Hello! Possible Bunny Owner!

[megs]

Our Family is thinking of welcoming a Rabbit to our house.
We would be considering a Netherland dwarf Rabbit, which stay small, which
would be the best for our house. (If you might know of any other small breeds of Rabbits please let me know)
But I was wondering if anybody has any information about them that would be
useful to know.
As an example.. Life Span? Diet? Grooming? E.T.C

Thanks

 

[Acacia-Berry]

All rabbits require the same basics, a giant cage which they can run and stretch in (commercial cages are too small for even a Netherland Dwarf) they need hay, good quality pellets and mixed veggies in their diet. (note, bags of bunny food with colorful seeds and treats are no good) Females should be spayed to 1. Help with basic manners and litter training and 2. to increase their life span by more than half. Males should be neutered to reduce hormonal problems just like females. Teenager bunnies are such terrors that in my personal opinion I never want again.

I am a full fledged supporter of rescues and by adopting an adult you already know the disposition of the bunny and whether its used to kids, cats and dogs. Plus with a rescue, you have the benefit of fostering before adopting which helps to ensure a bunny IS right for your home. . I'm sorry but I am just assuming this might be your first rabbit? If not, then I apologize for the elementary info!

I keep a dwarf mix now who weighs no more than 5 pounds and my old mini-rex Akina was denser but weighed in around 6 or so pounds.

Life span can be up to 12 years if properly cared for and stimulated and fixed. My Akina was unspayed and was passed a month before her 5th birthday. Acacia is 4 now and is spayed so she could live many more years. 85% of Unspayed females develop cancer of the uterine which kills them before their time. Diet should never consist mainly of pellets. Timothy hay and other hay mixes should make the bulk of their eating. A lot of the allergies people associate with rabbits are partly due to the high hay content bunnies eat. The particles get all over the place and if anyone has hay fever you should reconsider the pet for your household. Bunnies molt a couple times a year which is another cause for people to get rid of them. Bunny fur gets in your eyes and sinus' and all over your clothes and in everything!! Worse than a cat IMO bc the hairs are finer. My MINI-REX did not molt like a regular bunny bc they lack the top coat of shedding hair. So if shedding is an issue then look into rex types. Grooming depends on the coat type. Long haired breeds like lionheads and angoras require daily brushing etc . . . but reg coat bunnies require brushing usually only during a molt. I never have to really brush Acacia outside unless she's shedding!! Gaa!!! So. Much. Fur!!! lol

Hmm, the house rabbit owners bible is www.rabbit.org This has links to everything you need to know.

 

[megs]

Ok, Thanks

This will be my first Bunny, but my Cousin had an Albino Bunny Named Ruby. We saw how big it got, and so we are looking for the smaller breeds.
I have though had experience with a dog, Hamster gerbils and an guinea pig.
There is no young children in the house only me, my mum and my dad, and my brother visits when he's not at university.

If I were to get a bunny, where should I get one from?
Would I go to a breeder, shelter, Pet shop?
But a thing with a shelter. The closest one is quite far away, and is would be a very long drive there and back.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We did a lot of reading and talked to people at House Rabbit Society.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

I'd contact the RSPCA first.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[Acacia-Berry]

Hm, personally if there are no shelters around, I would go with classifieds. Someone is always looking to re-home bunnies unfortunately. Pet store bunnies are usually bred in awful horrid factories and have little human contact or socialisation so its best not to go that route. I have seen sweet bunnies in "death Unlimited" here and have put some to sleep by stoking them the right way but its really hard to tell how they will be when they get home and begin puberty. Pet store clerks are idiots too, for the most part. I know the pet stores here hire idiots with little background so more animals get sold rather than compassionate people who might ward off customers with the truth!! It's terrible. .

Breeders know their bunnies. (they should at least) and you can meet mom and dad bunny. They should also be prepared to answer all your questions and present you with some too. They would be a good route to go but my beliefs still lie in rescue bc there's too many unwanted bunnies as it is. I oppose breeding of animals that stock shelter shelves, so to speak.

 

[bunny77]

I have gotten both my bunnies from the humane society and have great luck with both of them. My first was a mini-lop, he weighed about 4 pounds and lived to be 8-9years old. I now have a netherland dwarf who is 8months old and he is a great little bunny. I would suggest clicker training, it helps to bond with your bunny and makes spending time with bunny even more enjoyable. One thing I have learned is not to expect a cuddly bunny you can carry around. Both of mine have hated being lifted, so they get to be ground bunnies, but they love bunny rubs! Good luck and can't wait to hear what you get!

 

[Acacia-Berry]

Yes, very important to remember is that bunnies don't like being held mostly!! Thanks for mentioning that bunny77!

