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2 Rabbit Deal of the Week: (Exclusive get a FREE Bunny with Heart Necklace Limit 1 Per Person) Store: Rabbit Jewelry Gifts is the #1 source for finding quality bunny rabbit themed jewelry and gifts for sale online. We sell necklaces, earrings, bracelets, costumes, backpacks, stuffed bunnies and more How it works: Get this Adorable Bunny with Heart Necklace in either Gold or Silver Color for FREE (normally $19.99) just pay shipping. Additionally, if you order over $35 via RabbitJewelryGifts.com, you can get free shipping as well. Deal url: >>> CLICK HERE TO BROWSE THE FULL RABBIT JEWELRY GIFTS CATALOG

3 Rabbit Photo / Selfie Content Announced Want a chance to make your bunny rabbit famous? Interested in winning cool prizes? This month we are super excited to announce that we are launching an exclusive ongoing weekly bunny rabbit photo contest. Each week we will select a new winner to win a cool prize and have their rabbit s photo featured in our weekly edition of The Rabbit Times newsletter. To participate simply: your best rabbit photos to therabbittimes@gmail.com with the subject as Photo Contest Entry. Within the attach the photo(s) you wish to submit and a short description about your rabbit(s). Please include rabbit name(s) and name of breed (if not sure or breed is mixed just put that). Photos will be judged based upon quality, cuteness and uniqueness. Alternatively you can simply post your photo to the Rabbit Breeders facebook page to be entered as well: A new photo winner will be selected each week and announced via this newsletter! So stay tuned and good luck!

4 Weekly Rabbit Photo Contest Winners Photo 1 (submitted by Tina Lube) Tina Lube Bunnies and blooms rabbitry.

5 Rabbits in the News Latest News Stories and Headlines: Kids devastated after thieves break into preschool and steal pet rabbits: Tasmanian prisons report uncovers degrading conditions and one plague of rabbits: Rabbits can make the perfect pets: Wild rabbits burrowing into graves at overrun Invercargill cemetery: Feral domestic rabbits have overrun Ogden neighborhood:

6 Breed of the Week Dutch Rabbit information and facts about the Dutch Rabbit Breed. Learn more about Dutch Rabbits in this article. Breed photos are included. Do you know that Dutch Rabbit was once the most popular of all the rabbit breeds. This is not until the dwarf rabbits came into the picture that the popularity of the Dutch rabbits slowly declined. Dutch Rabbit Facts 1. History When people hear of the word Dutch, they would usually associate it to Netherlands. And that s true in this case. Dutch rabbits originated in Holland, near the Netherland

7 Dwarf s birthplace. During these times, both the Netherland Dwarf and Dutch rabbits were considered strictly fancy showing animals. However, Dutch Rabbits are not developed in Netherlands. These popular rabbits were developed in England. Fulfilling their meat purposes, England did a series of weekly importations of these rabbits from Ostend, Belgium during the 1830s. One of these rabbits was Petit Brabancon, which originated from Brabant, Flanders. This breed might still be found in paintings from 15th century. This old breed can be accounted as one of the generic roots of Dutch rabbits. Petit Brabancon have Dutch markings. Rabbit breeders chose the ones with even markings, and developed the breed in such a way that they can have the markings of the Dutch rabbits that we have today. Most Dutch rabbits are popular for both pet and showing purposes. 2. Characteristics and Appearance The size of a Dutch rabbit is small to medium. It is a 4-class breed. Those rabbits that are under the age of 6 months, and have a minimum weight of 1.75 pounds, fall under the category of junior rabbits. For senior rabbits, they are over 6 months of age and have a weight between 3.5 and 5.5 pounds. The ideal weight for senior rabbits is 4.5. The bodies of Dutch rabbits are compact and well rounded. Their heads are also rounded, complementing their body shape. The roundedness of their bodies and head should be apparent in all varieties. It should start from behind the head, then over the shoulders to the loin s highest part, then rounding off over the hindquarters. Their ears are short, stocky and well furred. Dutch rabbits are easily noticed because of their characteristic color pattern. Indeed, this marking pattern is their most striking feature. They have an even edge of white feature that runs through their face. This white feature is shaped by their cheeks, which are the rounded circles of color on either of the face s sides. This white run in the face is what you call blaze. Dutch rabbits also have this feature called saddle. Saddle is a straight line that runs right behind the shoulders and continues underneath the Dutch rabbit undercut across the belly. On their rear feet, you can find the stops. These are white in color and approximately one-third in length, if measured from the toes.

8 The fur of a Dutch rabbit is glossy and flyback in nature. They come in 6 colors, as recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association: black, blue, chocolate, gray, steel and tortoise. Just a slight overview of their varieties, let s start it off with the Black Dutch. Black Dutch rabbits should have this dense and very glossy color. This coloring is jet black in nature and runs deeply towards the rabbit s skin, which perfectly blends into the slate blue under coloring of the Dutch rabbits. The Blue Dutch is slightly lighter when compared with the Black. This rabbit variety has a uniform medium-dark blue and very glossy color. It also runs deep towards the skin, just like the Black variety, and blends perfectly with the slate blue undercolor next to the skin. The major difference between Black Dutch and Blue Dutch is their eye coloring. The Black Dutch rabbit must have a dark-brown eye color while the Blue Dutch must have a blue-gray. We also have the Chinchilla Dutch and the surface color in the top and sides of this rabbit s body is to pearl white ticked with black. At the top of the intermediary band is a black band. In the belly area is a white surface color, coupled with a slate blue under coloring. Chocolate Dutch, as the name suggests, boasts its dark chocolate brown color running towards its skin. Next to the skin is a bluish dove under color, perfectly complementing the chocolate color. Its fur is very glossy and uniform and the eyes are colored darkbrown. For the Gray Dutch rabbit, a remarkable feature is its agouti patter, which shows the distinct bands of color of the rabbit. Colors on the hair shaft of the Grays should be slate blue at the base, then followed by a medium tan, a thin charcoal brown band, and finished with a lighter tan. The colored portions of this Dutch rabbit s body should be uniformly spread wit the black guard hairs. We also have the Steel Dutch, whose entire colored portion is covered with black color. On some of its hair tips, there is a uniform disbursement of off-white or cream coloration. It also has a slate blue under coloring of the skin, similar to the Black and Blue Dutch varieties. Last but not the least is the Tortoise Dutch. Its coloring is to be bright, clean orange which blends into a smokey-blue shading over the lower rump and carries well down the haunches The top coloring of the Tortoise should be carried down into the under color, then blends into the dark cream color next to the skin of the rabbit. The upper portion of the color of the tail should match the color of the top body.

9 3. Personality, Traits and Purpose The Dutch rabbits are known as gentle as well-dispositional animals. Accordingly, they make a great rabbit not just for the beginners but also to advanced exhibitors in rabbit shows and fairs. Dutch rabbits are known to produce an average size of litter at around 6 kits, in a gestation period that runs for days. Their kits are born blind, but their eyes will open anywhere between 7-14 days. Dutch rabbits are widely recognized as show rabbits. New varieties of Dutch rabbits that are still being developed right now are the Harlequin, which has an equivalent of Tri Coloured Dutch in UK, and the Chinchilla. For the American Standard of the Dutch rabbits, 50 of the total 100 points is attributed to the rabbit s markings, 25 points to the general type, 10 points for the color, 10 points to the fur and 5 to the rabbit s condition. When purchasing a Dutch rabbit, once must take into account the purpose of the rabbit. Also, he must not even think about having a perfect Dutch. There is no perfect Dutch rabbit. But there s a clear distinction between a good and a bad Dutch rabbit. And that s what has to be understood from the very beginning. Now, the American Dutch Rabbit Club is in charge of promoting and developing the breed. Feel free to approach any member of ADRC for further information about this amazing and popular rabbit breed.

10 Rabbit Deal of the Week: (Exclusive get a FREE Bunny with Heart Necklace Limit 1 Per Person) Store: Rabbit Jewelry Gifts is the #1 source for finding quality bunny rabbit themed jewelry and gifts for sale online. We sell necklaces, earrings, bracelets, costumes, backpacks, stuffed bunnies and more How it works: Get this Adorable Bunny with Heart Necklace in either Gold or Silver Color for FREE (normally $19.99) just pay shipping. Additionally, if you order over $35 via RabbitJewelryGifts.com, you can get free shipping as well. Deal url: >>> CLICK HERE TO BROWSE THE FULL RABBIT JEWELRY GIFTS CATALOG

11 The Right Supplies for Building a Rabbit Cage Here s a scenario that might sound familiar: Your kids wanted a rabbit. You agreed as long as they just got ONE rabbit. I mean, a rabbit is cheaper than a dog, right? You could pick up a bunny from a local breeder (it s only $20), build a quick cage for it, and then have a new little critter keep the kids busy for a while. Call it a responsibility lesson in a cage, right? Sounds easy. And then you actually have to build the cage. Suddenly, when you start looking at wire guages, mesh sizes, and prices; j-clips, c-rings, and pliers; door-latches, urine guards, and drop trays building a cage becomes exponentially more complicated. Supplies you need to build a rabbit cage It s not that tough, really: you just need to know where to start. If you browse around our blog and website you can find articles that go into detail on different types of wire and clips, but in case you re in a hurry, I ll give you a cheat sheet here. (That rabbit can t live in a cardboard box forever, right?) The right wire to build a rabbit cage Choose the right wire for your cage. Don t compromise on cheaper wire. It won t last nearly as long, and won t protect the rabbit nearly as well. The wire for the cage sides should be: -14 or 16 guage -Galvanized, GBW (galvanized before welding) is fine -1 x 2 Mesh I recommend buying a 1 x 2 mesh roll of wire that is 18 or 24 wide. Making your cage dimensions in multiples of six inches will ensure that standard sized urine guards and drop trays will fit in them. The wire for the cage floor should be a little different. Floor wire has a tighter mesh and is sometimes galvanized after welding to produce a smoother surface. The wire for rabbit cage floors should be: -14 or 16 guage -Galvanized (GAW is a little better, but GBW is fine, too.)

