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Srecko

Srecko

Bojan & Danae
Joined
Aug 29, 2013
Messages
98
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Location
San Diego, CA
Hi All!

My boyfriend and I just adopted an adorable and quirky Netherland Dwarf boy. We named him Srecko (c=ch), it's Serbian for "the lucky one" or "the happy one" which we think fits his personality well. A little fun fact about our Srecko - he has one brown eye and one blue eye. We love it, he's absolutely perfect. I'll attach a picture.

It's our first time being bunny parents, so any advice that you might have, we'd love to hear it! :) Thanks!

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whoalookitsme,

Yeah, he's got to have dwarf Hotot in him - at least half. The breeder didn't mention it, and she didn't show the mom to us, only the dad, so I'm assuming the mother was dwarf Hotot. She also lied about the eyes and we found out when we got to her house, so. Some breeders. :hiding: But it's okay because we love his eyes.:hearts:
 
I think you'll find being a rabbit owner delightful. They're wonderful pets & fairly easy to care for, low maintainance & they provide hours & hours of companionship & loyalty. Rabbits, like people & other pets, have a diversity of behaviours & personalities...some are very affectionate & docile & others have personalities where they just want to be left to do their thing on their terms. Either way having a rabbit as a pet is a responsibility...you have to make sure they're SAFE AT PLAY...never leave a YOUNG BUN unsupervised...they can be quirky & inquisitive, just like a toddler...so they get in things & CHEW. But a rabbit & it's owner can develop a bond like none other...ENJOY, you've got a cutie & YEAH, definitely has to have HOTOT in him; quite identifiable by the "eye" markings...that's why the 2 different eye colours because he's cross-bred. Rabbits need 80-90% hay in their diet [comprised mainly of TIMOTHY hay...alfalfa is fatty, but ok as a treat]. THey also need to keep their teeth ground down, so provide a mineral stone or wood chews for him to gnaw. Their teeth continually grow [like our fingernails]...pellet food or vegetables are ok in small quantities, but not til after 6 months of age & introduce "slowly" to watch for any digestive change-just small amounts [like a quarter of a cup]. Carrots are high in sugar & not something the bunny should have but maybe twice a week...mainly dark, leafy greens...they also tend to like cranberries, banana, blueberries, apple slices...all these things are high in sugar...so very limited amount [one or two pieces, a slice or two] & again not more than twice a week...Also, rabbits have 2 kinds of droppings-there's a night POOP called "caecotrophs", they actually have to EAT these. Yup, rabbits are super-recyclers...they metabolize so high that to get the most optimal absorption of nutrients they must eat some of their poop! Please don't discipline the rabbit for this natural behaviour, he's not being "bad", it's necessary. To keep the droppings clean & round [no tarry, or runny poops] rabbits need lots of fibre & this is why it's important that he have unlimited access to timothy hay every day...& lots of fresh water. Good luck, let us know how your experiences are going :welcome1
 
2mindless,

Thank you for all the info! This will definitely help us out. I'll keep in touch about our experiences. :bunnyheart
 
As to the eyes, he's not the first I've heard of with two distinct colors. Our boy Spike has a unique set--his right eye is 1/3 brown and 2/3 blue and his left is just the opposite at 1/3 blue and 2/3 brown. Really did a double take when we first rescued him.
 
Nancy McClelland said:
As to the eyes, he's not the first I've heard of with two distinct colors. Our boy Spike has a unique set--his right eye is 1/3 brown and 2/3 blue and his left is just the opposite at 1/3 blue and 2/3 brown. Really did a double take when we first rescued him.
Click to expand...

Wow! That's awesome! I want to see pictures. :inlove:
 
Congrats on your new bun! He is soooo handsome and looks very sweet!

