All Done... For Now

Unfortunately, I've come to realize that I just don't have enough time for my rabbits anymore, and I've put them up for sale. It's been a very educational experience, and they are very good rabbits. I also know that this isn't the end. Maybe, no, not maybe, DEFINITELY later in my life I'll have my big rabbitry I've always dreamed about, and now that I have all this experience I won't make as many mistakes and I'll know just what to do. Thank you Bruto and Belleza for being my first pair of breeding rabbits, and teaching me so much, and putting up with my clumsy attempts at being a rabbit breeder.

I would really like to find a good home for them, so if you are in the area, please check out my craigslist ad titled Two Silver Marten Rabbits, Housing, and Accessories, if you are interested. Thanks to all my viewers, I hope I can start this blog up again someday in the near future.

That's all for now, and it may yet be a while until there is another post. Until then, Marlayna B.

Litter #1-All Grown Up and Out of the House!

Well, all the babies are gone to their new homes! 

Thank You to all who came to get my babies, 

and I hope they fit in well with your families!

I plan on breeding Bruto and Belleza again so that I have one 

more litter before the end of the year, and soon so they are not 

too small when it starts snowing heavily here.

Thanks to all the people who look at my blog, I know I don't do much 

with it, but really it's my Youtube videos that tell all you would need 

to know about us. I haven't done any recently because my camera 

broke, but I do plan on getting a new one soon.

That's all for now!

~Marlayna B.

For Sale 9-2-2012

The kits are now almost 9 weeks old, and it's time for them to find new homes.

Yesterday I sold my first rabbit, and I felt on top of the world! Success! 

One of the silver marked rabbits is on hold for Wednesday, and hopefully I'll sell the rest soon.

This guy, the only boy in Litter #1, has already found a new home as a pet. 

I hope you have a nice life!

This girl will hopefully have a new home like her brother on Wednesday. 

Good Luck!

The rest of the girls need homes also. 

If you are interested in getting one of these adorable babies, leave a comment, 

or you can find my ad on craigslist(type in rabbits and you should find it under Purebred Silver Marten Rabbits).

That's all for now!

-Marlayna B.

Rabbit Breeder Directories

There is a large rabbit community in the U.S and all over the world, and an easy way to stay connected and become more well known is to submit your rabbitry to a   breeder's directory. 

These directories usually list rabbitries by state and tell other information such as what breeds they have, their contact information and website (if they have one). 

In order to make my own operation well known in my area, I have submitted my rabbitry information to three popular online rabbit breeder's directories, which I have used in the past to find rabbitries near me.

http://rabbitbreeders.us/

http://ephiny.net/link.php

http://www.rabbitbreedersdirectory.com/

These rabbit breeder directories are the ones I have submitted my rabbitry to. 

You can use them to find breeders in your state or country.

I would like to thank the people who have set up these websites for making it easier to find rabbits and breeders for everyone.

Thanks You!

-Marlayna B.  

All about Sports

This week has gone by without much happening. The kits have grown a bit, their hair is coming in, and they are getting a bit more adventurous around the nestbox. 

I did, however, learn why the kits have different coloring. Within the Silver marten breed, there are what's called "sports". This means that the kits sometimes do not inherit the silver markings characteristic of the breed. When I first looked at the kits, I noticed that some of the babies had pink ears and bellies.

(the two kits in the top right corner have pink ears)

 I didn't know it at the time, but that meant that they would have the silver markings. The others that did not have the pink skin would not have the silver markings, and are considered "sports". All of the kits are black, but two have the silver markings, and three are sports. I thought it was a bit strange that more than half of the kits were sports when both parents have the silver markings. I am assuming that means that both parents have sports in their lineage. 

Sports cannot be shown, so I have ended up with two show-quality rabbits and three pet-quality rabbits, though I read that they can still be used for breeding. I don't really know why someone would want to use them for that, it would only pass on the genetics for sports, though they probably would still pass on the silver markings also. It seems that breeders would want to try to breed the genes for silver markings as true as possible.

This kit has inherited the silver markings and will be showable.

This kit did not inherit the silver markings, is considered a sport, and will not be showable.

That's all for now!

-Marlayna B

Litter # 1 Is Here!

My rabbit dreams are coming true! Yesterday, June 26, 2012, my first litter was born! 

Five blind, bald, but beautiful babies! 

They were born on the 31st day after mating, which is the average gestation period. I did not see her giving birth or making her nest, which is kind of a bummer, but it was probably for the best. While they are in labor you should not disturb them, just let them do their own thing. Kindling is what it is called for rabbits, and it usually happens between 28 and 35 days after mating, with 31 days being the average.

 New born kits can fit in the palm of your hand, are hairless, and blind. Their eyes open on the 10th day after birth. When they are 14 days old you should remove the nest box (if your nest box is removable) to prevent diseases from developing in the box. Kits are weaned at 8 weeks and can then be separated from their mother. Gender cannot be determined until they are 8 weeks old, and you should separate the males from the females at that point. Coloring can sometimes be determined at birth, but the two colors I have are so similar I really won't know until their fur grows in.

My whole purpose for getting rabbits was to breed and sell, so I will not be keeping any of the babies. But I will enjoy them while they are with me. 

Here is a video I put together showing how I found them and just how cute they are!

Belleza did such a good job at taking care of them, she is a great mother!

Bruto didn't do much of anything, but he is the father, so...

That's all for now.

-Marlayna B

Rabbits have arrived!

Finally, after 2 months of waiting, I have rabbits! I am super excited! Their names are Belleza and Bruto, and I will tell you the story of their names in another post. Of course they had other names before, but I like the ones I picked out better. Their breed is called Silver Marten, and apparently they were developed by crossing the Standard Chinchilla with the Tan, and were not recognized as a breed by the ARBA until the 1920s. Belleza, the doe, is Black, and Bruto, the buck, is Blue. There are four recognized varieties of the Silver Marten breed, and the other two include Chocolate and Sable. I decided on this breed because of their multiple purposes, including being popular as pets, showing, and being good for meat purposes. When I purchased them they also came with pedigrees, which increased their value and the value of any offspring I will get from them. I love them already, and love looking at them too. Thanks for reading!

Marlayna B