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.
