• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Any advice on Netherland Dwarf Bunnys?

I am looking into getting a netherland dwarf bunny to keep in the house (as a house rabbit) does anyone have any basic infomation on them like what food is best, if a vet would neuter/spay them (because they are so small), are they good as house rabbits, ect,ect any advice would be great. Thanks :wave:
 
Yes, they can be neutered/spayed. I have 2 nethie house buns myself and they're great. it depends more on personality than breed but overall I think nethies are sweet, friendly, funny little buns and mine are well behaved and so cute and innocent acting. I love nethies!
 
:wave: I LOVE netherland dwarf bunnies, but there are some things that it would be useful for you to know before deciding on one as a house bunny, so it's great that you've asked :)

Yes a vet will spay/neuter a nethie as long as they are in good health otherwise - they just use less anaesthetic so the smaller size doesn't really matter. My little Santa weighed around 900g most of her life and as well as her spay, she had multiple anaesthetics for dentals etc and never had a problem.

Netherland dwarves are generally a little more skittish than some of the bigger breeds, who perhaps tend to be a little more relaxed. So if you have a noisy household with lots of hustle and bustle, that may not suit a little bunny very well who could get stressed and/or cause accidents by bolting around, but of course if you have a nice quiet household, it may be fine. Also, because they are so little, they do have a tendency to be able to get into all sorts of places that they're not supposed to be, so your bunny proofing will need to be absolutely top notch, as they will be able to wiggle through tiny spaces to chew on all those wires. Bad for you and could kill your bunny!

I would also add that netherland dwarves are extremely active bunnies so please don't fall into the trap of thinking that a smaller bunny needs a smaller base, because it's just not true. If anything my netherland dwarves are much more lively and active than my bigger bunnies so actually need more space!

Personally, I have to say that netherland dwarves would not be my breed of choice for a house rabbit. Although obviously there is going to be a lot of variation by individuals, on the whole I think they're a breed that is better suited to having a large, outdoor enclosure with a companion. I would also add that netherland dwarves tend to have more health problems than many other breeds, because bunnies are not "meant" to be that shape. The characteristics of netherland dwarves which make them so gorgeous - flat faces, tiny ears, tiny bunnies, are exactly the characteristics which make them so prone to chronic illnesses such as dental disease and snuffles. So if you choose this breed, please do be aware that you are more likely to end up with a bunny that needs ongoing veterinary treatment, so I would recommend a good insurance, although most insurances don't cover dental problems anyway. Of course you can never tell and to a certain extent it's the 'luck of the draw' on that, but there's just a higher chance so it's worth being aware of this in advance. You can minimise the chances of it happening (but not prevent it if it's genetic), by feeding bunny a diet very high in different hays as the main component of its diet, accompanied by a good quality bunny food such as bunny basics T or science selective, and a few veg. I personally would avoid foods aimed at dwarf bunnies (I seem to recall that burgess make one for junior and dwarf bunnies - too rich for an adult rabbit in my opinion).

Having said that, it will of course vary by individual bunny, so why not see if you can find a local rescue where you can visit and see what bunnies they have. A good rescue knows their bunnies very well and will be able to find you a good match for your household. Added advantages of rescue bunnies are that they would already be neutered so you wouldn't need to worry about that, probably litter trained, and their personalities will already be known. It's very difficult to predict how any baby bunny is going to turn out when he/she grows up.

Finally, I would add that bunnies are social creatures so I would recommend getting two bunnies. With the best will in the world, they're going to be on their own for the most part of the day and night and a companion of their own species is generally considered the kindest thing for them where possible.

Gosh, that turned into a bit of an essay didn't it, sorry! Hope it helps, though :)
 
Yes, they can be neutered/spayed. I have 2 nethie house buns myself and they're great. it depends more on personality than breed but overall I think nethies are sweet, friendly, funny little buns and mine are well behaved and so cute and innocent acting. I love nethies!

I am looking foward to getting one now Thanks!
 
:wave: I LOVE netherland dwarf bunnies, but there are some things that it would be useful for you to know before deciding on one as a house bunny, so it's great that you've asked :)

Yes a vet will spay/neuter a nethie as long as they are in good health otherwise - they just use less anaesthetic so the smaller size doesn't really matter. My little Santa weighed around 900g most of her life and as well as her spay, she had multiple anaesthetics for dentals etc and never had a problem.

Netherland dwarves are generally a little more skittish than some of the bigger breeds, who perhaps tend to be a little more relaxed. So if you have a noisy household with lots of hustle and bustle, that may not suit a little bunny very well who could get stressed and/or cause accidents by bolting around, but of course if you have a nice quiet household, it may be fine. Also, because they are so little, they do have a tendency to be able to get into all sorts of places that they're not supposed to be, so your bunny proofing will need to be absolutely top notch, as they will be able to wiggle through tiny spaces to chew on all those wires. Bad for you and could kill your bunny!

I would also add that netherland dwarves are extremely active bunnies so please don't fall into the trap of thinking that a smaller bunny needs a smaller base, because it's just not true. If anything my netherland dwarves are much more lively and active than my bigger bunnies so actually need more space!

