Dwarfs!

Hi,

I really want a dwarf have done since I was 5. I'm 13 now and never owned a rabbit in my life! I was wondering what would be the best dwarf rabbit for a beginner? I'd really love a house rabbit. But as we have dogs, S/he would only be able to stay in my room. What breed would be easiest to litter train? I have a huge dog create it's got a steel flooring and it can fit a great dane in it easy. Would it be big enough for a dwarf? Can you use a bedding other than wood shavings? But def hay. If there is any good websites please tell me.

Bella. xx

Hia:wave:

Mostly all rabbits can be litter trained Young buns are harder purely due to their age but rabbits generally like to 'go' in one corner so it makes it easier.

Your set up sounds good, a dog crate makes a great bunny home. You can make shelves to add a bit of excitment for you bunny too and he/she would need a run (either enclosed or free range in your room for some exercise)

I think you are doing the right thing by doing some research before getting a rabbit. However i think you'll need adult backing if you do decide to get one as they need vaccinating 3 times a year (Myxi twice and VHD once) and vetinary trips can be costly.

Wood shavings arent usually recommended but products such as VetBed and hay make great bedding.

I'm not sure what others would recommend as a 'first' rabbit, but i would say just read as much as you can, ask lots of questions on here and think hard about it. Rabbits can lives for 10 years+ so it is a big commitment

I have a Green area in my garden. It is totally sercure. My cousin would bring her rabbit over because she lived in a flat. I would play with her. Good times.

hey Bella,

www.rabbit.org is quite a good website. That has helped me lots with bunny queries. Also, forums like these are really good for first hand advice/experience. When you get a bun you could sign up on bunspace.com, the forum there is good too! (Also fun for oogling other gorgeous bunny pics!)

The dog crate sounds fine for a bun, mine lives in one. You can put a shelf in with a little ramp up so surface area is increased and so your bun can have a look out point!

As for dwarfs, I have jsut been having a discussion about this in another thread. My bunny Miffy is a dwarf lop, however, the name is a little misleading as they are not that dwarf at all! Mini lops are pretty small if it is a tiny bunny you want. Others on this forum would give you better advice on other dwarf breeds. As for litter training, I don;t think breed affects this too much, I think that it depends on the individual bun. Generally, buns are clean animals and will tend to go to the loo in one place, so based on this you can usually litter train all nuns quite easily. Obviously, there are always exceptions! There is loads of info on litter training on the web. I was lucky as all of mine have taken to their litter trays very quickly. They actually like sitting in them. Putting hay in for them to nibble whilst doing their business is usually quite successful in getting them to use it! Hope this might have helped you a little

Stevie x

Kirsty&Lola said:

However i think you'll need adult backing if you do decide to get one as they need vaccinating 3 times a year (Myxi twice and VHD once) and vetinary trips can be costly.

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This is definatley correct! When bunnies 'go wrong' it can be very costly and very upsetting if you have poorly bun that you can't afford to give the help they need. x

I was thinking of a Lionhead. My mum loves the mini lops. I was hoping to adopt from a rescue. So I may get an older rabbit than a younger one.
I'm finding out more about them before then I'm gonna make a presentation about bunnies and I've bought all the stuff to rabbit proof my room. I've been doing chores for about a year. So I'm gonna make a BIG! presentation and confront my mum!

Bella said:

I was thinking of a Lionhead. My mum loves the mini lops. I was hoping to adopt from a rescue. So I may get an older rabbit than a younger one.
I'm finding out more about them before then I'm gonna make a presentation about bunnies and I've bought all the stuff to rabbit proof my room. I've been doing chores for about a year. So I'm gonna make a BIG! presentation and confront my mum!

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I think its great that you are getting all the info ready You could tell your mum that for about £8 per month you can insure your rabbit, this makes suprise vet visits less financially stressful. However you'll still have to pay for vaccs. If you adopt an older bunny from a rescue they are normally spayed/neutered already however if you did want a young bun many rescues get unwanted litters and are always looking for loving homes

Lionheads are quite small i think....not 100% sure as have never had one myself. Mini lops are teeny. Good luck with winning you mum over, but make sure she understands that bunnies can be quite delicate little creatures and can get quite poorly sometimes! As long as you do your research on them and how to look after them really well then you should be fine! :wave:

I have a lionhead bunny and a netherland dwarf bunny - both similar sizes and both quite small, so would recommend these two breeds if you are looking for a smaller bunny.

