Starts with P:
Our rabbit, Pippin, starts with P. His full name is Sir Pippin of Dazzlewood Hill, but we just call him Pippin and he doesn't mind.
As you can see, it is moulting time of year for Pippin. Notice how the fur on his side, at the bottom, is puffier and longer than on his back. Rabbits all moult, but they don't moult as heavily every time. Sometimes they just shed some of their fur, and sometimes they have a full moult when all of their fur is replaced. That is the kind of moult that Pippin is currently having. Here's a picture from a couple of weeks ago. You can really see the patchy nature of his coat as the long old fur is coming out and being replaced by new fur.
When domestic rabbits moult, it is important to keep an eye on them to ensure they don't have digestive problems. They can quite easily ingest a lot of hair due to self cleaning (licking) and end up with hairballs. Rabbits can't throw up like cats, so the hairball has to come out the other way. I give our rabbits some papaya, which helps prevent hairballs. I also spend time grooming Pippin to get as much of the loose fur out as I can, preventing him from ingesting it. Here is the result of a recent grooming session. That's a lot of fur!
Purple:
A few months ago, well....maybe a year ago...I don't really remember....I spun this bobbin of purple and pink merino fibre. I loved the colours, but couldn't decide whether to ply it back on itself to make a 2 or even 3 ply yarn, or to ply it with something else.
Recently, I acquired this new-to-me fibre from another spinner's destash of items she was selling, and realized it will be the perfect match. It is East Friesland wool, which is a breed of dairy sheep from northern Germany. They do not have a very long fleece length but it is still very easy to spin and I think that it will be a lovely match for this merino fibre. So, I will be taking the time to spin this new fibre, and then I will ply the two bobbins together to make a 2-ply yarn.
Favourite:
A favourite picture from the past week - this one of Pippin and Epinette. Very comfortable rabbits who feel safe in their environment will sometimes lay on their sides like this. It is sort of "dead rabbit pose" but don't worry, she is very much alive! She is still battling pneumonia though, and has another vet appointment this coming Thursday.
A bonus favourite for this week - I now have two young hens who are laying green eggs! This is because they have Isbar genetics. Isbar are a Swedish breed of chicken. I love the gentle green and blue eggs that appear in my nest boxes now, along with the lovely browns and creams. I took this picture on a lovely wooden platter made with bird's eye maple, which my Dad polished for me on their recent visit, which really brings out the grain.
6 comments:
...when Pippin misbehaves do you call Pippin or Sir Pippin of Dazzlewood Hill? I never thought about rabbits moulting. What beautiful color.
Neat bunny tent! I'm always amazed at the color of your eggs, no need color them for Easter. Thank Claire for stopping by, enjoy your week.
Can you spin rabbit fur into yarn as you can other fibers? It would be quite lovely!
Gorgeous eggs. Does Pippin like to be groomed?
Those EGGS!! WOW. Beautiful!
I never thought about rabbits molting. I'm glad you can brush Pippin to help with the shed. I hope he appreciates the help.
Hi Claire ~~ I didn't know that rabbits moulted either. And hadn't been thinking 'hairballs' for quite some time. Your eggs are pretty, are they all okay to eat? We have wild rabbits in our neighborhood except they aren't very wild atr all. Last night in our yard one was stretched out on his stomach watching traffic go by. We got out of the car and all was good, but he disappeared fast when the car door slammed. Last year they a our pansies (a "P" word)and kept them mowed down like we had sheep. This year they were leaving the Marigolds alone but were eating on the others.
Oh yes, do you travel to Halifax very often. We were there for a day this January. We walked up the hill to the park and in town from one end to the other.
..
Having a cat, I hadn't considered rabbits and their shedding...and for hairballs, our Linus seems to have his at 4 am - not pleasant to wake u to :) Pippin and Epinette are beautiful, and green eggs look nice here, not like the Dr. Seuss book until the protagonist finally says "I do like green eggs and ham!"
Post a Comment