snow after the storms... and rabbit updates

For probably the last two weeks we have been enduring winds from all directions, making our already chilly weather absolutely frigid. As many people who have lived both close to and away from the ocean know, the cold is much more pervasive which it's accompanied by the dampness that creeps into your bones. I know that around the state everywhere, temperatures are record-breaking low for November, and Seldovia seems to be no exception. It's my first real winter keeping animals while also attempting to conserve electricity, so while in the past I have used heated water bowls, this year I'm hauling warm water twice or three times daily. The rabbits are the only ones who don't seem to be bothered by drinking cold water; they'll continually break the surface of the ice as it continues to freeze, creating intriguing tunnels of ice in their bowls.

The kits that were kindled a couple of weeks ago are finally adorable little bundles of fuzz that mama doe doesn't need to keep covered in the nest. Two didn't make it through the first week, so we are down to two survivors. They haven't ventured out of the box yet, but I anticipate that to happen any day.


Several days ago during my evening chores, I heard a rabbit shrieking and figured it was one of the kits complaining of the cold. I didn't notice anything in the rabbitry amiss, so retired for the night. The following morning, I found one of the junior does stuck in the fence behind the colony box. One of her rear paws passed through the chicken wire twice, and both her head and one foreleg was also through the wire. She wasn't moving, but still bright-eyed and alive. After I managed to get her out of the tangle she was in, I brought her inside for three days in hopes of nursing her back to a timely recovery. The paw that went through the wire twice was swollen to at least twice the size of the other paws, and she was extremely lethargic. I didn't go the whole route of applying cold compresses or anything, but I made sure she got plenty to drink and eat without needing to use the wounded paw and warmed her up for a while. After three days of learning how much a rabbit really does pee, I returned her to the rabbitry with a still-swollen, but usable paw. She seemed to enjoy her time chilling with the cat by the woodstove.

I'm excited to get first-hand knowledge of how fast these particular rabbits grow. I'm not sure of the age or breed of any of these rabbits, so their suitability for economic meat-raising is accordingly unknown. Both the adult doe and buck are good size (5+ lbs), but from what I understand about viable meat rabbits, they should be ready for butcher (and around 5 lbs) around 12 weeks. The junior does I received with their parents are around that age at least, but not quite 5 lbs. This could either be due to breed, feeding, or housing. All the juniors are shaping up nicely, but now I'm wondering if living colony-style causes them to keep trimmer because they get more exercise. I plan on piecing together a nice big hutch here in the next few weeks out of a large salvaged sawbuck we used to cut milled lumber slabs into firewood, and I'll post more on the bun-buns then.

A snowy hello from the Ramshackle Rabbitry!