Meet Angora Eden Niko
I drove to Indiana this morning to meet a very nice young man, Dustin Maschino, who is selling several French Angora juniors for his friend who is ill. Her rabbitry is where the 'Angora Eden' prefix comes from. I wasn't sure what his name would be, but when I saw him, none of the ones I had considered seemed to fit. On the drive home, it came to me....Niko. (Nee-koh)
He is the result of a brother/sister mating ( ! ), so I thought about Caligula (ha - ha), but decided not to do that to the little guy, besides not wanting such a gruesome name here. Although that would be too close in most other species, I'm told that is done sometimes, but rarely, in rabbits for the same reason anyone would line-breed, to try to imprint good qualities on future generations.
His color is a mystery. Dad was a smoke pearl, Mom a lilac. In this photo from Dustin's blog, Niko's face and paws look very 'taupe,' but really he is quite a bit lighter. His face and front paws are a light beigey/fawn shade. He does have some gray mixed in on his nose, but lighter than the photo. His back paws are barely colored, and his tail is the same as his body color. His pedigree says 'lilac tort,' but Dustin says he is definitely a chocolate pearl. The irises of his eyes are dark for sure, but I haven't gotten a good enough look in strong light to make out the color, and his pupils definitely are a red/pink. His body color is a lovely creamy/white, and baby soft. He is still a 'baby,' at four months old, even though he is every bit as big as my other rabbits. (It's amazing how fast they grow)
He's a sweet little guy, who doesn't seem to mind being picked up - unlike 'the girls,' who still hate that - and seemed to take the car ride and new surroundings in stride. He is very inquisitive, sniffing everything, and sitting up on his back legs to look around. As before, the cats took a look, but were otherwise unperturbed, and he doesn't seem to mind them either . Niko is resting in his brand new cage now, getting used to his new home. No, I'm not planning to breed him to one of my girls. He will be a fiber producer. But now the next one ........
He's very pretty, and somehow looks small in that photo -- I guess we need something in the photo for a size comparison! Are boy bunnies neutered if they aren't going to be used for breeding, or does testosterone not cause any trouble in bunnies (like it seems to in most mammals!)?
ReplyDeleteYes, the House Rabbit Society is every bit as firm about neutering pet rabbits as the Humane Society is - but at the same time they say to only let a rabbit "expert" touch your rabbits. Since none of the Vets here are considered "experts," I guess we'll leave him whole for now.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I'm told and have read, the girls are the hormone charged ones at this age, while the boys are more laid back and mellow. As they get older, that trend supposedly flip-flops.
The photo is a month or so old. I will try to get one of my own soon. He's very much in need of a good grooming, but I didn't want to put too much on him in one day. After I make him pretty again, I'll snap a picture.
He's very cute.
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