Thursday, March 6, 2014

Changing Direction: Rabbits

It's interesting to think that I've been in rabbits for almost 20 years.  And yet, in all that time I really can't say that I've genuinely excelled with any single breed.  I've encouraged the kids to have their own, gone to great lengths to help them get the best and watched them succeed.  Both elder girls have won both BIS & RIS trophies.  I myself even won an RIS once... long ago.  But that's no more than a memory.

I think of other people I've known over the years, some haven't been in as long as I have, winning high stakes with their ONE breed.  I think of others who've been raising the same, single breed for at least as long as I have.  And then I wonder, why can't I settle on a single breed?  I have never truly had a passion for just one, I love them all.  So I always have to try something new.  Even when I first started, I had 2 breeds: Mini-rex and Holland Lops. 

I've raised cavies for only about 10 years, with about a 3 year gap in between while having my youngest kids.  And even though I've tried out different ones of those as well, I've always gravitated back towards a single breed: American Satins.  I'm even down to just the 2 compatible colors: cream & white (necessary to breed creams, not because I'm particularly fond of them).  So why have I never been able to drive myself to the same level with the rabbits?

Over the years I've had:
Mini-rex
Rex
English Angora
French Angora
Lionhead
Polish
Dutch
Netherland Dwarf
Holland Lop
Mini-lop
French Lop
Flemish Giant
Californian
New Zealand
Lilac
Havana
Himalayan
Belgian Hare
Jersey Wooly
American Fuzzy Lop
Mini-Plush Lop
English Lop
Mini Satin
English Spot

That's 23 out of 47 breeds!

Now I'm getting ready to clear out all "non-essential" breeds from the rabbitry.  I plan on leaving only my Hares and the Dutch.  Everything else will go.  That will actually reduce me down to less than 10 rabbits if I can actually pull it off.  The problem here is that I can feel the restlessness coming on.  I don't have the ability to go full-out with the Hares.  I love them dearly, but most of my cages were not built to house Hares (who require special accommodations), so I'm very limited in the numbers I'm able to maintain.  The Dutch are the property of one of the girls and I have little interest in them honestly.  So now I'm at my wits' end.  I want to specialize, I really do.  I just cannot seem to find that ONE special breed that is meant for me.

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