Rising from the dust

It is six months since I last added an entry to this blog. It wasn't that I lost interest but that I lost hope. Within a few days of writing about Max and Adam (my two new angoras) they were dead. Firstly one began hiding in the sleeping compartment of the hutch and then he began having trouble keeping his balance. He ended up dragging himself around and died shortly afterwards. The vet said it sounded as if something had happened to affect his central nervous system and suggested poisoning from the hutch wire since it is new. When Adam began having the same symptoms a couple of days later my heart went through my stomach. His head waved from side to side and he ended up on his side dying quickly in great pain. My brother took his body to the vet for an autopsy which showed up bleeding in the brain (indicative of poisoning) although the rest of his organs were fine. At great expense ($172.00 NZ) we sent tissue away to be tested to ascertain what had poisoned him. Two weeks later the results came back- not poisoning but Calicivirus (RHD). Although I was through the quarantine period it must have still been in the area as my friends who had cared for Max and Adam for three months took it back to their property and lost their pet rabbit Ridge three weeks later.

I was in quarantine for another four months. Luckily for me none of my other bunnies died from the dreadful virus. In July my new vet (a Californian who is running practices in New Zealand and the Nappa Valley) drove out and vaccinated my remaining twelve rabbits against RHD. Only one rabbit had an adverse reaction to the vaccine and went off her food for a week but the others were fine and didn't even feel the jab (the difference between a professional doing it and me!).

Despite hearing how the vaccine causes temporary sterility I mated up my sooty fawn (chocolate torte) French angora Meadow in August. She had been mated before with no success but this time all went well and she had a kindle of six kits on September 1st 2005. Although she proved a competant first time Mum the babies were contrary and constantly got out of the nest box. Whent they were three days old I had to revive two in a container of warm water and two days later another got out during the night and died of cold. I began bringing the nest box inside at night and taking it back out to Meadow early morning so she could give them a feed. She managed to wean four babies and here they are aged three weeks

In March I was meant to take in another angora buck from someone in Rotorua who no longer had time for him. However due to being in quarantine Taffy didn't arrive here till last month. He is a cinnamon english angora who was originally bred in the South Island. A big sized rabbit he has apparently won a couple of shows and even beat the top angora breeder in New Zealand. Hopefully he will improve my bloodlines.