 

[megs]

I no about some animals not like being held. I have heard they sit on your lap sometimes and liked being stroked..

 

[Wabbitdad12]

Let me welcome you to Rabbits Online, my name is Dave and I am a moderator on the forum. So if I can be of any help please let me know. This is a terrific website for rabbits and their slaves, not only is it very active but also friendly. I am so glad you’re here and I know you will enjoy it.

Many bunny's recommend their slaves to this site so we may learn of others methods to keeping our furry masters happy.

If you everhave a sick bunny, please post in The Infirmary and include your rabbit's age, breed and health history as well diet and output details leading up to the problem.

I have listed some links I thought you might find interesting:

*For reference the Library section

*To brag or tell everyone about the antics of your bunny or just to talk about your day here is where to start a Bunny Blog, you can also look back at it later and remember when you had a life before your bunny.

*Now all the bunny’s like talk to each other when we mere slaves aren’t around in the Bunny Chat is the spot to be.

*Rabbits Online also has regional forums , this a good way to find a vet in your area that has experience with rabbits and to find out from other nearby of good sources of rabbit supplies.

The Let Your Hare Down section is for anything non-bunny related.

Here is a link tothat will help you and your bunny to connect, How To Bond With Your Bunny.

Now every forum has rules and ours can be found with this link Rabbits Online Forum Rules. This gives guidelines on what is acceptable, what is not and how we hope everyone will treat each other.

Everyone on this forum loves to see pictures of each other’s bunnies. So if you would like to post a picture this link will help you do that, Upload Photo's to Photo Gallery. Then in the post, you click on the "G" in the tool bar to insert your photo. Many people also use Photobucket. You just copy the img file and paste it into the post.

I am glad you have joined rabbits online and I look forward to seeing you around.

 

[MikeScone]

megs wrote:

I have heard they sit on your lap sometimes and liked being stroked..

One statement I can definitely make about all rabbits is that you can't make any statement which is true about all rabbits. The variation from bunny to bunny is amazing. While one can make some generalizations about different breeds, there's always the exceptions.

I've had two rabbits, both mini-rexes. Scone MacBunny passed away last June at seven-and-a-half. Natasha Rabbitova is two-and-a-half. Personally, I love the rex fur and personality, and at about four to five pounds, the mini-rex is a convenient size for a house rabbit. I have allergies, and have never had the slightest reaction to either Scone or Natasha - one of the kinds of hay I once bought made me sneeze, so I just avoid Botanical Hay, all the others are fine.

Both Scone and Natasha were/are affectionate and love being petted, but have very different preferences as to how and where. Scone would never sit on my lap even for a second - he'd rather lie down next to me. Natasha jumps into my lap every time I sit down, will go to sleep in my arms and loves sitting on my chest with her face pressed against mine. Both Scone and Natasha were intelligent, understood many spoken phrases, and had mischevious streaks a mile wide. Scone wouldn't eat Timothy hay, Natasha loves it... and so on. You just have to get to know the rabbit and his or her likes and dislikes.

Scone MacBunny:

Natasha Rabbitova:

 

[Acacia-Berry]

I want to remind the OP that I also had a mini rex and in the future would definitely get them again. I mentioned my lack of sneezies on rex fur and how affectionate Akina was. I think my fave breed lies with the minRex!!!

Your rexies make my heart sing!!!! They're so cute!:biggrin2:

 

[megs]

My friend had two Lion main Rabbits (Or lion head) And she said that you cant feed them lettuce, she that is what made her Bunny die. :?:?:?:?

I don't think that is true..
She said both of them started to fight as well. Is that common with two rabbits to fight?

 

[MikeScone]

megs wrote:

My friend had two Lion main Rabbits (Or lion head) And she said that you cant feed them lettuce, she that is what made her Bunny die. :?:?:?:?

I don't think that is true..

It's absolutely not true. Lettuce is a good food for rabbits - all sorts except for iceberg lettuce. Even that wouldn't kill a rabbit, it's just not as nutritious as the other sorts. I suppose if you fed a rabbit nothing but iceberg lettuce they'd eventually die of malnutrition, same as if you ate nothing but iceberg lettuce. It's basically just water wrapped in cell walls. Romaine, green or red leaf, endive, escarole, bibb, etc. - all good.

She said both of them started to fight as well. Is that common with two rabbits to fight?

Yes. Once a rabbit hits puberty they become territorial (but, remember my first post - you can't make any absolute statements about what all rabbits do!). Two bunnies can get along great while they're kits, and then at six months they'll fight. Once they mature, at a year or so, they may pick a mate and bond for life. Then again, they may never take to other rabbits. Spaying or neutering will help with these issues. You'll find lots of threads on this site about the ins-and-outs of bonding rabbits.

 

[megs]

Alright! Thanks for that