What Rabbits Do You Have? Show Off Your Rabbits Here!

[saltandpepper2]

Hey all! I need some help! I have decided to get a rabbit and need help deciding on a breed! Things I'm looking for: HEALTH. I've read that lop eared rabbits are the most prone to health issues, but I don't know if this is true? Friendly! I want a rabbit that is naturally good natured. Intelligence: hoping to train it in basic commands like come, jump, etc. Health and temperament are the main ones though. It will be an outdoor rabbit with a huge hutch and run, and will be brought in to be socialized, etc, but there are no rabbit vets near me. at all. so I don't want to have to have to take it to the vet! Any help picking would be appreciated! Breeds near me: Flemish giants, New zealands, mini lops, holland lops, lion heads, and good ol' mutts.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Hey all! I need some help! I have decided to get a rabbit and need help deciding on a breed! Things I'm looking for: HEALTH. I've read that lop eared rabbits are the most prone to health issues, but I don't know if this is true? Friendly! I want a rabbit that is naturally good natured. Intelligence: hoping to train it in basic commands like come, jump, etc. Health and temperament are the main ones though. It will be an outdoor rabbit with a huge hutch and run, and will be brought in to be socialized, etc, but there are no rabbit vets near me. at all. so I don't want to have to have to take it to the vet! Any help picking would be appreciated! Breeds near me: Flemish giants, New zealands, mini lops, holland lops, lion heads, and good ol' mutts.

Lops can be more prone to health issues sometimes. Depending on the size of the ears they can get scratched and frostbitten (this is usually only French and English Lops however. Hollands and Minis don't normally have this problem). Also for some reason lops have a tendency to get chronic eye irritation/infection as they get older. My Holland has this and a woman I know who breeds French Lops has this issue (doesn't normally need a vet though, just some feed store medication). But they are generally sweet rabbits. As for vets, if you absolutely cannot find a rabbit vet near you I'd suggest stocking up on some basic health items you can get at feed stores because you never know when you'll need something. But there are some diseases in rabbits only a vet can cure... Out of the breeds you listed:

Flemish Giants: these rabbits are HUGE. I have never owned one, so I don't know how smart they are, and I really can't tell you about their personality. However, based from experience and talking to other rabbit owners, big rabbits can tend to be lazy and not want to jump.

New Zealands: I love this breed, but they are not for everyone. They tend to be on the shy side and if they don't like something you are doing they will have no problem "punching" or nipping you (now while mine was shy and might nip she was not aggressive, just assertive. I didn't get bit very often). It's kind of like, you have to base your actions around them, not what you want. Why do I like them, then? Mine had such an interesting personality that it outweighed her attitude. Plus when i did get her out of the cage she was like a lap dog. Another large breed that is very lazy and is not likely to be cooperative when it comes to training (they do what they want, not what you want). I believe the bucks are more gentle than the does. My doe was my favorite rabbit ever (lost her to an unknown illness, likely cancer)... However, I couldn't imagine trying to train one.

Mini and Holland Lops: Both very sweet breeds. I have seen Hollands used for jumping pretty frequently. Honestly Hollands have to be one of the sweetest rabbit breeds out there and I wouldn't let the possibility of an eye issue stop you from getting one. Their easygoing personalities should make them fairly easy to train.

Lion Heads: I don't have much experience with these and don't know many people who have had them. I've heard they are sweet, and I'm assuming are trainable.

Mutts: Depends on the mutt! You'd really have to know what breeds your mutts are made of (if that's even possible).
Another breed I recommend is the Polish. They are small, but they can be very sweet, playful, intelligent, and mine has never had a health issue ever.
Out of all of these I really recommend the Holland Lop for what you are looking for.

 

[saltandpepper2]

Lops can be more prone to health issues sometimes. Depending on the size of the ears they can get scratched and frostbitten (this is usually only French and English Lops however. Hollands and Minis don't normally have this problem). Also for some reason lops have a tendency to get chronic eye irritation/infection as they get older. My Holland has this and a woman I know who breeds French Lops has this issue (doesn't normally need a vet though, just some feed store medication). But they are generally sweet rabbits. As for vets, if you absolutely cannot find a rabbit vet near you I'd suggest stocking up on some basic health items you can get at feed stores because you never know when you'll need something. But there are some diseases in rabbits only a vet can cure... Out of the breeds you listed:

Flemish Giants: these rabbits are HUGE. I have never owned one, so I don't know how smart they are, and I really can't tell you about their personality. However, based from experience and talking to other rabbit owners, big rabbits can tend to be lazy and not want to jump.

