Hello New here and need help

[bunny♥]

I am thinking of buying a dwarf bunny...butI have never had one before. What is it like? Do they bite? Do they smell? Are they playful? Can they wear a harness? PLEASE give me lots and lots of info

 

[CalifornianKit]

Dwarfs are known for being a little bit more rowdy than bigger rabbits are. Theyre difficult for first time rabbit owners to handle. Ive got 2 netherland dwarfs. And to answer your questions, they are just like any other animals when it coems to biting and handling. It depends on the rabbit. All rabbits are different and have different circumstances. And they also smell just like any other rabbit would. And im sure they could wear a harness if you found one small enough for them.

 

[bunny♥]

Thank-you. I have never had a rabbit before...so I don't know what another rabit would be like...So a dwarf is a bad idea? I really like the one in your dpic, what kind is that?

 

[CalifornianKit]

Dwarfs are difficult as first time rabbits because they are so much more prone to being mean if not handled correctly.

Chance is a BEW (Blue Eyed White) Netherland Dwarf buck.

 

[bunny♥]

He is very cute.



The peope I am looking into, say that the bunnies are tame, or handled from birth...Would this make a difference?

 

[CalifornianKit]

Possibly. it would be good if you could go watch how they handle their rabbits before you bought one. Chance was 6 months when i got him from a VERY excellent breeder and he is the sweetest snuggler ever, and i have a 3 month old Black Otter VM doe from the same breeder and she was less handled but she's becoming more and more tamed every time i handle her.

 

[bunny♥]

Aww thats cute.

The thing that worries my parents the most though is the smell? Is the smell really that bad? And how do you get rid of it?

Have you ever been bitten? How do you know if your bunny is about to bite or attack?



What prouducts are important to buy, before you get a buny?

 

[CalifornianKit]

My dwarfs dont smell very bad. If i dont clean their cages at least once a week however my mom starts continually threatening to move them outside =/ i try to clean them out 2 times a week and i cant smell them. Just keeping them clean will keep them from smelling.

My ND's have never bitten me. Ive been bitten ONCE by a californian who thought i was after her babies. I had to sell her cuz she kept attacking me after that.

Usually rabbits will rush at you smorting and growling when theyre about to attack.

Before you get a bunny as a pet you will definitally need a cage big enough for them to ru around, stretch out, and stand up. Also feed is important and HAY! dont feed them much greens at all. VERY FEW. It can make them sick. Also a litter box and shavings are very helpful. Also a water bottle or bowl and a feed bowl. And a couple of toys. Rabbits love toys

 

[bunny♥]

Can you get hay at a normal petshop? And what is its purpose?

 

[Whiskerz]

Welcome, I think CalifornianKit has everything under control here lol

And I LOVE your user name! Uh, If I knew we could use those little hearts in our names, I so would have!!!

Enjoy the forum!

 

[MikeScone]

bunny♥ wrote:

Can you get hay at a normal petshop? And what is its purpose?

You can, although I find that most petshop hay is kind of brown and dry. I buy Oxbow brand hay at our local feed store, others like American Pet Diner or Peter's - it doesn't really matter, but the better hay is green and smells nice.

Rabbits need hay for the roughage to keep their digestive systems going. Young bunnies should get Alfalfa, but as they reach maturity they should be switched to a grass hay.

Most bunnies love hay - there are different kinds of hay, though, and rabbits do have very definite tastes. My first rabbit, Scone MacBunny, would not touch Timothy Hay, but he'd gobble Orchard Grass like it was going out of style. He also liked Oat Hay, but more to play in than eat. My current bunny, Natasha Rabbitova, loves Timothy, and ignores Orchard Grass.

On the topic of whether or not rabbits smell, they really don't. They keep themselves clean and when my bunny Natasha lies down on my chest and leans into my face, there's no odor to her fur other than just warm fur. It's their litter boxes which can develop a smell if they're not kept clean and if you use the wrong materials.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

hello and welcome to RO. Each rabbit is different,so a Netherland may or may not be alright. Just depends.

