I went out, started feeding. I make it to Olga's cage. My heart dropped then and there. Babies scattered on the wire. Dead. I put down my feed bucket, get a little basket I have and start collecting. They had been there a few hours. 4 healthy looking kits, all dead. I have to go check Luvlee now, and in horror, she too, had kits scattered across the wire.
I made a beginners mistake. I counted the due date wrong. I feel so terrible. It's not fair to those two does. These by the way, were my nationals babies.
I was so upset. I finnished feeding and taking care of the buns and checked all my other does cages, checked my calendar and made sure no one else was due around this time. Nobody else was. After finding dead babies in two cages I expected more. I forget which does are bred anymore. I'm always so darn busy.
I lost a friend, and 10 baby bunnies that day. 9 never given the chance. I told myself I can't beat myself up over it. It happens, we all make mistakes and learn off it. This is as far as into detail I've gone, I didn't think I'd tell anybody. I was so ashamed. I need to go back to kindergarden and learn to count.
On the brighter side, Hobb's Katie has been raising two healthy kits sired by Twin Elm's Independence Day. These are my little national hopefuls. I hope they have a little bit in them. I think I have a broken orange and a broken opal.
I've been taking a good amount of pitures lately for my site being re-done. I'm going to try and make a new layout and such, but may not happen for a long time. Here are a few:
Wooligans/WWR Ro Sham Bo
WWR Estrella
WWR The Lucky One
WWR Xbox 360
Hope everyone is having better baby luck- or just luck in general. I'll be in Red Bluff, CA for the two day show this weekend. I hear there might be snow! Cool. :)
Susie Cederlof
Wooly World Rabbitry
10 comments:
I am so sorry to hear of your losses. Hope you pick up the pieces soon. No one's perfect and if we are perfect beings, everyone will have a grand champ all the time.
Take good care and all the best at the show.
Susie, I am so sorry! Tru-Luv is right on! It happens to the best of us! Keep your chin up and we love you!
I'm really sorry too! (I normally read your blog without commenting but I felt I should comment)
Try not to let it get you down!
There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for not keeping a basic breeding log to record WHEN to breed WHICH does. It is YOUR choice to bring these beings into this world, not the bunnies, so you need to be responsible enough to provide the BASIC necessities for these animals that are at your MERCY. Its NOT OK that you killed ten animals due to neglegence, and "being so busy all the time" is an absolutely abhorent rationalization. The loss is truly regretable, there are prayers going up that you collect yourself and take responsibility for your terrible mistake and NEVER let it happen again, or get out of the rabbit breeding hobby altogether. If you can't properly care for the animals that are at your mercy, you don't deserve to have them. Legally, animal neglect is a crime. Hopefully the loss of ten lives taught you this lesson, its at a horrible expense for those tiny newborns who struggled for their lives in the cold as their frantic mothers paniced as they watched their babies die on the wire without so much as a box to burrow in. I hope you are VERY ashamed, rightly so. It doesn't measure much against the horror of a painful death times TEN. PLEASE have the decency to keep a basic barn log if you undertake a breeding program. There's absolutely NO EXCUSE for 'forgetting' which does YOU have DECIDIED to be bred. Those does may be ruined for good now that they have had this terrible experience of lossing their entire litters. Its pretty disgusting that you would consider even withholding food and it takes your "boyfriend" to encourage you. You should really not be allowed to have these precious animals under your derelect care if its more important to you to chat wiht boys and you are too busy to undertake even the most basic barn protocol record keeping. Please deeply consider what you have done and your attitudes about rabbit husbandry. Its not a game, and they are not toys, they are living (if they are lucky enought to survive your substandard care) animals who deserve the basic dignities of a minimum standard of care. What you have described yourself is reportable offenses, prayers are going up that you take stock of your lifestyle and reconsider rabbit keeping, either vastly improve and reform or call it a day and at least stop torturing those poor creatures with neglect. Good day.
Im sorry you lost your litters. It happens to ALL of us. Whether we want to admit it or not. It has probly even happened to Anonymous, she just doesnt want to admit it.
Anonymous doesn't know anything about rabbits if she thinks a doe will be ruined forever by the lose of a litter. And I'm just starting on what she said wrong! *glare
Ignore her, or better yet, I would delete her comment.
*virtual hug*
Oh Susie, I'm so sorry about all of your losses. I hadn't checked your blog in a while-sorry I'm late on the comment. I hope you're doing okay, it's been a while since you posted. My prayers are with you. Hope you have a Merry Christmas. ((hugs))
I am so sorry you are having such a hard time! We had a ML doe kindle on day 26 recently - she wasn't due a nestbox for 2 more days. 7 babies on the wire - and we had really been anticipating this litter! The only other doe I had due kindled 2 outside of her box and 1 in the box, but she ate everything but the feet and head. Sometimes, no matter what you do, these things happen.
(((hugs)))
Oh, Susie. I truly feel for you. What terrible losses. I didn't know what you've been going through.
Anon clearly lacks any real experience or heart.
I know how dearly you love your rabbits. Know you are loved, too. *hug*
I'm sorry for your losses :(
Don't listen to Anon.
"Anon clearly lacks any real experience or heart." Very true Amber.
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