A Hip Hop Story

Welcome to Hippity Hop Holland Lops (registered rabbitry X482), owned by Sarah Nemeth.

A little about myself. I have been raising rabbits for going on seven years now. It started with a story many of you are probably familiar with. I had always wanted rabbits, but we lived in town for fourteen years and there were too many dogs in our neighborhood. When I was fourteen, my family finally moved to the country. Almost a year later, someone gave me a pair of crossbred rabbits. A gray buck and a "calico" doe, which were promptly named Frosty and Callie. I bred these two and got a litter of babies one of which I kept for a 4H project and named Miss Tee. When she died after the fair I bred the buck and doe again and got another nice litter. I kept one (Fancy) from that litter and showed her in 4H as well. But that year I visited a nearby county fair and fell in love with a different breed - Dutch.

I decided I had to have them. But it took 8 months before I found someone who could sell me a pair. (I told you living out here is difficult.) My first Dutch breeding pair consisted of a blue buck named Twister and a black doe named Blackberry. I won't go into all the details, but let's just say things didn't work out and I never got a single baby from them. In June of 2002 I bought another doe, a black one named Kester's DK112 (Princess April). I showed her and Blackberry at a nearby county fair and in the 4H class at our own county fair that year. Boy, did we win big (see my photo galleries for pictures)! After the fair I bred Princess. She had a litter of three very large dead babies. And then a month later, when everything seemed to be fine, I found her dead in the cage. I was devastated. She was a beautiful typed Dutch and the dream of my own herd.

Around this time our neighbors, who had had a Mini Lop buck for about a year and a half, got a new Mini Lop doe. She was beautiful. Babies followed and with each litter I fell more in love with the lop ears. But I didn't want to raise the same kind. Our town is too small for that kind of competition. I'm not sure where I got the idea, but somewhere I saw a Holland Lop. It was love at first sight. I had to have one. I began to research them on the Internet and found, to my surprise that someone in our town raised them. I immediately gave her a call. Unfortunately, she didn't have any babies for sale but she was going on a trip and knew of some where she was going. To make a long story short she brought back a pair for me. (Thank you Brooke!) From that first pair - TF Jasper and Peaches & Cream- I got no babies. Another long story. But they started my "obsession". Next came BZ Colleen in the fall of 2003, DeWitt's Prudence (Dolly) in the winter of 2003, Spittin' Image Terk in the spring of 2004, and ELS's Dreamsicle in the winter of 2004. In the summer of 2004 Colleen gave birth to HH Peter Pan and HH Rolly, the first kits to bear my rabbitry name. I wish I could have kept Peter Pan, but as I already had two bucks, I sold him. Now Terk and Colleen, joined by Dreamsicle will hopefully carry on and build the herd of my dreams.

Now, a little about my rabbitry. The rabbitry itself is outdoors. This may shock some of you, especially considering the Montana climate, but my rabbits seem to thrive on it. I have never had one get sick, not as much as a sniffle. Yes, some have died, but their deaths were caused by other problems (babies too large, old age, once by a neighbors dog.) My dad built the rabbitry and he did a marvelous job. I currently have six holes which will not be enough once my herd gets going, but there is room to expand. I feed a mixture of 1/4 Quaker Rolled Oats and 3/4 Pfau's (manufactured in Stevensville MT) rabbit pellets. They also get treats in moderation. Some of their favorites are: carrots & dandelions. Their ultimate favorite - dried corn cobs. In the winter they get warm water in their bowls every day.

In seven years I have learned a lot about raising rabbits but I know I still have a lot to learn. I am willing to listen to any one who wants to help me. I want to do my best and raise a quality herd. Not for the money, it's a fact I'm not making any, but because I love rabbits and want to share that love with others.

SARAH NEMETH