New Zealands: I love this breed, but they are not for everyone. They tend to be on the shy side and if they don't like something you are doing they will have no problem "punching" or nipping you (now while mine was shy and might nip she was not aggressive, just assertive. I didn't get bit very often). It's kind of like, you have to base your actions around them, not what you want. Why do I like them, then? Mine had such an interesting personality that it outweighed her attitude. Plus when i did get her out of the cage she was like a lap dog. Another large breed that is very lazy and is not likely to be cooperative when it comes to training (they do what they want, not what you want). I believe the bucks are more gentle than the does. My doe was my favorite rabbit ever (lost her to an unknown illness, likely cancer)... However, I couldn't imagine trying to train one.

Mini and Holland Lops: Both very sweet breeds. I have seen Hollands used for jumping pretty frequently. Honestly Hollands have to be one of the sweetest rabbit breeds out there and I wouldn't let the possibility of an eye issue stop you from getting one. Their easygoing personalities should make them fairly easy to train.

Lion Heads: I don't have much experience with these and don't know many people who have had them. I've heard they are sweet, and I'm assuming are trainable.

Mutts: Depends on the mutt! You'd really have to know what breeds your mutts are made of (if that's even possible).
Another breed I recommend is the Polish. They are small, but they can be very sweet, playful, intelligent, and mine has never had a health issue ever.
Out of all of these I really recommend the Holland Lop for what you are looking for.

Awesome! Thanks so much for the hands-on advice and experience! I am no stranger to doctoring up animals. I've done minor surgeries on chickens as well as dealing with abscesses, lacerations, and infections in dogs, cats, and cattle. I just didn't want to tackle an animal that would need to see a vet about something I couldn't fix. Because of my other animals, I have a pretty decent first aid kit, but could you recommend anything specific to make sure to have? I found a local breeder of healthy holland lops, and will most likely be giving her a call this coming week!

 

[saltandpepper2]

So you haven't had any teeth issues with your lop? Infections and such are no biggy. Teeth issues were my main concern.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

As long as they have something to chew it shouldn't be a problem. I've really never had teeth issues with my rabbits. I think my NZ chipped a tooth once but she just gnawed and it evened itself out. Nothing with my Holland. The only issue with my Holland is that he used to get pin worms a lot, but I think he in particular is just a susceptible animal. I've never heard this with any other Hollands. Luckily it's very easy to cure. I would really recommend you have Vetericyn. I always have the wound spray on me, and for eye issues I also carry the Ophthalmic gel and eye wash on me. I use those two together. A more potent eye medication (and more expensive) is a medication called Terramycin ophthalmic ointment. This stuff works really well though. It can be hard to find sometimes. Apparently you can get it at Tractor Supply in some places, but I've never seen it. I usually ask my rabbit friends to pick it up for me when they go to huge shows and conventions. But then again I don't live in a rural area, so it is probably easier to get elsewhere. I wouldn't go too crazy with wormers or anything until you need them (different meds for different worms). Triple antibiotic ointment (minus pain killer) is good for wounds too.

Most of the time rabbits just get minor ailments that don't need a vet, but my NZ was an expensive vet visit (two actually). She got pneumonia once and had to get x-rays and antibiotics, then she ended up getting another mysterious ailment a few months later. They did x-rays and such (blood tests were way too expensive), and gave us some meds and even fluid therapy to perform at home, but she ran a dangerous fever and I ended up having her put down. She also would randomly lose control of her legs, so I'm thinking she had some cancer that affect the nervous system.

One illness I do recommend you watch out for is Gastrointestinal Stasis. It is when the rabbit gets a blockage of the intestines usually due to slowed digestive activity and can be fatal within days of discovery. The animal will stop eating and drinking and sometimes become lethargic. I had a rabbit get this and she had to go to the vet and get an x-ray, and meds to get her tract moving again. She actually lived, although most people don't discover the illness until it's too late (rabbits love to hid their sickness). This is a more common illness and is usually fatal without a vet visit and can happen in ANY breed (long haired are more common however) so watch out for this...

 

[saltandpepper2]

As long as they have something to chew it shouldn't be a problem. I've really never had teeth issues with my rabbits. I think my NZ chipped a tooth once but she just gnawed and it evened itself out. Nothing with my Holland. The only issue with my Holland is that he used to get pin worms a lot, but I think he in particular is just a susceptible animal. I've never heard this with any other Hollands. Luckily it's very easy to cure. I would really recommend you have Vetericyn. I always have the wound spray on me, and for eye issues I also carry the Ophthalmic gel and eye wash on me. I use those two together. A more potent eye medication (and more expensive) is a medication called Terramycin ophthalmic ointment. This stuff works really well though. It can be hard to find sometimes. Apparently you can get it at Tractor Supply in some places, but I've never seen it. I usually ask my rabbit friends to pick it up for me when they go to huge shows and conventions. But then again I don't live in a rural area, so it is probably easier to get elsewhere. I wouldn't go too crazy with wormers or anything until you need them (different meds for different worms). Triple antibiotic ointment (minus pain killer) is good for wounds too. 

Most of the time rabbits just get minor ailments that don't need a vet, but my NZ was an expensive vet visit (two actually). She got pneumonia once and had to get x-rays and antibiotics, then she ended up getting another mysterious ailment a few months later. They did x-rays and such (blood tests were way too expensive), and gave us some meds and even fluid therapy to perform at home, but she ran a dangerous fever and I ended up having her put down. She also would randomly lose control of her legs, so I'm thinking she had some cancer that affect the nervous system. 

One illness I do recommend you watch out for is Gastrointestinal Stasis. It is when the rabbit gets a blockage of the intestines usually due to slowed digestive activity and can be fatal within days of discovery. The animal will stop eating and drinking and sometimes become lethargic. I had a rabbit get this and she had to go to the vet and get an x-ray, and meds to get her tract moving again. She actually lived, although most people don't discover the illness until it's too late (rabbits love to hid their sickness). This is a more common illness and is usually fatal without a vet visit and can happen in ANY breed (long haired are more common however) so watch out for this...

thank you! I actually happen to have most of what you mentioned on hand already, so that's great. I'll make sure to get a salt block and hat for him to chew on as well. Thanks for the info on illnesses and vet visits, I'll keep an eye out for those things. Pictures of a rabbit should be coming soon!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Anytime. Wood blocks work well for chewing too (rabbit safe). Can't wait to see the pics!

 

[saltandpepper2]

Well, I'm picking up a beautiful holland lop doe on Friday! She is 8 weeks old and absolutely precious! I'm so excited. Any tips for the first time indoor bunny owner?

 

[saltandpepper2]

One last question please.

. So, the breeder specifically requested that I keep the rabbit indoors. Fine. But where do I keep it's cage? I have dogs, so the only safe option is
1: The basement. It very cool down there, around 55*F. It's also very quiet and isolated, but concrete floors for easy roaming for the bunny.
2: My bedroom. No dogs allowed, and also very roomy, and I do paperwork in there a lot, so it would get more company. BUT. I have a metabolic issue, and keep my bedroom at around 75-78*F just to stay comfortable, and feel like the rabbit would get too hot.
Which is better?

 

[shadow rabbit10]

One last question please.

. So, the breeder specifically requested that I keep the rabbit indoors. Fine. But where do I keep it's cage? I have dogs, so the only safe option is
1: The basement. It very cool down there, around 55*F. It's also very quiet and isolated, but concrete floors for easy roaming for the bunny.
2: My bedroom. No dogs allowed, and also very roomy, and I do paperwork in there a lot, so it would get more company. BUT. I have a metabolic issue, and keep my bedroom at around 75-78*F just to stay comfortable, and feel like the rabbit would get too hot.
Which is better?

Yay! Do you know what color? And I actually don't have any experience with indoor rabbits (mine have all been outdoors). I fell like the bedroom would be a better option. With the rabbit in the basement it might be easier to overlook him and she might get lonely. Plus I feel like a lot can go wrong in a basement (temp swings, mold, darkness, etc.). It is slightly on the warm side in your room, but maybe if you keep it closer to 75 she would do better. You could also maybe get her a small fan or something? I would really go with the room if I were you.