William von Hopsburg, Duke of Rosenkohl (Brussel Sprouts) was
born on April 24, 2004 in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, at Greenberry House Rabbitry, which is run by the very
nice, and very responsible, Leslie Shelor. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Patti, flew all the way to Roanoke, Virginia to
escort him to his new home. She left on Saturday, November 13th, and flew back the next day which is the Duchess of Parsley's
birthday. William was reportedly quite calm about the whole process.
He is a German Angora Hybrid. According to the experts, "German angora hybrids
are the result of crossing German Angoras with other Angora breeds to add color. They must have any additional breeds enough
generations back to be off the pedigree, and must be at least 93.75% German."
Angora fiber is considered one of the rarest and most luxurious fibers with which
to spin and - just like all the other fiber animals - the bunny is unharmed by the process of removing its extra hair every
three months or so. Querida's hair just sheds out, William's must be trimmed, but either way, the bunny is not harmed or stressed
in any way. According to Gail Smith, "Angora is very warm - reportedly 7 times the insulating factor of sheep's wool. It is
so wonderfully soft it could be worn next to a baby's skin without irritation. Also, you can have a garment that is the height
of luxury - and the rabbit it came from is still hopping happily around your rabbit cage." Three of Gail's angora rabbits
were sent to Nepal in 1995 as part of a Peace Corps project to help women start small businesses. This has been a very successful
program and now a great deal of Angora fiber used commercially comes from these women who can now better feed and house their
families.
There is a picture of William's father, I See Spots Elwood Blues,
at his "Grand Momma" Leslie's website:
Although William was sheared for his trip, we think that he will look very
much like his father so looking at this picture will give the reader a good idea of what he will look like when his hair grows
back. We particularly like his sideburns and the tufts on the ends of his ears.
However, the best thing about William is that he is already falling in love with
Querida. They share a salad every day in their indoor exercise playpen with Gloria acting as Duena (Chaperone). They are starting
to groom each other and sleep close to each other. This is considered a very good sign of their bonding process. They alternate
daily as to which cage they spend the night in. This will help mingle their scents so that they believe they are from the
same "warren." Their cages are right next to one another and they spend much of their time lying side by side. We are taking
our time in moving through the bonding so that we don't have any setbacks or injuries.
Even if the bonding does not go well (although everything suggests that it is)
William will always have a forever home here in the Realm of Rabbits.
