Rabbits at Rosedale

Hi everybody, McKinley here… During this time of quarantine and isolation, I’ve been enjoying some new things. At the end of last month, my parents surprised me with a new addition to the homestead. They gave me two New Zealand rabbits, one male and one female, each around 8 months old, which they got from a good friend at our church. We named them Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers (yes, we are a family of Marvel fans!) Peggy is white with brown spots and Steve is white with black spots, and their ears are the colors of their spots. They are both incredibly fun to be around and they like to be scratched behind the ears and patted on the back. Each morning, around 7:00 am, I wake up to care for my animals. I give the bunnies grass, feed, and water. I also move their cages because I don’t want any bacteria growing from their waste. I spend hours out of my day to sit next to and pet my rabbits.

This past week, on the early morning of May 6, 2020, we got another surprise. Peggy gave birth to babies! The babies when they are born have no fur and they are very delicate, so it is particularly important that you don’t touch them. Fun Fact: If you touch or pick up a newborn baby rabbit, their skin is so delicate that it can tear at the touch of your hand. So do not touch them unless it is absolutely necessary. Most of them, I think, will turn out looking like their parents, but I have found a completely black, baby rabbit. I do breed our rabbits for meat, but we will not start harvesting until the babies are 3 months, which is full grown. Overall, I’m very excited that the baby rabbits are here, so I am glad that I can share this story with you.

If you’re interested in raising rabbits yourself, a great book for instructions about caring for rabbits, where I’ve found most of my information, is Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits.