JoAnn, has 3 beautiful opal babies at the moment, and we look forward to breeding the others when they're ready. 
I can't wait to post some pics of this season's kids!!!

My boyfriend, Brad, and I went to a show in Hereford, TX this weekend.  What a nice show! This was my first time to attend, so I showed up with entry forms and comment cards in hand.  To my surprise, I learned that I didn’t even need to fill out comment cards! Entering was a breeze; I just handed in my entry form and paid.  They even encourage pre-entering. The barn was easy to find, the show was VERY well run, and the club provided large tables for everyone to put their carriers on.   BOB and BOS awards were large embroidered totes, embroidered coolers, and clipboards.  BIS, 1^st Reserve, and 2^nd Reserve were embroidered chairs! A big thanks to the Top of Texas Rabbit Club for such a great experience.  They host a show on the last Saturday of every March.  Everyone was very nice, and I made some new friends!  I certainly plan on attending again, and hope more Oklahoma peeps go next time!

I'm bad about updating my blog.  Or my site, for that matter.  I had some free time today, so I thought I would do a little cleanup.  The triple show at Duncan is over, and we didn't exactly suck, but we didn't do too bad.  Klondike won BOSB at one show.  I'm still trying to build up a strong line after the feed incident, so I'm still showing my third string - I lost all of my starters in October.  Hopefully I will have some future BOBs in the nextboxes!

Well, things are somewhat back to normal at the bunny barn – except for feeling so empty and lonely.  We have still had no more deaths since November 13.  I contacted a representative of the feed company, who basically just tested their own batch and found nothing wrong with it.  I have retained a sample of the feed removed from the bunny’s crocks and feeders, and will be sending some to him, and some to an independent lab out of state for a second opinion. 

I have had some very interesting conversations with breeders in Indiana who have gone through the same experience as we have in the last 3-4 months.  It seems they have had a large number of unexplained deaths during the same time frame, and after switching feeds, the deaths stopped as suddenly as they started.  I have been advised of several different brands of feed being suspected, so it’s still a mystery.  One particular breeder and I compared necropsies, and almost all of the results were identical.  No viruses were ever found, and the Pathologists had no definitive cause of death. 

Anyway, my personal vet still thinks it’s feed, and since it’s so hard to detect mycotoxins in a rabbit, he can see why the Pathologist didn’t know.  Since I have had the OK from my vet, I plan on starting up my show season again after the first of the year. 

On a lighter note, I have also decided to apply for my registrar’s license in 2008!

I need to be endorsed, in writing, by 20 paid adult ARBA members.  SO, if anyone would like to support me, please do so!!  I plan on requesting the appropriate forms in January. 

I have missed my friends, and missed showing.  So, I am VERY excited to start back up, and see you guys again!   

     Well, it's November 18, and we have gone one week without any more fatalities at the barn.  More evidence to me that it was the food that did the damage.  The pathologists at OSU still don't know the exact cause.  They ruled out coronavirus and rotivirus.  Dr. Chris said it wasn't coccidia - although the subect of the necropsy did have some of the pesky little parasites, he said there weren't enough of them to cause such damage.  Kind of wierd that she had any, since we treat everyone with Ivermectin once a month.  Anyway, no more of THAT brand of feed for us.
Dr. Chris has offered to find a rabbit specialist, so we can be clinically sure of the cause.  Until we can definitely say it was the feed, we are still under a voluntary quarantine. 
     I would like to thank those friends who have called or written and given us their sympathy and support.  I'm glad we still have honorable people like you in this world. 
     As for those who have decided to use our misfortune to further fuel your bitter feuds by spreading rumors of disease, shame on you.  It's not like we haven't had enough heartache, but to take our tragedy and twist it into some childish revenge thing?  Grow up, grow a set, and get over your petty little fights.  I find it immature and cowardly to do what you have done.   If I ever find out who started the rumors, I have a few choice words for you.  That is, if you have the guts to admit it.  This isn't high school anymore.  I would think people of our ages could act more like grown-ups.