Podcasts about rabbit dance

Ensemble casts is the topic for today! But what do we mean by that? The way I'm defining it for THIS Quackcast is that you have a group of main characters where any of them can function in a chief protagonist role for part of the story, they're all on the same side and they can work together in smaller groups or in one big group. This is a common structure for modern sitcoms and a lot other things like The Avengers, Star Trek the Next Generation, or Lord of the Rings for example. They're not just a group, but a group made up of “main characters”. One of the advantages of an ensemble cast as opposed to just a group or a one or two main characters is that they can share the load story-wise and make it much easier to develop new storylines and work your way out of holes and blocks. This is because they all have advanced character development and so create stories and pathways just in how they interact with each other, their differing world views and how they approach situations very differently. It's harder to develop multiple main characters but it's easier to maintain a story in the long run, especially if it's a long running story. Banes and I have an ensemble cast in Bottomless Waitress consisting of the three waitresses, Polly, Jane, and Francis. There are other characters like Nicky the truck driver, Wilfred the scientist, or Craig the bus-boy but they're not as important or developed. Each of the three ladies can independently drive a storyline on their own, they can work in tandem confronting each other or together against other characters of situations, or all three can work as one. There are a lot of combinations and possibilities. Do you have an ensemble cast? Do you like it when stories use one as opposed to more of a group with a leader or just one or two main characters? This week Gunwallace gave us a theme inspired by Plague Rat - a very dark, heavy, and serious intro leads up and into a beat heavy, 80s inspired, cool dance number that just drags you along and up out of the doldrums of the post-apocalyptic disaster of a plague-ridden, sad world, into the coloured lights and cool vibes of the dance floor! Topics and shownotes Links Featured comic: The Starry Ladders - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2025/apr/29/featured-comic-the-starry-ladders/ Featured music: Plague Rat - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Plague_Rat/ - by Rabbit_Dance_, rated T. Special thanks to: Gunwallace - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Gunwallace/ Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/ Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean Kawaiidaigakusei - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/kawaiidaigakusei Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Banes/ VIDEO exclusive! Become a subscriber on the $5 level and up to see our weekly Patreon video and get our advertising perks! - https://www.patreon.com/DrunkDuck Even at $1 you get your name with a link on the front page and a mention in the weekend newsposts! Join us on Discord - https://discordapp.com/invite/7NpJ8GS

ESOW 297 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) as sung by Herb Dowdy. Recorded August 9, 1962 in Allegany by Dorothy Shipley Gaus.

ESOW 293 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) as sung by Avery Jimerson, Richard Johnny-john, and Jack Preston. Recorded July 25, 1962) in Allegany. Recorded by Dorothy Shipley Gaus.

ESOW 291 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) (F2017-Social) as sung by Akwesasne Men with Donovan Thompson leading. Recorded at Fall Sing Social at Oswę:geˀ in November 2017. Recorded and shared by Artie Martin.

BONUS "Songs of the Earth - Show 21 (Social at Sing at Oswe:geˀ - Fall 2017)". Features songs: Standing Quiver, Old Fish Dance, Pigeon Dance, Raccoon Dance, New Women's Shuffle Dance, Fish Dance, Chicken Dance, Garter Dance, Rabbit Dance, Cousin's Dance, Delaware Skin Dance. Thanks to Artie Martin for sharing these recordings.

BONUS Art Johnson + Lyle Anderson - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance). Unused songs from their 2002 recording "Earth Songs - Volume 2".

ESOW #239 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) (Old Style) as sung by Art Johnson. Transferred from cassette recording.

ESOW #237 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) as sung by Tom Harris. Transferred from 'reel to reel' tape.

ESOW #214 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) as sung by Steve Henhawk + Guy Williams. Recorded in 1996.

ESOW #148 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) as sung by Oneida Men. Recorded at Sing in Kahnawake in the spring of 2012.

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You can also support by donating through PayPal.com at the link below: Hare of the Rabbit PayPal Thank you for your support, Jeff Hittinger.   Breeding Rabbits Definitions A female rabbit is called a doe. A male rabbit is called a buck. When referring to the parents of a rabbit, the mother is called the dam, and the father is called the sire. When you mate two rabbits together, this is called breeding. When you check to see if the doe is pregnant or when you breed her again before she is due to give birth, this is called testing. When you put a box in the hutch that is lined with hay, this is called nesting. When the doe gives birth, this is called kindling. The period of time between breeding and kindling is called the gestation period. She gives birth to a bunch of bunnies called kits. This bunch of bunnies is called a litter. When you take the young rabbits away from the mother, this is called weaning. Breeding Plan - Discuss This With Your Parents! Before we begin to discuss breeding rabbits, it is important to understand that there are several reasons NOT to breed your rabbits. Some of these are very good reasons. If you are a beginning rabbit owner, or have rabbits as pets only, there are a lot more justifications for NOT breeding your rabbit than to go ahead with it! One major consideration when deciding to breed any animals is the overpopulation of pets in general. Some others include the extra expense, health considerations of your animals, and having to find homes for young rabbits you cannot keep. However, if you are an experienced rabbit raiser (or you are a beginner with help), have sound knowledge of rabbit care and health, and want to produce rabbits for showing, meat, or fiber, then it could be an excellent decision to start a breeding program, or at least try it out! Determine the best time to start your breeding program! Be sure your rabbits are healthy. Choose the rabbits you wish to breed. Another wise thing to do when just starting out is to contact a breeder that raises your chosen breed, and offer to purchase a pregnant doe from him or her. Ask to have her bred to one of the breeder’s best bucks, although with an increase in quality comes an increase in price. It can be a great investment though, and get you started with young rabbits you know were bred well. When To Breed There is a reason for the expression, “breeds like a rabbit!” Rabbits are notoriously fertile from a young age, and easy to breed. Their young grow quickly, and the mothers and young do not require a lot of human intervention, for the most part. However, in order to ensure the health of your animals, it is prudent to wait until they reach full body and reproductive maturity before breeding. There are four main weight classes of rabbits: small, medium, large, and giant breeds. The age at which the rabbit is ready to reproduce depends highly on the maximum weight they are expected to achieve as an adult. Smaller breeds tend to sexually mature faster than the larger breeds. The general rule for the proper age to begin breeding at is as follows: Small breeds (under 6 pounds max) – 4 ½ months Medium to Large Breeds (6-11 pounds max) – 6 months Giant Breeds (Over 11 pounds max) – 9 months Also in general, bucks tend to be about a month behind does in maturing. So, if you want to mate a purebred Polish buck and doe, she might be ready at 4 ½ months of age to reproduce, but it would be advisable to wait until he is closer to 6 months of age. Waiting is worth it – your animals will be much more productive, or perhaps “reproductive,” if you are patient and wait until they’re really ready! Health Check And Signs That A Doe Is Ready For Breeding It is important to check each rabbit before breeding to be sure that the rabbit is healthy and in good physical condition. The weight should be appropriate for the sex and breed of your rabbit. Never breed your rabbit if it shows signs of a sickness or illness. If a doe is ready to breed, they will begin to rub their chin on their food dish to mark their territory. Before breeding, check the bottom of the cage of both the doe and buck for evidence of diarrhea or loose stools. Do not breed the rabbit having this condition until it has been adequately treated. Also check the genitals of both rabbits for any signs of disease or infection (for example, extreme redness, discharge, sores or scabbiness). A good reference is the ARBA Official Guidebook section on diseases. Selecting Breed Pairs You should know as much as possible about the rabbit you are choosing to breed. It is more likely to pass on good traits with two healthy and qualified rabbits. Check the pedigree background for the rabbit’s strong points; such as strong shoulder, good body, and excellent type. It's usually a good idea to select rabbits to breed whose ancestry has evidence of good productivity and good genetics. That is where productivity records and pedigrees listing show winnings come in handy. Keep productivity and show records of your herd just for this purpose. Only mate rabbits of the same breed. Exceptions to this include breeding for meat, pets or genetic experimentation. You cannot sell a pedigree rabbit that has mixed blood in its background going back 4 generations. It is advisable to breed only purebred, pedigreed rabbits. The main reason for this is because pedigreed rabbits have documented bloodlines, characteristics, and a general history you can look back on that will help you better predict the outcome of the breeding you have planned. When breeding two rabbits of unknown heritage, there is a much bigger potential for birthing problems and genetic defects. It is also easier to find homes and interested buyers for well-bred stock. Be advised though, that even having two purebred, pedigreed rabbits does not ensure a good cross – the goal should always be for the animals to out-produce themselves. The hope is that the offspring will be of better quality and meet the ideal of the breed standard more closely than their parents. Therefore, you must carefully evaluate your pairing to make sure the rabbits complement one another in confirmation (body type) and if it matters to the breed, color and markings as well. Choose the rabbits based on their strengths and weaknesses. A buck with strong shoulders would be matched with a doe with weak shoulders but good size. Try to offset any weaknesses with strengths. Try not to put two weak features together since that will only fix the weak feature in the blood line. Who Can Be Bred To Whom? Never breed brothers to sisters. Other combinations are fine: father-to-daughter, mother-to-son, cousins, etc. Until you gain some knowledge as to how genetics works with inbreeding, I would recommend your not breeding closely related pairs. As mentioned before, mate the same breeds together unless you are trying to get meat rabbits with certain characteristics or you are doing genetic experiments or you don't care about the fate of the offspring. You cannot sell the offspring as pedigree if their ancestry is not of the same breed going back four generations. You may mate rabbits of the same breed having different colors. Keep in mind, though, that there are many combinations of possibilities when mixing colors. Some of the offspring may have colors that are not recognized by ARBA. It is usually best to mate rabbits having the same color to start off with until you know more about how the colors interact. You can also, join the national specialty group for the breed you are interested in raising. They usually have literature on how to develop the best color, size, and shape of your rabbit. Avoid breeding rabbits that have genetic defects such as tooth malocclusion (wolf teeth) or moon eye (cloudy cornea), or produces offspring whose skull does not come together (except in dwarfs, where approximately 25% are born too small with deformed head or legs - the offspring are called peanuts). Determine whether the sire or dam is responsible for passing the genetic defect and eliminate it for breeding purposes. Strive to meet the perfect standard for the breed you are mating. You can order the ARBA Standard of Perfection Booklet to know exactly what is expected of the breed. Gauging Interest Rabbits have a reputation for being ready to breed all the time. This is not necessarily the case! Bucks are typically a bit more consistently ready. You can tell that your buck is interested in mating when he starts vigorously sniffing around a table you’ve just placed a doe on moments ago, or if through cages, the buck begins acting more excited and slightly aggressive when he smells a neighboring doe. He may also begin acting amorous toward other objects when he is out and about! Does, however, are not quite as obvious about expressing their desires. A doe rabbit is atypical from most mammals, as she is polyestrous, meaning she has no regular heat cycles. The eggs of a female rabbit are not shed at regular intervals – instead, ovulation is stimulated by mating. This offers the breeder a lot of flexibility in terms of what time of year and how frequently they will breed members of their herd. Some signs that a doe may be more willing to breed are restlessness, and “chinning,” which is the act of her rubbing her chin on the cage or piece of equipment inside the cage. Mating Process Because does are not as willing to breed and they are very territorial, you always bring the doe to the male’s cage. If the doe does not show interest in mating after ten minutes, you should take her out of the cage and try again in a couple days. When ready to breed the doe, take it to the buck's cage. Never bring the buck to the doe's cage. The reason for this is that the buck has less tendency to breed in the doe's cage. He's too busy sniffing around the cage. Most often, rabbit mating is a quick and painless process, requiring little to no assistance on the part of their human handlers. When you are ready to have the doe bred, the most important thing to remember is to bring the doe to the buck’s cage – NOT the other way around. Sexually mature does are incredibly territorial, and can do severe damage to a buck that suddenly enters her territory. It only helps to have good equipment. A wire cage, that open from the front and are all wire allow for easy access and easy monitoring. Most often, once the doe is placed in the cage housing the buck, he will circle her briefly, and then mount her. If she is receptive, she will lift her tail for him. Keep a close eye on both rabbits, to ensure that the doe remains on good behavior. Be ready to remove her immediately if she starts growling or even attacking the buck. Try to breed at least two does on the same day, hopefully from different breeds or colors. This way you can move babies from litters around if we need to foster any kits. Having different breeds or different colors in the nest box makes it easier to see who came from which litter. If the doe runs around in a circle, this is not so bad. I’ll let her run a few laps then I’ll put my hand in the cage and stop her for the buck to breed her. Most of the time the doe will accept the buck. If the doe sits down or tries to climb the sides of the cage, I’ll wait for 5 minutes . If she won’t stand still and accept the buck, I’ll take the doe out and try her again in a few hours or the next day. And the next day if necessary. If she doesn’t accept the buck, I will wait for the next week to try her again. A really good sign is when the buck gives a grunt when he’s done doing his thing, and falls off of the doe onto his side. Once this has occurred, it is wise to get the doe out of there. Although some bucks are more aggressive than others, they will rarely hurt the doe. If you do not see the ritual just described take place within a minute or so of placing them together, and it looks like they are getting along, you can leave the doe in there for a few minutes to see what will happen. If you’re not sure if the mating was successful, it is a good idea to try again anywhere from 6 to 10 hours later, and simply repeat what you did the first time. If you are unsure about whether or not a successful breeding took place, you can carefully introduce the doe to the buck again in about 7-10 days. If she is uninterested in him, or acts grouchy, she is probably pregnant. The buck will breed with the doe, usually immediately. After a few sniffs which apprise him of the situation, the buck promptly circles around to the hind end of the doe, mounts the doe, accomplishes the rabbit mating, and then falls off the doe with a grunt. Signs of success: the grunt and fall-off. The buck might also get all macho, and thump the cage floor a couple times. A second rabbit mating before removing the doe seems to increase the success rate and litter size. Just leave the doe in the cage. The buck will catch his breath, lose interest in thumping the floor, and regain interest in the doe. He’ll remount her, she’ll lift her hind end, and a second mating will occur. Some breeders like to see a third breeding. And frequently a third breeding might take place during the half-hour we leave the buck and doe together. But we are usually satisfied with two matings. Remove the doe to her cage. Toss hay into her cage, and a little bit of black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) or whole oats into the feeder as a reward. There’s another reason too: to keep her mind off the condition of her bladder. She’ll go straight to the feeder or to the hay, instead of heading to the back of her cage where her toilet area is. It's just one more trick to give the doe the best chance at a big litter. Some leave the doe with the buck overnight. Others put the doe in, watch it, and when they have mated, remove the doe. If you do the latter, put the doe back in with the buck 1 to 12 hours after the initial breeding. This will increase the likelihood of pregnancy and may increase the number of offspring. Although in most temperate climates, most rabbits will willingly mate year-round, cold weather does tend to put a damper on their libido. Some rabbits aren’t affected, but females especially seem to be less receptive to the males during the winter months. Providing a heat lamp on the doe a day or two before mating, extending the daylight hours in your rabbitry with artificial light, or keeping her cage located next to a window with lots of light can help with this. Keep in mind also, that the better overall condition your animals are in, the better breeders they will be. Try to avoid mating bucks and does that are molting their coats, or are experiencing weak or thin flesh condition. Rabbit Mating: What do you do when the doe doesn't cooperate with the buck? In my area, late autumn is when does want to just hunker into the corner of the buck's cage, and no amount of sweet-talking or complaining on the buck's part can coax cooperation out of the doe. Here are a few tricks that might help convince the doe: Retry the rabbit mating in a day or two. The doe may be ready then. Check the weather forecast. If the doe spurned an attempt at rabbit mating, you could plan to re-try the breeding when the barometer is rising or the temperature is warming. This works some of the time. You could try swapping cages. Put the buck in the doe's cage, and the doe in the buck's cage for an overnight stay. In the morning, or when you return to the animals, put the doe back into her own cage where the buck is waiting. She may be willing this time, since she is now familiar with the buck's scent. If the doe's tail begins to twitch, or if the doe begins circling to mount the buck, the doe is 'in the mood,' even if she circles the buck's cage at first. After Mating The doe may become very cranky over the next few days. This is okay! Do give her space. Leave her in her cage. Leave her alone, if this is what she wants. Always be sure to put the doe back to her cage where she is going to kindle. After 14 days into the pregnancy, you can use a stethoscope to listen for the heartbeats. If your doe is pregnant, you can expect the babies to be born in 28 to 32 days. Palpating can be done 10 days after mating in her cage to make it less stressful. At 3 weeks or more you may see an increase in the size of your doe’s belly. You may keep a ratio of one buck to 10 does if you wish. The buck may be bred up to 7 times a week effectively. Sometimes, you can use the buck twice in one day. The most I use a buck is twice a week. Palpating It can be frustrating to find that you waited nearly an entire month, and your female rabbit was never pregnant! You can avoid some of this wait time by palpating your doe 10-14 days after mating to see if you can feel any babies. Learning to palpate takes a little practice. Older does are easier to practice on than first litter does, as their muscles are a bit more relaxed, and they are generally more patient. Take the doe out of her cage and place her on a carpeted table. With one hand, grasp the doe over the shoulders and take the other hand with the thumb and fingers opposing each other push up into the abdomen just in front of the pelvis. This can feel awkward at first, and most people don’t want to push hard enough to actually feel anything. Enough pressure can be used to raise the doe's hindquarters nearly off the table. People who fail at palpation usually do so out of fear of hurting the doe her babies. The chances of that happening are very slim. Each embryo is cushioned in its own amniotic sac, so what you are actually feeling is the fluid filled amnion-not the embryo itself. Once you are secure in your position, move your hand back and forth along each side of the abdomen and slightly towards the middle. At 10 days, the embryo feels like a firm blueberry. At 12 days, they feel more like marbles, and at 14 days, they should feel more like large grapes or olives. Once you feel an embryo or two, it is wise to stop and pet the doe, and let her go back to her home. The entire procedure takes only seconds to perform once you know how. A common palpation mistake occurs when people confuse the round fecal pellets for embryos. Confusion can be avoided by remembering that the fecal pellets are small, very hard, and are found closer to the backbone, while embryos are found about midway into the abdominal cavity. If you squeeze these pellets instead of embryos, they will feel very hard, almost like rocks. Developing babies have more of a firm-fruit feel. Care Of Pregnant Doe Make sure the doe has plenty of fresh water and food in a clean house. Do not over feed your doe during the early stages of pregnancy. Keep a calendar and accurate records of the day you breed the doe. You should test her for pregnancy between the 10th and 14th day after the initial breeding. There are two ways to do this. The overall preferred method is to palpate the lower abdomen of the doe with your thumb and forefinger checking for nodules about the size of a marble. The other method is not only more risky but also more inaccurate, and not recommended. This method is to mate the doe with the buck again. This can cause problems because the doe has two uterine horns, each of which can carry babies. It is possible for one horn to be fertilized on the first mating and the second to be fertilized on the second mating. This will create a hormonal imbalance and cause the babies in both uteri to not form right, causing her to pass blobs instead of babies at the date of kindling. There is also a chance these "mummified" blobs could cause complications leading to the death of the doe. Nest Box Nest boxes can be made in a variety of sizes and types. Nest boxes can be made of wood, wire, or metal. Suggested sizes of the nest boxes are: Small breeds – 14” long, 8” wide, 7” high Med. breeds – 18” long, 10” wide, 8”high Lg. breeds – 20” long, 12” wide, 10” high Hay and straw is most often used for the nesting in the nest box. You can use less bedding in the summer. You need to use more hay and shavings during the cold winter months. Gestation in rabbits is typically 28-34 days. However, many breeders will tell you that their rabbits nearly always kindle (give birth) on the 31st day! Around day 26, you should place a nest box in the doe’s cage so that she can begin to prepare a nest. Pre Kindling Behavior Before kindling, the doe will prepare a nest. Some does will carry a mouthful of hay around to prepare for her new litter. She may also pull fur form her chest and belly for nesting materials and to prepare for nursing. You should place a nest box in her cage on the 29th day after breeding. I have placed it even earlier if the Doe is showing any signs of kindling. Thirty-one days after breeding, she should kindle her litter. Every rabbit is different in the way she prepares to kindle her kits. You can provide a wooden nest box, or a metal one that is easy to clean and sanitize. They come in a variety of sizes, and it is important to get the right size for the breed of rabbit you have. The rule of thumb is that it only needs to be large enough for the doe to comfortably turn her body around in. The idea is that it is a cozy den for the babies to stay warm and dry. If the nest box is too large, it may also lead the female to start using it as a toilet, which is not healthy for her litter. The nest box should be filled with wood shavings, and plenty of fresh grass hay. The doe will instinctively begin to pull fur from her chest and back to line the nest she is preparing for her babies. Some does pull hair a bit gradually, and some wait until right before they kindle. It is important, during these last few days, that the doe have ample access to fresh hay and water, along with her regular pellet feed. It is also important to keep her environment free from unusual or sudden loud noises, as this can spook the doe, and cause her to stomp on or even eat her kits (babies) at birth. Checking The New Litter It is important to check the young when they are born. It’s important to keep the area where the kits are quiet. A nervous doe may protect her young by jumping in the nest box. Kits are born without fur and with their eyes closed. Eyes should open within 10-14 days. At least once a day, look carefully at the nest box. There is no need to disturb it, or pull it out to look at it. You are looking for movement. Most rabbits kindle late at night, or in the early hours of the morning. You will know that the babies have arrived, when you see the fluff in the nest box moving, seemingly on its own! There are varying opinions around when the nest box should be pulled out and looked at. Ideally, this should be done in the first 24 hours, to check on the health and well being of the newborns. Any dead kits, or remaining placenta should be removed immediately and disposed of. A sign of a successful, healthy delivery is little to no trace of blood, and kits that appear to be clean, dry, and have big round bellies. The young are very vulnerable, as they are born naked, blind, and deaf. It is okay to handle each kit gently, as the mother rabbit is likely used to your scent. Also, rabbits only nurse their young twice a day, for 5-10 minutes at a time, so don’t interrupt if you see that happening! Fostering Kits When you have larger litters some of the kits are unable to get the amount of food they need. To prepare for this, breeders breed more than one doe to kindle at the same time. If a doe has an unusually large litter, they can move some kits to the smaller litter, and this is called fostering. Fostering should be done in the morning. Newborn Care And Checking The Litter Most doe’s only feed once every 24 hours. You will want to continue to check your newborn’s daily. Be sure that all kits stay with the warmth of the other kits. As the kits begin to grow, you need to check to be sure that their belly’s are round. Baby rabbits begin to grow their fur within a few days, and by 2 weeks they are completely furred. Hand Feeding A Rabbit Sometimes a doe dies after her kits are born. If this happens you may wish to try to feed and care for the babies until they can care for themselves. There are mixes available at many pet stores. The formula for hand fed babies is: 1 pint skim milk 2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons Karo syrup 1 tablespoon bonemeal (available in garden supply centers) Use an eyedropper to feed the kits twice a day. You must also be sure that the kits urinate regularly. To do this, gently rub their genitals with a cotton ball after they’re fed. Continue this procedure until they’re 14 days old. Eye Problems Rabbits eyes open between 10 and 14 days Sometimes help is needed to open a rabbits eyes To do this, take your fingers and gently separate the eyelids, and then wash away any crusty materials. Handling Kits At three weeks of age, kits begin to come out of the nest box. No need to worry! They can now maneuver in and out of the box. Kits begin to eats pellets and drink water at three weeks of age, even though they are still nursing from their mother. More food and water should now be available to the kits. This is an excellent time to begin to handle the young. They may be jumpy at first, but the more you hold them the calmer they will be. Sexing The Litter Kits need to be separated by sex around 6-8 weeks. Making this distinction is called sexing and may call for an experienced 4H member or a breeder’s assistance Sexing the litter Procedure: 1.) One hand restrains the rabbits head. 2.) Place your finger and second fingers of the other hand around the base of the tail. Use your thumb to press down gently in front of the sexual organ. 3.) If a rabbit is a doe, you will see a slit like opening. This opening will begin near your thumb and slope down towards the rabbit’s tail. 4.) If the rabbit is a buck, the opening will look rounded and protrude slightly. Good Bye Nest Box When rabbits are self sufficient, eating pellets, and drinking water, it is time to remove the nest box. Leaving it in longer will allow them to use it as a litter box. Weaning Bucks And Does Weaning is changing the way a kit is nourished form nursing to eating other food. Young are separated from their mother, and no longer nurse from her. This is done in 6 to 8 weeks from birth. A doe’s body needs to rest because producing milk is work for a rabbit’s body. The doe needs a break before she can raise another litter. Littermates will mature as they approach 8 weeks of age. Rabbits have mature instincts about their territory and breeding. Rabbits can mate and produce litters before they are full grown. (This would be very stressful on a doe if she is young.) Do not keep more than one rabbit in each cage when the rabbit is 3 months or older. Rabbits mature faster when alone, do not fight, and do not breed, thus eliminating unexpected results. Tattooing Tattooing is done at weaning. It is done for identification purposes, and purebreds should be tattooed. Pedigrees All purebred rabbits should have pedigree papers showing that they are pure bred. Try to complete your pedigrees as part of the overall weaning process. Evaluating A Rabbit's Reproductive Life After the doe has kindled, some breeders normally re-breed her at 6 weeks and wean the litter at 5-7 weeks. This cycle continues until she is about 4 years old or until her production is unsatisfactory. Review the herd records every quarter to determine which rabbits are not producing up to par and eliminate them. In October through December, some rabbits go into what is called moulting. At this period, many do not conceive. If you have lights on all the time in your rabbitry, this will help. Rabbits are like chickens that lay eggs only if there is enough light. Raising most of my rabbits outside, I would take this problem into consideration when evaluating them. Also, if it gets too hot in the summer, especially for those who live in the Southern U.S., the buck produces less viable sperm and the conception rate goes down. Some people keep their bucks air conditioned to keep the conception rate high. Some breederd standards for a doe is that she produce at least the following number of rabbits per year all the way to weaning: Dwarfs: 8 Small Breeds: 14 Medium Breeds: 16 Meat Type: 20 Giants: 16 Good luck in your endeavors to produce fine rabbits! http://sussex4h.org/Clubs/sc4h_allstar_rabbits_breeding.html http://www.debmark.com/rabbits/breeding.htm https://qualitycage.com/blogs/quality-rabbit-care/the-basics-of-breeding-rabbits-part-one https://www.raising-rabbits.com/rabbit-mating.html http://www.rabbitgeek.com/breedingtips.html https://thehomesteadinghippy.com/breed-rabbits/ Sexually Transmitted Bacterial Infections in Rabbit Treponematosis in Rabbits Treponematosis is a sexually transmitted infection in rabbits that is caused by a bacterial organism called Treponema paraluis cuniculi. This bacterium is spread by sexual contact between rabbits, from direct contact with lesions from another animal, and from mother to newborn during development or birth. This bacterial organism is closely related in form and character to the human species Treponema pallidum (syphilis), but is confined to rabbits; it is not transmissible between species. If this infection is caught early, before systemic damage can occur, it can usually be treated successfully with antibiotics. Symptoms and Types The signs and symptoms of treponematosis are varied and may include the following: History of swelling and redness around the vulva or anus, lips and nose History of possible abortion or loss of pregnancy, long and difficult deliveries, or appearance of stress during pregnancy Swelling early on of the area near and around the genital regions, the eyes, and around the grooming regions Lesions are often on the face only Raised bumps and crusting on the skin surface Causes Treponematosis comes from the bacterial species Treponema cuniculi and is spread through direct contact with the organism. It is possible for the disease to be in a latent stage, and for the infected rabbit to pass the disease on to other rabbits, even though the infected rabbit is not showing any apparent symptoms. Therefore, it is not always possible to determine with a normal inspection whether a potential breeding partner is infected before allowing sexual contact between the two rabbits. If you have recently bred your rabbit, or your rabbit has been paired with a different sexual partner, there is a possibility that your rabbit has come into contact with an infected partner. Conversely, infection can also be seen in younger animals that may not have had sexual contact and thus may have caught the infection congenitally/in utero, or through direct contact with the lesions in the passage of the birth canal. Diagnosis To formally diagnose your rabbit's condition, your veterinarian will need to rule out other conditions that might cause similar symptoms, such as ear mites. Some of the common outer symptoms, such as dry crusts that form with excessive saliva in and around the face, matting of hair around the face, and lesions around the face, will need to be closely inspected, with fluid and tissue samples taken for biopsy. Along with the thorough physical exam, your veterinarian will need you to give a thorough history of your rabbit's health and onset of symptoms. Your doctor's initial diagnosis will take into account the background history of symptoms and possible incidents that might have led to this condition. If the final diagnosis is treponematosis, all of the rabbits that have come into contact with the infected rabbits will need to receive medical treatment. Treatment Treatment in the form of a topical treatment is necessary. It is also necessary to keep the lesions clean and dry to help them heal quickly. While this is not always necessary, it can help speed the recovery. A simple topical (external) antibiotic can also be used to speed healing. Only medications that can be applied topically may be used, as oral applications can be fatal, unless your veterinarian advises otherwise. Your rabbit will require follow-up monitoring and care to ensure complete resolution of the symptoms. Living and Management It is important to follow-up with your health provider to ensure the rabbit avoids exposure to other rabbits that may still carry this infection, which can result in recontamination, and to avoid infecting other animals until your veterinarian is confident that your rabbit is clear of the Treponema cuniculi bacteria. If you have other rabbits, there is a good possibility that they are also infected and should also receive treatment. Even if they are not showing symptoms, your veterinarian may choose to err on the side of prophylactic treatment to avoid further complications. The prognosis for rabbits with treponematosis is excellent provided treatment commences immediately and that all rabbits with the T. cuniculi infection receive treatment promptly. https://www.petmd.com/rabbit/conditions/reproductive/c_rb_treponematosis Rabbit Dance an Oneida legend retold by Desiree Barber Long ago, two hunters went hunting deer for their village. They hunted for a very long time without seeing any signs of deer, but they didn't return to the village for they knew they had to provide food for the winter. Suddenly, they heard a very loud thump! They stopped and listened to see if there would be another thump, and sure enough, they heard it again! This time the thump was louder, "THUMP!" One hunter said to the other, "What is that?" The other hunter said, "I don't know, but IT sounds very close!" So, both hunters got on their bellies and crawled to a nearby clearing surrounded by bushes. In the center of the clearing they saw the biggest rabbit they had ever seen! The first hunter started to aim his bow and arrow at the huge rabbit, but the second hunter stopped him and said, "Let's wait to see what he is going to do." Both hunters waited and watched the huge rabbit as he lifted one of his big back legs and thumped it three times on the ground. Then, out from every direction hopped regular sized rabbits. The hunters watched very closely not wanting to miss anything. The little rabbits gathered around the big rabbit, and the big rabbit began to thump his back leg in a pattern as the little rabbits danced. The hunters watched in awe as the rabbits danced. Then the big rabbit thumped his leg in the directions in which the hunters lay. The huge rabbit looked in that direction and leaped into the sky. Then all the rabbits quickly hopped away. The hunters watched still in awe. They realized they had to go back to the village and tell the people what they had seen and heard. They ran all the way to the village and asked if they could speak to the elders. After they told their story, one of the elders said, "Show us how the beat and the dance went." The hunters showed them exactly what the rabbits did. Another elder said, "The rabbits gave this dance to tell us to show them respect and appreciation for what they give to us. We will name the dance after them, and we will dance it at our socials to show them our gratitude." So this is the way it was then and is now. That is how the rabbit dance came to be. http://www.uwosh.edu/coehs/cmagproject/ethnomath/legend/legend16.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneida_people   © Copyrighted

