Pictures of expanded rabbit colony

Expanding the bunny farm!

 Well the rabbits are growing. I have had to update and change my habitat. They needed more room. The main reason was Shade figured out how to climb over my 3 foot gate, so there's that! So pictures will be comming soon!

Bonding bunnies

It's been a while since I posted.  But we have gotten some new bunnies. I wanted to talk about the process of integrating them together as a group.

I was in need of a male rabbit,   I found one 8 weeks old for sale near me. So I brought him home in a small animal carrier and set him in the pen. He was quickly named Thumper. If one of the adult rabbits came near him he would thump as to try to scare them. SO FUNNY!

I was able to create a pen inside the main pen to house my new bunny.  So he would have time to adjust.

Meanwhile my husband was on a hunting trip and talked to a man who was also raising Tennessee redbacks and brought home 4 babies, from 3 separate litters. SUPRISE 🤦‍♀️🥰CrAzY!!

So I decided it would be best to introduce Thumper to the other small rabbits and get them comfortable first.

In a few days they were all eating together and had stopped the chasing.

So I put them all in the mini pen and they seemed to do fine.  

The adult rabbits did not know what to think of all the intruders.

I would feed them fresh clover and treats beside the fence to encourage some interaction. 

After about 4 days I made an opening in the fence big enough so the young rabbits could get out, but the larger rabbits couldnt get in. 

There was some chasing and definitely had some fur pulled but in a day that had stopped . Now they all eat, play, and sleep together.

 Just like one big happy family!😊

What are Tennesse redbacks?

Tennessee redback rabbits are friendly and can be pets, but they are used primarily for release into the wild to replenish hunting grounds.   They are also great to populate running pens to train beagles. These are one of the closest breeds to a eastern cottontail species that I have found..  Tennessee redback is not a registered breed so it may be harder to find information about them.  The person I got mine from has been breeding them for a long time and said they have breed to the cottontail successfully. 

 Although there is no real proof, many belive that they are a product of the eastern cottontail and a swamp rabbit that are found in Tennessee. Redbacks are a medium sized rabbit. Uniquely they are all different shades from grey to reddish brown, all have the white tail and some have lighter paws. 

They are great in outdoor habitats and can be raised in colonies if you choose that method. If you have read any of my blogs you have seen my set up.  I have on occasion seen a wild cottontail out by the hutch and it looks very similar to my grey Tennessee redback rabbit. So I tend to believe they are related. 

If you have any information on Tennessee redbacks that you would like to share please send me a comment. I love learning as much as I can.

Cute pictures, Happy 2021!

Happy New Year!! From the beagles and bunnies! May 2021 be the best yet.