Which bunny?

Having posted in the housing section and read up on a lot of threads about giants I am not sure we have the space for a pair to be quite honest. I'm a stickler for not just 'making do' when it comes to housing animals so it would bother me if we housed them by half measures so to speak.

I have been bewildered by the different kinds of bunnies around and wondered if there are any particular traits to each breed..more cuddly, more highly strung etc. With the kids wanting to pet them we would be looking for bunnies that are more laid back. We may well end up adopting (our mice and hamster are from rescue) but it might be nice to get pets that are..well..ours if you know what I mean.

Although rescues are best known for their 'second hand' rabbits you can also get babies from them. Often a rabbit will come in pregnant or someone will hand in a litter they couldn't find homes for.

With children I'd actually recommend going for a pair that are young adults or older. Rabbits go through a teenage phase that can change their personality - cute cuddly baby does not necessarily mean they'll be cuddly adults. Girls in particular can get stropy and aggressive. It's usually cured by neutering but you can end up with a period of a few weeks or months with rabbits that lunge or spray urine etc.

Rabbits grow up quick so a 8 week old baby will look like an adult in 8 weeks time so it's not a big part of ownership anyway.

I'd recommend a neutered male/female pair in a medium breed (or larger if you prefer), meet them first. If they are inquisitive and keen to explore and sniff you then you should get on well. Breed isn't particularly important in terms of personality so meeting the individual bunnies is important. Did you mention you liked the German Lop? You might like the Dwarf Lop, despite the name these are actually dwarfs of the big French lop so are not dwarf in size compared to most bunnies. They usually weigh in about 2.5kg.

You do need to keep in mind that the majority of rabbits even the friendly ones do not like being picked up and carried so if you haven't got accommodation yet consider something your children can walk into to sit and stroke the rabbits rather than something that involves lifting them out. They can kick out quite forcefully if they feel insecure when picked up so it's an adult only job really.

Thankyou for the advice. Its funny that my OH prefers the lops but I prefer up ears...actually have quite a liking for Belgian Hares but we def don't have room for those as I read they need lots more space than other bunnies.

When I started asking friends about rabbits they were surprised that the bunnies are for me and my OH but obviously need to be amenable to kiddies so they can get in on the cuddles. I won't be picking up bunnies very often as I have a bad back which is why we were looking at a shed/playhouse set up..also easier for me to clean.

Anyways, I have rambled. We will prob end up adopting again but its good to know that its really down to the individual rabbit rather than the breed specifically.

If you go for a pair you can have one of each! Or there are helicopter buns that have one ear up and one down. Belgium hairs are lovely but a bit high strung. Rexes are a similar sort of shape but less exaggerated and have velvet fur, might be worth a look. You do need to be more careful with flooring with them though. Honestly though, you'll probably decide what you like then go to rescue, meet some very cute bunny that looks absolutely nothing like you thought you favourite was and fall for that one :lol:

You might want to consider a small shed rather than a playhouse. There isn't much difference in floor size or price but the extra head height might make cleaning easier.

I have an aviary with a hutch inside up on tall legs, makes cleaning easier and the rabbits still have the underneath space.

I was wondering about the head height in a playhouse...plus there isn't much difference in price to be honest between a shed and playhouse either. We don't really have room for an aviary...our garden is long but narrowish so structures are better lower. I did find these though:- http://www.freewebs.com/brrescue/rabbitruns.htm which I assume would be high enough for a giant if we end up with one? we won't be doing anything until next year I expect as we want to make sure we have enough for the vets fees etc should we need to take them.

Out of interest is it usually a pair that recommended rather than a trio etc?

I don't find the aviary too bad actually, although it's quite big because it's mesh it's see through so doesn't feel as big if you follow. You could go 3-4' wide and long and narrow.

I don't know what else you have in your garden, but have you thought about going across the end?

Usually a pair as the more bunnies you add the more chance of personality clashes when you are trying to introduce them. It's not impossible to have more though.

I have a giant bonded to a dwarf lop....






They get on very well!

Wow, little and large

Hmm, we don't have a lot in our garden..its been a lot of work since we moved in just keeping it insome sort of shape. We do have a hedge at the end with some godawful 2" thorns so prob best to keep bunnies away from there especially as it tends to go everywhere when you cut it.

We have a hoooge leylandii aswell which has had its branches taken off to about 6ft up. Now, this could provide shade but are the berries or branches likely to be toxic? The wind does tend to blow the twigs and berries down abit.

There are a couple of places an aviary might fit..in terms of height I guess its not much different to a shed but i think we will opt for the shed and large run simply to offer more shelter in winter (we do get the wind across our garden) and to leave us open to options in terms of bunny size when we come to go see whats in the rescue.

I am so glad we came on here, I have clarified so many things so far and I only joined today! lol

Ceretrea said:

Wow, little and large

Hmm, we don't have a lot in our garden..its been a lot of work since we moved in just keeping it insome sort of shape. We do have a hedge at the end with some godawful 2" thorns so prob best to keep bunnies away from there especially as it tends to go everywhere when you cut it.

We have a hoooge leylandii aswell which has had its branches taken off to about 6ft up. Now, this could provide shade but are the berries or branches likely to be toxic? The wind does tend to blow the twigs and berries down abit.

There are a couple of places an aviary might fit..in terms of height I guess its not much different to a shed but i think we will opt for the shed and large run simply to offer more shelter in winter (we do get the wind across our garden) and to leave us open to options in terms of bunny size when we come to go see whats in the rescue.

I am so glad we came on here, I have clarified so many things so far and I only joined today! lol

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Hehe, welcome! :wave:

If I were you I'd get rid of the thorns and the leylandi. The bigger they get the more expensive they'll be to move....

My buns are in a shed for nights and love it. During the day they free range..sounds like your buns will be very happy with you

Welcome:wave: Can I just say how lovely it is to find someone who's willing to find out as much as possible before adopting a pair of bunnies. You're going to make a great bunny mummy This is a great forum for advice and general bunny chat. Do let us know how you get on won't you and send us lots of pictures when you're all set up and the new buns have arrived. We'd love to see them.

Mackers said:

Welcome:wave: Can I just say how lovely it is to find someone who's willing to find out as much as possible before adopting a pair of bunnies. You're going to make a great bunny mummy This is a great forum for advice and general bunny chat. Do let us know how you get on won't you and send us lots of pictures when you're all set up and the new buns have arrived. We'd love to see them.

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Absolutely! :thumb:

I used to have Dutchies and I've always thought them particularly intelligent--kind of clever. One girl used to dig a hole and sleep down in there. To get her out I'd get a long pine branch with a broom of pine straw on it. I'd stick it in the hole and tickle her which would send her up. She never tried to escape, just went in the hole. If I filled in the hole, she would dig a new one in the same spot.

I wish I could get rid of the thorns and leylandii but alas, we are in housing association property and they have said no :roll:

We did lots of research before we got the mice and the five of them live in two Freddy 2 cages connected up...the Hammie was not intended but was fallen for and she is a doll. I was so horrified at the kinds of info you can be given as a newb to any species available in pet stores..doing you homework by talking to those in rescue and those with bunny experience (or experience in whatever animal you are interested in) is a must in my book. I was caught out a long time ago starting out with fish and I will never ever take the advice of a pet store again You have all been so helpful.

The only thing we are lacking at the moment is a slight increase in incomings enough to cover a larger animals vets fees, I won't jump into anything unless I am sure we can afford it. Plus the rodents get spoiled rotten at the mo OH will be seeing a promotion soon so fingers crossed that plans will start to come into being soon.

And I will be sure to come here and badger everyone with pictures and questions too...

In case no ones mentioned, you can get pet insurance for rabbits which is good if you can cover normal costs happily but sudden big bills worry you.

It is great that you are doing your research.
I would advise not to get too hung up on breeds and just go along to a rescue and ask for an already bonded pair of rabbits with laid back temperaments.
It's also quite nice to consider the medium to large sized, not so pretty ones, as these often get overlooked and can be waiting years for a home xx

Oh I can't wait We have an odd little selection in our other adoptees..like you said not the prettiest but wonderfully quirky and lovable. They fit right in with the rest of us wierdos

We now avoid pet insurance like the plague after a few concurrent incidences with petplan we now save a certain stash amount and then add to it monthly to cover both the expected and unexpected. not the best way for everyone but it works for us