ESOW #116 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) as sung by Gordie Buck et al. Song transferred from 'reel to reel' tape.

Features songs: Standing Quiver, Old Fish Dance, Pigeon Dance, Raccoon Dance, New Women's Shuffle Dance, Fish Dance, Chicken Dance, Garter Dance, Rabbit Dance, Cousin's Dance, Delaware Skin Dance.

This week we are going to explore the Havana Rabbit breed. If you would like to support the podcast, you can support through Patreon for one dollar a month. Patreon is an established online platform that allows fans to provide regular financial support to creators. Thank you for listening. If you would like to support the podcast, and keep the lights on, you can support us whenever you use Amazon through the link: It will not cost you anything extra, and I can not see who purchased what. When I hear the name Havana rabbit I picture a rabbit that came from Cuba, but as we have discovered several times the breed is named for a place that it does not originate from. The Havana rabbit originates in Holland, not the Caribbean as you might expect. They get their name from the fact that the chocolate variety closely resembles the color of the deep brown Havana cigars, not because the breed hails from Cuba. When you think Havanas, think cigars, not Cuba. The rich dark brown coloration of the original Havanas was reminiscent of Havana cigars to the early breeders, hence the name was applied to the newly developed breed.  The Havana Rabbit had its beginnings in a small Dutch village near Utrecht, Holland (not Cuba), in 1898, by total accident. History Havana Journey: A rabbit farmer named Mr. Honders tossed a newly acquired common farm rabbit into the stable with his other communal rabbits. The black and white doe was bred by who knows which of the bucks in the farmer’s warren, and soon gave birth to a litter of brown and white rabbits with modified Dutch markings. The Havana’s journey began with breeders’ vision, work, and dedication since it first arrived on the rabbit scene in 1898. The rabbit breed known as ‘The Mink of the Rabbit Family’ includes an evolution defining its type today into the lovely compact breed known for its intense color and luxurious fur. I thought this would be an appropriate time to trace the Havana evolution to its breed standard today. Because of their unusual chocolate color, the farmer retained these offspring for further breeding. Being chocolate, their eyes had the typical ruby glow in them when viewed in bright light. It was anything but usual to Mr. Honders. He named these new rabbits “Fire-Eyes of Ingen” (Ingensche Vuuroog). The rabbits were a dark reddish brown, and weighed around 7.5 pounds. For a brief historical overview, the Chocolate variety of the Havana was the first, and appeared in a litter of a Dutch marked doe in Ingen, Holland in 1898. These new rabbits were first given the name of Ingensche Veuoraoz, “Fire-eye from Ingen,” because of the unusual ruby glow to the eyes when viewed in good light. The breed soon became known as “Havana” after the rich chocolate color of Havana cigars. Havanas were soon being bred in France, Switzerland, and Germany and Chocolate Havana of widely different types were displayed at various shows in Europe. In the first decade of 1900, the new chocolate rabbits quickly made their way through Europe via Switzerland and Germany. They varied wildly in type, size, and quality. Little by little, Havanas began to look like Havanas, as breeders used out-crosses to correct faults and enhance fur quality. They showed up in the UK in 1908. England’s National Havana Club formed in 1920. The breed also made its way to the USA in 1916. The Havana breed made its way to the United States and was accepted into the ARBA in 1916 as the ‘Standard Havana’. Havana quickly became popular due to their eye appeal and their mink-like fur quality and texture, which placed Havana pelts in great demand. The Havana Rabbit Breeders Association was established in 1925. The Havana Club in the US was formed in 1920. At the time, the rabbit was still 7+ pounds, and reportedly difficult to breed. Over the next 30 years, Havanas took two shapes - large and small. The heavyweight variety never caught on, but the medium-sized Havana we know today was well-received. Lee Own Stamm originated the Blues in 1965 and the Blacks in 1980. The Havana of today evolved from a much different type. Havana breed is based on intense color and mink-like fur, and the emphasis of those features becoming more intense over the years. The compact body type, however, has evolved over the decades to the standard we depict today. 1914 In the 1914 ‘Rabbit Culture and Standard,’ The Complete and Official Standard of all the Rabbits (1), “Havanas were one of the latest varieties listed… The correct color listing was described as dark brown to dark chestnut brown and blood red brown changing with the varying light.” The development of two distinctly different sizes of Havana were being exhibited, with one a smaller, neat, short-coated variety and “… larger ones often exhibit a dewlap and are somewhat coarse and awkward looking.” The 1914 standard reflects the importance of color with 30 points and type with 30 points; however fur was only allotted 10 points and was to be short, fine and silky. 1920’s In the 1926-27 and 1928-29 editions of The American Rabbit and Cavy Breeders Association Guidebook and Standard, the Havanas were listed as “one of the most beautiful fur breeds and a very useful rabbit for their skins require no dying but can be used in the natural state as the rich chocolate color is very attractive...” Havana Rabbit Club Standard continues to emphasis color with 30 points, and the coat was to be short, fine and silky and cut severely for white hairs. Type was still being determined as the breed tried to meet the demand for beautiful pelts. Senior weights were 4 ½ to 7 pounds exhibiting quite a range. 1930’s The 1930’s appeared to be a period when the Havana was being defined as to type. The Standard Havana description began to change to make room for a new variety. There were now 2 varieties, chocolate in color, known as the Standard and the Heavyweights. The Heavyweights were later called the American Havana, with an ideal weight of 9 pounds. The emphasis was for a larger fur pelt which was in high demand at the time; however they lost much of the body type and quality of fur and the Heavyweights were dropped from the standard by the 1940’s. Meanwhile, in 1930, Mr. Walter Huey discovered a new mutation of Havana with an entirely new coat mutation. Initially, these ‘Havanas’ were known as Satin Havana and shown in competition against the Standard Havana; however there was a storm of protest. From this protest came the acknowledgment that the coats were an entirely new coat mutation and we had the start of the Satin breed with the White Satin. Satin Havana Mutation In 1934, the Satin mutation occurred in Indiana. For a short time, they were recognized as a variety of Havanas, however they were unfair competition since the satin shine was so striking. By 1946, breeders of satinized rabbits organized a national club for a dedicated Satin Rabbit breed. 1940’s - 1980’s The Standard Havana continues to be recognized for its coat which is often called near mink. The most recent variety is broken, achieving acceptance in 2008 thanks to the efforts of Brad and Katie Boyce. Brad and Katie Boyce presented the Broken, which was accepted in 2008. Julie Spier presented the Lilac, which was accepted in 2016, providing the breed with the five varieties accepted in the standard and shown today. The flatter body type of the time is reflected in the standard description: “The body shall be cobby type, rather flat and compact, with full, meaty shoulders, tapering slightly to broader and higher haunches. Avoid snaky and too-rounded type, high, rounded hips, or hips cut in under. The head should have a short neck, having full appearance of head being joined directly to shoulders.” The emphasis is on the bold eye reflecting the origin of the breed and on meaty shoulders and broader hindquarters. The breed is ancestral to several others, including the Fee de Marbourg, Perlefee and Gris Perle de Hal. TODAY The Havana of today embraces the compact body type in its definition. General type of the competitive Havana is rather short and compact, tapering slightly from hindquarters to shoulders. Top body line should be a continuous curve from the ear base with a high point over the center of the hips and falling in a smooth curve to the base of the tail. Judging continues to emphasize the breed’s best characteristics: color and fur with 45 points, and a compact type with lots of depth balancing width for 45 points. Eye appeal of an animal that is full, smooth, and well rounded, displaying intense color with lots of luster and mink-like texture of fur is the standard to strive for. Body Havanas are small-medium sized rabbits with short, deep bodies and deep, rich color. Their lustrous fur gives them the nickname “the mink of the rabbit family.” Although they don’t often catch the fancy of pet owners, their beautiful type is a joy to the practiced eye of judges and breeders. The Havana rabbit is a compact breed that should not exceed 6.5 lbs. They have short, rounded bodies. The top line should form a half-circle that rises over the hips before or down to the tail. They have short, straight legs with dark-colored toenails, short ears which are relatively close together, medium-sized eyes and a short head with full cheeks. Approximate Size: 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 pounds Havanas are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association in four color types: chocolate, blue, black, lilac, broken and which is best described as a mix of colors that looks like a Dalmatian. Their average weight is between 4.5 pounds (2.0 kg) and 6.5 pounds (2.9 kg). Coat This breed of rabbit has short, soft, fly-back fur that does not much need maintenance to keep in tip-top condition. To keep their shedding to a minimum, indoor rabbits can be groomed once a week with a slick brush and when shedding time comes around (around Spring), increasing their brushing to twice a week. In any show breed, there’s the ideal type – that wonderful, deep, smooth, sleek body – and then there’s what representatives of the breed really look like. No matter what the standard says, how close does that breed come to meeting it, on average? In some breeds, the real and the ideal are rather a long ways from each other. But there are a few breeds that have been developed to the point where the average show breed is a fine representation of the standard, and the best ones are nearly perfect. One of those breeds is the Havana. It’s no wonder that Havanas are often honored with the Best in Show award at local, state, and even national levels. There’s nothing particularly flashy about this breed, such as might grab a pet owner’s attention, but to the trained eye of a judge, a top notch Havana is simply breathtaking. The body type is incredibly short and deep, approaching a “half basketball” shape when viewed from the side. When viewed from the top, the hindquarters evenly taper to the shoulders. Ideally there should be no flat or narrow spots in the body type, no squared hips, no pinched hindquarters. The head and ears are of medium length and balance with the body. Although type is important, the coat and color are to be given strong consideration as well. Havanas have fly-backs – fur that returns very quickly to its usual position when the rabbit is stroked from tail to head. Havanas do not have a Satin sheen, but their fur does carry an unusually high luster. There are currently four recognized colors: black, blue, chocolate, and broken. The solid colors are all of a dark, rich shade. Havanas have short, fly-back coats which need minimal grooming. A quick brushing once a week should be enough to keep your rabbit looking his best. You can also go over their coat with slightly damp hands to remove static. Havanas may need more frequent grooming when they are molting. Things to Avoid: A long, narrow, or flat body. Flatness over the shoulders. Narrowness over the loin. Hips that are pinched or undercut. Roughness over the spine or hips. Long head or long neck. Unmatched toenails are a disqualification. Color that looks faded, light, rusty, mealy, or has scattered white hairs. Care Requirements: Like any other breed of rabbit, Havana bunnies require a diet consisting of pellets. The rest of their diet is made up a healthy balance of hay, leafy greens, fruits and vegetables. Be aware of what kind of leafy greens you feed your rabbit, as some of them (like iceberg lettuce) contain no great amount of vitamins or nutrients and contain laudanum, which can be harmful in large quantities. Also be careful of what kind of vegetables you decide to feed your rabbit, as some of things are harmful, and some fruits contain too much sugar. Havana rabbits do well whether they are indoors or outdoors, provided they are given plenty of room in their enclosures to stretch their legs and catch some much-needed sunshine. Outdoor enclosures should be made of wood or wire and need to be raised off the ground in order to provide protection from wildlife. Indoor rabbit enclosures should be made of wire and have bedding that should be spot-cleaned every day for cleanliness and completely changed out at the end of every week. Health The Havana rabbit is not known to be susceptible to any particular health issues, but like any other rabbit, measures must be taken in order to raise a healthy, happy rabbit. Remember to check their mouths once every week or two for ingrown teeth, which can grow into their jaw and faces and cause a lot of pain. The best way to prevent overgrown teeth is to have a proper diet with hay, as the hay will naturally file down their teeth. Should you rabbit live outdoors, be aware that they will be more susceptible to fly-strike. Fly-strike is an extremely painful condition in which flies lay their eggs in a rabbit’s fur near dirty areas. When the eggs hatch, they begin sustaining themselves by way of eating your rabbit from the inside out. In order to avoid fly-strike, always check your rabbit for dirt or feces stuck on their coat. Always make sure your rabbit’s enclosure and coat is clean and that your rabbit’s eating habits remain constant. Should you decide to spay or neuter your rabbit, some owners notice that their rabbit tends to be less aggressive. However the Havana rabbit is not known to be hostile, so neutering them may do nothing to their personality. Does can be spayed once they are 4-6 months old while bucks can be neutered as young as 3 and a half months old. Temperament/behavior The Havana Rabbit is known for having a relaxed, friendly personality. However there are also examples that have been known to have a bit of an attitude so it’s well worth researching the lines you’re thinking of purchasing from to make sure that all of his relatives have been even tempered. As long as he’s been allowed to get used to humans and other pets from an early age your Havana rabbit should be calm and able to cope with human interaction without getting stressed. It’s vital that anyone who’s going to be charged with looking after the rabbit knows exactly how to handle it as they can struggle if they feel vulnerable or uncomfortable when picked up. Despite his small size, he will be very strong and can kick and scratch, potentially injuring himself or his handler. Most rabbits are active in the morning and the evening and he will be grateful for boxes, tubes and toys to play with. Rabbits are sweet creatures who easily bond with their human family so long as they are given time and space to properly socialize on their own terms. While not the most energetic rabbit breed by any means, these medium-sized rabbits are perfectly capable of running around indoors or out and letting out a little mid-air hop. Should you decide to engage in some one-on-one playtime, you may find that your particular rabbit enjoys some ear or head scratches and some gentle back petting. Because of its medium size, the Havana rabbit makes a great pet for families with children of any age. Because it isn’t too high energy, it makes an attractive pet for seniors looking for a fuzzy companion in their lives. Some rabbits need to be entertained with many toys (whether it is a store-bought one or something as simple as a toilet paper roll is entirely up to you), others don’t need much to keep them happy. It all depends on your particular rabbit’s personality. When it comes to potty-training your rabbit, you may find it is significantly more difficult than training another pet such as a cat or dog. While more challenging, it is definitely not impossible to litter-train rabbits but they do require much more patience and time than other animals. Many pet parents have found that placing several litter boxes around the house works best, as your rabbit won’t have to travel to the other side of your house to do the deed and risk not making it. If you would like more info on a House rabbit, you can check out the house rabbit episode. uses Rabbits tend to be bred for one of four things: meat, fur, show, or pet use. Havana rabbits are usually show rabbits, and are very popular as such. They come very close to their breed standard, often winning top honors at local and national shows. Often referred to as the ‘mink of the rabbit family’. Club The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) maintains the breed standard for all of the recognized rabbit and cavy breeds for it's international membership. Recognized breeds are eligible for Registration and Grand Champion recognition. The AMERICAN RABBIT BREEDERS ASSOCIATION, INC. is an organization dedicated to the promotion, development, and improvement of the domestic rabbit and cavy. In the USA, Havanas weigh 4.5 - 6.5 pounds. They have a compact body type, and are useful for show and pets. And additionally, their fur has a special glossiness, which makes it great should you also wish to utilize their pelts. One is not limited to Chocolate. Four additional varieties have been accepted in the US: Blue, Black, lilac and brokens. The British Rabbit Council (BRC) is a British showing organization for rabbit breeders. Today, the BRC among other things investigates rabbit diseases, maintains a catalog of rabbit breeds, and sets rules for about 1,000 rabbit shows annually in the UK. In the UK, Havanas are dark chocolate “with a purplish sheen.” The glossy normal fur is approximately 1 inch in length. Havanas should weigh 2.722 kg (6 pounds) with a half-pound latitude permitted either way. Have I Missed Anything about the Havana? If you know something about the breed standard, history or status of the Havana rabbit, please let me know. Do You Have a Story About The Havana? What do you love about them? Do you have any tips or tricks up your sleeve for what might make the Havana happiest? Perhaps you're a breeder of the Havana rabbit. Let me know, and maybe we can set up an interview? http://www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-breeds/havana-rabbit-breed-information/ http://rabbitbreeders.us/havana-rabbits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana_(rabbit) http://www.raising-rabbits.com/havana-rabbit.html http://www.petguide.com/breeds/rabbit/havana-rabbit/ https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/breeds/rabbits/havana/ http://www.havanarb.net/breed-history.html Plant of the Week: Wheat Word of the Week: Brilliant Every week I would like to bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience, and I have researched enough to recommend. Today’s HOTR Amazon Item of the week is the This weeks item is a Headlamp:   This weeks item is a NiteCore Cree Headlamp. I use this NiteCore Cree Headlamp to check on my rabbits outside. This is Purpose-designed for hiking, climbing, camping and general outdoor recreation. It is All metal high-performance dual-beam headlamp Aluminum "unibody" construction is highly rugged and provides excellent cooling performance. It Utilizes a premium CREE XM-L2 (T6) LED Powered by a single 18650 lithium-ion battery for up to 565 lumens of output. High-efficiency circuit provides up to 400 hours of run-time. It produces an extremely wide beam. This is probably the best NiteCore Cree Headlamp I've found to-date. What I like about the NiteCore Cree Headlamp: It's bright - for most stuff, the 2 highest settings are way more than you'd want for anything that's within a few yards of you. It'll also blind anyone you're looking at. Easy to use control buttons. Built in red lamp which is useful for retaining your night vision. I think the red light level is just about right - you're really not going to see anything more than a few yards out with it, but it's meant to preserve your night vision. It would be nice if you could adjust the brightness, but that would just be a nice bonus. This has long battery life - I usually use this at the 2nd dimmest level as that's enough for most projects, and I get many many hours. I usually re-charge it once a month, and I use it several times a week or more. The only real issue is the strap isn't the greatest. I usually have to have it on a little tighter than I'd prefer for longer usage duration to keep it from falling off if I'm sideways or upside down. If you're not contorting yourself in crazy positions it probably won't be an issue. You can also put the NiteCore Cree Headlamp on over a hat. Rabbit Dance an Oneida legend retold by Desiree Barber http://www.uwosh.edu/coehs/cmagproject/ethnomath/legend/legend16.htm Long ago, two hunters went hunting deer for their village. They hunted for a very long time without seeing any signs of deer, but they didn't return to the village for they knew they had to provide food for the winter. Suddenly, they heard a very loud thump! They stopped and listened to see if there would be another thump, and sure enough, they heard it again! This time the thump was louder, "THUMP!" One hunter said to the other, "What is that?" The other hunter said, "I don't know, but IT sounds very close!" So, both hunters got on their bellies and crawled to a nearby clearing surrounded by bushes. In the center of the clearing they saw the biggest rabbit they had ever seen! The first hunter started to aim his bow and arrow at the huge rabbit, but the second hunter stopped him and said, "Let's wait to see what he is going to do." Both hunters waited and watched the huge rabbit as he lifted one of his big back legs and thumped it three times on the ground. Then, out from every direction hopped regular sized rabbits. The hunters watched very closely not wanting to miss anything. The little rabbits gathered around the big rabbit, and the big rabbit began to thump his back leg in a pattern as the little rabbits danced. The hunters watched in awe as the rabbits danced. Then the big rabbit thumped his leg in the directions in which the hunters lay. The huge rabbit looked in that direction and leaped into the sky. Then all the rabbits quickly hopped away. The hunters watched still in awe. They realized they had to go back to the village and tell the people what they had seen and heard. They ran all the way to the village and asked if they could speak to the elders. After they told their story, one of the elders said, "Show us how the beat and the dance went." The hunters showed them exactly what the rabbits did. Another elder said, "The rabbits gave this dance to tell us to show them respect and appreciation for what they give to us. We will name the dance after them, and we will dance it at our socials to show them our gratitude." So this is the way it was then and is now. That is how the rabbit dance came to be. News http://www.mauinews.com/opinion/columns/2017/06/rabbit-fever-could-be-deadly/ It is the law in Hawaii to keep rabbits contained and off the ground if they are outside. Environmental impacts not withstanding, rabbits also pose a threat to human health. Tularemia, aka “rabbit fever,” can be a serious disease for both humans and animals. Several years ago, a researcher working with sparrows at a rabbit farm on Maui fell ill. He was fev-erish and tired, then started getting sores on his skin. Doctors weren’t sure what it was and although he was never officially diagnosed, he responded to treatment for tularemia, a disease caused by a bacteria carried by rabbits, rodents and other animals. Officially, tularemia has never been documented in Hawaii. It’s difficult to culture the bacterium and handling it poses a significant infection risk to lab workers. “If not here, there is a real threat that tularemia could, at any time, be introduced into Hawaii. It affects so many animal species, and once here, mosquitoes and other blood-sucking arthropods could spread it, “says Fern Duvall, head of Maui’s Native Ecosystem Protection and Management program with the Department of Land and Natural Resources. On the Mainland, where tularemia is widely present, the disease is rare among people. They are exposed to the disease if they handle infected animals, or if bitten by ticks or another insect that fed on an infected animal. When bacteria come in contact with the skin, they cause ulcers that spread through the body, eventually reaching the lungs. If the bacteria are inhaled, the results can be deadly. Occasionally, there are serious localized outbreaks of the disease. The summers of 2000-01 saw 19 cases of tularemia on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., and one proved fatal. The Centers for Disease Control came to investigate. An unusually high number (14 out of 19) had pneumonia (the bacteria had entered the lungs) and many involved landscapers. What the CDC suspected was that lawnmowers or other cutting tools struck the carcasses of dead, infected rabbits and the bacteria went airborne. In 2015, there were outbreaks in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska. The CDC theorized these outbreaks may have been triggered by increases in rabbit populations, which grew in response to more vegetation, caused by higher than normal rainfall. Vegetation, rainfall and landscapers are plentiful in Hawaii; what we don’t have are populations of rabbits running wild — at least not yet. According to state law, people can keep rabbits but they must be contained. If kept outside, rabbits must be in a cage off the ground. The penalties for noncompliance may reflect the seriousness of the threat: loss of your pet, fines or even jail time. Duvall says the natural predators of rabbits in Hawaii — cats, rats or mongoose — are unlikely to keep populations of wild rabbits in check. Rabbits evolved with a multitude of predators: weasels, coyotes, bobcats, owls, hawks, snakes, foxes and raccoons. To survive high mortality rates, they breed like, well, rabbits. The female (doe) can become pregnant with her first litter at 3 months of age, and again just a month later, within days of giving birth. One pair of rabbits can produce 100 kits (baby rabbits) per season, and up to 1,000 in a lifetime. “We know they can become invasive,” explains Duvall. In 1989, six illegally released rabbits quickly became 100 at Hosmer Grove in Haleakala National Park. On Laysan, a small island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, free-roaming rabbits ate the island bare in the early 1900s, likely causing the extinction of three bird species — Laysan millerbird, Laysan apapane and Laysan rail. Beyond environmental impacts, rabbits running wild increase the risk of tularemia. “Rabbits are more often in contact with people,” explains Duvall. Whether as pets kept outdoors or released to the wild, more rabbits means more rabbit-human interactions. Other pets can be affected: dogs, cats and livestock can get tularemia from ticks or direct contact with an infected animal. Early treatment with antibiotics is critical. You can help protect Hawaii. If you have a pet rabbit, spay or neuter it. If you raise rabbits, keep them contained. If you see a rabbit running wild, report it. Call the Maui Invasive Species Committee at 573-6472. Irish R&B Trio Hare Squead’s New Video Is Just The Thing For A Rainy Summer Day http://www.thefader.com/2017/06/09/hare-squead-video-pure-premiere Ireland's imaginative rap and R&B group Hare Squead presents a new video for their soulful track “Pure." Before this release, the Dublin trio appeared on Goldlink's recent At What Cost album, crooning on the song, "Herside Story". In their latest visual, the three artists find themselves on a mental journey, on what seems to be a long day of looking for escape. They play pool and carouse through the city in a G-Class Benz, singing “I just want to leave sometimes/ You should let me breathe sometimes.” “This song represents more of a serious side," Hare Squead told The FADER over email. "We recorded it in a haunted studio in a village in Ireland where Michael Jackson used to record. We were very inspired by old antiques and eerie fields and that had a play on the whole vibe of the track. The meaning of the track is something personal, each of us has a different interpretation. Overall, we could say the meaning of the song is about how fresh love and pure intentions get twisted and messed up as we struggle and fail to understand one another. It's not a summer song. Play it on that one day it rains in the summer.” http://vevo.ly/yPXDHn Peter Sallis, voice in 'Wallace and Gromit,' dies at 96 And with him, one of the great characters in animation. http://www.metro.us/entertainment/movies/peter-sallis-wallace-and-gromit-dies Peter Sallis is one of those actors you probably know more by his voice than his face. He was one of England’s many go-to workhorse actors, appearing on stage and on screen, but usually in minor roles. (These include tiny parts in “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning,” the Timothy Dalton “Wuthering Heights” from 1970 and 2005’s “Colour Me Kubrick.”) But his most famous turn was a biggie. He was the voice of Wallace, the absentminded, cheese-loving inventor of the beloved “Wallace and Gromit” stop-motion animation series — one of the great British exports of the ’80s through the early 2010s. It’s reported that Sallis has died. He was 96 years old. Sallis’ passing leaves us bereft of one of movies’ and television’s most soothing sounds. Hearing him say, in his Northern English drawl, “Cracking good cheese, Gromit,” caused a Pavlovian chill in fans of the franchise, which spanned four award-wining shorts, a television show (2010’s “Wallace and Gromit’s World of Invention,” Sallis’ last credit) and, sadly, only one (delightful) movie: 2005’s “Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” Apart from supporting characters — including Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter in “Were-Rabbit” — Sallis was often the only voice you heard on “Wallace and Gromit.” After all, Gromit was his dog, who, of course, never spoke. He didn’t need to; he had one of the most expressive faces in animation, even if it was often used for Buster Keaton-style deadpan, regular there to show his loving exasperation with his owner/flatmate. A rare kind-hearted mad scientist, he was always coming up with harebrained contraptions that got him and Gromit into trouble. In our favorite “W&G” product, the Oscar-winning short “The Wrong Trousers,” Wallace’s oversized, mechanical trousers are commandeered by a devious penguin (posing as a chicken, with a latex glove over his head, natch), who wants to rob a bank. We’re speaking of the “Wallace and Gromit” franchise in the past tense. That’s because we’re not sure if it will continue after Sallis’ passing. Aardman, the peerless stop-motion animation house that made the series (as well as “Chicken Run” and the “Shaun the Sheep” series), did retire their characters in 1996, only to repeatedly revive them, as a world without more “Wallace and Gromit” just seemed to grim to bear. And now that he’s gone, it is. Still, it would be surreal and sad to hear someone taking over for Sallis — much like the disconnect when you hear someone voice Kermit after Jim Henson’s death: The voice is similar, but something’s off. Instead, we can honor Sallis’ legacy by gorging on the “Wallace and Gromit” work we do have. Friends from England tell us it’s tradition there to spend Christmas Day watching a big movie — “Gone with the Wind,” or the original “Star Wars” trilogy” — as well as the original three “Wallace and Gromit” shorts. Might as well make that a tradition here as well. Rabbit in the Moon come to Orlando House of Blues this summer http://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2017/05/30/rabbit-in-the-moon-come-to-orlando-house-of-blues-this-summer The psychedelic duo will be performing at the House of Blues on Saturday, Aug. 19. Doors open at 8 p.m. Since their reunion at Ultra Music Festival in Miami in 2016, following a six-year hiatus, singer-performer Bunny and producer David Christophere have been making more regular appearances together. https://youtu.be/nDCnWn-WrNw Tickets for the show go on sale Friday, June 2. Unicorn drinks, rabbit pizza on Stampede menu https://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/7321411-unicorn-drinks-rabbit-pizza-on-stampede-menu/ CALGARY — The annual reveal of new foods coming to the Calgary Stampede has been released, and the list includes both the sickeningly sweet and the simply weird. The Unicorn White Hot Chocolate offers white hot chocolate surrounded in rainbow sour poppers, sprinkles, sugary stars, a ribbon rainbow tail, and blanketed with a fluffy cotton candy cloud. Cereal Monster Sandwiches consist of a massive amount of ice cream crushed between two marshmallow squares, while the Cookie Dough-ne offers raw cookie dough in a waffle cone that is surrounded by cotton candy. From the fryer, there's deep-fried Jell-O, pork belly and something confusingly called Butter Chicken Bear Balls, which is described as "golden deep-fried balls smothered in a delicious butter chicken sauce ... and topped with a candy-coated anise." Canadian bacon Pickle Balls are a hot dog and pickle wrapped in bacon, fried in batter and served on a stick, while the World’s Hottest Pizza delivers its flavor punch by simply packing on the ghost peppers. If unconventional meat is your thing, try the rabbit pizza, crispy chicken feet on a stick or the Angry Chicken sandwich, smothered in both chipolte aioli and sweet and sour sauce. And no Stampede would be complete without a not-routine poutine, and this year the prize must go to the Tropical Bobster, consisting of lobster and mango salsa atop crispy fries. The Calgary Stampede runs from July 7 to 16. By The Canadian Press Photo Magic Minot Camera Club awards winners in ‘Year-End Competition http://www.minotdailynews.com/life/arts-entertainment/2017/05/photo-magic/ Along with winning first place for “Prairie Storm,” Zeltinger was voted winner of the Eileen McEown Outstanding Member Award. Submitted Photo “Have You Seen a Rabbit?” by Minot photographer Erich Linser earned first place in the monochrome division. Submitted Photo “Have You Seen a Rabbit?” by Minot photographer Erich Linser earned first place in the monochrome division. As Zeltinger captured the ferocity of a lightning storm, Kyra Hansen, of Minot, seized the magic of “Fireflies” in the artistic division. “Kyra is an up and coming photographer,” Nordstrom said. “She has an incredible eye for catching pictures and adds a unique artistic quality to them. Kyra has a bright future.” For the fourth year in a row, Hansen was awarded Outstanding Photographer of the Year. While Hansen caught the mesmerizing “Fireflies,” Erich Linser, of Minot, tested the curiosity of viewers in his first-place monochrome winner, “Have You Seen a Rabbit?” “This picture has placed in various North Dakota competitions,” Nordstrom said. “Erich has a special way of capturing the eyes of viewers.”   For Wichita artist, a bunny a day keeps the boredom away http://www.kansas.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/keeper-of-the-plans/article150898277.html By Matt Riedl Wade Hampton doesn’t have a bizarre obsession with rabbits. He just likes their form, artistically – simple as that. “From an artistic standpoint, I think rabbits are the perfect subject if you’re going to draw an animal,” Hampton said. “I don’t have some weird obsession with rabbits, like I’m running around the yard chasing them.” As a creative challenge, Hampton is drawing a bunny every day for a year and posting the results on Instagram. Some of his rabbits are cute – the kind with carrots and flowers included – and some are creepy, with dark circles under their eyes and cigarettes dangling from their mouths. People have enjoyed the project on social media – whenever Hampton shares his drawings on Facebook, they typically garner upward of 150 reactions. Not bad for quick daily doodles. “For me, it’s an experiment,” Hampton said. “I know the majority of them are not very good. That’s not a big deal to me. It’s like publicly putting out a sketchbook.” Hampton is well-known in Wichita for hosting “home shows,” in which he would invite friends and strangers to his home, where the walls were covered with hundreds of doodles like these, all for sale. While Hampton said he has decided to stop doing the home shows, he wanted to keep his artistic chops sharp – hence the bunny project. “I did a bunch of shows a long time ago called Art from the Gut, where you just do a bunch of drawings and you don’t really think about it too much,” Hampton said. “The thinking is that if you don’t think about it too much, some magic can happen.” About three months into the project, Hampton said Tuesday he’s considering putting on a bunny-drawing show at a gallery later this year. Those plans are still in flux, though, so until then, your primary viewing outlet will be at www.instagram.com/drawabunnydaily. “Hand to God, when I did these, it was totally for an experiment. ... You know me: If I wasn’t doing a show, I’d probably do some kind of video where I burn them all and some guy in a rabbit costume dances around it and call it art,” Hampton said. “It’s nice for these pieces to find a home – otherwise, they just sit in a sketchbook until I die. I’d much rather have somebody say I framed this and stuck it on my wall than it sit in my drawer.”   http://www.petgazette.biz/14537-burgess-celebrates-national-pet-show-success/ Burgess celebrates National Pet Show success Burgess Pet Care has announced that this year’s National Pet Show in London has been its most successful yet. The company more than doubled its sales from last year. Burgess’ team highlighted the welfare needs of small animals and provided information about the benefits of high-quality feeding hay. Dr Suzanne Moyes MVB MRCVS, veterinary director at Burgess, held a series of presentations aimed at educating small animal owners – and those considering a new addition to the family – about the responsibilities of pet ownership and the best ways to ensure the health and happiness of small animals. As organizers of this year’s Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW), the National Pet Show provided the team with a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness around the importance of high-quality feeding hay in rabbits’ diets. Once again, the Burgess team joined forces with Julian Norton, star of Channel 5’s hit TV show The Yorkshire Vet, who was in attendance at the Burgess stand to sign copies of his new book and talk about the importance of feeding hay as part of this year’s RAW campaign. The #HoptoHay campaign is raising awareness around the fact rabbits should have between 85-90% of feeding hay and grass in their diets every day. Charlotte Varley, Event Manager at Burgess Pet Care, said: “This year’s National Pet Show in London has been our biggest yet, and we couldn’t be happier with the feedback we’ve had from visitors at the stand. Our sales were more than double of that last year – we even sold out of some product lines by the end of the first day! “The wellbeing of animals is at the heart of everything we do, and events such as the National Pet Show provide an amazing opportunity to engage with enthusiastic pet owners who share our love of animals, and help them learn more about how they can keep their animals well looked after and happy. “As we move closer to this year’s Rabbit Awareness Week, we’ll continue to work with our partners to help better the lives of more rabbits and to help more people understand one of Britain’s most misunderstood pets.” Rabbit awareness week takes place this year between June 17-25 and is supported by a variety of partners, including Agria Pet Insurance, RSPCA and RWAF     South Pasadena bans sale of dogs, cats, rabbits from pet stores http://www.sgvtribune.com/government-and-politics/20170519/south-pasadena-bans-sale-of-dogs-cats-rabbits-from-pet-stores SOUTH PASADENA >> By a unanimous vote, the City Council outlawed the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits from pet stores and other commercial establishments within the city. The ban received overwhelming support from community members and animal rights’ groups who see it as a step toward shutting down puppy mills, said Councilwoman Marina Khubesrian. “The thank you letters are still pouring in this morning,” she said on Friday. Recommended by the city’s Animal Commission, the new ordinance was first approved Wednesday night by a 5-0 vote. It must receive approval upon second reading in June and takes effect 30 days after final approval, she said. Puppy mills usually breed cats and dogs in poor conditions and sell them to pet stores and other retail outlets. But the sale of puppies, kittens and rabbits has become an interstate business facilitated by ads on Internet sites, something the retail ban will not address, the city report states. “Such an ordinance will assist in reducing the demand for animals bred in substandard facilities,” concluded the report from Arthur Miller, chief of police. Once in effect, the ordinance will mostly affect Pet’s Delight, which sells puppies, kittens and rabbits. The store, located at 725 Fair Oaks Ave., also sells rodents, reptiles, birds and fish and the sales of these animals are not banned by the ordinance. A woman answering the phone said the store would have no comment. The Urban Pet, down the street at 900 Fair Oaks, does not sell animals and therefore would not be affected by the new ordinance. Khubesrian said the city had not heard from Pet’s Delight, adding: “This will not put them out of business.” The city had not received a response from anyone opposing the change, she said. Dozens of people spoke in favor of the ordinance at City Hall Wednesday night. Khubesrian said the city received 60 to 70 emails in support. On Thursday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent each council member and police Capt. Mike Neff who helped craft the ordinance vegan chocolates in the shape of rabbits as thank you gifts. “Cruel puppy, kitten and rabbit breeding mills churn out animals into a world that’s already bursting at the seams with homeless animals, said Tracy Reiman, PETA executive vice president in a statement. “PETA hopes South Pasadena’s progressive example will inspire other cities across the country to ban the sale of animals in pet stores.” Instead of buying kittens, puppies or rabbits from Internet dealers or pet stores, Khubesrian encourages residents to adopt them from the Pasadena Humane Society, whom the city has a contract, or from pet rescue organizations. The city will encourage more pet adoption events to be held at pet stores, she said. She said buying from a puppy mill often means the puppy is not healthy and can end up costing the buyer in veterinarian bills. Licensed pedigree dog and cat breeders will not be affected by the ban, she said. “Pedigree breeders don’t subject the animals to constant litters and the animals are raised in a much more humane environment,” said Khubesrian.

"Fortunately, somewhere between chance and mystery lies imagination, the only thing that protects our freedom, despite the fact that people keep trying to reduce it or kill it off altogether." - Luis Bunuel "Take me, I am the drug. Take me, I am the hallucinogenic." - Salvador Dali In case you don't know who people like Bunuel, Dali, David Lynch, Jan Svankmajer, Guy Maddin, Maya Deren or others are... soon you will... RABBIT DANCE. We also talk at length about the book "DALI AND FILM" as part of our required lettuce. Subscribe on iTunes! And leave messages at facebook.com/wagesofcinema or jackgattanella@yahoo.com

ESOW #101 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) as sung by Hubert 'Chief' Cusick. Song transferred from 'reel to reel' tape.

ESOW #91 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) as sung by Roy Buck. Song transferred from 'reel to reel' tape.

ESOW #19 - Gwaˀyǫ́ge̱ha:ˀ (Rabbit Dance) as sung by Kyle Dowdy Sr. with Kerwin Dowdy.