"MEET OUR REGISTRAR!"
" Congratulations Gloria! "

     Gloria is a licensed Registrar for the American Rabbit Breeders Association. 

      You may have seen Gloria working with ARBA judges at various ARBA Rabbit Shows, tattooing rabbits or registering champion rabbits as a show registrar. Learning the ARBA Standards of Perfection for Rabbits and keeping informed about all the rabbit breeds is not an easy task!
      If you are interested in having your rabbits registered you may make an appointment with Gloria. Plan to have Gloria travel to your rabbitry if you have several rabbits needing to be registered. We appreciate your courtesy in keeping your appointment!  (We appreciate any and all changes that must be made -24 hrs in advance.)
      To have a rabbit registered with ARBA you need: 
                                              The rabbit with an ID tattoo in left ear.
                                              Rabbit pedigree completed.
                                              ARBA membership card.
                                              Registration fee $6 per rabbit

      Services rendered:         Rabbit examination. (Rabbit must meet wt. & all senior breed characteristics )
                                             Official documentation completed and  mailed to the offices of ARBA.
                                             Registration insignia tattooed in the right ear of the rabbit.
     
Additional services such as tattooing rabbits for identification (in their left ear) are also available.
Contact Gloria by emailing: babybunnydoctor@hotmail.com
               Mailing address: Gloria Hayward, 600 Griffin Rd. Fountain Inn, SC 29644

                           Using the Official ARBA Standard of Perfection current publication
                

  GARDEN GATE RABBITS ATTEND SPRING BREAKFAST!

 Gloria is holding our  Rex doe "Christy" at an annual Spring Breakfast. Cookie is wearing a bonnet and apron while visiting with the families. A local family hosts an annual  Easter Breakfast and Family Egg Hunt on a Saturday before Easter for her extended families and Sunday School. We have been invited for several years to bring our rabbits for the children and families to visit.  It is an exciting time and learning experience for many that never have petted gentle bunnies before! With stories and our extraordinary bunnies of various breeds we make the  day an unforgettable event!

   Bunnies bring alot of smiles!! Many children are petting bunnies for the first time! The boys smile and the girls giggle while they watch our litter of young bunnies play in the wagon! OOh, the fur on a Rex rabbit is like luxurious velvet -there's no animal like it! What fun it is to see the bunnies wash their faces, pose  or  kick up their heels and leap about! Families learn what gentle pets rabbits can be and the many benefits that we enjoy raising rabbits! 

“Good Habits for Raising Rabbits“

Rabbits can be a lot of fun if they are properly cared for and are healthy! Here are a few “Garden Fresh“ good habits to establish:

Peas

“Peas” remember, rabbits need a relatively clean environment. Rabbits can get diseases (not contagious to humans) and they can catch colds which may lead to pneumonia and become fatal. Keep the  cage or hutch wire mesh free of dung and fur by periodically washing with Vanodine mixed with water or bleach water. A clean cage is necessary. Also wash the cage between the occupancy of different rabbits.  Allowing people with colds to handle the rabbits is a risk! It is a wise precaution for only healthy family members and visitors to handle the rabbits.

Turnips

Does your rabbit “turnip“ his nose at food? Bunnies that are young will taste new foods and learn to like a variety of foods. However, mature rabbits like to eat what is familiar to them. If a rabbit is raised on one brand of food it usually will not eat a different brand of rabbit pellets unless some familiar food is mixed in. However, a rabbit will not starve itself. A rabbit that abstains from eating may be sick or there is a problem with the food. If there is rabbit feed left in the feeder after half of an hour the rabbit has had sufficient and will eat at a later time. Left over feed will attract weevils and insects that will ruin the food. Food spoils due to moisture, or can even become soiled by other bunnies in the litter. While they love to eat carrots, apples, beans, greens, hay, oatmeal, berry leaves, herbs etc, do not overfeed your rabbit.

Carrots

If you “carrot“ all for your rabbit you will provide a good shelter for it. Rabbits all have fur coats, but that does not mean they are unaffected by wind, rain, and temperature changes. Shelter should be provided for rabbits when there are chilling winds. Heat is a problem if a hutch is in the direct sunlight and temperatures exceed 75 degrees. Rabbits must have sufficient ventilation and yet be protected from extreme temperatures in order to live in cages or hutches.

Squash

Squash bad habits! Keep the feeder and water bottle clean. Wash in a mild bleach water. Keep the toe nails clipped (nail clippers for dogs work fine). Check the ears and keep free of mites (Swab with a Q-tip and Vetrix-a camphor treatment). Check young bunnies to be sure their teeth are growing straight. Be sure their eyes are clear (runny eyes may be from dust or a sign of an infection-check the nose for snuffles) Eye drops (Visine) can be used to clean or clear a rabbit's eyes (loose fur may get into their eyes). Get help from a vet or experienced rabbit breeder to treat any infection-right away. Avoid giving your snack foods to your bunny-change of diet can result in the “runs”(aka: scours) and dehydration. Correct the “runs“ with blackberry leaves, hay, oatmeal, etc. It is serious!

Lettuce

“Lettuce”  prepare properly for bunny litters! Plan ahead so that you have cage space and a nest box for the doe! Mark your calendar on the day you breed a doe. A nestbox of hay should be provided on day 27. Expect your litter on day 30. The doe will pull fur to cover her litter, but you need to check the litter to be sure all the babies are alive. Remove any that do not survive. By maintaining the nestbox, you can keep a wall of hay built around the nest area so that the young do not crawl away from the litter while they are very young. Your family will share a lot of joy with a litter of bunnies!

Meet One of Our New Bunnies!

We have our first litter of English Lops here at Garden Gate Rabbit Park!

Everyone is so excited! Seven little rabbits with long ears!! We are having fun taking their pictures too! Here is one we wanted to share with you! This ELop bunny is a buck! (It's A Boy!)

The winner of our naming contest is on the "Kids Page!"