Questions for Netherland Dwarf owners...

I've been researching online today and have come across a cute Netherland Dwarf buck. He's almost 2 years old. The owner wrote quite a bit about her bunny. She's had him since birth. I read an article that a Netherland is pretty active and needs lots of space. True?

My question are... Since you have a Netherland bunny, what type of experiences have you had with the breed? I understand that bunnies differ in personality even within their own breed, but in general...what has your experience been like? How long have you had him? Would a 2 yr. old Netherland be a wise choice for a first time bunny owner like myself? He isn't neutered but the owner said he has great litter box habits and doesn't spray.

Thank you!

Quite honestly, all pet rabbits would appreciate as much space as you can give. It's surprising how active they are when they have access to more space. The little ones definitely are full of it though especially. More space the better.

We run a small rescue and so far have not had a bad experience with any of our Netherlands (And we've had a fair few come through) and their families have all been very happy with them. But then again, I've heard stories about some not nice ones from breeders too. Sorry it's not helpful, but you truly need to meet him and see for yourself.

I have two netherland dwarfs and I love their wonderful little personalities. They are quite active, great jumpers and very inquisitive. As they get older, they are now better at accepting cuddles and being picked up and Houdini who always hated being handled will now let me pick him up and cuddle regularly. Last night when I was lying on the floor with him, I had my head bent and he started grooming the top of it, I was so honoured. Snowy has always liked cuddles but is definitely the top bun of my three. Houdini is the plotter, his mind is always moving and he always has a plan. Both mine are just over two years old. I love my two and love them as a breed. I think there was a thread on the general rabbit discussion about the breed, if I can find it, I'll send you the link. Hope that when you do find your little bun, you'll post a pic so we can see him or her, we do love bunny photos

Here are the two of them

In most cases, Netherland Dwarfs tend to be laid back and pretty friendly however depending on the living situation with any rabbit it can make their temperament vary.
For amount of space, netherlands don't need as much space as a Flemish Giant but they do need a fair amount of room. Here is a good guide: https://www.arba.net/PDFs/CAW.pdf
None of my rabbits are altered and I didn't have problems with spraying until I put my does and bucks together. If it is a single netherland dwarf buck he should be fine. My one lionhead was not altered and was/is faithful to his litterbox.

Since this would be a house rabbit/pet rabbit, the size guidelines are considerably different than the minimum sizes used by breeders (the arba link above). The general rule of thumb for indoor house rabbits is, of course, the more space the better. The House Rabbit Society is more the standard for indoor rabbits. Here's that link...

http://rabbit.org/faq-housing/

And here's a quote from there:
Enclosure sizes also should be decided in conjunction with the amount of exercise time and space the rabbit has. One guideline to go by is at least 8 square feet of enclosure time combined with at least at least 24 square feet of exercise space, for 1-2 rabbits, in which the rabbit(s) can run and play at least 5 hours per day.

You also have the option of having your rabbit more free range too. A rabbit with good litter habits that is in a bunny-proofed area can have more free roaming area. My rabbits are out all day long...

Oh... and about getting a 2 year old rabbit... that would be just great for a first-time bunny owner. One of the rescues I had gotten once was estimated to be 5 years old. He ended up being one of my all-time favorite bunnies.

My more recent pair were about 1 1/2 years old. Two years is still fairly young and would be a fine age for a first bunny.

I got my first netherland dwarf almost a year ago. I have 2 now. They are my first rabbits and my last as my husband would say. I have bunny rooms for them they are 12x13 rooms (They are not bonded yet). They also take turns free range visiting in the evenings. They are wonderful bunnies both do have different personalities. So I cant say they act one way because they are the same breed. One loves his cuddles and pets and has really relaxed since he got neutered. My female is a bit younger and she enjoys playing and exploring more than cuddling and pets. She loves her afternoon naps. She is a jumper my male isn't. So I don't think a netherland dwarf is a bad first choice for a first time bunny owner since that was what I got. I would go see the bunny and see what his personality is like. Best of luck let us know if you got him and of course post pics!

