Hello from Floyd and Me...

Hello all,

Floyd has asked to be introduced to everyone, so here goes:

Many years ago when in my teenage years I bred & exhibited rabbits, and confess to having had quite a few! I found them all so beautiful that over the 10 or so years that I kept them, I owned many different breeds but mainly Belgian Hares, Orange Rex, Polish, Harlequins, Magpies and Dwarf Lops. Then later I managed to track down a rare Tri-colour Dutch, and created my own line of those, at a time when only a handful of people in the UK bred them.

I always said if I came back to rabbits, I would have Tri-Colour Dutch again - I loved their unusual pattern, good health, and above all, their great personalities. This came to pass earlier this year, when Floyd came into my life.

Floyd lives as a house bunny, and he's the first house rabbit I've ever had. And what a character he has! He is incredibly affectionate and licky, outgoing and friendly to everyone especially children, quite a bright little person in fact! He isn't neutered (yet) but doesn't spray... although he does wee on my lap sometimes if I have been handling other rabbits... I guess he gets jealous! He is completely in love with me, and I am sure he would try humping me if he wasn't such a gentleman.

Out in my little shed I have Mrs Floyd, who currently has a litter of 6 cuties. There is also Ember, the Floyds' daughter from the first litter, and a pair of beautiful Black Dutch, the Bertie Bassetts, who came to me after their owner/breeder died.

As you may have gathered, I do breed occasionally, but not to excess, and my babies are handled every day from birth. All the buns are given regular exercise, and are very well fed - I feed a lot of wild greens which I gather from local wild places and common land. I am hoping that any babies I part with will make excellent pets, since they have been raised with a great deal of understanding and maximum socialisation. It would break my heart if any ended up in rescue... and by screening new owners carefully, I hope this will never happen.

I don't have the space for many more rabbits, so I'm happy with the ones I have, as I feel I can give them enough time and attention. But I do confess, every time I see a Belgian Hare I fall in love all over again, they were my first love, although I never actually bred any. Perhaps when Floyd is neutered, there might be room for a Hare as a buddy for him... maybe even a rescue... who knows!

If you don't know what Tri-Colour Dutch look like, they are the same breed as Suki, the rabbit on the Rabbit Rehome banners, and Ember who is on my avatar, photo taken when she was three weeks old. They are still classified as a rare breed, although I have noticed them appearing in a certain large pet store chain - obviously their "mill" breeders have got hold of them...

But because I love the breed, if I ever find any needing a home I'll always help... there is one I recently added to Rabbit Rehome on behalf of the owner, who is due to go into hospital for a serious operation and will be too disabled to care for her when she comes out. If necessary I will take Rosie and foster her myself if a home can't be found in time.

Well that's it - better go and see what mischief the Currant Machine is up to now.... lol

Hiya Sue, lovely to see you here. I'm so glad you've found the delight in having a housebun. I've had housebuns for years and I feel my home would never be the same without one. Your tri-coloured dutches are beautiful! After my Missy died, it took about a year for me to come round to looking at other buns. We went to see a local man who had some 'telly-tubby' rabbits for sale and there we discovered Belgian Hares, they are just soooo beautiful when you see them face to face! Just like kangaroos with their huge legs, long tails and pointy faces! and so BIG! Their purlies are like Maltesers! I fell in love with them too. I always thought they were a bit highly strung though, is this true? Do they need any special requirements?

Hi and welcome! those bunnys are lovely!
I have 3 house rabbits

Hello and welcome to yourself, the lovely Floyd, and your other buns. Housebunnies are delightful - really brings out their personalities, and you get to know them so well that you can detect immediately if all is not well with them. Robbie was quite ill back in January this year, and we noticed within a couple of hours that he wasn't his normal self.

He had gut statis, after munching his way through a huge chunk of carpet. Thankfully, he made a good recovery, and is back to his mischevious ways that I wouldn't change for the world. :wink:

hi,
dont u look familar lol
thanx for the advice about the hamster she is doing fine now and so r the babies fro what i can see
welcome to the fourm
ye the tri dutch r really nice
becky

bunnyhuggger said:

...Belgian Hares, they are just soooo beautiful when you see them face to face! Just like kangaroos with their huge legs, long tails and pointy faces! and so BIG! Their purlies are like Maltesers! I fell in love with them too. I always thought they were a bit highly strung though, is this true? Do they need any special requirements?

Click to expand...

Hello, and thanks for the welcome!

Re Belgian Hares: I've owned a total of 4 over the years. The first was a doe named Nutmeg, who was meant to be my show & breeding doe. It took me two years before I got parental permission to have her, and a lot of pocket money saving.... I was 13.

