what breed is best for me?

[Emily Haigh]

ok, so i am planning on getting a male and female rabbit (neutered) probably around 2 years old so they are already litter trained and neutered and i will only be at home for another 4 years and wouldnt want to leave my parents with a rabbit for too long. i wouldnt mind if they are different breeds - as long as they are friendly towards each other.
so here is what im looking for:
1) they would be living outside all year (UK) so they would need to be quite hardy (but dont worry, their house would be weather proofed and insulated )
2) quite small ( up to 3kg) for ease of handling and they will have extra space instead of too little
3) I would like them to be quite energetic
4) Friendly and not skittish ( but that probably depends on how they were brought up)
please leave suggestions even if they dont fit ALL the criteria- also any suggestions on pairings would be greatly appreciated
ive been thinking of mini lops but i dont know how energetic they are and wouldnt want a lazy rabbit also some sources say that mini only refers to their ears- is this true?
also i absolutely love netherland dwarf rabbits but have been told they prone to being are skittish and aggressive, which is obviously not what i want - what do people think of this?

 

[Mrsmcarey]

You could go and check out rescue centres which will be able to see pairs of already bonded rabbits and have interact with so you can see which is better for you

Also the centre will be able to advise what character each bun has

I have 4 at the mo pains one and all

My Nethie is a right one yes they can be a bit 'off' at times but treated right they come good lol she was kept by her previous owner on her own at bottom of garden and he said she bites :shock: well after a couple of days of gentle persuasion and fusses and talking to and more fusses she doesn't bit now unless I stop stroking her and let my hand stay still and then it's a gentle persuasive bite to carry on lol

 

[daphnephoebe]

I'd suggest a neithe or a lionhead, even possible a dwarf lop.
Any rabbit has the potention of being skittish/aggressive. They are after all a prey species and can take a lot of time to gain their trust.
All mini lops I've met have been lazy - Phoebe is a living embodiment of laziness. She'll happily lay down and eat dinner, have a quick two min run and then sleep for a few hours to rest up.

Mini lop does mainly refer to their size, facial structure, bodily characteristics (e.g. ear length)

Please note - rabbits can live up to and beyond 10 years so its not just a 4 year commitment while you're living with your parents. You need to be prepared to take them with you if you move.
They can also be very costly in terms of veterinary treatments. Small breeds are often more prone to dental issues and breathing issues. Lop eared rabbits are often more prone to dental and ear problems. Any rabbit can suffer from gut stasis which can cost a fair few 100 £'s (even 1000 £'s) to treat.
Rabbits such as rex's and giants can be prone to sore hocks which would need daily management etc.

Its worth looking at your local rescue centres and talking to the staff to get an idea of their behavioural traits & any pre-existing health problems.

 

[MightyMax]

ok, so i am planning on getting a male and female rabbit (neutered) probably around 2 years old so they are already litter trained and neutered and i will only be at home for another 4 years and wouldnt want to leave my parents with a rabbit for too long. i wouldnt mind if they are different breeds - as long as they are friendly towards each other.
so here is what im looking for:
1) they would be living outside all year (UK) so they would need to be quite hardy (but dont worry, their house would be weather proofed and insulated )
2) quite small ( up to 3kg) for ease of handling and they will have extra space instead of too little
3) I would like them to be quite energetic
4) Friendly and not skittish ( but that probably depends on how they were brought up)
please leave suggestions even if they dont fit ALL the criteria- also any suggestions on pairings would be greatly appreciated
ive been thinking of mini lops but i dont know how energetic they are and wouldnt want a lazy rabbit also some sources say that mini only refers to their ears- is this true?
also i absolutely love netherland dwarf rabbits but have been told they prone to being are skittish and aggressive, which is obviously not what i want - what do people think of this?

Welcome Emily and so pleased you're looking at rescuing a couple of rabbits :wave:

I should have a look around and see what you think about what you see

You can post here any time and we'll help you all we can x

 

[countrybumkin]

If I were you I'd contact local rescues and see what pairs they have avaliable. I'm sure a pair will take your eye and from a rescue they'll be neutered and vaccinated. My favourite are lionheads but they take some maintenence and mine have different personalities so I think personality depends on the rabbit.

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[Babsie]

I'm not quite sure what you mean about not wanting to leave your parents with a rabbit for too long?

 

[MummyBunnyEm]

Try Fat Fluffs Emily

 

[Emily Haigh]

Thank you all for your help ! - it's definatly given me a better idea of which kind I want and what to look for when I rescue

 

[daphnephoebe]

I'm not quite sure what you mean about not wanting to leave your parents with a rabbit for too long?

I assumed she meant that after she moves out the rabbit will be staying with her parents and she hopes they won't have to care for it for very long after she moves out?
That's the impression I was given but hopefully Emily can clear this up.

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[Babsie]

I assumed she meant that after she moves out the rabbit will be staying with her parents and she hopes they won't have to care for it for very long after she moves out?
That's the impression I was given but hopefully Emily can clear this up.

