What kind of rabbit is this?

[ruth]

It seems we are quickly becoming the local animal rescue source and anyone who has unwanted pets, like last year's Easter bunny or chicks, drop them off. A man dropped off this bunny the other day. Does anyone know what type it is? He said his daughter bought it for her daughter (his granddaughter) last year for Easter and as we all know, the novelty quickly wore off and it ended up at Granddad's place, who has been taking care of it. His wife heard we had a farm (she works at our bank) and wanted to know if we would take it. What could we say......?

So, what is it? I'll probably end up getting it a companion at least. I haven't checked to see if it's male or female and he didn't even know but said he thought it was a female. I did attempt to get it out of the cage to check but it freaked and bucked and went berserk so now I have scratches all over my chest and stomach. So I'm letting him/her calm down a bit. At least the guy gave us cage and all but the sad thought is that the bunny (and he said that's its name "bunny") has lived in this small cage without any attention for one year.

All those who know me and my style of raising animals will know I'll soon have this bunny running free around our farm just like all the other animals - in the meantime we'll have to build it larger quarters.

Here's the lamb someone dropped off a few months back because they didn't want to bottle fed him - we call him Lambo and we really love him. He lives with our dogs and runs in and out of the house:

And, we have someone bringing a young steer, a registered Texas Longhorn, that was given to them but they are unable to care for. Such is life on the farm......

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Cute aminals..looks like you are getting quite a collection going! The bunny looks just like my daughters 2 bunnies, but I don't remember the breed. Maybe someone will come along and help soon

 

[RedStickLA]

Hey Monique...
I hope all is well with you! It looks like an American Chinchilla. They are "big" sweet rabbits. I have a American Chinchilla doe that lives with my goats. How are the quads doing?
Mitzi

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Hi Mitzi - good to hear from you. I just posted updated pics of the quads on my Journey thread. They are growing quickly and I've finally started letting everyone freerange during the day and they are all loving it.

Thanks for the tip on the rabbit. I've never heard of that breed but I know nothing of rabbits. But, that makes sense because I was going to post about how super soft she is and chinchilla describes her perfectly. The guy did tell us that one of the plantations near here was breeding and selling them last year. I'll have to try and call them and ask if they still breed them. Maybe they'll want this one back or I can get he/she a mate - then........millions of little bunnies.

 

[birdlover]

Here is a website, very similar to BYC, that is all about rabbits. I learned a lot from them when I got my first rabbit. www.rabbitsonline.net Believe me, you don't want to start reproducing rabbits unless you are prepared!! I found out the hard way. I had ONE little male bunny and decided to get him fixed so I could get him a female friend. (Male rabbits fight horribly - very territorial). So I bring home this beautiful doe for him and, two weeks after she arrived, she had 4 babies (not my bunny's)!!! Sadly, one died at 11 days but the other 3 did fine and we ended up with 1 male and 2 females. VERY luckily, I found someone to take the male. Otherwise, who knows how many rabbits I would have at this point!

It's not easy introducing two rabbits to each other unless they are not fixed and of opposite sexes. But, then, they will have babies, unless you keep them apart, and, then, ...well...you know! For a short time, I had two males that I rescued (long story) and they tore into each other like cats and dogs. They were living outside until a blizzard arrived. I had made a shelter for the two of them but one wouldn't let the other come in so I had to bring him inside and keep him in one of my bathrooms because I didn't want him impregnating one or more of my females. The other lived happily outside for about 3 weeks and then disappeared. That's the problem with letting them free range. They say domestic rabbits aren't made to survive like that.

Sorry. I didn't mean to ramble. It's just that there are a LOT of potential problems when bringing in rabbits if you don't know much about them. I found that out!!! So, I'm just warning you. IF you plan on getting this one a friend, you better find out what sex it is and plan on having it fixed as well as the other one down the line. I now have 4 bunnies and they live in my laundry room (the ones I told you about in the first paragraph). They are extremely tame and are more like cats or dogs. Rabbits can be very endearing if given the right environment. Go check out the rabbit site I gave you and see what you can find out! I wish I had before I ever got my first bunny.

I hope I don't sound like a nay-sayer. I think it's absolutely WONDERFUL that you plan on giving this bunny a better life. It warms my heart to know that it has found a caring owner. You sound like a real sucker for animals (like me). Best of luck to you!!!

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

That sounds like here!

When some one calls and asks if we will take an animal, DH always says " Of course, If it's free and it EATS, we must need it!"

