A rabbit habit

About two years ago, Brenda and Mark Kneir were bitten by what some may consider the "bunny bug."

"They're just kind of pets to play with and stuff and we got started with the Woolies last year," Brenda said.

Curious at first, the Kneirs decided to check out an American Rabbit Breeders Association show.

"We went to a show just to see what goes on. We were kind of thinking we wanted to get into it but not sure, and we brought this little Jersey Wooly home and just fell in love with him," Brenda said. "It kind of snowballed after that."

Once "bitten," Brenda and Mark decided to create Mo Bunnies Rabbitry, the rabbitry that houses more than 30 Jersey Woolies and other types of rabbits on their property in Cape Girardeau.

Brenda Kneir holds a 2-week-old Jersey Wooly on Wednesday at her home.Laura Simon

They started to compete with a Wooly named Turbo Diesel in September at the SEMO District Fair. After he was named the Grand Champion Small Rabbit, Brenda decided to take him on the road.

"Then we took him to his first ARBA show last fall sometime and I realized I needed better rabbits. My little country rabbit wasn't gonna cut it," she said, laughing. "So we started picking up different rabbits from different breeders around Southern Illinois, got some from up around Chicago and now I've got these guys coming from Florida."

With an influx of rabbits from the TB Rabbit Habbits rabbitry in Florida, the Kneirs' collection continues to grow, with rabbits ranging from Jersey Woolies to Mini Lops, Flemish Giants and more.

Although relatively new to the rabbitry scene, a number of the Kneirs' rabbits have won at competitions, and they travel to show their rabbits in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky when possible. They will head to the Jersey Wooly Nationals near the end of this month, and plan to attend the ARBA National Convention in October.

"[The rabbits are] just sweet," Brenda said. "I like going to the shows because we've met a lot of new people. ... It's good time for us to spend together and meet new people."

Brenda and Mark typically travel together to shows when he's not working on the weekends.

"He's really supportive of my rabbit habit," Brenda said, laughing. "I'm very fortunate there."

Brenda said right now she and Mark are in the building stage for their rabbits. They don't often sell them, but if she finds she has too many or has a few that won't do well in competition, she'll find new homes for them.

But much like the sometimes hasty and poorly-thought-out purchasing of puppies and kittens at Christmas, the Kneirs are cautious about selling their rabbits around Easter-time.

"Especially around Easter we don't sell a lot of rabbits, because people will be like, 'Oh, they're so cute,' and then two or three weeks later they're like, 'Oh, what kind of mess do we have,'" Mark said.

That aside, the Kneirs love their rabbits and recommend them as highly manageable and easily-cared-for pets.

"Not very many people around in this area even know what a Jersey Wooly is," Brenda said.

The couple is trying to change that, though, and they hope rabbitry will increase in the area.

"I just want 'em to catch on so everyone can see how neat they are," Brenda said.

The Kneirs have enjoyed their "rabbit habit" for the community and friendships they've made, along with the enjoyment of raising and caring for the bunnies.

"I'm addicted, no doubt," Brenda said. "I like my Wooly babies."

lyoung@semissourian.com

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