12 - ½ x 1 Mesh As you see, the main difference is the ½ x 1 mesh. Do not keep rabbits on anything larger than a ½ x 1 mesh for the floor. Anything larger will not provide enough support for their feet, and presents a greater risk of feet or toes being caught in the wire. Pliers and Clips for Building Rabbit Cages First off: the clips. You ll need something strong to hold the pieces of wire together. The common clip-of-choice is the J-clip. It s a small pice of galvanized steel bent into a J-shape, that wraps around two pieces of wire and holds them securely when bent with special pliers. J-clips are very strong; you usually only have to use 3-4 per side when attaching the cage pieces together. Another option is the C-ring. This is a lighter duty ring that s often used for attaching cage floors. If used in enough quantity it s still very strong, and it s preferred for floors because it won t catch as much debris in it as a J-clip will. Both C-rings and J-clips need special pliers. At least, you ll probably want to get special pliers I ve tried it with both specialized and needle-nose pliers, and the special ones are about 500% faster. You can usually buy those wherever you buy the clips. Lastly you ll need some wire cutters, available at Menards or perhaps in Dad s old tool box. Ready to get started? Drop Trays and More Think that was all? Oh no, there are a few more things you should grab to round out the cage. Try a door latch, for instance. You can use either a simple spring or a fancier one, as long as it holds very securely. You ll also need to decide if your cage will need a drop tray. This depends on where you ll be keeping the cage. If it will be in the house or garage, you ll need something to catch the droppings. Even if your cage is outside, you might prefer a tray to keep things neat. There are many more do-dads you can add to a rabbit cage, but I think that covers the most important ones. A couple of goodies to check out are urine splash guards, which help keep your floors clean, and plastic door trim, which wraps around the edge of a cage door to soften the wire edges. Building a Rabbit Cage Step-by-Step

13 Got everything together and ready to roll? Great! Let s get started. 1. Plan your cage. Plan out and write down what size wire pieces you will need to make the cage you want. Purchase the wire and supplies. 2. Cut your wire. To make a cage, you ll need: -One 24 x24 pice of floor wire ( ½ x 1) -Four pieces of 1 x 2 mesh wire that are 24 times the hight of your cage -One piece of 1 x 2 mesh wire that s 24 x 24 for the cage roof -If you want to make a slider cage so the drop tray can slide in an out of it, you ll need an additional 24 x 24 piece of the 1 x 2 -One piece of 1 x2 mesh wire that is at least 8 x 10, for the cage door. I sympathize it s not easy on your hand to cut all that! When you re done, check back here for step number three. 3. Lay out all your pieces on the ground in the way you want to clip them together. Make sure all the pieces of wire are flattened after coming off the roll. Jusing J-clips or C-rings, clip all four sides of the cage floor. Then raise the sides up and clip them together. Lastly clip on the roof. Important if you are making a cage with a slide-out drop tray, you re going to add an extra step in here. Instead of attaching the floor to the bottom of the cage sides, you ll want to attach it about two inches up the cage sides, leaving enough room for the drop tray between the floor and the bottom of the side wire. You ll also need to cut down the piece of wire that will form the front of the cage to make a gap where you can slide the tray out. Then attach your extra 24 x 24 piece of 1 x2 wire the the very bottom of the cage sides, to hold the tray in. 4. Cut out a door. I usually like to cut the cage door before I attach the roof of the cage. The size of the door hole you cut depends on the size cage you have and the size of the rabbit you intend to go in it. But an 8 x 10 door works for most small breeds. Go a few inches larger for big breeds. The door hole should be slightly smaller than the piece of wire that will actually form the door, so the door will overlap. Attach the cage door with J-clips or C-rings on one side so it will swing, and attach it on the other with a secure latch. Rabbit cage doors can either swing up or swing out; whichever you find easier. Cover the edge of the door with plastic trim for safety

14 5. Attach the roof w/ J-clips or C-rings. Add the urine guards, drop tray, stand, or whatever else you need, and your new cage is all ready for your bunny. Congratulations! Building a good quality cage definitely requires more time and money than you might initially think, especially since you have to buy two different sizes of wire, but it s definitely worth it. A cage that you can make from supplies at Home Depot simply won t offer the kind of protection as an all-wire one will. By ordering actual rabbit cage wire, you can both provide the best housing for your critter, and have the pleasure of making it yourself. That said, if the math comes out to be too much when you consider buying the raw materials, you can always consider pre-built cages also. The Supreme Rabbit Homes from Quality Cages are shipped knocked down, so all the pieces are there; they just need to be clipped together. These cages can still offer you and your kids a little time of building a rabbit cage together, while providing you with all the supplies in one package.