 

[CalifornianKit]

I agree. My Dwarfs really dont have a smell on their own. Its their droppings that produce a smell and all you have to do is make sure to keep their litter boxes clean =)

 

[Jaded]

Welcome to Rabbits Online!

 

[butsy]

welcome i would suggest you to get a minilop. they are very calm, butsy is a minilop and my first rabbit she's a sweety and does great in a harness. for the smell, i clean her cage everyday, and i dont smell a thing

 

[Yield]

I suggest a dutch for a first timer

My dutch, Sabriel, has got that lovey personality, and loves people and kids, loves licking, loves cuddling... not all dutches are like that probably (depends on the rabbit as the others have been saying) but I've seen more than one dutch with this sweet personality

And he's got pretty small ears- not as small as a dwarf's- but pretty small! He's only 4 lb too~
I have never heard anything bad about dutches

I've heard mini-rex's are good too.

I, personally, wouldn't get a mini-lop. (i'm not saying to not get one, and not saying they're all bad or whatever, I'm just saying I wouldn't XD) I've just heard they're one of the most destructive rabbit breeds.

 

[butsy]

butsy is pretty destructive as long as she is supervised tho, she behaves

 

[Nancy McClelland]

we've had mini rexes, mini lops, and dutches tat are all very sweet bunnies. Our all time friendliest and a lap rabbit to boot, that likes to be held is our 17 pound checkered giant.

 

[Wabbitdad12]

Let me welcome you to Rabbits Online, my name is Dave and I am a moderator on the forum. So if I can be of any help please let me know. This is a terrific website for rabbits and their slaves, not only is it very active but also friendly. I am so glad you’re here and I know you will enjoy it.

All rabbits have unique personalities, just like people. Netherland dwarfs from my experience of the ones I have are very busy bunny's with lots of energy. A dutch or holland lop would be a good bunny for a first time rabbit owner. Like MikeScone said rabbits don't smell its the litter that does. I have 15+ rabbits so I clean cages every other day, for one rabbit much less often.

For bedding I would recomend something like a wood pelleted type in the litter box. It is very absorbent and good at keeping the smell down. Make sure any pine based litter is kiln dried. When a pine based litter has been kiln dried it means all the oils toxic to the rabbit have been removed. Do not use any clay or clumping cat litter, if the rabbit ingests it, it will block up the rabbits digestive track. Avoid any rabbit food that has colored bits in it or corn pieces. Rabbits cannot digest corn. A good pellet litter for rabbits will be fine.

The library section has a list of acceptable veggies for bunny's too.

Many bunny's recommend their slaves to this site so we may learn of others methods to keeping our furry masters happy.

If you everhave a sick bunny, please post in The Infirmary and include your rabbit's age, breed and health history as well diet and output details leading up to the problem.

I have listed some links I thought you might find interesting:

*For reference the Library section

*To brag or tell everyone about the antics of your bunny or just to talk about your day here is where to start a Bunny Blog, you can also look back at it later and remember when you had a life before your bunny.

*Now all the bunny’s like talk to each other when we mere slaves aren’t around in the Bunny Chat is the spot to be.

*Rabbits Online also has regional forums , this a good way to find a vet in your area that has experience with rabbits and to find out from other nearby of good sources of rabbit supplies.

The Let Your Hare Down section is for anything non-bunny related.

Here is a link tothat will help you and your bunny to connect, How To Bond With Your Bunny.

Now every forum has rules and ours can be found with this link Rabbits Online Forum Rules. This gives guidelines on what is acceptable, what is not and how we hope everyone will treat each other.

Everyone on this forum loves to see pictures of each other’s bunnies. So if you would like to post a picture this link will help you do that, Upload Photo's to Photo Gallery. Then in the post, you click on the "G" in the tool bar to insert your photo. Many people also use Photobucket. You just copy the img file and paste it into the post.

I am glad you have joined rabbits online and I look forward to seeing you around.