Hello

[rabmom1]

My 8 yr old daughter would like to be in livestock 4-H and show bunny(ies). We are just in the planning stage. What bunny to buy? The 4-H leader we spoke with raises and breeds mini-lops. She says they have good temperment can anyone back that statement up? I thought I read that you do not want to house mini-lops together so if we wanted multiple bunnies would this be a bad choice? I don't want a snapish dwarf rabbit. Are there some good dwarfs any of you can recommend? Also we have 2 labrador retrievers 3 yrs and 5 months, they would either be in scent of the rabbit or able to see it in her cage. Has anyone experienced a problem with that arrangement? I do have lots of questions probably not appropriate for the introduction blog... so I better stop here. I heard this was a good website for knowledge so that is why I became a member!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

WELCOME!

I think that any bunny can have a great personality and any can be a bit snippish! It seems like the larger breeds are very gentle tho. Will you be housing the bunner inside or out?

We do 4H and just got our first rabbit for it. We've done sheep and horses with other projects and now we have Tony. Should be fun.

Let's have you start a thread in the RABBITS ONLY forum and we'll get all of this answered and give you ideas and things.

 

[Leaf]

Welcome to the forum!

What do you look for in a rabbit:

What type of hair do you like, what kind of grooming are you up to?

What is your ear preference - small, standing, long?

Visually, what do you find appealing in a rabbits looks?



Maybe from those questions we can help you choose a few breeds to consider.

 

[TK Bunnies]

Welcome to RO!!!! Belive me, you'll learn allot here!

Before you get a rabbit make sure that you go to meet the bunny your thinking about getting. That way you know if that's the right bunny for you.

Rabbits can be housed together but, they need to be bonded first which depends on the rabbit, and ifthe bunnylikes other rabbits.

Lops are suppose to be really freindly (I don't have a lop so I can't really say). But bunnies are like people, some are mean, and some are really sweet. I don't think that breed messes with a bunnies temperment. All the dwarfs I've meet have been realy sweet.

I don't think that you'd want to keep the dogs close to the bunny. i know that lots of people here have dogs that get along with rabbits.

What are your other questions? We might be able to help.

-TK

 

[countrybunnyholly]

Hi and Welcome! We are a 4-H family and we raise Netherland Dwarfs and Holland Lops. I would agree that any rabbit breed can be sweet or snappish. However, among our club, people seem to think the Himalayans are very good tempered, laid back rabbits. Our Hollands are very sweet and they are a dwarf breed. The Netherlands vary, and some of ours are more high strung. You want to know how the rabbit you are buying was raised and cared for.

Is it handled frequently? A show rabbit has to be used to handling and posing on the table.

Is there a pedigree available and can you "meet" the parents? This will give you a better idea about temperment and quality.

And if you are planning to show, educate yourself about the breed you are interested in. Know what the standard is and how to look for a good "type." It's a learning process, and that's what 4-H is allabout, but good preparation is always worth the effort. You may want to check out the breeding and show section of this site.

4-H is a lot of fun, and it will teach your children so much about responsibility and leadership. I wish you lots of luck!
:clover:

 

[countrybunnyholly]

Oh - about the dogs. They may make your bunnies nervous - that's why we never let dogs in the show barn. Will the bunnies be outside and the dogs in, or vice versa? We have a boxer that adores the bunnies and she has found a few for us when they've escaped, never hurting them. Last fall she found a nest of wild bunnies, dead from the cold ( I don't know why they were born so late) and she picked each one up gently in her mouth and brought them to me while we waited for the school bus. She somehow knows we take care of the bunnies!

Here's one of my favorite pictures of her and Coconut, the grande dame of our rabbitry:

But of course a boxer isn't a hunting dog like a lab, so there may be different instincts at work here. We also have chinchillas, but we tell Jasmine they are "bunnies" and she treats them with the same care.