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what is the friendliest breed of rabbit

As in with other bunnies, I know that bonding doesn't always work out, but what breed of rabbit are easiest to bond/friendliest ?
 
I really hate it when people ask this question (sorry - not having a go)
It's like asking which nationality of people are friendlier.
Everybun has their own personality :) (Plus neutering works wonders)
 
I'm not an expert with different breeds, as I've only ever had my pair. They're Dutch and love each other to pieces, but then they're littermates so that might make a difference.

Do you have a bunny already? If I were you I'd have a look at some local rescues. Maybe give them a ring first, and ask if they have a bun which fits your requirments? :) Then you can take your little one along and see which they bond with best - most rescues will let you do this and help with the bonding process.

Welcome to the site, by the way! :wave:
 
I dont think a certain breed is friendly etc etc, I have had: silver foxes, large dwarf lop, a netherland dwarf and a polish dwarf and even a wildie and all were lovely and friendly. I think it is dependant on the individual bun, perhaps go to a local Rabbit Rescue and visit them, rescues can tell you what personality the buns have, and are more reliable than breeders because rescues spend more time with their buns if you know what I mean, plus you can go and meet them yourself and will be able to judge whether they are friendly or a bit fearful etc. :) Good luck.
 
I do think it depends on the bunny and tbh I have had Pie neutered and she didnt change in her personality at all. She still gets nippy and teritorial when I catch her on her bad days! :roll:

I do think that all the french lops I have owned and met have been wonderful though. :love:
 
I rescued a dutch that was pretty friendly with people, cats and dogs but hated all other rabbits - she's now rehomed with a very very amazing owner and a cat.

My 2 rabbits love each other and food, nothing else.

It really does depend on the bun in question, alot of buns are just shy though and just need to learn to trust their owner.
 
I have read a couple of times that the bigger rabbits are more friendly and that netherland dwarfs are a bit timid and highly strung. We have nethie dwarves and one runs off and hates being touched, whilst the other is curious and adventurous and lets you stroke him - so I guess personality does come into it as we bought both together and they have been treated the same.
 
A mini rex (Kylo) was the friendlest I have ever had and a standard rex (Esme) was the most aggressive. Although Esme has completely changed know she has been neutered.
 
I think there are actually two ways of asking the 'which bun is the friendliest' question...

- Which breed is friendliest to humans.
- Which breed is friendliest to other rabbits.

The latter question is unanswerable! :lol: Wether or not two buns will get along is completely dependant on the individual bunnies personalities. They do not see each other as being different breeds. Your bunny will not react differently to a dutch compared to a french lop with the same personality types for example.

I find there are breeds that are friendlier towards people though. In my experience, some breeds are a bit skittish and aren't to bothered about human company where as some are very laid back and like nothing more than to sit for hours with their humans having nose rubs and cuddles. I think every one on here will agree that giant buns are very people friendly. Of course, there are always exceptions!
 
I have read a couple of times that the bigger rabbits are more friendly and that netherland dwarfs are a bit timid and highly strung. We have nethie dwarves and one runs off and hates being touched, whilst the other is curious and adventurous and lets you stroke him - so I guess personality does come into it as we bought both together and they have been treated the same.

There is nothing wrong with nethies... mine is not highly strung at all.... I dont agree with this generalising to the breed, my Winter, a polish dwarf, is meant to be aggressive, according to people who think they are so clever and I will inform you she is not.

I am fed up of people judging a breed on its 'charactoristics' ... its as bad as judging breeds of dogs that are bound to be aggressive.

There is no such thing as a breed of rabbit that is more human friendly.

What a stupid idea.
 
There is nothing wrong with nethies... mine is not highly strung at all.... I dont agree with this generalising to the breed, my Winter, a polish dwarf, is meant to be aggressive, according to people who think they are so clever and I will inform you she is not.

I am fed up of people judging a breed on its 'charactoristics' ... its as bad as judging breeds of dogs that are bound to be aggressive.

There is no such thing as a breed of rabbit that is more human friendly.

What a stupid idea.

Wow, I do love it when people call me stupid for trying to help. :roll:

I didn't mention any breeds that are not human friendly, I just pointed out that just about every one on here would say giants are very friendly towards people.
 
Wow, I do love it when people call me stupid for trying to help. :roll:

I didn't mention any breeds that are not human friendly, I just pointed out that just about every one on here would say giants are very friendly towards people.

Not you, the whole idea. Its a fantasy that certain breeds come with a two sentence blurb on what they should be like......:roll:

Every rabbit is an individual with their own interests and personalities..... not predetermined by their breed.
 
