The Giant Chinchilla Rabbit Breed

To finish off the “Chin” breed rabbits, I would like to go over all of the details that I feel are necessary to pick out a specific breed. But for today, I will be going over the Giant Chinchilla rabbit breed. These details include the history, the common characteristics and personalities, sizing/weight, common medical problems, and more!

The History Behind the Giant Chinchilla Rabbit:

The original American Chinchilla rabbit came along in 1924, even though the Chinchilla coat and breed type came along in 1919. Breeders felt that this rabbit breed was too small, the weight being an average of 5 to 7 lbs. After a while, breeders have worked on making a bigger version of this rabbit since the fur of this rabbit was incredible for the fur trade.

The breeding of this rabbit is actually quite simple. New Zealand White does were bred to Standard Chinchilla bucks, along with American Blue rabbits. From here, the rabbits became larger and larger, the coat of the Chinchilla still lasts through the Standard Chinchilla bucks, giving the popular coat to this breed as well.

The Giant Chinchilla was accepted into the ARBA, or American Rabbit Breeder’s Association, in 1928 to be considered a true breed, with standards.

Common Characteristics of the Giant Chinchilla Breed:

Like all other “Chin” breed rabbits, the Giant Chinchilla rabbit breed is known for their fur that looks almost identical to the fur on an actual chinchilla, not the rabbit. The ears of this breed should be a medium size and erect. The legs of this rabbit breed are very powerful, so don’t make it mad!

The actual coat of the rabbit, like I had just mentioned, looks just like an actual chinchilla’s fur. The undercoat, however is very soft, silky, and bright, giving this rabbit a much more full look compared to the American and Standard Chinchilla breeds.

Common Personalities of this Rabbit:

Despite the size of this rabbit, this breed is well known to be extremely gentle and loving. Even though this rabbit is large, it can be energetic at times, some more than others. Don’t expect this rabbit to be extremely energetic, but expect some willing and positive energy.

With this, a Giant Chinchilla is great for families with older children, singles, and those who own a house. I wouldn’t recommend ever keeping a giant sized rabbit in an apartment since space can cause many scenarios that aren’t always that great.

Sizing and Weight

As you probably know from the title, this rabbit is considered a giant breed rabbit. These rabbits are known from stocky bodies, potentially tall stature, and not to forget, for being long and fluffy.

The average weight to a healthy Giant Chinchilla rabbit would be anywhere from 12 to 15 lbs. Do keep in mind that does of this particular breed are known to be heavier and stockier than the males.

Common Medical Problems:

There aren’t any specific illnesses found throughout this breed, but there are some small notes to write down for those interested in this breed.

Extra Care:

With this breed being so large, grooming is essential for this rabbit. The coat is very thick from its undercoat, and to ignore the buildup of fur on the rabbit’s bottom can potentially cause flystrike, which shouldn’t happen anyway because your rabbit should be inside.
Since the size of this rabbit is crazy, giving plenty of space for playtime is extremely important. I would definitely recommend free roaming this breed no matter what, even though free roaming should be advised for any breed, or less there is a potential predator as another pet in the house.
Keeping this rabbit active can improve many things. First of all, allowing long periods of playtime can get the rabbit going right away, especially if your specific rabbit tends to be very lazy. Second, it can keep the rabbit’s digestion going, which is vital for every rabbit, not to forget that their digestive system is very sensitive. Last of all, giving rabbits playtime can improve moods, bonds, and so much more!

Works Cited:

“Giant Chinchilla Rabbit Breed Information and Pictures.” PetGuide, 21 Oct. 2017, www.petguide.com/breeds/rabbit/giant-chinchilla-rabbit/.

Sources:

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What You Need to Bring Your Rabbit Outside

Bringing a domestic rabbit outside can be very risky, but to prevent as many risks as possible, having the correct materials can save your rabbit. Because there can be a lot of pressure to get it all right, I’ll be explaining the different items in categories that I personally think you need to bring your furry friend outside.

Play Pen Area:

Ex-pen(s): The entire use of an ex-pen for any animal is to keep them in a contained area for them to play and explore. The name “ex-pen” is short for exercise pen, which makes sense. I would recommend an ex-pen or two, maybe even three to bring your rabbit outside. Each ex-pen should be at least three feet tall, most rabbits can jump that high, so make sure you know your rabbit well enough to know the correct height before even planning to bring them outside.

