AboutPam Enve Experience I have raised Mini-Rex, American fuzzy lops, and Holland lops and a few meat breeds for over 5 years. Our meat breeds are not butchered and are used for rabbit agility and pets. I have a basic knowledge of meat breeds but absolutely have no clue how to process them. I am uncomforable answering questions about rabbits raised for meat but if you cant find someone else I will do my best to help. All animals need care even farm and meat animals. I have been studying rabbit behavior for over 5 years. I enjoy working with difficult bunnies. I spend 100% of my time with my rabbits and helping others to train theirs. We are currently working with rabbit agility which is very time consuming.
I am NOT part of the House Rabbit Society, but believe they have the best interest of the animals at heart and that is what is important. I believe there can be a halfway point between breeders and the HRS. Many breeders will outright tell you the HRS is bad, and many HRS members will tell you that all breeders are bad. Neither is the case but in any situation you are always going to find people who are pig-headed and ignorant. In my life time I would like to see a common middle ground between the Rabbit Breeders Association and the House Rabbit Society. Perhaps just an acceptance that they can just agree to disagree. I am in the minority but have met people on both sides who agree. The most important issue I can stress is that breeding must be "responsible" no matter what you intend to use the rabbits for. It is competely irresponsible to breed rabbits just because you want to. If you want to eat them I have no problem with that, but if you have a litter of say 6-10 rabbits and only bred them for fun, you better have figured out what you are going to do with those kits or before you know it you are going to have 600 rabbits in yours house and you aren't going to have a place to sleep. Organizations American Rabbit Breeder's Association. Several local and specialty rabbit breeder's clubs. 4-H Leader, Many volunteer organizations.
Organizations American Rabbit Breeder's Association. Several local and specialty rabbit breeder's clubs. 4-H Leader, Many volunteer organizations.
Awards and Honors Multiple achievements in showing nationally. Volunteer of the year 2008, dedication above and beyond.
Past/Present Clients I was employed by an exotic animal hospital for 2 years. I left due to a disability. I now spend all of my time training my rabbits and helping others to properly train and bond theirs.
I've read that you can put a rabbit into a sort of "trance" where they freeze up and don't move by placing them on their backs and elevating their legs so they're higher than their heads. The trance is only supposed to last a few minutes.
Does this really work? Is it safe to do? I have a large rabbit (about 10 or 11 lbs and still growing) and I'm wondering if this would be a good way to hold him still for grooming, clipping nails, etc.
Thanks!
Answer Hi Jessica
It does work on some of them some of the times, some of them all of the times and some of them it doesn't work at all. I have one rabbit that trances every time, a few that trance some times and some that don't trance at all.
It is safe if you do it right. You want to make sure that you don't let go of the rabbit at any time. You want to make sure you keep a firm hold of the rabbits belly and you want to get the grooming done as quickly as you can.
It is believed by some that some rabbits go into this trance as a defense mechanism. It is kind of like they are playing dead as a way to escape. As soon as they feel a moment that they can safely escape some of them will try to take it and they will bolt. This is why you want to always take a firm hold of their bellies. If they twist they could break their spines and end up paralyzed. I have to tell you that I have 1 male fuzzy lop that will seriously lay there with his feet in the air until I flip him over. He will literally lay there for hours. I can even lay him on the floor like this and continue to brush him. It is the funniest thing I have ever seen but I wouldn't do this to any of the others. I just know that he won't move. I have had him for several years and he has just been like this since he was a baby.
I hope you enjoy your big bunnies. I just love big rabbits I think they are so precious.
