Netherland dwarfs

[polly]

Ok people Jenson and I are hoping to update some or all of the breed info and as well as having breeder info on there we want all your opinions on your netherlands.

Please tell me all:biggrin2:I want to know what you think of their temprement, behaviour easiness to train for litterboxes or anything else you have trained them in!!

How high you would recommend them as a pet or for breeding with

anything you can think of please add it in here :biggrin2:

Any breeders who are breeding nethies I would love any pics of them in show poses to add in as well.

so get typing guys all your info will be helpful and added to make it a comprehensive guide to the breed

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I don't breed Nethies (was going to, but she didn't take) but our nethie doe has a nasty temperment. She's food aggressive, and she isn't easy to train. She doesn't mind being handled/pet, it's just tricky picking her up without her biting you. She's a little brat, but not all are. I would recommend them, only if you're looking for a little bit of a challenge, though.

Emily

 

[JadeIcing]

I have two nethies and both are sweethearts. Though Teresa will groom you and Chibi prefers to be groomed. :biggrin2:They by far are my fave breed. Teresa is pretty clean but Chibi has perfect litter box habits.

 

[NZminilops]

I have a netherland dwarf and nethie cross, both girls.

They are both clean and tidy. Both have a tendancy to be shy, but love head-petting. Neither enjoy being picked up.

They are both nervous of strange surfaces/being high up.

They are energetic and a joy to watch play.

They are intelligent and solve puzzles easy (like how to escape from pens and cages). Very easily littertrained. Lovely sweet calm temperments. Shy and reserved but gentle.

My absolute favourite breed .

 

[delusional]

Nigel is hyper, quick and full of energy.

He doesn't like to be pet if he's out of his cage and trying to run around, but he doesn't mind a bit of nose love if he's at home. He doesn't 'appreciate' being picked up, but it is possible to do.

We didn't have to litterbox train him - he came home from the breeder, hopped straight into the box, peed, and hasn't gone anywhere else since. Guess we were lucky with that.

As long as you understand that it's probably not going to be a cuddly bun - and I say probbaly because I know that there are members with cuddly nethies, I believe Little Bay Poo's Ronnie is a lovey boy - then I would highly recommend them as a pet. Great to watch and seem to have very strong personalities.

 

[JenniferCameron]

My winston is shy and super active. He was easily litter trained. He's really just a big softly though, he loves to groom people and Charlie. He hates being up high or being picked up, but likes to be pet.

 

[Little Bay Poo]

I'll probably end up making multiple posts because there's A LOT of stuff I can say about my two boys, although I don't know what's relevant and what isn't! Also, since these are the only two rabbits I've ever owned, it's difficult for me to compare them to other breeds. So Polly, you'll probably have to sort through all the stuff I write so you can pick and choose what is relevant and what isn't. I'll just write whatever comes to mind

I'll start off with a general post about how I see NDs personalities and later today I'll put some specifics of my bunnies' temperaments.

From my experience, Netherland Dwarfs are very lively and full of energy. They are the type of breed that you watch but don't touch! Ok, that's not entirely true...if you have time and patience you can work with NDs and gain their trust. I really enjoy the challenge of working with my bunnies daily to get them to be more comfortable around me. I'd get bored if they were easy going and settled into me right away.

Nethies are super cute. They come out wonderfully in photos because of their baby face and in video too because of their big personalities. I would recommend them as a pet to people who aren't looking for a cuddly bunny. Nethies are for people who want something that is cute, quirky, lively, fun to watch, and don't mind taking the time to get down to their bunny's level to interact with them daily.

NDs can be a little destructive because their mind is always active and they are constantly looking for things to occupy themselves with. As a result you have to be diligent about protecting furniture and other household items, as well as keeping your eye out to make sure they aren't getting into trouble. This varies with personality, however, and some Nethies aren't destructive at all.

Some people say that NDs are aggressive, but mine aren't that way at all. Billy is headstrong but that's about it. Neither of my bunnies have ever bitten anyone, although they will give a very gentle warning nip if they want your attention or you are doing something to bother them.

Both of my bunnies were very easy to litterbox train once they were neutered.

Ok, that's all I can think of to write for now. I'll add some individual personality traits later!

 

[JenniferCameron]

See I've never had a problem with a netherland dwarf and furniture or even wires. If Winston is in a room with wires that aren't covered I stay on the floor with him, but he's never once gone to eat them, he just ignores them completely. He does like to eat my pants though, when I'm wearing them. And Winston isn't aggressive at all either. Of course I"m just talking about Winston so....

 

[Little Bay Poo]

JenniferCameron wrote:

See I've never had a problem with a netherland dwarf and furniture or even wires. If Winston is in a room with wires that aren't covered I stay on the floor with him, but he's never once gone to eat them, he just ignores them completely. He does like to eat my pants though, when I'm wearing them. And Winston isn't aggressive at all either. Of course I"m just talking about Winston so....

Yeah, it's so hard to pinpoint personality traits that are common among the breed because each individual is so different! My two are complete opposites so I'm having a really hard time trying to think of relevant information to give that's consistent between both of them!