I think it mostly depends on age.

Rabbits should be given space to hop around but my 4 and 8 year old rabbits don't really run around at all. Maybe for 10 minutes a day. The 4 year old is a ND.

Breed and size don't seem to matter. My one-and-a-half-year-olds can be spazzy sometimes, lol. Until I've finished rabbit-proofing my living room, I move my trio (the ND is on his own right now) to an exercise pen downstairs every other day (about). Their cage upstairs isn't very big (it's only 2 x 3 grids so like, 7 square feet maybe?) My 8 year old rabbit doesn't mind it, but sometimes the younger two run back and forth in such a way that I feel bad for them, can't wait to finish the living room. They're bigger than a ND, about 5.5 and 6 pounds.

My ND is caged full-time right now, his cage is 2 x 4 grids so maybe 8 - 9 square feet, and he seems to like it just fine. I really think age makes them less active.

The more space you can give them, the better, no matter what.

If you're not going to give him a friend, you don't need to have him altered. If you think you might later, you have quite a few years yet where you could still have it done.

^^^ hmmm... that really hasn't been my experience with my rabbits. I know my 9 year old french lop was very active. He was so curious, he always had to know what was going on. He was free range and seemed to be out and about all the time.

I've had several other older rabbits that were also active.

Blue eyes said:

^^^ hmmm... that really hasn't been my experience with my rabbits. I know my 9 year old french lop was very active. He was so curious, he always had to know what was going on. He was free range and seemed to be out and about all the time.

I've had several other older rabbits that were also active.

Click to expand...

Maybe it's just mine. Or just yours. LOL.

Because he isnt altered and and an older buck I would give the advice to start out with a smaller living arrangement and slowly transitioning him to a larger one. Make sure before you start making his area bigger to be sure he is using his litter box. It is completely natural for an intact male to mark things or leave his scent everywhere. Trust me bucks scent is pretty strong. He may have good litter box habits at the previous owners house but being in a new environment with totally different smells might cause him to spray or pee/poo outside his box. This is just what I would do if I wasnt going to neuter a bunny and wanted to keep him in a NIC cage.

Interesting! Well, I can tell you that I am not planning on getting a pair. I am curious if I need to neuter him though. He has great litter box habits there at the present owner's house, but I have wondered too if that would change if he came home with me.

Right now, he is in a 24x18 cage. I thought about getting a larger cage and perhaps an ex-pen. I could attach the ex-pen sides to each side of the cage, right?

I own 2 nethies, male and female both fixed, and I've had them for about 2 years. And since I've had them I've never put them in a hutch they reside in an xpen. The male likes to jump around when out, female not so much she's actually fat and lazy. Neither of my buns like to be pet or picked up. So I don't really bug them. As for litter habits, the male refuses to use the box, and poops all over the place. Female she's ok with the box. But like you said all rabbits are different, you could get a nethie that loves attention.

I also have some very active seniors. Willow is 8.5 years old and he's still extremely active.

GK44 said:

Interesting! Well, I can tell you that I am not planning on getting a pair. I am curious if I need to neuter him though. He has great litter box habits there at the present owner's house, but I have wondered too if that would change if he came home with me.

Right now, he is in a 24x18 cage. I thought about getting a larger cage and perhaps an ex-pen. I could attach the ex-pen sides to each side of the cage, right?

Click to expand...

There is a possibility that could change when he comes to your house. New environments are always a bit of a wild card. Mind you, we had one that was HORRIBLE with his litter box, never went in it and when he went to his new home, they put him free roam right away and he just started using his litter box right off the bat, never had an accident. You never know, lol. But he was neutered, which certainly helps.

If the cage has the door on the front then that sounds like a good set up Just make sure that if you leave the door down, you put a towel/blanket on it so they don't get their feet stuck in it.

Interesting stories. Thank you! I'm not set on a Netherland but wanted to ask about them since the one I found online sounds like a sweet little bunny. I still have much to read!