I was wondering, What would be better for a beginner a Large rabbit or a Small rabbit?

i think it all comes down to the space you can give the bunny

That's why I thought a smaller breed would be best because then He'd have loads of space he could imagine. Also I don't think my mum would like a massive rabbit. Be like having another dog lol.

Bella said:

I was wondering, What would be better for a beginner a Large rabbit or a Small rabbit?

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i think a medium size rabbit would probably be a good first pet....

large rabits can have health problems and may need special care due to their size...they cost proportionally more at the vets if they need to be anaesthetised because they'll require more anaesthetic and medication will be more pricey too.

very small rabbits CAN be a bit more temperamental ,although not always the case but it's worth bearing in mind...also dwarf rabbits can develop dental problems which can be costly...this can happen even if they are fed the correct diet.

i would also say that lops don't make a good first bunny because they tend to have more dental problems..in fact out of twenty three rabbits that have come into our vets with tooth root abscesses over recent months only one wasn't a dwarf lop(although these aren't actually a dwarf breed).

Radish said:

i think a medium size rabbit would probably be a good first pet....

large rabits can have health problems and may need special care due to their size...they cost proportionally more at the vets if they need to be anaesthetised because they'll require more anaesthetic and medication will be more pricey too.

very small rabbits CAN be a bit more temperamental ,although not always the case but it's worth bearing in mind...also dwarf rabbits can develop dental problems which can be costly...this can happen even if they are fed the correct diet.

i would also say that lops don't make a good first bunny because they tend to have more dental problems..in fact out of twenty three rabbits that have come into our vets with tooth root abscesses over recent months only one wasn't a dwarf lop(although these aren't actually a dwarf breed).

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WOW! Soo.. What breed would you say was the best?

Bella said:

WOW! Soo.. What breed would you say was the best?

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i think it's down to personal preference...i like dutch rabbits but they can be naughty, i also love english bunnies but you don't see many of them these days...my advice would be to research medium size rabbit breeds and see which would suit your circumstances and which you feel you would like the personality of.

Radish said:

i think it's down to personal preference...i like dutch rabbits but they can be naughty, i also love english bunnies but you don't see many of them these days...my advice would be to research medium size rabbit breeds and see which would suit your circumstances and which you feel you would like the personality of.

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My cousin has both a Dutch and a English. Her english is so beautiful and Floppy! her Dutch is a pretty scratchy.

Bella said:

My cousin has both a Dutch and a English. Her english is so beautiful and Floppy! her Dutch is a pretty scratchy.

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i had an english bun called Radish a long time ago and it was the softest soppiest bunny i've ever owned.

Radish said:

i had an english bun called Radish a long time ago and it was the softest soppiest bunny i've ever owned.

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Aww! Is there any other breeds of rabbits that are middleish size? other than the English and Dutch?

Any rabbit can be aggressive, that's why its often best to adopt an adult rabbit rather than a kit, as the kit can turn aggressive if you don't know where its from.
I got my first rabbit when she was 7 weeks old and she was cute and all in the start, but when she got 3-4 months she started biting, hard
I got her neutered later on and she calmed down but she's never been a friendly cuddly bun. (She was a dwarf mix, part lop part nethie)
My other two rabbits are rexes and they both have wonderful personalties
Behavior don't really depend on the breed, but genetics and how the bunny was raised. Aggressive parents breed aggressive kits, so avoid backyard breeders and pet stores who only breed for making money, with little or no thought about the rabbit's temper. (The dwarf rabbit comes from a not very well-planned litter between a pet shop bun and another one that was given to my school, no pedigree on either, both rexes have good pedigrees though)

Soo.. I'm confused would it be better to get a bigger or smaller rabbit. Lol. Sorry if I sound stupid.

I'm gonna stay clear from Pet shops and Breeders. I think that they should sex their bunnies probably! :evil: