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What's a good starter bunny?

ctopal

New Kit
My husband and I are looking to get 2 outdoor bunnies next spring. We like the medium size ones and originally fell for the tan and blacks. But at a fair last night we spoke to a rabbit lady and she was saying they were a hard bunny to keep and was suggesting mini rex and mini lops instead. Just wondering what all of you were thinking and if anyone has experience with the tan & blacks.

Thanks!
 
I'm not sure what a Tan and Black is, but all rabbits do well outdoors as long as their housing is sturdy, wind and waterproof with plenty of straw/hay bedding to burrow under in the winter. Having a bonded pair helps as well as they can snuggle together and keep each other warm.
 
I dont think there are general rules as to how easy they are to keep temperment wise but some breeds are prone to certain illnesses (rexs tend to get sore hocks and there is talk of the suffering heart problems). Long haired breeds are certainly not good beginners rabbits as they need a lot of coat care.

I have to say I think Dutches* are the best beginners rabbit. They are quite hardy and *tend* to have a good temperment when neutered and brought up correctly.



*Im quite biased though :oops:
 
I don't think you can be 100% sure on any breed as so much depends on its genetic line, if the breeder has fed and cared for the parents well, if they are inbred to pursue a particular coat type etc.

All baby rabbits are easy to handle I think - it's when they hit puberty that most people give up as they become aggressive and skittish. So I would recommend you go to a humane society and see some adult rabbits as you can tell if you like their personality, if they are calm and easy to handle, etc. Plus many of these rabbits are on 'death row' unless they find a home :(
 
I would prefer to rescue rabbits, I participate in canine rescue. But I'm also worried about bonding. And all the local rabbit rescues have the indoor homes only caveat. So I don't know what my luck would be with the humane society/pound route in getting two bonded rabbits.
 
How cold is Connecticut in winter? Hot in summer? Not sure of the climate but maybe that's why they specify indoor rabbits as you can monitor it better?
 
Rabbits haven't been bred to posess certain personailty traits like dogs, and rather the different breeds were bred to conform to a specific fur and/or meat standard, therefore theres not really any personality traits in the breeds of rabbits. The woman who said that, wasn't by any chance a breeder of mini lops and rexes?

In america I thought that it was generally the done thing to house buns indoors? :? No?
 
We get 90 degree days in the summer, but only a few, usually low to mid 80s and winter is typically in the teens, sometimes single digits. We get all 4 seasons distinctively, so you may be right. I'm going to be building a special hutch so they have one room that's very insulated for winter and they will have an attached run to help stay cool in the summer, the hutch will be in the shade.
 
From my own experience I have found that the smaller the breed the more space they need!

My Nethie loves to run, jump and is generally into everything. My Lionhead cross and "breed unknown" black medium sized bunnies are both quite lazy.

All mine live outside.
 
The best "starter bunnies" are a spayed/neutered bonded pair. Baby rabbits are usually sweet to start with but can change a lot once their hormones start flowing. They also sometimes fight with their littermates and have to be separated so they don't hurt each other. After they're spayed/neutered they can be rebonded but it doesn't always work. Not to mention that if you get a boy and a girl baby, they're fertile before they're old enough to be spayed/neutered and you might have an accidental litter on your hands (and it's not good for the girl to have babies at such a young age).

I recommend asking around at shelters for a bonded pair. Be sure to ask what requirements they have for adopters. Many rescues will not allow rabbits to go to outdoor homes in the US because our weather is far more unforgiving than in the UK. Most rescues push for keeping rabbits in the house, which I approve of because it's not only more safe and fun, but there are no suitable hutches available and not everyone is able to make their own. Sometimes you can find nice hutches from the UK but they're not made to stand up to our winters.

Tans might not do well outside in winter because they are so slender. Avoid the smaller breeds too, such as Netherland Dwarf, Holland Lop, etc. Rex rabbits either mini or standard should not be kept in a hutch outdoors in the US because of their very short fur. They can't keep warm enough. If kept outdoors they need to be in a warm shed or barn, which is where most breeders keep their buns.

Hope that helps!
 
Thanks for that Sooz. What a beautiful bunster. I have never heard of them. Are they fairly unusual here?

There are a few breeders about but they are not one of the most usual rabbits. I guess they are a bit 'out of fashion' at the moment.

I had a B&T cross breed when I was younger, he was scrummy and had a fantastic temperment throughout his life despite never being neutered but I believe the purebreeds can be a bit highly strung.
 
Thanks for all the info - especially about not having personalities like dogs. I would much prefer to have older buns that are spayed & neutered rather than getting babies from the same litter. I was only worried about the bonding part.
 
My two are litter mates and they are great, the occasional scuffle which is normal but all else is fine x
 
We get 90 degree days in the summer, but only a few, usually low to mid 80s and winter is typically in the teens, sometimes single digits. We get all 4 seasons distinctively, so you may be right. I'm going to be building a special hutch so they have one room that's very insulated for winter and they will have an attached run to help stay cool in the summer, the hutch will be in the shade.

Yes in UK temps that's nearly 40 degrees in summer and -15 degrees in winter :shock: :shock: :shock: It NEVER gets that cold or that hot here, so I guess that's why the shelters insist on house rabbits in Connecticut - If I wanted to keep bunnies outside in that climate I would have a heated shed with a hutch in - they will freeze in a hutch outside, no matter how well insulated it is, just because it's small - and how will they take exercise if they can't leave the hutch when it's 12 degrees? A heated shed would make it possible for you to sit out with them and enjoy watching them play too - and it's NO fun at all cleaning hutches in winter - even with 2 inches of snow that we occasionally get :roll:
 
LOL, you only get 2 inches of snow? I wish we had that little! It's really hard to use our crummy cheap snowblower when the snow is 6 inches deep from one snow storm! Darn thing gets stuck.

But yeah, outdoor buns in the US are a whole different story. I do know people who keep them outdoors year round successfully, although many move the buns into the house or garage for the winter. A girl I know has to give warm, non-frozen water to her buns every few hours, and she'll even do it in the middle of the night. Otherwise the ice in the water bowl gets too thick for the poor buns to break through.

Although rabbits tolerate low temps pretty well, I have heard of buns with frostbitten ears being dumped at shelters, as well as some of the less reputable breeders talking about loosing rabbits to the cold.:cry:

A shed would definitely be a better way to go than a hutch. It doesn't necessarily have to be heated but it would help a lot.

Although, are you sure you can't keep them indoors? There's nothing like a bunny cuddling with you on the couch! All my buns except the diva Mocha get along fairly well with my cats as long as I watch them.
 
Thanks for all of the input everyone. In speaking with my husband and considering everyone's discussion, I think we are going to take our time learning about bunnies and their care and wait a few more years until we have a barn in order to ensure that they are comfortable and happy.
 
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