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Jeanna, I know how much you love your little buns so I can totally understand where you're coming from but I don't think anyone has said anything bad about nethies or polish buns. Tintin mearly said they had two nethies - a friendly one and a not so friendly one. I didn't see anything degrogatory to little buns written anywhere unless I just missed it.

There isn't a 'personalty standard' for any particular breed of bunny, I agree completely, but there are a few breeds that I think it's fair to label as people friendly. For example, the giants. I don't think I've seen a single thread on RU about a unfriendly giant bun.

It was me who wrote the 'friendliest to people' bit and you called that a stupid idea so I kind of think that was directed at me. I didn't mean any offence with it, I was just trying to help the OP with her question.

I'm sorry if the way I worded it upset you. :oops:
 
Jeanna, I know how much you love your little buns so I can totally understand where you're coming from but I don't think anyone has said anything bad about nethies or polish buns. Tintin mearly said they had two nethies - a friendly one and a not so friendly one. I didn't see anything degrogatory to little buns written anywhere unless I just missed it.

There isn't a 'personalty standard' for any particular breed of bunny, I agree completely, but there are a few breeds that I think it's fair to label as people friendly. For example, the giants. I don't think I've seen a single thread on RU about a unfriendly giant bun.

It was me who wrote the 'friendliest to people' bit and you called that a stupid idea so I kind of think that was directed at me. I didn't mean any offence with it, I was just trying to help the OP with her question.

I'm sorry if the way I worded it upset you. :oops:

Im not upset at you, I am just annoyed at people asking what is the friendliest breed, as I have said, every bun is an individual, the best place to go if you have character traits in mind would be to go a rescue, as all decent rescues give a paragraph on each of their available rabbits behaviour and charactor......

This is not a personal attack, I think I was already writing before you even posted the entry at the top of this page.

I am sure there must be some giants out there that arent friendly, but if you think about it, MOST if not ALL people on here with giants are great bunny mummys..... and less end up in rescues because people are FAR less likely to impulse buy a giant from pets at home due to their price.....

Im just a little wound up this evening, annnoyed at people judging creatures due to their breed, either dog or rabbit, I dont think its a useful way to look at life or individuals. :evil:

Seriously though, OP, if you want a human friendly rabbit, please, go to your local rescue and have a look, there will be individuals there that meet your criteria. Baby buns havent fully developed so wont have fully developed their character.


Thanks
 
Now that I can understand, there are so many stories and threads around the site at the moment about devil rabbits and evil dogs. :shock: It's not good for the soul.

I think the only way to find a bunny with a good personality is to go and meet them! It's impossible to tell from photographs/breed recommendations and I know our local RSPCA writes 'friendly' on every single rabbit they have in. So I wouldn't be entirely trusting of what some rescues (or pet shops) would tell me.

I truly believe that you just 'know' when it's the right bunny too. :love:
 
Just wanted to add that you are correct that giants aren't impulse bought so much but they are prone to being neglected/miss-treated - often unintentionally. Giants are much harder to care for due to sheer size and thus often find themselves in too small hutches (even if they'd be perfectly acceptable for smaller buns) or lacking in vet care because their bills are so much higher.
 
I think it is all dependant on how the bunny has been handled from birth by people, how it has been interacted with and whether it has learnt to trust people or fear them. All bunnies want to be friendly in my view and the fact some aren't is usually testimony to abuse or neglect or both. Fear manifests in aggression in most species of animals and some humans too. Best thing to do is spend time with a bunny you like and that seems to respond well, ask for it to come out of its enclosure and you sit on the floor or lay down and let it come to you. Inside even the most aggressive rabbit somewhere I think is a cuddle bun, it just needs time and patience and understanding and above all love to make it unlearn the behaviour that probably helped it survive whatever it endured to make it aggressive and keep people away.
 
I think it is all dependant on how the bunny has been handled from birth by people, how it has been interacted with and whether it has learnt to trust people or fear them. All bunnies want to be friendly in my view and the fact some aren't is usually testimony to abuse or neglect or both. Fear manifests in aggression in most species of animals and some humans too. Best thing to do is spend time with a bunny you like and that seems to respond well, ask for it to come out of its enclosure and you sit on the floor or lay down and let it come to you. Inside even the most aggressive rabbit somewhere I think is a cuddle bun, it just needs time and patience and understanding and above all love to make it unlearn the behaviour that probably helped it survive whatever it endured to make it aggressive and keep people away.

Couldn't of put it better myself :thumb: Great post!!
 
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