Plywood: A sheet of plywood that is large enough to cover the entire ground of and around the ex-pen is extremely important. An underground predator could easily burrow their way over to the pen and potentially hurt the rabbit. The only exception of this all would be if the grass wasn’t sprayed with pesticides, hasn’t been mowed, and can be guaranteed that there hasn’t been any wild predators in that area. You would still need to find a way for your rabbit to escape to the situation.

Extra Bed sheet(s): An extra bed sheet or two is important to cover the ex-pen to prevent the rabbit from overheating. A rabbit is so much more susceptible to over heating than even getting close to becoming cold to any dangerous circumstance.

Food/Water:

Hay: In any situation, a rabbit should always have unlimited hay, even if you are allowing them to eat safe grass. This is in case the rabbit doesn’t enjoy the grass for whatever reason. Any rabbit should have hay, even if they don’t eat it when you’re outside, they’re just stressed from the climate change.

Treats: Treats are amazing to make a rabbit very comfortable with what they are at. The average rabbit will become extremely stressed in any climate change, so giving a treat or two to make sure your rabbit takes it can be very beneficial on both parts. For the rabbit, they could become a little more comfortable with a familiar treat, and from a rabbit owner’s perspective, a rabbit taking a treat means it isn’t too stressed. A rabbit avoiding a treat could show extreme stress and anxiety, in which you would want to bring your rabbit back inside.

Water Bowls: Having a water bowl instead of a water bottle could save your rabbit’s life. A water bottle in a any situation, whether you’re outside or inside, rabbits can’t get enough water from a water bottle. An average rabbit will drink as much as a 20 pound dog, and trust me, it’s true. So please, provide large bowls for your rabbit to drink out of, preferably ceramic if anything.

Fresh Water: Fresh water is obvious for any animal that you would be taking care of. Dirty or improper water could cause sickness, dehydration if your rabbit avoids it, and death if things don’t change. Please change your rabbit’s water daily, if not multiple times a day with fresh, clean water in a bowl.

Litter/Bedding:

Litter Boxes: Litter boxes, like hay and water, should always be provided. Even if you don’t think your rabbit would need a litter box outside, your rabbit will most definitely use it and have comfort in using it. Yet again, the litter box is another familiar object in the pen to comfort the rabbit.

Litter: If you’re giving a litter box like you should, you will need some litter. I like to use horse stall bedding pellets. They are made for horses and other barn animals, which means that the pellets can absorb a large amount of liquid, can contain odors, and is quite dust free. Familiar litter with the smell of your rabbit on it can also prevent overloads of stress.

Familiar Fleece/Sheets: The familiarity of fleece and sheets, like many other materials can give comfort. Not to forget that you could also use the fleece and sheets to cover the plywood to prevent sore hocks, which I will link my post on sore hocks down below if you are interested.

Toys and Others:

Chews: Chews can help the rabbit relieve stress and have some fun. The importance of keeping your rabbit’s teeth worn down is also very important.

Toss Toys: Toss toys are great for rabbits that love to toss things around, in result, usually making a mess. To give a rabbit a toss toy, you’re allowing more fun for the rabbit to have.

Favorite Toys: Giving a stressed out rabbit their favorite is a great way to allow your rabbit to relax a little bit more and have some fun.

Hide House: A hide house is an essential for any rabbit. Not only can it give shelter to a panicking rabbit, but if the hide house is cardboard or wood, maybe even willow or sea grass, the rabbit can gnaw on it to relieve even more stress, have fun, and ware down their teeth.

Lawn Chair: I would recommend setting up a lawn chair next to the ex-pen area to keep a close eye on your rabbit. By doing this, you will most likely keep predators away, you can scare them away, and ensure that your rabbit is okay.

Comfort Items: Comfort items for not only your rabbit, but you too! Comfort items can not only pass time, but make your fun time outside even more enjoyable and memorable. Bringing out crafts, lists, blankets, food, and friends can make this time outside amazing!

A Few Links to Other Posts on Subjects I Mentioned:

Thank you for all of the love any support that has been given. Please leave a like on this post if you like the style and the information. Please come back every other day for a new post, but until then, continue to spread proper rabbit care and I will talk to you soon, bye!

The Standard Chinchilla Breed Rabbit

Now that I’ve realized that there’s not only the American Chinchilla rabbit, there’s also the Standard Chinchilla and the Giant Chinchilla breed rabbit. See, you’re not the only one learning, and now, you get to learn more about the Standard Chinchilla rabbit.

The History Behind the Standard Chinchilla Breed:

The Standard Chinchilla came along in the year of 1919, in France. The rabbit’s characteristics were formed from breeding Beverens and Himalayans to wild rabbits, which I would never advise letting any domestic rabbit near a wild rabbit for safety reasons.

The unique color of its coat made this rabbit extremely popular in the United States, because of this, the rabbits were exceeding expectations. These Chinchilla rabbits were becoming an actual hit, in the way that they were the “new thing” in terms of popularity.

This rabbit breed then became longer and larger, developing the American and Giant Chinchilla breeds. All of these breeds were accepted into the ARBA in 1930. The three Chinchilla breed rabbits are now recognized at the “Chin” breeds.

This breed was so popular that thousands of people registered to become a group. This group is what became the ARBA. Believe it or not, the ARBA was formed all because of the Belgian Hare. It’s amazing what rabbits can do! This is important because the Standard Chinchillas were popular right before the Belgian Hare was accepted, which might have played a role in the ARBA.

Common Characteristics of the Standard Chinchilla Rabbit:

The Standard Chinchilla has a much smaller body than the American and Giant Chinchilla breed. This is due to the history of the breed becoming noticeably larger, just for these rabbits to become a different breed because of size.

The ears of the Standard Chinchilla are erect and shouldn’t be larger than 5 inches long. The overall body of the rabbit isn’t much different than the American Chinchilla though.

The coat of this rabbit is soft and medium to short in length. The color of this coat is pretty obvious, and is the same, one and only color that is accepted by the ARBA for American Chinchillas, and now Standard Chinchilla rabbits, dark slate blue.

Common Personalities Found in This Breed:

This rabbit breed in particular is very commonly known to be very docile and energetic in pretty much every situation. The friendliness of this rabbit is unbearable and amazing at the same time. This rabbit’s amazing with older children, and loves the attention.

This rabbit is also known to be quite smart, so giving extra time for agility and clicker training can really be amazing for this particular breed.

Sizing and Weight:

Since this rabbit is noticeably smaller than the American and Giant Chinchilla breeds, it is considered a medium sized rabbit, which is very understandable. The body itself is much more compact and quite small compared to the other “Chin” breeds.

The average weight of a healthy Standard Chinchilla rabbit is anywhere from 5 to 7 lbs. This is very noticeable when it comes to stockiness and overall length and size.

Common Medical Problems:

Like any other rabbit, Standard Chinchillas are susceptible to overgrown teeth and mites without proper diet and protection. Checking for ear mites can save so much money, time, stress, and mourning if checking for ear mites can become part of a routine for not only the owner, but the rabbit as well.

The site I used says that this rabbit is susceptible to flystrike, which is only possible if the rabbit kept outdoors, isn’t groomed properly, has an improper cage (which is improper no matter what if it’s outside), and if the rabbit is fed an improper diet.

Extra Care:

The only extra care that I would say is true for this particular breed would be the time and effort put into clicker training and agility. This would be not only amazing exercise for really any rabbit, but for the compatibility and patience of this rabbit, this being an amazing way to work its brain.

Works Cited:

“Standard Chinchilla Rabbit Breed Information and Pictures.” PetGuide, 21 Oct. 2017, www.petguide.com/breeds/rabbit/standard-chinchilla-rabbit/.

Sources:

Link to Thumbnail Image

As always, thank you so much for coming back again. Please come back every other day for a new post on either bringing rabbits outdoors, or on different rabbit breeds. I really would appreciate it if you would give this post a like and send it to all of the rabbit lovers and close friends in your life. Until next time, continue to spread proper rabbit care, and I will talk to you soon, bye!

The Process Of Bringing Domestic Rabbits Outside To Play

Even though rabbits aren’t meant to live outside, or less they’re wild, bringing rabbits outside for a playtime session is completely fine. The only problem comes once you realize how many dangers there are outside for rabbits, pretty much anything. Because of this, knowing the basics are important.

Preparation:

To bring a domestic rabbit outside, is already a gigantic jump into reality. First of all, many house rabbits started as strays, which means that these rabbits probably have terrible memories, experiences, and lives out in the wild. If bringing a rabbit outside is a risk worth taking, this is how you will want to do it:

First: Do Research

The different topics that will need researching for when you bring rabbits outside are the following: Where to bring a rabbit outside to play, bug medications, making this area outside safe, what to do and not to do with your rabbit outside, the different potential predators, and how to keep predators away.

Second: Take Notes:

Even though these concepts of bringing a rabbit outside seem obvious, I can guarantee that you will learn something new when you go through all of this research, and you might go through a phase of extreme realization.

When taking notes, there are many concepts that need covering with each subject. This is what I feel you need to know before exposing your rabbit to the outside world:

What You Need to Bring Your Rabbit Outside:

Play Pen and Others
Toys
Litter/Bedding
Food/Water

Where to Bring A Rabbit Outside To Play:

Where Is and Isn’t Safe?
Finding a Location
Spectating?

Bug Medications:

Different Types
Where to Get Them
Why Are They Important?
Risks That Come Without Bug Prevention
Know Your Rabbit’s Past Problems Outside

Making An Area Outside Safe For a Rabbit:

Locations
- Trees?
- Grass?
- Wildflowers and Plants?
Setup
Protection

What to Do and Not to Do When Bringing a Rabbit Outside:

What to Do
- Food/Forage
- Protection
- Handling
- Bedding/Litter
What Not to Do
- Food/Forage
- Protection
- Handling
- Bedding/Litter

Outdoor Predators to Rabbits:

Different Predators
Risks of These Predators
Why Prevention of These Predators is Crucial

How to Protect a Rabbit From Outdoor Predators:

Proper Location
Flooring
Roofs
Area Protection in General
Your Guidance

Third: Get Your Materials Ready:

You’ll want to start to get materials together as soon as possible, even before you know where the pen is even going to go. It may seem strange, but it’s best to get the main materials that you know you will need for sure, to then add on over time once you find your location.

When you do this initial preparation of the materials, your giving yourself different things to check off the list that you knew were going to be on it anyway. This way, your able to give yourself the time to add more materials to the list as you research, and check other materials off as well.

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The Actual Process:

To bring your rabbit outside, you’ll want to bring all of your materials out first, then the rabbit in a carrier. To put this into steps, it would be:

Bring Out all Materials
Set up all of the Materials
Bring your Rabbit Out
Allow Your Rabbit To Adjust
Watch and Play With Your Rabbit

After all of the preparation, the process of actually bringing your rabbit outside is extremely simple. Just don’t be that rabbit owner that doesn’t do all of the excess preparation, because the moment you forgot something inside, you can’t go and get it.

Bringing a rabbit outside is extremely risky for too many reasons, but to get your rabbit adjusted to the playtime outside like that is extremely beneficial. Making your rabbit comfortable in many positions can really boost a bond with not only other rabbits, but you too!

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Thank you all of coming back again for this post. All of the different topics that were mentioned above that I felt need addressing before bringing any domestic rabbit outside are going to be my outdoor themed posts for about the next month. Keep in mind that I post every other day, and the outdoors posts are every other post, so every four days there will be an outdoors post.

With that being said, please make sure to come back every other day for a new post, and until I talk to you next time, continue to spread proper rabbit care and I will talk to you soon, bye!

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The American Chinchilla Breed Rabbit

The American Chinchilla rabbit is a very commonly known breed throughout the rabbit community, the only thing is that not all of these people may know the small details behind this breed. Due to this, I will be going over the history, characteristics, personalities, medical problems, and more!

The History Behind The American Chinchilla Rabbit:

The very first American Chinchilla was developed by Mitchem Surrey, or M.J Dybowski. These rabbits were first shown in 1913, the location being Saint-Maur, France. From here, the breed exploded with popularity.

The gorgeous coat on this rabbit made fur trade insane. It wasn’t until the summer of 1917 that this breed was put up on the British market. The year 1919 was probably the biggest year for this breed because a British exhibitor sent some of these rabbits to the New York State Fair to be entered. The entire stock was sold to two people, Edward H. Stahl and Jack Harris.

From here, American breeders went to work to make this rabbit larger. At this time, the average weight was only about 5 to 7 1/2 lbs. This increase in size was needed for appropriate meat and fur worth out of this breed. The breed was eventually established in 1924 through the accept of this breed by the ARBA, or the American Rabbit Breeders Association.