DH had someone ask him if he could go catch a longhorn bull for him. He had bought a small herd, but couldn't catch one 2 year old bull. They had chased him on foot, with pickups and 4-wheelers. They got him in the barn, but he tore the side off and got away. He told DH we could have it if we could catch him.
DH loaded his horse, and we drove 2 hours to get there.
Long story short, DH didn't even saddle up his horse. We loaded the bull, loaded the horse in the back and started down the road. Now the bull wasn't happy about being caught, loaded or the road trip. He did knock the dent back out of the trailer that a low tree branch had made years earlier, though.
We rocked and rolled for several miles, when I asked DH where we were going to put him that he wasn't going to destroy when we got him home. We thought about it, and decided it would be best to just take him and sell him, so we went straight to a cattle auction and unloaded him. He was not a happy camper. He put the boys working over the fence several times before they got him in a pen with some other cattle.
That was the only time we had a real wild animal given to us.

The only problem is that we get the previous owners coming at all hours to see their "babies". And I don't think any of them can read the signs that say "Bad Dogs". They will just climb over the closed and locked gate to see their "precious baby" that they didn't want anymore.
When the gate is open, I don't mind them coming over at all, but when it is closed, call the number posted on the gate or come back when I have the gate open. Don't put your life in danger by climbing over my locked gate. My gentle dogs change their attitude when the gate is closed, and I let the Bad Dogs out at night after after the gate is locked.

I always tell the giver of these animals that we might not keep them. If they fit in alright, we will, but if they don't, we will try to re-home them. Sometimes they back out, but mostly they say OK. I feel they should know this before they leave an animal with us.

DH won't take dogs or cats, but I have taken a few dogs...he's never happy about that.

Jean

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thanks for all the helpful advice. It is a Chinchilla - I've already researched and found the breeders websites and info on this breed.

I guess I should have worded it, I don't know anything about rabbit breeds. I did raise rabbits when I was a kid but they were the standard white rabbits and I stopped raising them when I realized the ones that kept going "missing" were really ending up on the dinner table.

I also had a pet rabbit, my first rabbit, "Twitch" that I got for Easter. Twitch lived cage free like my cat and dog and followed me everywhere. He stayed in the house when he wanted to and roamed the yards and the neighborhood and slept under the car a lot which earned him a permanent dark stain in his white fur. He was huge, like Harvey. If I lifted his front legs, his back ones were still on the ground so he was actually taller than I was as a kid. He would follow me half the way to school and would greet me when I returned. I had him for a few years until a new neighbor stole him. They were seen by others chasing him around our yard until they caught him. I went and stole him back but the neighbor lied and said they had bought the rabbit out of state and brought it home on the bus and would not back down from their story so my parents told them they could keep it. Still hurts to this day.......

Then, when in college I bought a miniature black & white rabbit which lived in my trailer with me and was litter box trained.

So, maybe it's time for another pet rabbit and just keep the one. It'll fit right in with all the other animals around here.

 

[birdlover]

Sounds like a good plan!!

 

[chinbunny]

That looks like a standard chinchilla. Or an american chinchilla. He's marked more like a standard. standard chin bucks weigh between 5-7 pounds at mature weight. by show standards. Sometimes they will get a little bit bigger. American chins get huge. They weigh about 11 pounds at mature weight. They are actually the same rabbit. Just one breed is larger then the other. american chins have been used to bring the weight up on standard chins. Large standards can be used to improve the coats on the americans.

Either way, I would do some research on the breeds, and match him up with a couple of pedigreed does. This is rare breed. I would not encourage neutering these rabbits, unless you strictly want him as a pet.

does he have an ear number in his left ear? I don't know of too many chin breeders out in MS. but do know a few across the country. When gettng breeding stock, make sure oyu ask lotsof questions. Also make sure you buy from someone who is not breeding in other breeds. There are a lot of people doing this with them. It ruins the breed. Esp do not buy from a guy named tex thomas. I believe he is out your way. His rabbits are not a true standard chin. They are cross bred with a lot of breeds. Do not buy anything bred down from their either or you will have problems.

Here are some of my standard chins. you can see more of them in the baby animals thread. These are wonderful rabbits. they have great temperment. They make excellent pets.

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote:
Oh, wow, is this for real? Isn't he on ARBA's standards committee? Some of my fellow Harlequin breeders will begin to bristle and bare their teeth at the mere mention of the man's name; he seems to have declared war on the Harlequin years ago. I'm the first to admit that Harlies do have their problems, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater!

I agree with chinbunny that the rabbit in question looks more the size of the standard chin, also that it has a buck-ish look about it. He also has a very cranky, suspicious expression in the pics, if he doesn't get over that, I wouldn't breed him, no matter how rare the breed. Of course, it sounds like his history gives him every right to be cranky and suspicious, so hopefully he'll settle down once he gets settled in. I hope he does, for everyone's sakes. I've dealt with a few perpetually cranky rabbits, and even a couple of genuinely vicious ones, and they are no fun. Best of luck with him!