Thursday, March 22, 2012

There are Tools and..

 New Tools...
 Love the little greyhound comb!
and then there is the $5 bracelet section...

There is a huge flea market somewhat close to me that is open on Thursdays. Since I was delivering a bunny to it's new owner out that way, I thought I would stop in and see what was for sale. There is always a huge booth with pet supplies. While I didn't need any 10" long dog bones, the grooming tools are usually half price. Anyone that grooms gets very excited about new tools or a different type of tool. Anything that will make grooming more fun or easier or seem more exciting and less of a chore. I presonally love to groom. It is my therapy but I do enjoy a new grooming tool now and then. Look what I found! A tiny greyhound comb! I am so excited to try it out. What a good size for cheeks or feet or behind the ears. The other two combs are also very good for grooming English Angoras or Jersey Woolies as the have space between the teeth and will get down into the wool and only take out the loose wool. There is also a stand with dried fruit and peanuts and they have dried papaya which the wool breeds love and I think helps prevent wool block. I cut it up in small bits and put it in their food bowls. It's a nice treat for them with lots of vitamins and they sure seem to enjoy it. And then there is the $5 jewlery section..........enough said.... even I can afford a $5 bracelet or two.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Spots Grow Up & N.C.

 Broken Black English Angoras

 Broken Tort and Solid Tort English Angoras
 Talk about a packed Car!
Beautiful Jersey Woolies at Nationals

We decided to take the long drive to North Carolina to go to Jersey Wooly and Fuzzy Lop Nationals. With gas prices climbing and trying to save expenses, we worked on fitting three adults and 21 rabbits plus luggage in my car. On the way back we added 7 more rabbits to deliver back home. It was a puzzle but we somehow got it all to fit by traveling very light. I did my grooming on a fold out chair and a carpet piece. Even with my haphazard grooming table, Princess Poppy won 4 BOB in the 4 shows she was entered in and went on to win a Best in Specialty show judged by Allen Mesick. Not bad for only bringing one angora. My woolies didn't fare as well except for one self junior doe took a first in one of the open shows. A few others were in the top ten in some of the shows but everything went so fast and being at tables for two different breeds, I will have to wait on the show report to see the placements. Very excited to see that Deidre Edder won BOB at the National show with her beautiful REW doe. She was exquisite and is now home making some beautiful babies. It was fun and I sure enjoyed spending time will all the friends from down south.On the way down we filled the empty travel cages with things that would be gone or used up on the way home, like bunny food, some sale items and a donation basket. That way we could fill them with bunnies on the way home and not take up anymore room. I always thought I was good but Lauren is some good packer. It was like a puzzle to get everything back in the way it came out.

It was also nice to meet some new angora breeders down South. Who would have thought there would be about 20 English Angoras entered in a Southern show? The broken English Angora babies are growing up, half are boys and half are girls and only one solid tort in the litter. They are little clowns, just have to love their sweet little faces.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Surprise! A Rainbow

 Rainbow of Babies.
BISS GC BL Drizzle, the Mom. 
The Dad, Riff-Raff with 8 GC legs

Talk about a box of chocolates and you never really know what you are going to get! Jersey Woolies sure can give you a surprise.  Drizzle had a litter of seven for me last time and what a variety of colors she had. Two siamese sables, a sable marten, a broken black otter, two broken siamese sables and a broken sable marten. I repeated the breeding as I loved the body type but the broken I liked had no face markings. Trying again and this time she has four, a beautiful black, a siamese sable and a sable marten plus a very nice broken.  Hard to tell what color yet as the siamese sable and sable marten are born looking blue, which gets me all excited, and then turn dark brown. The broken looks very much like them. Then she gave a special present just for me, a black that looks solid and she had no black the last time around. If they are only half as nice as the two parents, I will be very happy. Congrats to Maddie with Drizzle's broken siamese doe who won BOSG at the York, Pa. show this past weekend! It is so nice to see her babies doing so well.