Common Characteristics:

The American Chinchilla is well known for its stocky body and grey fur. To be exact, the color is actually dark slate blue, which is the only color that is accepted through the ARBA for this breed. This is because the breed is meant to have the common chinchilla coloring. The American Chinchillas have short and soft fur that needs plenty of grooming during shedding season.

For the overall body of this animal, The rabbit has a large and stocky body with broad muscles and very powerful legs. The ears of this rabbit fit well to its body size, and look as though they would be considerably medium-sized.

Common Personalities:

This rabbit is amazing for its personality. One, this breed is incredibly docile and friendly, which is great for families with young children. Two, this rabbit is extremely sweet and loves attention, which is great for those who need an emotional support animal. And three, this rabbit’s happiness shines throughout anyone who is near the rabbit because they are just the sweetest rabbits ever, and love to snuggle.

Sizing/Weight:

The American Chinchilla rabbit is considered a large breed rabbit, not surprising due to the fact that they were bred to be meat and fur rabbits, which are usually large sized rabbits. The stockiness and stature of this rabbit are the two main factors to the sizing that it has been given.

The average weight of a healthy American Chinchilla should be anywhere from 9 to 12 lbs. This weight will usually come from muscle mass from the meat that was built up on this rabbit. Watching the weight of your rabbit is incredibly important, it could show whether your rabbit is sick or not.

Common Medical Problems:

There aren’t any specific medical problems that are commonly found in this breed itself.

Extra Care:

There aren’t any sources of extra care needed for this rabbit, besides plenty on exercise, which should be given no matter what!

Works Cited:

“American Chinchilla Rabbit Breed Information and Pictures.” PetGuide, 20 Oct. 2017, www.petguide.com/breeds/rabbit/american-chinchilla-rabbit/.

Sources:

Link to Thumbnail Image

Thank you so much for all of the love an support that has been given throughout all of my posts. Please continue to come back every other day for a new post, and I will talk to you then in my next post, bye!

When You Say Weeds, I Say Forage!

For all of those people out there that complain about weeds, think about this. What can you do to use these weeds for good? Can it be forage? Are they really that bad?

Why Are Weeds Good?

Honestly, whenever anybody complains about weeds, you know it’s not going to be a great conversation. Weeds can be the most annoying things in life, but they can be used for many occasions.

Weeds are great forage for humans or animals, which humans are technically animals (we act like it). There are many weeds that are useful food additions, and are quite healthy. Most foragable weeds would be under the vegetable category for nutritional needs, but all in all, weeds aren’t all that bad, as long as they are edible or useful in some way.

The Truth About Some Weeds

Most people probably already know this, but dandelions aren’t actually meant to be weeds. They were brought over on a ship quite a long time ago to be planted in gardens. The reasoning behind this all was for the forage. Dandelion greens and flowers are safe for humans, rabbits, guinea pigs, and more!

Now, dandelions are considered weeds and aren’t planted in gardens, they plant themselves. If you happen to stroll past a dandelion plant in a garden, or a pesticide and gas free area, go ahead and pick the dandelion. Most people would throw them away, but they are sold in salad mixes, and by picking them naturally, you could save a couple dollars, that could then turn into hundreds of dollars in the long run.

This could be true for many of the common weeds that humans spend weedkiller for. I had a teacher that wouldn’t use weed killer on his lawn because of the natural options of beauty and forage. This is on the more extreme side, but technically, you’re saving yourself money on weedkiller and veggies, so I wouldn’t be complaining.

They Can’t Be That Bad, Can They?

Weeds can be great for many things, animal toys, food, and more, but what are the drawback of weeds for forage?

First of all, all weeds are great at spreading everywhere, but that isn’t all that bad. If it is a useful weed, like dandelion, you have more forage coming your way, but if it is a weed, like a prickler, then you’re out of luck, I really don’t think you want to eat that or have an animal play with that, just saying.

Next, weeds are just so annoying, but that’s the fun of picking them for food and toys. Not only are you getting rid of the weed, you’re also getting food and toys (for animals), like I’ve been mentioning.

Last, is the problem for families. If you happen to have a family that loves being outside in the yard, playing with a volleyball, or chilling in the pool, this is going to be your worst nightmare. Having all of these weeds around during these activities could ruin your day, or your feet and pool. This is also a terrible option for the entertainer families that always seem to have people practically living at their house, this isn’t that great for your either.

For these reasons, I’ll show a couple options to avoid popping your pool, or ruining your day over some weeds.

