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kansas

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Hi I posted something similar before but I hadthe chance to visit a breeder this weekend and seen a few differentbreeds and would like to know what would be the BEST breed for kids 13and 8. The rabbit will be inside as a pet only. My oldest son Reallylikes the Angora but that is out of the question so we done researchand seen the Jersey Wooly was the closest, But they seem to have a lotof loose fur flying around. Still like them just need some more input. I would like to find a calm handle friendly bunny. Mykids will be very hands on and I would guess the bunny will have humaninteraction& held at least 3 hours a day if not more.I was reading on Netherland Dwarf and it seems they can be testy.either way the bunny will be altered. Any replies arewelcome Thank You in advance...
 
The long haired breeds need a lot of brushing,so you really have to be committed to keeping the fur in goodcondition. It can get matted very easily, so needs to be brushed atleast once a day.

Most rabbits don't like to be handled, but ratherjustinteract with youon the floor. I find theyenjoy interaction more if you are down on the floor with them tocuddle, rather than holding them.

I've owned a Netherland dwarf, and she was a sweetie. She hated beinghandled, but loved to be near someone and to be cuddled. I guess it alldepends on their individual personality.

Good luck finding that perfect somebunny :).
 
I think it would be best if you choose an adultrabbit. That way you'll have a much, much better idea of whathis/her personality is like. Baby rabbits are often sweet butchange when the hormones come rolling in. Adopting from ashelter is great, although I think you may have mentioned that noshelters have rabbits by you. Still, it's worth checking outespecially after Christmas. Some of the "Christmas presentpets" get dumped soon after the holidays and will need homes.If you can't find a shelter bun, another option is to adopt a retiredbreeding bun from a breeder.

It's hard to really say what a rabbit's personality will be like justbased on it's breed. I have two Dwarf Hotots, sisters, whohave been together their entire lives. Their personalitiesare completely different. In general, the mid to larger sizerabbits tend to be calmer and easier to handle. Mid sizebreeds would include Dutch and Mini Lops, while larger breeds wouldinclude Standard Rexes, New Zealands, Californians, etc.

I agree with Spring that most rabbits do not like to be held andcuddled. They prefer things to be on their terms because itfeels safer for them.
 
Hi kansas!

From what you said, it sounds like you only want to get a rabbit as apet. If you're not planning on showing, you do not need to get apurebred rabbit from a breeder. I would recommend rescuing a rabbit.You can find all sorts of rabbits at the rescue shelters, and if youget one of them, you would be saving a life. :D

If you've got your heart set on getting a purebred rabbit, then I wouldrecommend getting a medium sized rabbit, like a dutch. Your 13 year oldis old enough to know how to care for a rabbit properly, as well as tohandle them. Your 8 year old is old enough to learn what to do and whatnot to do with the bunny [Though not nessesarily care for it completelyby themself, but they could certainly help].

As the others said, some rabbits just do not like to be picked up. Itwould be like someone picking you up 3 meters above the ground. Youshould make it clear to them that for the first few days that they arenot to pick up the bunny without you being nearby. After those firstfew days [which may turn into weeks or even months], you will have abetter idea of what the rabbit is like.

Some people say that the large breeds are all completely calm, and allthe small breeds are really skittish and high-strung, but that's nottrue. I have a friend who has two mini lops, both brothers. One isneutered, and that one is really high-strung, skittish, doesn't letanyone but their owner pick them up, and doesn't even like it when shedoes. The other one is a male called Layla [that used to be a female:rollseyes], who is the most gentle and loving little rabbit you evermet. I've met tiny little rabbits that are wonderful, calm, loving, andlazy, and I've met huge rabbits that bite, kick, and run around thehouse at full speed [which isn't very fast for them].

What I'm saying is that it can go either way when you buy a rabbit. Youcan be told that Dutch rabbits are wonderful and loving and calm, butthat does not mean that every single one is like that. It all dependson the individual rabbit.

I do not know much about the long-haired breeds, but there must be someamount of shedding. That comes with getting the 'fluffy' one:rollseyes. But if you don't mind a few hairs on the sofa [or a lot],and you should look into getting a Angora or one of those sort ofrabbits.

Here are a couple of links I found while I was searching the internet:

http://www.petcaretips.net/best-rabbit-breed-pet.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rabbit_breeds
http://www.mismatch.co.uk/rabbitbuy.htm

If possible, see if you can attend a rabbit show before you buy yourrabbit. Often you will find kmowlegable breeders there, that can showyou their rabbits and tell you about what they are like. Of course,there are many knowlegable breeders here that can tell you the samething, but sometimes it's better to see them in person ;)

I hope this all made sense ...

Thanks!
Rachel.
 
Thanks for the replies.. I have looked for therescues but there are none in my area. Im not needing a pure breed Iwas told that if you go to a breeder you get a better rabbit. So givenwe are trying to find a good Breed of rabbit for a first time... thatis why I have the question. I know that in the Spring therewill be more options and would like to know more about what we want bythen...

Thank You


 
I am going to tell you right up front that I'mprejudiced. I breed lionhead rabbits and I think they are one of theideal breeds for families. They are curious and loving and I've rarelyhad a temperamental one. Many of my rabbits are cuddlers and willsettle into your arms for snuggling. Others aren't so cuddly but theylove to play and will come to the door when you go to feed them.

I also love holland lops and think they're a blast. Mine aren't asloving as my lionheads are but they are fun to watch. Puck has become acuddler over time but he wasn't that way once he hit the teenage years.

There's a lot to be said for getting an adult...because you do knowwhat they'll be like. But I also say that if you really want a young'un....there's a lot to be said for the "nurture" side of developingtheir temperament. I've had two mean does that were tamed in less thana month and both are fairly loving now. Even though they were adultswhen I got them like that, I believe the nurturing environment theywere put in helped to tame them.

Good luck on your choice - whether it be through breeder or shelter or some other method.

Peg
 
yes those are great BUT they are notclose to me they are at least 3 hours one way. Im in a bad area of Ks.there are not any big towns close to me. The closest is about 2 hoursone way.... thank you though...
 
We've had many different breeds over the yearsand I've handled thousands of rabbits. It reallydepends on the individual rabbit, but the most docile breed in generalis the Himalayan.

Jersey Woolies can have very easy care coats if they have the properproportion of guard hairs. Molting can be a mess with anybreed, but of course, more so with wooled breeds.



Pam
 
One of the most vicious breeds is the CheckeredGiant. Britannia Petites and Mini Lops also have a reputationfor biting. I've also run across a number of French Lops thatwere biters.

The worst bite I ever received was from a Netherland Dwarf thisfall. It bit my finger down to the bone :( Reallyhurt and bled a LOT.

Polish are generally a docile breed that are small, but not as hyper asNetherland Dwarfs can sometimes be. Any rabbitsthat sit up in more of an "attack pose" aresometimes morelikely to be hyper and be biters.

Besides the Himalayans, the Belgian Hares are one of the most docilebreeds that I've run across. They beg to be petted;) The Belgian Hares can be more difficult to care for andare sometimes prone to sore hocks.

Pam
 
I'm very latecoming in on this thread, but Hello Kansas, from another Kansan!:wave:

We have a male fuzzy lop. I've been toldover and over again by folks on this forum, they've never seen a bunnyquite like Sebastian!

It sounds like to me you've made up yourmind about wanting a young bunny and wanting a purebred. Andif you've weighed your options and with what you've got to work with,that's where you are, I'd suggest a couple of things.

If you get a young bunny, make sure itisn'tTOO young.Ask questions and do your researchon this site about the appropriate, age to get a baby. Theycandie if taken from their mother too young. (I'lltake this moment to tell you, if you haven't figured it out yet as a"newbie", Pamnock, is an experton nearly everythingandhas years of experience. Her advice is always sound. Youcan always PM her with questionsas well.)

You might take a look at Sebastian's homethread- I think it's called Raspberry's home thread... And see whatkind of fellow he is. He was handled very gently, with loveand a lot of supervision, from the time he was born. He wasn'tseparated from his mother until the correct age. He was always fedproperly and had an enormous amount of attention each day. By the way,his parents are gentle in nature also.

I wouldn't however, ever recommend afuzzy toanyone!!!

Good Luck!

Raspberry


 
Hi Rasberry Thank you, well the purebreed partisnt the big deal its the tmperment and from what we have been readingdifferent breeds have better than others so that is what we are goingby. as for the baby part thats a toss up also. what part of Ks are youin? Im in central Ks.
 
Oops soo sorry. i meant too put fuzzy lop on thelist.i havent met a fuzzy i didnt like.We used too raise the jerseywoolies and the ones with good coats only needed brushing once amonth.yes once a month.and this is a rabbit we were showing which mayhave no mats.if the wool is too fine they mat.bluebird
 
Hi Bluebird! Tell the truth! You like all bunnies! :)

Kansas, I'm from the South Central area. It's probably easier for me toget to larger metropolitan areas than it is for you, from the sound ofit.


 
Thats cool ever hear of Larned? Iwasnt sure what you were saying about your fuzzy lop I tried to findthe thread but Im not very good on the computers... did he turn out tobe mean?
 
kansas wrote:
Iwasnt sure what you were saying about your fuzzy lop ... did he turnout to be mean?
Click to expand...
:laugh:

Hee hee - Sebastian mean - now that's funny! I've met thisboy in person and he's the biggest mush you'll ever meet.

I have a Fuzzy Lop myself and he's a sweet boy, too. The coat takes some work, but it's worth it.


 
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