Feh Kaninchen | Squirrel Rabbits

Named after the August Lily that bloomed in the same week that we adopted them, Augustus and Lily are our new Feh Kaninchen!

TierWelt says, "Squirrel rabbits were the first of the three typical Swiss rabbit breeds to be included in the standard. The animals are known for their fur and robustness" (Link here). They were designed to resemble the expensive Siberian squirrel fur, but, ironically, I chose to adopt these types of rabbits because they look more like wild rabbits than most domesticated rabbits with floppy ears do. I've seen a few wild rabbits around our house or on the path to Löwenberg and these "Swiss Squirrel Rabbits" have a similar shape and ears.

When I called the man who breeds them he said that they are not usually chosen as pets. They are known for their meat and fur. But he said that they are very lively and robust, so they could be interesting pets. It's true that they don't prefer to cuddle with us, but they are also not aggressive or biting. They are actually very gentle. And therefore we are really happy with them.

The journey to go pick them up in Samedan was very interesting in its own right. Driving over the Albula Pass in my little Sukuki Swift was quite an adventure. In one hour I climbed from 700 m to 2,312 m into a different world of flora and fauna above the tree line. I'm glad that I had to drive this path as I saw things I never would have seen--lakes and rivers and vistas I would have never sought out if I didn't have to pick up the rabbits.

Pascal refurbished the rabbit hutch with new "stairs" and a sliding door so that we could keep them separated in the beginning. Rabbits fight really hard in the first weeks living together and they can injure themselves. Augustus and Lily were together during the day and separated at night. We never saw them fight. But they are definitely lively--jumping up on top of the fencing and the hutch and exploring every corner of the enclosure.

Our plan is have at least one nest of rabbits and to keep four or five in total.