I have a quick question, Does anyone know of a place i can purchase a japanese harlequin online ? Where i could have it sent via mail some how to my house. My family has decided that we would like to have a new member of our family and my 3 yr old has picked the japanese harlequin as the bunny she wishes to have. So i've been looking online but i haven't found a legit site to be able to purchase one and have it delivered. Any information would be very much appreciated. Thank you all in advance and im glad to be apart of this page <3 God Bless <3
Curious Question about Japanese Harlequin
- Thread starter k1ngj0sh
- Start date
Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:
BlackMiniRex
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2016
- Messages
- 408
- Reaction score
- 64
you have to be extremely careful around 3 yr olds with rabbits, rabbits are prey animals and can be easily frightened by any sudden loud noises and they are not quite fond of being cuddled or held.
but anyways...have you tried looking at your local animal shelter for bunnies?
but anyways...have you tried looking at your local animal shelter for bunnies?
Yes, a good friend of the family works for the local shelter , unfortunately they don't have any rabbits currently. I'm aware that rabbits being prey animals that they can be shocked quite easily. In most cases i would completely agree that any 3 yr old around almost any animal isn't an ideal match up. But i was fortunate with my daughter she is one of the sweetest & most aware 3 year old i've personally ever met ( i also have 4 other children and a large extended family so i say that from an un-bias perspective ).I of course would be with her any time the animal is being held or fed , etc to make sure that not only is she safe but the bunny would be as well. I did exhaust all the local ( even state wide ) resources i could find regarding the subject.Came up with absolutely no results. That's why i ventured onto the internet in hopes to find someone somewhere out there that had this specific breed. My fiancee is very adamant about the things she wants ( my daughter suffers from the same trait lol ) so daddy must provide that specific breed.
BlackRabbits
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure where you're located, but you may be able to find a general listing of rabbit breeders in your country, state or area. That's how I found Flemish Giants near me, as well as some other breeds I was interested in. In fact, it's a good idea to check out some other breeds, just in case you can't find what you're looking for. There's actually a bluecream harlequin male in a shelter in my city (Toronto).
The Japanese Harlequin is also commonly known as the Harlequin. You may have more luck looking for Harlequin. It's the same breed, but the "Japanese" was dropped by many breeders during World War II.
If you are in the US, ARBA's website might help. They are the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Here's their website - https://www.arba.net/breeders.htm
The Japanese Harlequin is also commonly known as the Harlequin. You may have more luck looking for Harlequin. It's the same breed, but the "Japanese" was dropped by many breeders during World War II.
If you are in the US, ARBA's website might help. They are the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Here's their website - https://www.arba.net/breeders.htm
When you say "harlequin" do you mean the perfect one with the symetrical mask? Because, the thing is, you find incredible Harlequins when you google it. In real life, Harlequins with the textbook marking are incredibly rare. I've yet to see one outside of an expo... In France, "Japanese" is the breed you find the most in petshops and they look nothing like the pictures you see on the Internet.
Moreover, I would be very cautious about buying an animal via Internet and having it shipped - a breeder who accept to sell an animal to someone they've never seen and to ship a rabbit even though they are incredibly fragile (they can have a heart attack, or die from the heat if they are in the truck for too long and that the weather is too hot, or not eat during the travel due to stress and thus develop GI stasis) is not a breeder I would want a rabbit from. I'm talking mange and your daughter finding a dead baby rabbit in the cage after a few days, here. It happens. Quite often. That might be a concern that outweighs the color of the rabbit - try looking up photos from local rabbits with your daughter, she might fall in love with one who looks nothing like an Harlequin.
I'm sure you've done your research about rabbits. It's great that your daughter is very patient and cautious about rabbits. I feel nevertheless that I've got to give a few words of caution :
-rabbits need at least 5-6 hours outside of their cage or they will go mad and scratch and shake the bars of their cage and possibly become aggressive. They will eat EVERYTHING you haven't rabbit proofed (books, furniture, clothes, shoes, electrical cords... everything - they go into very small space and they jump very high).
-rabbits need to be spayed / neutered. Not doing it is not an option or your daughter will see her pet die from cancer. Also, intact rabbit often spray urine. And bite. And scratch. And scare children (my son / daughter is scared of our rabbit so I'm giving him/her away is an explanation I often see when people rehome rabbits). The operation costs around 150$
- I'm actually against keeping a single rabbit. They are social creatures and need to communicate with their kin. A male / female both desexed couple is ideal. The house rabbit society has tons of good articles on the subject.