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Yes, that's what I gathered, just seemed strange (to me) and I probably wouldn't consider having rabbits only 2 years old if I was going to be there for 4 years and didn't intend to take them with me. They could easily live until they are 10. I think perhaps it is just me!

 

[daphnephoebe]

Yes, that's what I gathered, just seemed strange (to me) and I probably wouldn't consider having rabbits only 2 years old if I was going to be there for 4 years and didn't intend to take them with me. They could easily live until they are 10. I think perhaps it is just me!

I wouldn't either. I tried to point out they can easily live past 10 years but guess it was ignored.

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[Babsie]

I wouldn't either. I tried to point out they can easily live past 10 years but guess it was ignored.

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I've just been back to your original post and see that,yes, we are both pointing out the same re age and taking them with her.
Must just be you and me thinking along those lines as no-one else has commented on that aspect.

 

[daphnephoebe]

I've just been back to your original post and see that,yes, we are both pointing out the same re age and taking them with her.
Must just be you and me thinking along those lines as no-one else has commented on that aspect.

Great minds Babsie [emoji38]

Hopefully she'll take it into consideration and maybe even mention it to the rehoming center who may also point it out.

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[Emily Haigh]

Hi sorry ice been away for a while and haven't been able to reply. I'm afraid I've been a bit careless with my words , what I ment was - a quite old rabbit. I've read different breeds have different life spans and they live shorter lives outside and was just a bit careless when typing ' a couple of years old'. My parents love rabbits and would be happy caring for them , but I wouldn't want to cause them too much hassle as they are getting on . Another reason I wanted an older one is so it is pre vaccinated ( alothough I know I will have to do it every year) and litter trained .
Hope I cleared everythig up
Emily

 

[Zarla]

My four have all been lionheads - I love the breed. They're affectionate and quite lively - all mine have liked being stroked and held. They do require some grooming, but how much depends on the animal. If you go for pure bred double mane rabbits you'll need to comb them nearly every day, whereas with single maned you won't.

 

[tulsi]

I have four lionhead x rabbits. Two are dutch crosses and are really gentle. None of them are keen on being stroked but will allow it briefly whilst eating!

 

[daphnephoebe]

Hi sorry ice been away for a while and haven't been able to reply. I'm afraid I've been a bit careless with my words , what I ment was - a quite old rabbit. I've read different breeds have different life spans and they live shorter lives outside and was just a bit careless when typing ' a couple of years old'. My parents love rabbits and would be happy caring for them , but I wouldn't want to cause them too much hassle as they are getting on . Another reason I wanted an older one is so it is pre vaccinated ( alothough I know I will have to do it every year) and litter trained .
Hope I cleared everythig up
Emily

The reason we were worried is because you put '2 years old'. Rabbits can easily live past 10 years, even if housed outside.
Smaller breeds tend to live longer than larger breeds.
I'd advise if you want to rehome one, and only intend to be with your parents for another 4 years to rehome one around 5/6 years old or older.
Fully discuss with your parents and have them involved in rehoming choices etc as if they'll be caring after you leave it's as much their rabbit as yours and may not want to go into it if there is the possibility they'll be left with the responsibility once you move out. Just because they like rabbits doesn't mean they want to care for them after you move out and leave the rabbits behind.
Personally I think it's rather selfish to rehome an animal and then move and leave the animal behind. When i moved out, all my animals came with me no matter how much my parents loved them because I made the commitment to the animals. That meant bringing a group of ferrets and my hamster with me. Ferrets are definitely more difficult to get permission for than rabbits.

I'm sorry if this all comes across harsh. That is not my intention but it comes across that your parents might not be as involved in all this as they probably should be.

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[Babsie]

I'm afraid I still can't understand taking on any pet knowing I would be leaving and not taking them with me. Personally if I didn't intend taking them, I would wait until I was settled and could then offer them a secure home. On the other hand, I suppose, is that taking two 8 year old rabbits from a rescue would be very worthwhile, as older rabbits are so difficult to re-home. Remember you can't insure older rabbits so be prepared for (sometimes) very large vet bills.

 

[Emily Haigh]

I'm thanks for the advise - i get your point and understand it would be cruel to get a young rabbit just to have to leave it 4 years later hence why I am aiming to rescue an older rabbit and give it a large home for the remainder of its life which will make it much happier then if it was in a rescue. also btw my parents were the ones suggesting getting rabbits and absolutely loved the ones we had when I was little (which they looked after). Thanks again - I'm leaning towards lion heads now....

 

[Babsie]

I'm thanks for the advise - i get your point and understand it would be cruel to get a young rabbit just to have to leave it 4 years later hence why I am aiming to rescue an older rabbit and give it a large home for the remainder of its life which will make it much happier then if it was in a rescue. also btw my parents were the ones suggesting getting rabbits and absolutely loved the ones we had when I was little (which they looked after). Thanks again - I'm leaning towards lion heads now....

I hope your parents realise just how much rabbit care has 'moved on' since the family had them when you were small. They are no longer the cheap and easy to keep pets they were once considered to be.