It’s amazing I get anything done all day when I have something this cute to watch. I threw a bunch of grass and weeds from the garden into the warren and all ten babies came out of their den to munch on fresh greens. They are four weeks old. Their mother is a chinchilla mix, and their father (Catch) is a silver fox mix.
We do raise them for meat, but they receive loving attention and care for their whole life–the same way a litter of pigs, or pair of lambs, or sweet baby calf would. Rye kindles (gives birth) in a burrow she dug herself, and her kits live with her until they are completely weaned. All of them feast on hay, fresh grass and dandelions, vegetable scraps, blocks of apple wood, and the occasional rabbit pellet from our local feed mill.
Like other animals raised for meat, rabbits are sweet and intelligent, and they deserve respect and proper care. Raising your own animals for meat is the polar opposite of inhumane–it teaches a respect for life in a way that cannot be duplicated by a thoughtless grocery store purchase. I am not trying to preach or convert anyone . . . it’s precisely BECAUSE I still purchase a lot of meat from the grocery store that I do know the difference.
All of my feelings on the subject aside, the absolute adorable-ness of a baby bunny is undeniable.
