New Blue Silver Fox Doe! YAY!

WorthItFarms

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Congrats! She's adorable. We LOVE our Silver Fox rabbits. Hoping to get some chocolate and lilac ones from the ARBA Convention :)
 

neener92

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Ok, so she seems to be getting annoyed with my presents. She is in a 4ft x 4ft cage when I try picking her up she thumps and hops around the cage like I'm trying to kill her, I try moving slowly so I don't freak her out too much. When I first got her she was very calm, the woman picked her up out of her cage and held her to let me pet her (she seemed extremely calm with all the cars driving my and noises of everything) we put her in my cage and she let me pet her without moving or anything. Now she freaks! I've been feeding her carrots out of my hand and bread and other treats and she still hates me! This evening I tried picking her up but she started hopping around the cage again so I went and got a small stick so I could try 'petting' her with it and she freaked out on the stick like it was a monster! I'm not extremely used to rabbits and I definitely don't want to get bit. Anyone have advice beside using some thick gloves to handle her with. Kinda unnerving spending that much money on a 'handle-able' rabbit and she freaks when I try picking her up.
 

brentr

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Without seeing it, your cage sounds too big, in my opinion. 4' x 4' may be luxury for your rabbit, but makes it too hard to catch for you. If you have to chase your rabbit around the cage to catch it, you are likely upsetting it. A smaller cage that allows you to more quickly get ahold of your rabbit might solve a few issues for you. For a silver fox 30" x 30" would be plenty big.

Other than that, patience, consistency, and move slowly when your hand is in the cage.
 

neener92

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I was thinking it was too large as well, I think we are going to make that one cage into two 4'x2' cages. I don't think I can make it any smaller than that, it's a pretty big hutch, the person I got it from had 19 rabbits in it at once. I've been trying to work with her, I put one of my gloves I use a lot on a stick and give her treats with it back in HER corner or in her box (that's when she gets offended). She's not so offended by the glove as she was the stick. Should I take her nest box out of the cage? I put it in there so she would have a place to get out of the cold, but does she really need it if the hutch has a roof and one side has metal to block the wind.
 

Barbara

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Sounds like she is grumpy for breeding. My girls go ballistic when they are breeding or in heat. aAter they "take" things really go back to sweetness. Hang in there!
 

neener92

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Hopefully that is all! :) She stays in her box an awful lot, is that normal?

brentr: Here is a pic of Rue in her luxury sweet, the picture does make her look kinda small....but it is deff to large. We have decided to make it into two cages since I'll need another cage for another doe. When I get that done I'll have room for two does and a buck, and the cage on the end is where I put my silkie chickens.
3557_10-15-12_006.jpg
 

neener92

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WorthItFarms said:
Congrats! She's adorable. We LOVE our Silver Fox rabbits. Hoping to get some chocolate and lilac ones from the ARBA Convention :)
I'm hopefully going to get a doe or buck that has chocolate gene....maybe even the lilac. The place I'm getting another buck and doe from has both chocolate and lilacs.
 

brentr

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neener92 said:
Hopefully that is all! :) She stays in her box an awful lot, is that normal?

brentr: Here is a pic of Rue in her luxury sweet, the picture does make her look kinda small....but it is deff to large. We have decided to make it into two cages since I'll need another cage for another doe. When I get that done I'll have room for two does and a buck, and the cage on the end is where I put my silkie chickens.
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/3557_10-15-12_006.jpg
Nice pic...gorgeous rabbit! I have a black SF buck; love him. He's given me a couple just wonderful litters (crossed him onto a Cali doe, and an NZR/NZW doe). Hoping to get a SF doe, but can't (won't) pay the prices I see on CL around here. They're probably worth it, but not in my budget.

Your cage looks like it will be plenty big even subdivided. Good setup. May I offer one more additional piece of unsolicited advice? Rig a hay feeder of some sort on the side of the cage vs. strewn on the floor. That hay will trap urine and feces, and soon you'll have disgusting wet spots in the corners and other places. Unless you're committed to cleaning & replacing every day or two (and that's a lot of hay to waste IMO) the rabbit will be better off with a bare wire floor. It can rest in or on top of the nest box to get off the wire.
 

neener92

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brentr said:
neener92 said:
Hopefully that is all! :) She stays in her box an awful lot, is that normal?

brentr: Here is a pic of Rue in her luxury sweet, the picture does make her look kinda small....but it is deff to large. We have decided to make it into two cages since I'll need another cage for another doe. When I get that done I'll have room for two does and a buck, and the cage on the end is where I put my silkie chickens.
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/3557_10-15-12_006.jpg
Nice pic...gorgeous rabbit! I have a black SF buck; love him. He's given me a couple just wonderful litters (crossed him onto a Cali doe, and an NZR/NZW doe). Hoping to get a SF doe, but can't (won't) pay the prices I see on CL around here. They're probably worth it, but not in my budget.

Your cage looks like it will be plenty big even subdivided. Good setup. May I offer one more additional piece of unsolicited advice? Rig a hay feeder of some sort on the side of the cage vs. strewn on the floor. That hay will trap urine and feces, and soon you'll have disgusting wet spots in the corners and other places. Unless you're committed to cleaning & replacing every day or two (and that's a lot of hay to waste IMO) the rabbit will be better off with a bare wire floor. It can rest in or on top of the nest box to get off the wire.
I love her even though she still hates me. I'm still working on her though! I WILL MAKE HER LIKE ME! :)

I have a hay/pellet feeder. I took that hay out after she got used to it, so there is no longer any hay on the bottom of the cage! Thanks for the advice though! :)
 

neener92

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Here's some more pictures of Rue. I just think she is such a gorgeous animal! I freakin' LOVE Silver Fox Rabbits!
3557_11-7-12_01_008.jpg

3557_11-7-12_01_011.jpg
 
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