The poly line is up & Star (our Jersey heifer) now has several acres of pasture along with the pond for her enjoyment. She yelled at us for several days wanting her bottle, but we were finally done with bottle feeding. What we didn't expect was to be yelled at for water. She has an entire quarter acre body of water to drink from not to mention there are several streams that feed into the pond. Why wont she drink from the pond? It doesn't make a lick of sense to us. When she was out & about causing mischief (see: Our First Dairy Cow) she found the little bucket of water in the goat barn and drank it dry. The water in the goats bucket was pond water!

We offered her a bucket of water from the pond. We would dip the entire bucket into the pond while she watched then haul the heavy thing out, water everywhere. She would dive in, greedily gulping it down until the bucket was empty. We were so frustrated. This isn't realistic. Cattle consume copious amounts of water. We couldn't fill a five gallon bucket multiple times a day for her when she had all that water before her. We tried filling the bucket & keeping it as close to the pond as possible hoping to encourage her to drink from the pond. We even splashed at the water. No dice. She sniffed at it, but that's it. It seemed that for Star water to drink only comes in a bucket.

A bucket that she knocked over ninety five percent of the time, spilling out the contents.  What's a farmer to do? We know so little about raising cattle. We got the bright idea to ask our neighbor if he could put his big ol' beef cattle on our property in hopes that when Star saw them drinking from the pond she would get the idea. Our neighbor agreed & we dropped the gate between our properties. Star was deliriously happy to have all these new buddies.  She kicked up her back legs & danced around in joy. The beef cattle (Black Angus) didn't even bat an eye... tail? They welcomed her as if she was always one of them (we humans could learn a thing or two from these bovines).  Imagine the sight of our little brown Jersey girl, not even six months old cavorting about with big mature pregnant solid black cows. Much to our relief, she quickly figured out that the pond was a great source of water. Problem solved. Whew!

Nothing contained in articles &/or content is or should be considered, or used as a substitute for, veterinary medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Wool mites in angora rabbits look like dandruff.  They are a small parasite that borrows under the rabbit's skin.  They can cause hair loss & extreme itching.  Not to mention, your once beautiful bunny wool will mat close to the skin & have tons of little white specks in it; not the sort of fiber you want to use for spinning! 

If your angora bunny already has wool mites, you can treat with Revolution (also known as Stronghold), 1% Ivomec, or 1% Agri-mectin (Agri-mectin generic ivermectin is typically a little cheaper than Ivermectin) using the chart above.  Repeat after two weeks.  After the second treatment, treat once a month just like you would for treating your cat or dog for fleas.  If you decide to use Ivermectin injection rather than Revolution, I recommend using it as a spot-on treatment just like you do Revolution.  Please keep in mind that using the injection types on rabbits is considered off-label use.

If your angora rabbit doesn't show signs of fur mites, I recommend treating once a month for preventative measures. 

Bonus: These medications treat more than wool mites. They are also effective in treating ear mites & some intestinal worms.

Revolution is usually the most expensive treatment method. It is also reported to be the safest. I prefer to use Revolution/Stronghold for my angora bunnies. However, I have also used Ivomec, Agri-mectin, & Cydectin moxidectin successfully. 

You can get Revolution with a veterinary prescription or you can order it online as Stronghold.

I know some folks have reported success using food grade Diatomaceous Earth (aka DE).  Unfortunately, while I find DE useful as a dewormer, I have never found DE to be helpful for mites.  If you decide to try DE first, keep in mind that it will be in your rabbits wool. If you have a blower, you can probably blow most of it out. You will need to wear a dust mask. You do not want to breath in DE. If you don't have a blower, you can try to comb it out.

I recommend reading my Angora Rabbit Care article for in-depth details on how to properly care for your fluffy bunny.

Want to avoid all those unnecessary additives and gut harming thickeners in store bought eggnog? Make your own! Not only is my eggnog recipe easy, it's also delicious! You can make it with or without alcohol depending on your preferences.

Homemade Eggnog Recipe:

Ingredients (Opt. for organic if possible):

4 C Whole Milk, Coconut Milk, or Oat Milk
8 Egg Yolks, Gelatin, or Agar Agar Flakes
1.5 TBSP Vanilla Extract
1.5 TSP Powdered Cinnamon
1/8 TSP Powdered Cloves
1 TSP Powdered Nutmeg or Mace
1/4 C Sugar Cane, Maple Syrup, or Honey
Rum (optional)

Old Fashioned Directions Using Any Milk:

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until thoroughly combined. Pour into a pretty glass pitcher, jar or leave in the blender & chill in the refrigerator. Serve as is or spike with rum. Chill & serve, sprinkled with more freshly grated nutmeg as a garnish. You can even make ice cream. Simply add it to your ice cream maker following your ice cream makers directions. 

Vegan/AIP Directions:

4 C Coconut Milk (AIP, Vegan), or Oat Milk (Vegan)
1-4 Tbsp (depending on how thick you want it) Gelatin (AIP), or Agar Agar Flakes (Vegan)
1.5 TBSP Vanilla Extract
1.5 TSP Powdered Cinnamon
1/8 TSP Powdered Cloves
1 TSP Powdered Nutmeg or Mace (AIP)
1/4 C Sugar Cane (Vegan), Maple Syrup (Vegan/AIP), or Honey (AIP)
Rum (optional - Vegan)

1. Pour the milk of choice in a small saucepan.
2. Whisk together the gelatin or Agar Agar, cinnamon, nutmeg or mace.
3. Sprinkle the gelatin or Agar Agar & spices over the milk’s surface, whisk until the gelatin or Agar Agar has dissolved (this takes about 1-2 minutes).
4. Heat the milk over medium low heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. The milk will be steamy, but not simmering.
5. Remove the pot from the heat & add your sweetener of choice. Stir until dissolved.
6. Allow the mixture to cool for about 5-10 minutes.
7. Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until thoroughly combined.
8. Chill & serve, sprinkled with more freshly grated nutmeg or mace as a festive garnish or 

pour into a pretty glass pitcher or jar. You can also leave in the blender & chill in the refrigerator. This way you can whip it up every time you are ready to pour a serving.

Serve as is or spike with rum. You can even make ice cream & a custard like Eggnog. For ice cream, simply add it to your ice cream maker following your ice cream makers directions. For gelatin Eggnog, use plenty of gelatin or agar agar flakes (whatever amount suits your tastes) & chill in a mold until set.

Enjoy!