Weeds=Forage

Now that it’s obvious that weeds are great forage and whatever, using the availability overload to your advantage is your next step, but there are a couple of options.

Grab safe weeds from pesticide, gas, raccoon, and skunk free places. This is the easiest way of these all, but I find it hard to actually know where these places are. For anyone who lives in the country, which I personally don’t, this is going to be the best option for you, I can pretty much guarantee it.

2. Grab weeds and transplant them into a new garden. This way, they have fertile soil, a great area to spread, and are extremely easy to access. To do this, research on safe weeds will be necessary, then actually getting the weeds, to then plant them near you. This is great for anyone, as long as you don’t mind the extra steps.

3. Grab weeds from a family garden. This is an extra step to tie into the other one, but if you happen to find weeds that are safe for whoever the weeds will be going to, this is a great opportunity to grab the weeds to not only have some salad, but to get rid of the weeds as well.

*I’ve been mentioning that toys are available through forage, but for those who haven’t picked it up, these are for animals. I don’t think you really want a child playing with a willow stick for entertainment. These toys are specified towards rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, mice, hamsters, and more.*

Thank you for coming back again for this post. This is the conclusion of the foraging posts, so thanks to all of those regular viewers that came back for all, or most of the foraging posts. This post is for anyone really due to the wide variety of options, so if this was a more enjoyable post, let me know through a thumbs up and I’ll talk to you soon, bye!

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The Checkered Giant Rabbit Breed

Do you really know all about this rabbit breed? Would you like to know more? Do you want to figure out if this is about to be your dream rabbit? If this is the case, stick around to learn about the Checkered Giant and its history, common personalities, characteristics, its sizing/weight, any common medical problems, and extra care!

The History Behind the Checkered Giant Rabbit Breed:

The entire story isn’t quite clear, but the belief is that this rabbit was first recognized as a separate breed around 1800. The breed at this time was considered “Land Kaninchen.” The soon-to-be breed was either founded in France or Germany, but there were breeders in Germany who would take the “Land Kaninchen” rabbits and breed them to Flemish Giants. This made the “Lorraine”, or the “Great German Spotted Rabbit.”

It wasn’t until 1904 that the Great German Spotted rabbit was then bred to a black Flemish Giant to produce what we know today as the Checkered Giant. This rabbit was then transported to America six years later, to then be accepted into the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association).

Common Characteristics of the Checkered Giant:

This rabbit is known for its slender, but muscular build. The rabbit’s ears should be upright almost all of the time, but not expected to be all of the time like most breeds. The rabbit’s head is very broad and refined.

The coat of fur for the Checkered Giant is short and soft, allowing maintenance to be very simple and short-winded. The coat’s colors will usually consist of white with black/blue spots throughout the rabbit’s body.

The markings of this rabbit are very distinctive. The accepted ARBA markings include the butterfly on the nose, a line down the rabbit’s spine, and two spots of either side of the body. All of these markings must be either black or blue to meet the ARBA’s standards.

Common Personalities Found in This Breed:

The Checkered giant is a very sweet rabbit with quite the curiosity. They love the attention of owners, and really do take advantage of activity time. They love to stay active and enjoy their time out and about.

Size & Weight:

This is the first rabbit breed that I have gone over that is considered a giant, which is quite obvious due to the breed’s name. This breed has a very muscular body that still looks very slender somehow. Due to the slender factor of this breed, they can be quite long as well.

The average weight of a healthy Checkered Giant is anywhere from 11 to 13 lbs. That is one heavy bunny! These rabbits may look like the average rabbit, but in reality, they are large, heavy, and muscular animals.

Common Medical Problems:

This rabbit breed doesn’t have any known medical problems that are commonly found within the genetics of this rabbit.

Extra Care:

This rabbit does need a very large encloser due to its stature. This means more work with cleaning the area for playtime. Larger rabbit, larger cage, larger area, that’s just how it is. This is all in the name of proper rabbit care.

Sources:

Link to Thumbnail Image

“Checkered Giant Rabbit Breed Information and Pictures.” PetGuide, 20 Oct. 2017, www.petguide.com/breeds/rabbit/checkered-giant-rabbit/.

Thanks for all of the love and support that has been given throughout all of the last couple of posts. Please continue to come back every other day to learn more about rabbit care and different breeds. As always, continue to spread proper rabbit care, and I will talk to you soon, bye!

DIY Grass Feeder For Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Goats, and More!

Whether you live in the country, city, in a town, or a suburb, finding forageable grass isn’t always the easiest. It seems like all of the grass possibly found around someone’s house is either full of pesticides, gases, chemicals, or weed killer, all of which are toxic to most animals. Because of this, I will be going over the process of how to grow a little or large grass garden for small or large grazing animals.

Materials:

A Container (wood or plastic preferably)
Soil
Grass Seeds
Wire Mesh (optional)

Process:

Build the container if it isn’t already put together. Have the measurements, build the structure, but don’t apply the mesh. If you are using a plastic container, you’re already done with this step.
Add the soil to the container. I would recommend an inch and a half to two inches of soil. The soil should be lightly watered to start off to prevent the seeds from floating up from the soil after being planted.
Now that the soil is down and watered, add as many seeds as you would like. I recommend adding more than planned since some grass could potentially die off or never sprout.
If you chose to use mesh, go ahead and add it in. For plastic containers, you could either build the mesh up to be a dome shape, or it could just lay straight across the soil. For wood containers, I would recommend laying the mesh across the soil or less you would be willing to build a support to make the dome shape. The closer the mesh is to the soil, the shorter the grass could be.
Place the grass container near a window or outside and water every day, but be careful to avoid stirring up the seeds.

End Result:

This is an example of a grass feeder for a chicken. Even though they don’t seem like the type of animal that would be a grazer, this still works great to cut down mix costs for those annoyed with having to buy so much mix. This person used wood to build a raised garden and simply planted the seed and laid wire over top, which is not what you would want to do with a small animal.

These are two great examples of feeders for rabbits and small animals. On the left, the rabbits have full access to the grass in the sense that they can actually step on it, urinate, and pass stools on the grass. On the right, the rabbit has access to all of the grass, but it isn’t able to stand, urinate, and pass stools on it.

For the last example, I would like to show a really nice idea for anyone who owns goats, which I do myself. This is such a simple concept for feeding grass or hay, especially for those who love to recycle old materials, well here you go. This can be used for rabbits (with a smaller can), goats, sheep, young cows, young horses, and more! *This is more for feeding hay or grass after it is cut, but you could use this idea for growing grass as well!

I realize that I used other peoples pictures, but I find it important, because it really shows that these feeders aren’t only for rabbits or guinea pigs, they can be for all grazing animals, and I find that great.

I, myself, have not done a grass feeder at this large of a scale, but I have on a much smaller scale for a school project. If you would like me to make one of these hay feeders, leave a thumbs up to let me know what you think.

Sources:

Link For Chicken Feeder Example

Link For 1st Rabbit Feeder Example/Thumbnail

Link For 2nd Rabbit Feeder Example

Link For Goat, Sheep, Etc. Feeder Example

Like I said before, if you would like me to make a grass feeder, leave a thumbs up so that I know your opinion. I only want to do something like this if it’s what you want, so let me know.

Besides that, please share this post with all of the rabbit lovers in your life, and come back in two days to learn about the Checkered Giant rabbit breed, or come back in four days for a little bit of a fun post on weeds and why they aren’t so bad.

The Californian Breed Rabbit

The Californian breed rabbit is a commonly known breed, but do all of these people know the origin/history, their common personalities, and common medical problems? If being caught up is your thing, stick around to learn about the Californian rabbit.

The History Behind the Californian Breed Rabbit:

The Californians were brought about in 1923, by a man named George West, in California. This breed was meant to be the “perfect” meat rabbit with an amazing coat. It took five years for West to get the size he wanted. The original result was a Chinchilla breed male (one of my next breed posts on July 15th) that was quite small. West then went on to breed this rabbit with large New Zealands to get the correct size. He then sent some of these rabbits to trusted breeders to then make this breed “perfect”.

In 1928, the breed was presented and accepted through the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association). The breed was then put into shows in 1932. This breed was much more recognizable in 1939. Today, this breed is just short of being as popular as the New Zealand Whites, another common breed.

Common Characteristics of the Californian:

The Californian rabbit known for its red eyes and white fur. This fur is extremely dense and course, so for anyone out there that has always dreamed of the fluffy and soft bunny, this is not the rabbit fur type for you.

The color found in this breed is only white, white is most likely from all of the New Zealand Whites that it took to get the size of the rabbit. The rabbit has a full and muscular body. The shoulders and legs are very broad as well.

