Newbie Question:

[Just Jack]

I'm currently in the process of ordering a pair of young rabbits for my girlfriend & my 3rd anniversary. We've been looking at the possibility of getting a pair of bunnies for my apartment for the better part of a year now and have narrowed our choices down to Holland Lops and Lionheads. Living in El Paso, TX has made it very difficult finding any breeders near our location. That being so I've found that my only option appears to be ordering a pair through Pets Barn.

At first I was told that they could only get Holland Lops and I was happy enough with that. Today, I have found out that they might possibly be able to get me Lionheads as well. This has produced quite a difficult decision to make. Should I get a pair of Holland Lops, a pair of Lionheads, or even one of each. This brings me to my first question, which is whether Lionheads and Holland Lops would get along together.

Also I'd be curious to know people's opinions on which is the better bunny and why.

 

[Spring]

Hey! It doesn't really matter the breed, but coming from the same litter helps having a success in bonding. Mostly all rabbits can live together peacefully if they have the right temperment towards other rabbits, but you could also look into spaying/netuering as this will imrpove your chances a lot!

I recently got a new lionhead last Friday and they seem to be good pets and also holland lops are a very beautiful breed, but some say lionheads need more work if you need to brush them.

 

[naturestee]

Spring wrote:

Hey! It doesn't really matter the breed, but coming from the same litter helps having a success in bonding. Mostly all rabbits can live together peacefully if they have the right temperment towards other rabbits, but you could also look into spaying/netuering as this will imrpove your chances a lot!

Sometimes, not always. Word of advice- be very careful when the buns hit puberty. Some will turn very aggressive and attack their former playmates!

Is Pets Barn a pet store? There are some Texas breeders here, they may be able to find someone you can buy from directly. That way you can ask about the rabbits' parents and see the facilities. You may even be able to see the parents. That way you would know if they have health problems like maloclussion or behavioral issues which might be inherited.

As for the breed, it doesn't always matter with personality, although both lionheads and holland lops are reputed to have friendly personalities in general.

 

[TinysMom]

Well, as a fellow Texan and lionhead breeder - I must say that I'm partial to lionheads. My lionheads are very friendly to people - curious and playful - and they get along well.

However, I also have a Holland Lop - and am getting another Holland Lop soon. Hollands to be are outgoing, gregarious, and sometimes....troublemakers - but in the nicest of ways.

Part of the decision you need to make is going to be what type of personality do you want? From what I've read and experienced - Hollands hate to be locked up and feel it is punishment (per the "Lops as Pets" book I so frequently mention by Sandy Crook). (I don't have the exact title handy). Hollands don't require as much grooming as a lionhead - BUT - a lot of lionheads don't require a lot of grooming (it the teddy style Lionheads that require lots of grooming).

For me - I can put a Holland in my lap and they will want to run and jump and play and come back for a treat. Frequently, if I put a lionhead in my lap - they like to cuddle and will sit on the couch with me if not in my lap.

My biggest concern though is about ordering a pair - sight unseen. I think that the happiest rabbit owners are the ones who have the right personality and chemistry with that particular rabbit and I think it is important to handle that rabbit and see if you 'connect" with it.

I'll never forget a rabbit we sold at our first show. They liked one rabbit but to be honest - I felt concerned about it. I knew they liked the color - but I didn't feel that the rabbit was a good match for the family. They came back later to look again and I showed them another rabbit - and it was the "right" one for them. They held it and it sort of melted in their arms. They played with it and it wanted to play with them too. They left it with us for a bit - and when they came back - the rabbit heard their voices and rushed to the front of the little cage to come see them - and as they'd looked around - they kept thinking about THAT rabbit...knowing it was the one for them.

I wish we weren't 450 miles apart as I'd invite you to my rabbitry to see my lionheads and to hold my Holland lop and play with them both to experience them first hand. There really is something about spending time with the rabbit to know if it is right for you.

I wish you good luck. I will tell you that when we first got our Holland lop - he played with our lionheads as they were all babies - and they got along just fine...so if you decide to get one of each breed - I would think that would work well. In fact, many lionhead breeders that I know - also breed Holland lops!

Peg

 

[Just Jack]

I do plan on spaying/neutering my rabbits when they're about 4-6 months old. I was actually just calling local vets today to see which ones were able to handle rabbits.

Yes Pets Barn is a pet store and I've done the best I could to find breeders. As Peg said, I too feel that personality is the most important quality and I would really prefer to be able to meet and find which rabbits we'd connect with. Unfortunately pretty much all the breeders I have found (using google and centralpets.com) in Texas are around San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston which are anywhere from 8-12 hours away. I haven't found a single breeder in New Mexico and the next closest would be Arizona. I would even prefer to *ick* order our rabbits from a breeder but the cost of shipping is so high. Unfortunately for us it just isn't possible unless someone knows of a breeder closer to El Paso.

