Rabbit Poll, Please look :)

[chloezoebob101]

i found an ad on craigslist selling some, and they look REALLY good!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I have a Holland and he is sweet accept for his one flaw. He mounts toys, and people (by people I mean me

) all the time. We love him though! If you are looking for a less common show breed, but aren't afraid to put out a little extra work, try American Fuzzy Lops. They are Holland Lops with long hair, are super calm and sweet, and come in a wide variety of colors. They do require a little bit more maintenance due to their hair, but it is nothing a dedicated person cannot handle. You also may have to watch them in the summer so they do not overheat, but they due great in the winter. If you like them, don't be intimidated by their hair, they are not as much work as you would think. You also may have to watch out if anyone in your family has severe rabbit allergies, because they are not the oct allergenic friendly bred. However, if they are outdoors or in a barn, it shouldn't be a problem. Like I said before, they are a Holland Lop with hair. It's just a show suggestion, but they really are great!

 

[chloezoebob101]

I have a Holland and he is sweet accept for his one flaw. He mounts toys, and people (by people I mean me

) all the time. We love him though! If you are looking for a less common show breed, but aren't afraid to put out a little extra work, try American Fuzzy Lops. They are Holland Lops with long hair, are super calm and sweet, and come in a wide variety of colors. They do require a little bit more maintenance due to their hair, but it is nothing a dedicated person cannot handle. You also may have to watch them in the summer so they do not overheat, but they due great in the winter. If you like them, don't be intimidated by their hair, they are not as much work as you would think. You also may have to watch out if anyone in your family has severe rabbit allergies, because they are not the oct allergenic friendly bred. However, if they are outdoors or in a barn, it shouldn't be a problem. Like I said before, they are a Holland Lop with hair. It's just a show suggestion, but they really are great!

Awesome! Thank you, this is helpful

 

[AinaWGSD]

@bunnylady- If they have health problems, then i don't want to get a lion head. Thank you for informing about that
I have researched and I think the holland lops would be a good choice, if i can get them. Within a few days all the kits from litters (on craigslist) are all sold. I email them asking if they are still for sale even though they have only been there for 3 days, and all 8 are sold XP

Speaking only from my experience working with a vet who does see rabbits frequently (she would open a rabbit-only clinic if it were financially feasible, like those cats only vet clinics that are becoming more common these days only for rabbits...and maybe guinea pigs and chinchillas, maybe) I would say that ALL of the breeds you've listed are more prone to health problems than, say your average meat-type mutt rabbit. In fact, I couldn't vote because honestly after my personal experiences at work I would not choose to own any of them, I would go out of my way to find a different breed for my own personal pet.

Lops and Dwarfs have a different head shape due to decades of selective breeding than nature intended rabbits to have and probably 99% of the rabbits I see that need their teeth (molars specifically) filed down monthly, bi-monthly, or every 3-4 months under anesthesia are either lops or dwarfs. We've had several lops (poorly bred minis mostly I think, although they're big enough they could be another type of lop...I'm not that familiar with rabbit breeds myself) that had severe urine sludging, to the point that it caused health problems. And most of the lionheads I've seen are just poorly bred with a crummy temperament. I haven't seen that many lionheads with bad teeth, but they're a relatively new breed to the petstores in this area.

The fact that all of the breeds you've listed are more prone to health problems, at least in my experience, could be that we only see the sick ones where I work. We have a few clients who bring their rabbits in once or twice a year for wellness visits, but most of our clients only make an appointment if their rabbit is sick. I don't know how many rabbits there are in the area that we never see because they never have a health problem. It could also be that, as someone else already mentioned, these are all easily among the top 10 most popular breeds and there are just a lot of them out there. We could be seeing more health problems in them because there are more individuals of those breeds. Or because they are so popular people are breeding willy-nilly any two rabbits that even remotely resemble those breeds to sell for a quick buck without paying attention to health or temperament issues that are popping up in their stock.

No matter what the reason, you need to be aware that all of the breeds you are considering have the potential to be prone to health problems which you would not want to pass on to people buying pets from you. It's great that you're taking the time to research the breeds, but you also have to remember to research the breeder(s) you plan on getting your original breeding stock from! Personally I would be extremely leery of buying breeding stock from Craigslist. I'm sure there are some good breeders who advertise there, but there are also a lot of schmucks who are just throwing any two rabbits together without regard to health or temperament in the interest in making a quick buck off of a popular breed. Probably a lot more schmucks than good breeders. Also, finding a good breeder before hand can help with the whole "the entire litter is sold 3 days after putting the add up" problem. If you find a good breeder, get on their waiting list and then you will be able to reserve a good bunny before they are even born. It might take a little longer to wait for a planned breeding from a good breeder, but it sounds like with your luck answering adds for litters on Craigslist it might not take much longer, if at all, to go that route.

 

[chloezoebob101]

Oh wow, Thank you!
What breeds are better for pets that don't have serious health issues?

 

[AinaWGSD]

Like I said, I'm not really that up to date on my rabbit breeds. Last time I had rabbits, lionheads weren't even available in this country and there were just some vague rumors about importing them starting to circulate. If I ever got back into rabbits, my thoughts right now without doing much in the way of research is that I would like to get harlequins and satins, maybe standard rex. But they're bigger than what I think most people looking for a housepet are looking for, and I freely admit that if I ever got back into rabbits my main interest would be the meat breeds. I think if you're looking to get into a breed that will sell well in the pet market, the four you've listed are probably not bad choices for you. I just wanted to warn you that you need to do a lot of research into the source of your breeding stock before you buy. It's kind of like looking to buy a german shepherd, labrador, golden, or yorkie. They're not bad breeds and they do make great pets, but their popularity has led to heavy over-breeding and a ton of potentially severe health and behavioral problems. If you take the time to ferret out a good breeder, you still end up with an excellent dog, but if you just take a puppy from whatever breeder happens to be most local to you and has an available litter the chances are pretty good you're getting a dog that you will spend a lifetime of vet visits with. As for other breeds that may or may not be popular as pets, I don't know anything about them but I do know that satins come in mini size too. They aren't popular, but they are small enough that people looking for a cute pet wouldn't be turned off by their size and they have a neat coat which could be a selling point. Although, honestly, if you are just looking to breed a rabbit that is popular as a pet, you would probably be best off choosing one of the uber popular breeds and taking the extra time and effort to find a good breeder of healthy rabbits.