- Rabbits don't like to be carried around. A lot of them don't even like to be petted. Taking one in, you might need to explain to your daughter that she can't touch her pet because the rabbit will run away (or growl, or bite) everytime she will try to get close to them. It's not always the case, but it's a very real possibility. I've never met a rabbit who liked to cuddle. The fact that a baby rabbit let himself be petted doesn't mean he still will when he becomes an adult.
-Rabbits have a life expectancy that has been increasing for the past few years. It's likely a 12 years commitment. Will your daughter still be interested in cleaning the litterbox when she'll be 13 or 14?
- Rabbits are easily ill. Vet bills can pile up very fast.
- You'll need space in your house and fridge for the rabbit (a rabbit needs fresh vegetables everyday). Also, there will be hay and fur all over your house.
If you and your fiancée are aware of all that, it's great. I love rabbits, but those reasons are why a lot of serious breeders refuse to sell them to people who've got a child younger than 7. Even the nicest of children can get frustrated with an animal that refuses to be touched and interacts very little with them. I personally think guinea pigs are a lot more suited to children, as they are a lot calmer, less skittish and fragile.
It's your choice, but make sure to discuss this with your daughter so that she isn't disappointed with her pet. Rabbits look like cuddly plushies but they really aren't - I still have a scar from my wrist to my elbow from a rabbit I had to grab to put in his pet carrier. He was the nicest of rabbits but really didn't like being handled at all. I've had this scar for five years now and it will probably never fade. I've also been bitten a few times and all my rabbits are nice desexed free-ranged rabbits.
This article seems pretty relevant to me:
http://rabbit.org/faq-children-and-rabbits/
Moreover, I would be very cautious about buying an animal via Internet and having it shipped - a breeder who accept to sell an animal to someone they've never seen and to ship a rabbit even though they are incredibly fragile (they can have a heart attack, or die from the heat if they are in the truck for too long and that the weather is too hot, or not eat during the travel due to stress and thus develop GI stasis) is not a breeder I would want a rabbit from. I'm talking mange and your daughter finding a dead baby rabbit in the cage after a few days, here. It happens. Quite often. That might be a concern that outweighs the color of the rabbit - try looking up photos from local rabbits with your daughter, she might fall in love with one who looks nothing like an Harlequin.
I'm sure you've done your research about rabbits. It's great that your daughter is very patient and cautious about rabbits. I feel nevertheless that I've got to give a few words of caution :
-rabbits need at least 5-6 hours outside of their cage or they will go mad and scratch and shake the bars of their cage and possibly become aggressive. They will eat EVERYTHING you haven't rabbit proofed (books, furniture, clothes, shoes, electrical cords... everything - they go into very small space and they jump very high).
-rabbits need to be spayed / neutered. Not doing it is not an option or your daughter will see her pet die from cancer. Also, intact rabbit often spray urine. And bite. And scratch. And scare children (my son / daughter is scared of our rabbit so I'm giving him/her away is an explanation I often see when people rehome rabbits). The operation costs around 150$
- I'm actually against keeping a single rabbit. They are social creatures and need to communicate with their kin. A male / female both desexed couple is ideal. The house rabbit society has tons of good articles on the subject.
- Rabbits don't like to be carried around. A lot of them don't even like to be petted. Taking one in, you might need to explain to your daughter that she can't touch her pet because the rabbit will run away (or growl, or bite) everytime she will try to get close to them. It's not always the case, but it's a very real possibility. I've never met a rabbit who liked to cuddle. The fact that a baby rabbit let himself be petted doesn't mean he still will when he becomes an adult.
-Rabbits have a life expectancy that has been increasing for the past few years. It's likely a 12 years commitment. Will your daughter still be interested in cleaning the litterbox when she'll be 13 or 14?
- Rabbits are easily ill. Vet bills can pile up very fast.
- You'll need space in your house and fridge for the rabbit (a rabbit needs fresh vegetables everyday). Also, there will be hay and fur all over your house.
If you and your fiancée are aware of all that, it's great. I love rabbits, but those reasons are why a lot of serious breeders refuse to sell them to people who've got a child younger than 7. Even the nicest of children can get frustrated with an animal that refuses to be touched and interacts very little with them. I personally think guinea pigs are a lot more suited to children, as they are a lot calmer, less skittish and fragile.
It's your choice, but make sure to discuss this with your daughter so that she isn't disappointed with her pet. Rabbits look like cuddly plushies but they really aren't - I still have a scar from my wrist to my elbow from a rabbit I had to grab to put in his pet carrier. He was the nicest of rabbits but really didn't like being handled at all. I've had this scar for five years now and it will probably never fade. I've also been bitten a few times and all my rabbits are nice desexed free-ranged rabbits.
This article seems pretty relevant to me:
http://rabbit.org/faq-children-and-rabbits/
