Considering a mini rex?

[ItsAmandaYall]

From my other post you may known I'm also looking into getting a lionhead. Stuck between the two. From what I've researched mr are good natured, easy going, intelligent, affectionate, very maternal, enjoys company, and is playful. What is affectionate from a rabbit? lol. And do you find your mr to be timid or aggressive? The breeder told me if his/her nails aren't clipped they have Freddy Kruger nails. Thank you.

 

[Watts76]

I have a female mini-rex and she is awesome. I have had her for just over a year (since she was 8 weeks old). She has been litter trained since just a few weeks old. Her nails do grow quite long fairly rapidly. I usually clip them once every 6 weeks. My rabbit does not like to be picked up, but she likes to snuggle up beside me and have me pet her. She doesn't lick me, but occasionally gives me love nips, which don't really hurt, but surprise me. (she does this when I have stopped paying attention to her and has only done it a few times.) She tries to cuddle with my cats and get them to groom her, which isn't very successful. She follows me around sometimes, and goes into her cage when told "time for bed". She also comes to me when I call her. She is very intelligent. My MR grew to be a bit larger than I was expecting, but is still only 4 lbs. See pic below

 

[MikeScone]

I imagine someone's going to point out that rabbits are so individualistic that you can't rely on any generalizations about personality based on breed, and there's some truth to that. However, I've had two mini-rex rabbits, and both have been very intelligent and packed with personality. The same has been true of all of the mini-rexes I've met over the years.

That's not to say that Scone and Natasha had the same personality - in many ways they were very different - but they had and have very definite personalities, with very strong likes and dislikes and attitudes. Neither one of them was the slightest bit reluctant to let me know what they thought, either.

The degree to which a given bunny is timid or aggressive (I'd think of it more as being reserved or outgoing) is one of those things which does vary a lot. Scone was very outgoing and friendly toward newcomers. I'd take him to Cub Scout meetings, and he'd love to be petted by all the little hands and have them feed him parsley or hay. If someone new came to the house, Scone would run out to see who it was and if they would make friends. Natasha is much more reserved. It takes her a while to approach someone she doesn't know, and if she smells a dog on someone (including me) she'll thump and run away and hide.

As to "what is affectionate from a rabbit", it depends on the rabbit. Rabbits kiss just like dogs, but whether or not an individual rabbit is a kisser is very variable. Both of mine were, I know many who are not.

Rabbits will show affection just by wanting to be near you and see what you're doing. Whatever room I'm in, so is Natasha. She sleeps next to my bed (or in it, sometimes). If I sit on the floor or on the sofa she'll jump into my lap and kiss my hands, or she'll sit next to my chair and demand petting (when a rabbit runs up to you and puts its head down, that's a demand for petting - you'll need to figure out how they like it, but I'd start by running the back of your fingers from the nose up the forehead). Some bunnies like you to stroke their ears, others hate it.

That's half the fun of a rabbit, figuring out their individual personalities.

 

[Kittiebot]

I have a male mini rex who is almost 5 months old. He is very active, loves to be out of his cage and run around and get into trouble. He is very affectionate; he gives lots of kisses and will nip my hand and shove his head under it to get me to pet him. He does not like being picked up but will crawl into my lap for pets. He will let anyone pet him; he's kind of an attention seeker.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We've had four mini Rexes. As a breed, they are great bunnies. All of ours have been very friendly. One male and one female were snuggle bunnies and liked being on your lap--especially when I was "TRYING" to read the newspaper. All rabbits do have a personality with varying degrees of friendliness, so it does depend on the rabbit--as Mike said, so you can't just say this breed is friendly and this breed isn't.

 

[Blue eyes]

I see you debating between a couple breeds but you may be going about it the wrong way. It seems to me that if you are looking moreso for a specific temperament/personality, then I'd suggest you forget completely about breed type.

Rather, find the individual rabbit that you are drawn toward and who's drawn to you. Check out some rabbit rescues and meet the rabbits. Interact with them and see which one you are drawn to. (The fixed ones have personalities that are more evident.)

Honestly, the best bunnies I have had were ones chosen this way (and one I would never have considered had I gone based on looks alone, lol)

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:All of ours are rescues and they vary from a 2 pound Nethie (little monster) to an almost 20 pound Checkered Giant and she's the most affectionate bunny we've ever served. Temperament does vary from bunny to bunny so you could end up with a biting little monster or a giant lap rabbit, but, the best was to assess them on an individual basis.

 

[ItsAmandaYall]

Thank you for the thoughts/suggestions. I guess I'm used to stereotypes? like with dogs, it seems like this dog breed is this personality and that dog breed is that personality. The breeder has like 4 different breeds in a barn. It's going to be a tough choice. I'm so indecisive too. And I've heard both good and bad about Netherland rabbits for example. Or conflicting ideas of small rabbits are better for children, but someone else says bigger rabbits are better for children.

 

[Zaiya]

Ya, it really depends on the individual bun. I think people say that, for example, New Zealand are really docile and a good choice for showing, is because the majority of the breed is that way. However, you may have a whole barn full of New Zealand that are aggressive or hyperactive, and another barn full of loving, sweet, docile New Zealand, or another barn with mixed. It just depends on the individual rabbit.

 

[Blue eyes]

Yes, dog breed type does have much to do with a dog's general temperament. Newfoundlands are very gentle & docile. Dalmations are hyper. Labs are friendly...

It's not anywhere close to that with rabbit breeds. It is only in the vague-est terms that specific rabbit breeds may..., sometimes..., generally speaking..., perhaps..., in some cases..., tend to have certain mannerisms. :wink