Happy Day! It rained last night just over an inch. It will still be hot for a long while, but when you start thinking that 95 is a cool day then you have been in the oven too long. Hopefully, the string of 100+ days are over. We haven't had rain in over a month. Even the forest was starting to wilt and a few trees may die yet from the stress.

I have been clipping off the baby coat of my chocolate doe. What a sweetheart she is. She really does well on the table.

You have to appreciate the strength of a rabbit. We had a cool day, only 95 for the high. I felt cooler, and the rabbits seemed more comfortable in the lower heat range. Of course, this all relative.

We've had highs at 105 to 107 for a couple of days and it has been 100+ for 2 solid weeks now. So 95 is a welcome break. No rain. We're on stage 2 water restrictions which I have no problems with, but a few seem to think it more important to fill the pool or have acres of green lawn to look upon. I truly don't think they grasp what a precious commodity potable water is. They would rather pour it on the ground than drink it.

The rabbits get their daily distribution of frozen tiles now. I use 4x4 inch tiles. They love them. Some toss them a bit to play and then settle down and pull them under their tummies to cool them off. Others just pull them right in and tuck them under themselves. Very amusing to watch.

And so the summer goes on. The rabbits are having a lazy time. My main job is to watch them for heat related problems, keep the water coming and manage the wasps.

We have had 6 days of 100+ temps in a row, 14 days this summer at 100+, and we will be at 100+ for the next 7 days or so with no possibility of rain. The humidity is low so that makes it bearable.

Part of my breeding program is to have rabbits that can tolerate the heat with minimal assistance. I am now starting the fans when there is no breeze. So far it is going fine.

The wasp are never ending. They are coming in for the water and are being just a general nuisance. I had one doe stop eating, but she seemed fine in every other way. She kept coming up to the cage door everytime I came in and seemed to be asking for something. I didn't see the wasp on the her bottle at first, but them when she went over to her water, sniffed it without drinking and then looked at me. I really looked closely at the water drip and saw one standing guard.

My pest spray of choice is no name brand, original flavor, mouthwash. I put it in a spay bottle and keep it handy in the rabbit hutch. A couple of sprays and they are off and away. It does not kill them and they will come back looking for their nest. I suggest a bit of liquid soap added to it if you want to knock them down and keep them from flying.

Wasp have their place, just not so close to the rabbits. So I just run them off a couple of times and that is usually enough. And I don't have any pesticide residue floating around my rabbits.

We have had record heat, but the rabbits are coping nicely. June had 3 days of 100 degree + days. Rainfall is also down so that is not helping.

Grooming and maintenance is all that is happening now. The yellow jacket wasps are making their presence felt a bit earlier this year. I have had to clear out 3 nests, 2 small and one large. I actually don't mind them until they start getting aggressive about the water bottles.

Every spring I have to watch for red wasp and yellow jackets making nests in the rabbit hutch. The red wasp usually go off to other nesting sites once I remove them from the hutch, but the yellow jackets just come back and start again in the same general local. You have to give marks for tenacity.

Some of my cages needed a bit of maintenance. The cage clips I used to originally construct them with were corroding away so I put in some zip ties. They are easy and fast to apply. Now I just have to see how long they will hold up.

The breeding season is finally over. The last litter is gone. Two kits are being held until their new owner is ready for them in 2 weeks time. The rest were either sold or are now residing in the freezer. I am always glad to start the breeding season and just a glad when it ends.

Satin Angoras have a commercial meat body along with fabulous wool. I keep my herd for just that, meat and fiber. I sell very, very few rabbits. They go to people who truly understand the commitment they are making to keep these animals, clean and healthy. I may make enough to cover hay and feed. But that is not why I raise them. I raise them to provide a healthy protein source for my family. I could probably buy steak for the money I put into them for food, hay, equipment, time, but the difference is I know where my meat is coming from and what was put into it. The big bonus is the wool. Again, most of which I use myself and sell just a small amount.

Not every kit in a litter is going to have the best characteristics of the breed. And this is in any breeding program. Not everything that pops out is going to be the best. That is why culling for the best of the best is what I practice. I keep only what I think is going to have potential to keep breeding a big, wooly rabbit.

Some ask what I do with my extra rabbits, some don't want to know and some don't care. Other options for dealing with extra kits would be to ask around and find organization or persons who can actually use them. Here are a few suggestions: zoos, people who feed the Barf diet to their dogs, falconry organizations, wild animal rehabilitation centers, large cat sanctuaries. There is always a need for fresh meat.

Finding good homes for rabbits is challenging and adding in the extra grooming for angoras makes it even tougher. These rabbits are not for children. I am of the mindset that it is better to live a short, but wonderful life than a long, but miserable and indignant.