At the local agricultural show we spoke to a breeder, who was willing to sell a young doe at the show. Being a novice I didn't know I was being stitched up... the breeder gave me a blank transfer card for her ring (no signature) so I had to track him down again before I could show her. She also had the most awful sore hocks I have ever seen on a rabbit, which after much treatment never healed. She did have an irascible temper, but I forgave her - it could have been the usual female hormones (vets did not spay rabbits then) or her bad feet.

A year later I was permitted to have a pair of Hares - from another breeder - who were lovely. The buck, Hamlet, was as sweet as you could wish for. I was devastated when a fox tore the wire from his hutch front one night, and "took him out to dinner" so to speak Then I lost the doe, Penny, from flystrike... vets did not know how to cure it back then, and it horrified them, as it does to most owners, so she was pts.

A couple of years later I tried again, with a stunning young buck, Rama. But I found him dead in his hutch one morning... I worked for a vet's then, so had a PM done, but they found nothing. This was still before the big breakthrough in rabbit knowledge, so maybe nowadays a cause could have been found.

I've been talking to a local Hare breeder, and he says they are often highly strung, but I think that depends on how much handling they get, and also what their ancestry is like... some breeders have flighty ones, others have gentle ones. Penny, Hamlet and Rama came from a breeder who spent a lot of time handling his rabbits.

I am told they can be fragile, and not very hardy, although that does again depend on the breeder's lines - some years ago, the stunning Black & Tan Belgian Hares were imported from Holland, and that has helped to strengthen the bloodlines. If I did have a Hare again, I would probably choose one of the rare Black & Tans, or even an all-Black, as they are far more robust... even though the classic red Hare colour is my favourite. Temperament is much like most breeds, i.e. the girls are frequently feisty, but the boys as soft as butter.

I don't think they need any special requirements apart from space... obviously a large long hutch, with plenty of head - and ear! - room, and lots of exercise of course. Which totally counts out any ideas I might have about breeding some good-natured ones for pets - I simply have nowhere to put any 6ft hutches!

But as you have said, they are so elegant, with graceful movements like a ballet dancer... perhaps just one to roam indoors with me & Floyd, where I can admire his or her beauty and elegance and give him/her plenty of room to binky in the hallway!

Hi Sue and a Big welcome to you and all your delightful bunnies

Hello Sue, welcome to you and all your bunnies and rats ( :lol: ), looking forward to hearing all about your lot.

annie

Hello Sue welcome to you and all your furries :wave:

Hi Sue

A warm welcome to you and your "family"

Hello and (a late) welcome. Oooooooooh Belgian Hares, such lovely animals. Only met 2 and they left quite an impression!!! I'd love to see a Tri Dutchie in the fur, just as lovely as the good ol black and white I'd guess.

Angela

Hello From Floyd and me

Hello Sue, it has been lovely reading your posts, your love of rabbits realy shines through. What a lovely photo of you both .

Re: Hello From Floyd and me

Dorothy said:

Hello Sue, it has been lovely reading your posts, your love of rabbits realy shines through. What a lovely photo of you both .

Click to expand...

Awwww Dorothy, that's so sweet of you, thanks
And thanks to everyone else too for the lovely welcome!

I also love rats too - but not the two-legged variety... lol

I actually recall hearing your name in rat circles, I didn't know you breed rabbits too. I've had rats from Estelle in the past

Tam

Hi Sue and Floyd,

I have 1 house bunny at the moment, but she's not my first.
I too couldn't be without a houserabbit now

The belgian hares look lovely animals. I've never met one though.

Hi sue.

Hi sue...I don,t know if you remember, but you gave me some ratty advice on another group (which I didn,t thank you for, ungrateful me) when I rescued a baby (2 weeks old) rat, thanks to you the baby survived & was taken to a wildlife rescue & I got a pair of tame rats which should have both been female & guess what I now have babies, last time I buy anything living from a pet shop, I will go to a specialist breeder next time love from shan & the furry people.

Hello Rabshan!

Yes, I do remember your little wild rat baby - nice to know s/he survived. Sorry to hear you now have more rats than you planned and yes, all too common with buying rats in pet shops - that, and poor health. A case of "Buy One, Get Twenty One Free" sometimes

A great many pet shop rats are bred by large "factory" farms who care nothing for handling, health or longevity... important in an animal which only lives about 2 years or so! The pretty colours get shipped out to pet shops, usually too young, and the unpretty, bad tempered or sick ones become frozen reptile food. (There are also farms like this churning out rabbits for chain store pet shops, without the reptile food sideline, but just as horrific in their own way).

So where pet rats are concerned, it is better to find a good breeder who knows his/her stuff and has nice well-cared for rats which are handled from tiny. Some rats do end up in rescue, although these are most often from pet shop rats as above, and many haven't been handled much or have temperament problems, so not always a good idea for newcomers who have no previous experience with rats.

But there is a plus side - although unplanned, now you've had the joy of baby rats, who are such lovely affectionate little creatures... and I am sure you'll find some owners happy to take them... there are a great many rat addicts out there! :lol: