Are you a Dutch bunny owner? Help please

[golfdiva]

Hershey is a Dutch. I got him when he was 7 weeks old, and he is now 6.5 years old.

He always had his own room. At first he was litter trained, but every time he got some little discomfort, (i.e. he had a "string" to poop out, gas, etc.) or got sick, his litter habits would disintegrate. When he felt better, they improved, but not back to the same level. At present, he has me trained! I put puppy pads in the corners he likes to use! He never poops or pees on me though. If he is on my lap and needs to go, he will tell me by digging.

He is very smart. If his pellet bowl is empty, he will sit next to it until I look at him, then he quickly glances at the bowl then back at me. If have something to eat, he needs to have a treat too.

He will sit on my lap and watch t.v. with me. If he sees me getting ready to go somewhere, he will hide under his box in hopes I won't make him go too! However, he is very well behaved in the car.

He likes to throw things that make sound and chew up newspapers. Any cord and eye level or lower is fair game also, but he hasn't destroyed personal belongings or furniture.

When I was a teacher, he would often visit my classroom and became very patient with kids holding him.

He LOVES me to chase him around the room, giving him a little poke if I catch up to him.

He is very attached to me. I have tried a couple of times to bond him, but he clearly doesn't want another rabbit, he just wants me, so I gave up!

Hope this all helps. Let us know what you decide to do.

 

[Blue eyes]

Neat experience you had and my husband has agreed to go with me to a shelter this Sunday Who knows, right? lol

Oh, that's today! Good luck at the shelter. Is it a regular shelter or a rabbit rescue?
Let us know how it goes.

 

[pacnw]

The place we visited is a regular shelter. There was one cute female dwarf mix bunny... she is 2.62 lb., 1 year old, will be getting spayed in a couple of weeks, is litter box trained and seemed friendly. I sat in her x-pen, right in the middle on a stool. She eventually became curious and would stand up next to me to check me out. I picked her up and she didn't kick. Just relaxed on my lap and let me pet her. I even fed her hay that she gladly took from me. Other times, she would hid under the stool or in her cardboard tube, which is understandable.

What do you think the spay will do to her personality?

 

[mhockin78]

The place we visited is a regular shelter. There was one cute female dwarf mix bunny... she is 2.62 lb., 1 year old, will be getting spayed in a couple of weeks, is litter box trained and seemed friendly. I sat in her x-pen, right in the middle on a stool. She eventually became curious and would stand up next to me to check me out. I picked her up and she didn't kick. Just relaxed on my lap and let me pet her. I even fed her hay that she gladly took from me. Other times, she would hid under the stool or in her cardboard tube, which is understandable.

What do you think the spay will do to her personality?

I never noticed a change in Ziggy's personality, I had her spayed at about the same age, and she is as sweet as can be. She has mellowed with age, and that's about it. Don't fret, spaying is an important part of keeping your bun healthy and living a long and hopefully cancer free life with you. Be gentle with her for the first few weeks after spaying, since it is a major surgery, but after that everything should be perfect! Glad you found your new special friend. You have a name for her yet?

 

[pacnw]

I haven't adopted her yet. She's "on hold". I am doing a bit of thinking plus she cannot be adopted until she undergoes spaying and the 5 days after in the shelter. Then I am free to take her home if I've definitely made up my mind about her. The spaying is going to go through no matter what. That is simply their protocol.

I've read that spaying a female is of great benefit in reducing certain cancers and that is good to hear.