As an owner of 3 buns for a few years now, I definitely have a bit of advice that may help :)

  • Bun should have large amounts of fresh timothy hay and fresh water daily - they constantly eat throughout the day/night - it helps keeps their teeth worn down properly since their teeth are always growing
  • Groom your bun each day using a soft cat brush, which you can clean easily with your hands or a lint roller; because buns groom/lick themselves, they can ingest the excess hair and this can lead to fatal intestinal blockages if the hair isn't removed regularly - plus, the buns like to be groomed/brushed by you, anyway, especially if rewarded with a small pellet afterward :)
  • Play with your bun daily, you can sit or lie down on the floor and let him jump on you and groom/lick you when he feels comfortable enough with you. You can also talk to him a lot so he gets used to your voice. Buns also love to be stroked on their head, the area right below their ears, and rubbed gently behind the ears, and have their ears stroked and rubbed gently. If you listen closely enough, you can hear them grinding their teeth happily when you do this (it's similar to cats purring). :)
  • Give fresh washed greens daily - a small bowl full - good ones are the green leaves of carrot tops, cilantro (coriander), parsley, medium green leafy vegetables in general, but not spinach, not iceberg lettuce, not cabbage, not broccoli, as this causes gas and can lead to GI problems
  • Bun should have a very small handful of pellets each day (4-5 in morning, 4-5 in evening)
  • If you ever find that your bunny is pooping large "beads-on-a-string" that appear dry, you should cut down on the pellets, increase the amount of fresh timothy hay, and increase the amount of fresh veggies, and brush more frequently
  • Get their nails trimmed every 2 months - take your bun to a vet first to see how it's done, during a routine check-up, or you can learn yourself through online videos like through Youtube.


Last note:
If you haven't already gotten your bunny castrated/neutered (if he isn't already), I recommend this - if you ever decide to get him a female bun-friend, then it won't lead to babies. Also, if you do decide to adopt a female bun-friend in the future, try to get one that is already spayed/neutered (or go to a vet to get her properly neutered) since this reduces the very high risk of female rabbits getting ovarian/breast/uterine cancers.
 
Srecko said:
whoalookitsme,

Yeah, he's got to have dwarf Hotot in him - at least half. The breeder didn't mention it, and she didn't show the mom to us, only the dad, so I'm assuming the mother was dwarf Hotot. She also lied about the eyes and we found out when we got to her house, so. Some breeders. :hiding: But it's okay because we love his eyes.:hearts:
Click to expand...

He appears to be purebred Dwarf Hotot. :) The breed standard calls for a pure white coat with brown eyes and black or chocolate eyes (ideally the thickness of a penny on all sides).

However, Hotots are a marked breed, so it's difficult to get those perfect markings every time. They often get tiny black spots somewhere on the coat, or sometimes have spots in their eyes, or even marbled eyes...sometimes the whole eye may be blue.

Those are characteristics of purebred Hotots, even though it seems a little wonky!
 
OakRidgeRabbits, unless the breeder lied, I saw Srećko's dad and he wasn't Hotot, he was speckly brown and such, looked more like a Netherland or California dwarf. You can never be fully sure though which some breeders! :/
 
He's a cute little guy! If he is part nethie, he sure got the hotot genes. He looks just like one of my buns that is full dwarf hotot.

IMAG0969 (800x478).jpg
 
Srecko said:
OakRidgeRabbits, unless the breeder lied, I saw Srećko's dad and he wasn't Hotot, he was speckly brown and such, looked more like a Netherland or California dwarf. You can never be fully sure though which some breeders! :/
Click to expand...

He may have been a chocolate "sport," which is the term for mismarked Hotots. They often have a Dutch-like pattern on their face and then more spots all over the body. Many remind me of merle colored dogs, but some have more sparse patterns.

Although they can't be shown, they can be bred and can produce standard show-marked kits.

It's possible he was something else entirely, of course. :) But judging by the photos, your rabbit appears to have no coloring except for eyebands, which would be an unusual color pattern to get from a random mix of rabbits - even if one parent is a Hotot. Not impossible though!
 
So our little boy Srećko is 4 months and 3 weeks old, and his balls have been dropped for awhile now. I want to get him neutered for behavioral reasons (he's very sweet but like to mark a lot). My boyfriend isn't as convinced; his family has had an unaltered male for the past 8 years, inside the house as a pet, and never had issues with marking. We realize every rabbit is their own individual, but can you guys please share positive stories about when you got your rabbits altered?

My boyfriend's biggest concern is that Srećko will come home robotic with no personality (no binkying/quirks).

THANKS GUYS! :thanks:
 
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