Hissy Fit

It occurred to me, as I glanced at some of my 2011 posts, that I neglected to post about the holland lop doe that I got at Convention.  Fleetwood's Silk is a Black Tort doe out of Stonehill's Zeus (Blue Tort) and Stonehill's Au (Black Tort).  I think she'll be a nice complement to Big Daddy.  She's got a great coat and nice wide shoulders.  Ramonia Fleetwood of Knight Garden Rabbitry was so wonderful to work with.  I cannot say enough nice things about her.  She possesses a wealth of knowledge and openly shares what she knows.  She also worked hard at finding a Texas transporter to get this doe back to Texas.  Bob McBee agreed to a last minute request to take "just one more" back home with him and I truly appreciated it!  I drove up the next weekend after Convention to pick her up in North Texas for the final leg of her journey down to Southeast Texas.  Overall, she fared well during the long trip to her new home.  

At the Convention, her sister was actually the one that was for sale.  A feisty little doe, she literally leaped off the grooming table.  It was frightening to see her jump down off a table that high.  At local shows, I've been told (when admiring a little bun sitting still on top of a grooming table without restraint) that "they never jump down."  While I'm sure that's true for some rabbits, I guess there are exceptions to every rule.  Anyway, I was worried that my doe's sister had hurt herself, but she was all right and was recaptured quickly.  The doe that I bought wasn't originally for sale, but Ramonia was gracious in letting me purchase her.  I think she will get my herd off to a good start.  Like her sister, she does like to throw a fit now and then when being handled until she is let down.  I've worked with her to ensure her that she is safe with me, while also letting her know that thrashing around wildly will not get her what she wants.  She's coming around, but it takes patience on both our parts.  She has spunk and while it might be easier if she was calm and laid back, I like her for who she is (most days, lol).

So, it's been a few months since she's been here with me and she's settled in nicely.  I've noticed that she is rather aggressive...when it comes to her food.  She's the first rabbit that I've had that doesn't really love hay over all else.  She wants her pellets and she wants them NOW!  I mix Manna Pro, whole oats, and a little fruit/whole corn/sunflower seed blend and she loves it.  She props herself up on the side of the crate like Judge used to do, but unlike him, it isn't head rubs that she's looking for.  When she stands up, I naturally start petting her, at which point she hops over to her empty food dish and looks inside waiting rather impatiently for the food lady (that's me, I guess;-)) to hurry up and just pour her the morning ration.  Big Daddy likes to pace himself, slowly nibbling throughout the morning on his breakfast.  Not her; she will typically eat until it's gone.  I've heard it said that rabbits are lacking in personality as compared to other domestic animals like dogs or cats.  I'll admit that there are some major differences between them as far as temperament goes, but each rabbit has a personality that is distinctly their own and it's fun getting to know what makes them tick.