Personally, I have to say that netherland dwarves would not be my breed of choice for a house rabbit. Although obviously there is going to be a lot of variation by individuals, on the whole I think they're a breed that is better suited to having a large, outdoor enclosure with a companion. I would also add that netherland dwarves tend to have more health problems than many other breeds, because bunnies are not "meant" to be that shape. The characteristics of netherland dwarves which make them so gorgeous - flat faces, tiny ears, tiny bunnies, are exactly the characteristics which make them so prone to chronic illnesses such as dental disease and snuffles. So if you choose this breed, please do be aware that you are more likely to end up with a bunny that needs ongoing veterinary treatment, so I would recommend a good insurance, although most insurances don't cover dental problems anyway. Of course you can never tell and to a certain extent it's the 'luck of the draw' on that, but there's just a higher chance so it's worth being aware of this in advance. You can minimise the chances of it happening (but not prevent it if it's genetic), by feeding bunny a diet very high in different hays as the main component of its diet, accompanied by a good quality bunny food such as bunny basics T or science selective, and a few veg. I personally would avoid foods aimed at dwarf bunnies (I seem to recall that burgess make one for junior and dwarf bunnies - too rich for an adult rabbit in my opinion).

Having said that, it will of course vary by individual bunny, so why not see if you can find a local rescue where you can visit and see what bunnies they have. A good rescue knows their bunnies very well and will be able to find you a good match for your household. Added advantages of rescue bunnies are that they would already be neutered so you wouldn't need to worry about that, probably litter trained, and their personalities will already be known. It's very difficult to predict how any baby bunny is going to turn out when he/she grows up.

Finally, I would add that bunnies are social creatures so I would recommend getting two bunnies. With the best will in the world, they're going to be on their own for the most part of the day and night and a companion of their own species is generally considered the kindest thing for them where possible.

Gosh, that turned into a bit of an essay didn't it, sorry! Hope it helps, though :)

Thanks for the great infomation it was really helpful:D I am looking foward to getting one now.
 
I had a freerange housebunny called Tinkerbell. She was full of life and very, very friendly.

I miss her very much and would love another someday :D
 
I love my nethies and their very cheeky personality. I have several indoors and several outdoors and oooh, I just love them.

The one thing I have noticed in working with a lot of breeds and rabbits in general is that they seem to be more of a challenge to bond with other rabbits; not all the time, but some of the time, and seem to be very picky about partners. Again though, that comes down to individual bunnies.
 
I love my nethies and their very cheeky personality. I have several indoors and several outdoors and oooh, I just love them.

The one thing I have noticed in working with a lot of breeds and rabbits in general is that they seem to be more of a challenge to bond with other rabbits; not all the time, but some of the time, and seem to be very picky about partners. Again though, that comes down to individual bunnies.

I LOVE your new sig!!! :love: :wave:
 
I love nethies :love::love:

Mine are outdoor buns, with hutches inside an aviary so that they are never confined in a small space - they loooove having a lot of space to run around in!

The are wonderful characters, very nosey, love being up high, but they do tend to have more teeth and tummy troubles than larger breeds, so you need to do some research into dental symptoms, costs of treatment for dentals, stasis etc before you commit to having a nethie.

Hope you find a bunny (or pair of buns ;)) to suit you :)
 
I love my nethies and their very cheeky personality. I have several indoors and several outdoors and oooh, I just love them.

The one thing I have noticed in working with a lot of breeds and rabbits in general is that they seem to be more of a challenge to bond with other rabbits; not all the time, but some of the time, and seem to be very picky about partners. Again though, that comes down to individual bunnies.

That is interesting that you say this, I have had the same experience in the past, I always wondered if it was just me who had this thought.
 
I have a couple house bun nethies and the place wouldn't be the same without them, I adore nethies lol.


I love my nethies and their very cheeky personality. I have several indoors and several outdoors and oooh, I just love them.

The one thing I have noticed in working with a lot of breeds and rabbits in general is that they seem to be more of a challenge to bond with other rabbits; not all the time, but some of the time, and seem to be very picky about partners. Again though, that comes down to individual bunnies.

I have also found this, they seem to be very picky with their partners but I do know someone that has nethie crosses that has never had an issue. :wave:
 
I have a Nethie, and he is seriously feisty, he has also been the problem when bonding, I wouldn't say they are fighting, but he definitely doesn't love them yet.
 
Last edited:
This was my beautiful Princess Tinkerbell, she was gorgeous.

000_0044.jpg
 
Interesting what you experience bonders say about nethies. I strongly suspect Nutmeg has some Nethie in her and I do think that's partly where she gets her feistiness from. She was also the sticking point in the quad bond too, the other three got on brilliantly.

I still :love: her though. I :love: feisty bunnies.
 
I can only echo what others have said about bonding Nethies - nightmare!

Have always been tricky and I feel that it's due to a seriously flighty/intense/fast/nervy nature. That's just from my experience and I've tried a few!
 
Strange how everyone's experiences are so different!

Tinkerbell bonded immediately with Simba and they never had any aggression between them!
 
This makes me feel better that my bonds with some of my nethies have been so tough :D Mine are not nervy or flighty or skittish or anything at all like that though, mine just know their own mind and are very independent.

It was only once I started bonding other rabbits (specifically lops) that I realised bonding is not always as tough as I'd been finding it.

It's really good to know the experienced bonders agree too :D
 
I never had a problem bonding Charlee (nethie) with Noah either. She was incredibly submissive, and just sat there while he humped her. Finally he gave up, and hasn't humped her since -- they are awesome together, totally in love and forever grooming each other. :love:

I have only had 2 bunnies, Charlee and Noah so don't have much to compare to. Neither like to be held, but Charlee isn't as skittish as Noah. Noah is a very nervous bunny, and I'm not sure if it is because of his breed, or history or just his personality.

I was under the common misconception that smaller breeds didn't require large cages. Which was how I managed to convince the OH, "They aren't that much bigger than guinea pigs, so cage space won't be any different!" :lol: We started off with a 3ftx3ft cage :oops: But she is VERY active, and requires plenty of enrichment. When she gets bored, she gets mischievous and then she's a nightmare :lol:
 
Back
Top