Lionheads being "cuddlers" does make them more appealing as I would want one that would enjoy being held and petted. Though of course at other times I would enjoy having a more playful rabbit. That's unfortunate that Hollands feel punished when they are put away but I'd imagine they would get used to it. I've already have purchased a cage which is 36" x 14" which from what I've read is well above the suggested size for rabbits of those breeds. Hopefully with that amount of room they would have plenty of room to play and not feel punished.


If getting Hollands at an early age and handling (cuddling) them regularly, would that make them more prone to enjoy cuddling as they get older? Also aren't Lionheads quite playful as well?

As it is I'm starting to lean more towards Lionheads. I don't mind the extra care it would take to keep them groomed properly. Certainly wouldn't want them to suffer wool block which I hear they can be somewhat prone to.

 

[Spring]

My lionhead sometimes likes to snuggle down and close her eyes when I pet her, but other times tries to hop off my lap and explore! They can also run very fast! My new baby runs faster then my netherland dwarf! She's also liking jumping and I have an over turned box in her cage as she likes to jump up on it and look around.

I let her run around and like I said can run very fast and does jumps in the air then goes full speed and goes behind my dresser then darts out so I'm guessing they are pretty active rabbits?

 

[peapoo_bunny]

Just Jack wrote:


If getting Hollands at an early age and handling (cuddling) them regularly, would that make them more prone to enjoy cuddling as they get older? Also aren't Lionheads quite playful as well?



i got peapoo when she was around 2months old... she loves being petted and cuddled with..she begs for nose-rubs and nudges your hand to be petted...shes a holland lop... but she also likes playing to..she loves chasing you around the house..im not saying all holland lops are like this though...i think sometimes it just depends on the individual rabbits personalityand how its been raised

 

[Just Jack]

I imagine that pretty much all bunnies are products of their environment. I'm sure whether we had choosen lionheads or holland lops, if we begin playing and cuddling with them regularly at an early age I'm sure they will love doing that for their entire life. We've decided to go ahead and buy a pair of lionheads. A INCREDIBLY generous breeder has offered to meet us halfway so it will not be such an impossible trip for either of us. We really just cannot wait to have a pair of our own bunnies. I wish I had them already!

 

[Spring]

That's awesome! It's going to be so adorable watching them run around together . Just a tip I've just figured out.. if your going to use any type of wood bedding with lionheads I'd choose something else because it gets all in their mane and sometimes tangles! Good luck!

 

[Just Jack]

You mean like Carefresh? I think that's probably what I'm going to go for. I was kind of confused about whether aspen is also harmful to rabbits because I thought I read on website that it was just like cedar and pine.

Should I wait till I get them litter trained before I start putting the bedding in the upper part of the cage itself? This is the cage I bought for them and it has a removeable liner which is where the store employees were telling me I should put the bedding.

Also what kind of bowls do people use for such small breeds of rabbits like lionheads? The ones I've seen that attach to the cage seem like they would be too tall for the little guys to get their heads in.

 

[naturestee]

I think Carefresh might stick too, but I'm not sure. Wood pellets would work well. Most of us do not use bedding all over the cage, just in the litterbox. Since the floor is wire, you'll want to provide something comfortable for them to sit on like straw mats.

I like to use small ceramic cat/dog bowls for food and water. They are heavy enough that they are difficult to move and are easy to eat or drink out of. My little dwarfs have no problem with these.

Just a warning- I've heard that cage rattles when the buns hop. Maybe there is a way to dampen that somehow?

 

[Spring]

Is carefresh the downy type things? You could probably put that in the tray or even aspen. The problem with cedar and pine is that they have a strong smelling aroma that can be toxic to rabbits and as far as I know, aspen doesn't have this. You could also put newspaper with the carefresh to sort of minimize the amount of carefresh you use?

You don't really need anything as far as liter goes on the top wire until you get them litter trained but I wouldn't try liter training at this age (well for my rabbit it's useless) because the baby just pees in different spots and her spots change all the time. Maybe just put a blanket on half of the cage so they have somewhere to rest from the wire?

Buying "specially made" rabbit bowls where I've looked at them are sort of a rip off. They have this medium sized decorated bowl for like 6 dollars, where you could get a plain white heavy ceramic dish from the looney store for about a dollar. I found these small tiny ones that are the size of my palm and I bopught two from the looney store and they are so adorable! I plan on getting bigger ones once she starts to grow more.

She's grown fast too! It seems like she's doubled in size!

 

[Just Jack]

Yeah I wouldn't be suprised. I'm sure it would just take a little investigating (which I might be able to do before I even get the bunnies) to figure out which pieces are knocking against each other. Then it should bejust a matter of slipping something or even melting something (safe for bunnies of course) in between those metal pieces.

 

[Just Jack]

Spring wrote:

Is carefresh the downy type things? You could probably put that in the tray or even aspen. The problem with cedar and pine is that they have a strong smelling aroma that can be toxic to rabbits and as far as I know, aspen doesn't have this. You could also put newspaper with the carefresh to sort of minimize the amount of carefresh you use?

You don't really need anything as far as liter goes on the top wire until you get them litter trained but I wouldn't try liter training at this age (well for my rabbit it's useless) because the baby just pees in different spots and her spots change all the time. Maybe just put a blanket on half of the cage so they have somewhere to rest from the wire?

Buying "specially made" rabbit bowls where I've looked at them are sort of a rip off. They have this medium sized decorated bowl for like 6 dollars, where you could get a plain white heavy ceramic dish from the looney store for about a dollar. I found these small tiny ones that are the size of my palm and I bopught two from the looney store and they are so adorable! I plan on getting bigger ones once she starts to grow more.

She's grown fast too! It seems like she's doubled in size!

Carefresh and newspaper, aye? That would certaily work out for me since I've started reading the paper a lot more regularly this semester. If I'm keeping up on current events, why shouldn't my bunnies! That and I can always get free copies of my university's newspaper.

I have an old towel that I'll probably use as their rest area. I imagine when they are yound and pre-litter trained that I'll have to be washing that towel pretty often.

I started looking at basic ceramic bowels they have at PetsMart and those look pretty good. One is 1 3/4" tall and I imagine that would be a good size and they're just $4. They look pretty nice too.

 

[Spring]

I've heard carefresh isn't the cheapest so newspaper would save you some costs!

Those bowls sound good I'm sure they'll be low enough, so I'm sure it'll be easy to get to for them!

 

[RebeccaUK]

Hope you get some lovely bunnies. Can we have pictures please when they arrive??

Just a word of warning - my bunnies love ripping up newspaper and will dig and tear at towels until they're a mess of holes so be prepared if your buns turn out to be 'destroyers', surprisingly some bunnies get tehir kicks from destroying things and others won't tear anything up - think it's personality dependent but worth noting all the same.

 

[Just Jack]

oh, I'm sure we will be taking plenty of pictures the day we get them it's kind of strange but we are already kind of smitten with them even before we've met them

 

[BlueberryBunbun]

TinysMom wrote:

Well, as a fellow Texan and lionhead breeder - I must say that I'm partial to lionheads. My lionheads are very friendly to people - curious and playful - and they get along well.

I agree totally, i have a lionhead and find that they are very affectionate and cuddly. Mine is rather nervous and prefers to snuggle up on your lap rather than be chased about and played with, so you have to be careful when she's around your feetso as not to freak her out! But i'd definately recommend the breed as they are beautiful and very friendly. The grooming part really is not difficult, my lionhead is only single-maned, and so it takes a quick 5 - 10 minutes everyso oftenwith her rabbit brush and she sits still becauseshe loves it.
As regards to feeding, i put my rabbits food in a heavy, thick bowl that i bought from the pet store. Its too heavy for her to drag around, and thick enough not to get chipped or broken. And she can access it all the time. She also has a small, rectangular wooden box that was originally a flower planter that i use as a manger for her hay.

Congratulations on choosing your pair of lionheads!! I'm sure they're going to very loving and capable owners.

 

[Just Jack]

Thanks Blueberry for the vote of confidence

Now I submit for board approval, my mini prep shopping spree!

Kaytee Timothy Complete rabbit food pellets
Keytee Timothy Hay
Carefresh pet bedding
Terra Cotta cat bowl
Flat-Bac 16 0z water bottle (I hope this is an appropriate size)
Rollin' The Hay
All Living Things Small Animal Play House which I outfitted with a
Supet Pet Grassy Mat so they have their comfy sleeping area
And right next to the play house I put a Super Pet Corner Look-Out (I got a white one) so they can even climb on top of the house if they want
and finally a small Roll 'N' Chew
just for fun


I think I had the most trouble picking the water bottle. Didn't know what size I should get for a pair of lionheads. The employee there suggested this size and to change the water everyday. I thought it was once or twice a week.

I can't wait to introduce the bunnies to their new home. I hope they like what I've done with the place

 

[Just Jack]

also what type of fresh veggies should I feed them?