Dwarf Rabbit?

Paddywiggum

Hi everyone,

myself and my OH are thinking of getting a dwarf rabbit (or 2) in the coming months...

just wondering what yere advice would be on how to acquire them, give them comfortable home (indoor), neutering and shots etc.

ive googled for info online but would like to hear from present or past owners for hands on experience.

we've had dwarf hamsters for the past 3 yrs (all passed on now) and loved them, so looking forward to having a pet with a longer lifespan

mymo

I have had dwarf rabbits in the past and they're great, but I found the lion heads to be more cuddly or tamer, can't explain, if you're a beginner with rabbits I'd highly recommend one of the lion heads, they're only a fraction bigger, just not as feisty.
Not sure where you'd get them here, I kept them in UK, there is a small animal rescue that has them sometimes, I've seen it on Facebook, if I find a link I'll post it.

Keep in pairs or more, and neuter young. Hopefully someone can give advice on age etc, its been too long since I had them.

Edit, I assumed by dwarf you meant the Netherlands dwarf?

meoklmrk91

I used to breed rabbits, a male and female pair would be good, you could have two boys and two girls as well but you would have to get them neutered as they will not get on, the male or female should also be neutered unless you want more babies than you can handle. They can be litter trained quite easily and need lots of space to run. With regards to shots I can't quite remember anything about it but I do know that their are vaccinations, possibly for miximitosis if irrc.

A varied diet is important, you can feed them a good quality pellet from the pet shop, carrots, apples, lettuce, celery, and mine used to go crazy for broccoli, some people feed cabbage but I read somewhere that it was bad, and I told someone not to do it they fed it and the rabbit ended up dead. They have very funny tummies that can get easily upset, I have found that they get sickly very suddenly and often death follows suddenly after so take the time to research their diets. They also really enjoy hay, never give grass cut with a lawnmower, it's toxic due to fumes, had someone else do that as well, and I would never give them very wet grass either, it always seemed to result in an upset tummy.

As for sourcing them do not go to a pet shop, these rabbits are most often not properly socialised and very frightened of humans, a good responsible breeder is best. I also know of a rescue that deals with rabbits, they have rabbits all the time and they are neutered or spayed before being rehomed. If you would like contact details PM me, I cannot recommend a breeder now as I stopped breeding years ago, perhaps someone else will be able to.

Silverfish

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

I used to breed rabbits, a male and female pair would be good, you could have two boys and two girls as well but you would have to get them neutered as they will not get on, the male or female should also be neutered unless you want more babies than you can handle. They can be litter trained quite easily and need lots of space to run. With regards to shots I can't quite remember anything about it but I do know that their are vaccinations, possibly for miximitosis if irrc.

That's right, they need shots for myxomatosis and VHD. The new vaccines are for both, and last a year.

A male and female pair is ideal, but both will need to be neutered. On the male bun this isn't too big a deal, but on the female bun it can be, and is usually a bit more expensive. Be sure and get a vet who deals with rabbits regularly. My bun didn't take well to the op and had to spend 3 days in the vets afterwards.

If you can get a pair that are already living together that will make things easier, otherwise you'll have to bond them, sometimes that goes well, but sometimes it doesn't. Mine took ages to bond, and even now there's still some growling and hurt feelings.

Rabbits can be litter trained, takes a bit longer than with cats and so on, but they do get it eventually. Mine have the use of a room to themselves, you'll have to bun-proof a bit, anything you don't want chewed or peed on will have to be removed, and if there's a wire they'll find it and eat it, the more expensive the better.

I got Mrs Bun here on boards after she was found wandering the streets, and Mr Bun came from a rescue, he is completely unsocialised and a very bad bun, so he takes a LOT of work!

Paddywiggum

thats great info eveyrone, thanks!

ya a male and female would suit us best too i think! i dont mind spending money getting them neutered and shots etc, want to do things properly. have holdiays planned for june so looking at july, but want to get all info i can and prepare as much as possible. looking forward to it