Common Personalities of the Californian:

The Californian rabbit is a very sweet and affectionate rabbit. This breed is very docile and does amazing with first time owners. These rabbits are also very energetic and love company. Giving this rabbit the affection it desires throughout the day can really boost a strong bond.

Sizing & Weight

Californians are once again, another large rabbit breed. These rabbits can definitely be considered a large breed due to its insanely muscular body. This rabbit is bred to be this muscular for the rabbit meat industry, which I find terrible. It’s like taking a pet dog and eating it for dinner.

The average and healthy weight for the Californians are anywhere from 8 to 10.5 pounds. This is all from the heavy muscles throughout its body.

Common Medical Problems:

There aren’t any common medical problems found throughout this rabbit breed’s genes and history. The site I used brings up sore hocks, but not in the sense that it’s a common problem in this breed.

Extra Care:

There aren’t and sources of extra care relating to this breed.

Sources:

“Californian Rabbit Breed Information and Pictures.” PetGuide, 20 Oct. 2017, www.petguide.com/breeds/rabbit/californian-rabbit/.

Link to Thumbnail Image

To say the least, thank you for coming back again for this post. I will be heading out camping, but there still will be posts like usual all throughout next week, due to prepping. Please come back for all of those posts and continue to spread proper rabbit care, but until then, bye!

DIY Toys and Treats From Forage

Since forage can be used in many ways, showing what they can be used for is important. Because of that, I will be going over different toys and treats that are very easy to make from easy-to-access forage.

Willow Sticks:

There are two different ways to give willow sticks. They can be given one by one or in bundles. Here are the different materials needed to make the bundles, since all you need for the willow sticks when they’re separate are the sticks themselves:

Willow sticks (pesticide, bug, and gas free and sanitized)
Rabbit safe string (twine, sisal, etc.)

To know how to sanitize sticks, check out my post on how to make sticks safe for rabbits: Making Tree Branch Sticks Safe For Rabbits

To make these bundles, all you need is a handful of willow sticks and two strings of rabbit safe yarn to tie around each end of the bundle

Singular Bundle

Willow Treats:

Willow treats are really just the leaves of willow trees that are dried and given to rabbits as a healthy treat, but they can also be incorporated into baked treats. For the baked treats, you will need:

1/2 cup of pellets
5 baby carrots (smashed)
1 banana
20 ripped willow leaves (ripped into pieces)
1 baking sheet

To start this off, you will need to preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and allow this to preheat while you prepare the “batter”.

To make this treat, you will have to start with crushing the 1/2 cup of pellets and placing them in a bowl. Then, grind up the carrots in a food processor and smash the banana. These two ingredients can be placed in a small bowl. The willow leaves can then be torn up into pieces and added to the crushed pellets. From there, the dry ingredients can be added to the carrots and bananas.

From here, take a small ball of the mixture and slightly press down on it to allow the mixture to slightly spread. Once all of the treats are formed, bake the treats in the oven for half an hour. Allow to cool for ten minutes once baked, and feel free to give them to guinea pigs, rabbits, and small pieces to hamsters and gerbils.

Link to Picture

Grass Twists:

Grass twists are extremely easy and straight forward. All you will need is some long grass and rabbit safe yarn.

To make the twists, all you need to do is bunch up the grass into three sections and tie them together at the top with the yarn. From there, braid the three sections and tie off at the end.

This is a great entertainment toy for rabbits that struggle with eating hay or are being switched over to foraged grass for hay. The fiber is great for the rabbit, and the entertainment is amazing for rabbits that go crazy over chewing.

Forage Mix Hay Topper/Treat:

This hay topper is completely on your preference for your rabbit, an is great to entice a rabbit to eat hay.

You will need:

Forage of your choice (I’m using dandelion flowers, willow leaves, clover, and apple stick bark pieces)
Scissors
Container (For storage)

The process of making this topper is extremely easy. All you need to do is to gather the items to be used in the mix, and them cut them to the preferred size and mix together and store.

This can be used as a hay topper or a hand fed treat, either way, I’m sure the rewarded animal will appreciate the little gift.

Thank you for all of the support that has been given throughout this journey. Two days ago, I hit my new record of viewers in a day, then amount being 1 view short of being two times more views than my old record, which I find amazing. To keep this up, share this post with family and rabbit lovers, and I will talk to you in two days, bye!