 

[TinysMom]

First - the backstory...

The day I got Tiny, I also got 2 Nethie dwarf bucks that were littermates. (We've since rehomed one). Along the way I've had:

• flemish giant
• netherland dwarf
• mini lop
• holland lop
• mini rex/lionhead cross
• french lop
• lionhead
• lionlop
• flemmie/NZ mix
• Californians
• a black doe that might be part NZ and I don'tk now what else
• lop/NZ mix (the doe above bred w/ Puck our holland lop)

Among all those breeds - my two bucks were the most aggressive towards other rabbits and towards each other. They also were not overly friendly towards humans.

Now - we did go ahead and have them neutered in hopes of bonding them. At times - they would tolerate each other for a few moments - maybe even half an hour or so...then the next thing I knew - they would be at each other. They liked to leap in the air towards each other and pee at each other at the same time. Robin called them "pee propelled ballerinas" - only thing was - they were klutzy.

Eventually - we rehomed Kyo (Robin's) because she was at away from home and wanted him to go to a pet home where he would be loved....and someone was asking me if I knew where they could get a nethie...

For a while I had a Nethie girl that I sort of rescued...I did rehome her with someone else - but she was sweet -and I was shocked.

Tio, my remaining Nethie buck is now 3 1/2 years old. He's really good with his litter box and he used to ring his bell toy for food and for litter box service. He's settled down some and I may even try to take him out and play with him because he's not so nippy anymore.

Would I get another Nethie knowing what I do now? No. Of the breeds I've had - they are one of my least favorite. But...I have also heard of lionheads that were mean and tempermental...so I am not sure the whole breed is like that. (I look at Polly's pictures and they look so cute).

Anyway - that's my experience. I don't have show pictures 'cause Tio is neutered and he doesn't have the dwarfing gene...

 

[jcl_24]

"he used to ring his bell toy for food and for litter box service."
:biggrin2: Brilliant!

Jo xx

 

[Little Bay Poo]

I've been thinking about the different traits that my two Nethies have in common. It's been difficult trying to pinpoint traits because Billy and Ronnie are just about as opposite as you can get in terms of personality. I've come up with a few that they definitely have in common and I'll write the ones that I think are pertinent to the breed as a whole. However, my sample is only two bunnies so what I come up with are guesses and may not be accurate.

Ok, so what I think pertains to most Netherland Dwarfs:

• Skittish or Hypersensitive to the environment: I'm including both in the description because I think that NDs can fall in various places along the spectrum. Billy is definitely skittish - nervous and scared of everything. Ronnie is not skittish, but he is very sensitive to changes in the environment. He's relaxed most of the time, but is also ready to be on high alert if he hears or sees something unfamiliar. I'm sure most breeds are going to be alert if something unfamiliar happens, but I still see it as more pertinent to NDs...i.e. NDs would be the first to periscope, sniff the air with a twisted face, and be generally aware when something is amiss.
• Hyper: Both of my boys are hyper to varying degrees. Billy is like a toddler who has had too much candy, Ronnie is like a sportsman who suddenly gets the urge to practice running laps for the summer olympics. They both run the bunny 500 and I have seen lots of videos of other NDs running bunny 500s. Again, other breeds run bunny 500s as well, but I feel that the ND is more prone to this behavior because of their high energy level.

Somehow when I wrote this next one it turned into something that my bunnies DO NOT have in common. Oops.

• Socialization - (aggressive?): I've read a lot about NDs being aggressive or more challenging to work with than other breeds. I believe these statements hold some truth, and this will tie into the breed's high energy levels. Basically, if you have a high energy ND, and you don't let him expend this energy (i.e. no play time), he will be prone to displaying signs of aggression. The pent-up energy turns to frustration at not being able to release the energy, and the frustration leads to aggression. This was very apparent with Billy when we first got him. He had spent 3 months in a breeder cage and was trying to bite the breeder every chance he got. After letting Billy out for an average of 10 hours per week, he is the gentlest of bunnies. He releases all of his energy through binkies and bunny 500s and has turned into a sweet little guy. On the contrary, you can get a ND that is sweet without being handled or taken out of the cage much. Ronnie is like this. He spent two years in a breeder cage and the breeder told us he was the sweetest bunny she'd ever owned. When we got him he was not aggressive at all. This doesn't stop us from giving him playtime though...in fact he has more playtime than Billy!

Ok, I think that's enough typing for now. I have a few more things that I came up with but will have to save those for another post. Other ND owners feel free to comment on what I've written above if you have anything to add and/or disagree with. Like I said, I'm only basing this off of two bunnies so my generalizations could be way off!

 

[polly]

Thanks guys keep it coming its all useful :biggrin2:

Robyn (i have got that right LBP havent i) its one i would agree on when you say like a kid with tomuch candy!! i see that a lot in my nethies.

whats kind of funny that bringing in JB my dutch has shown me is how well nethies handle stress and just how confident they are!! JB is lovely but has been a lot more nervous than any new nethie or lionhead I have had and very cautious in a new enviroment whereas nethies just can't help themselves they just gotta have a nose in everything like as of yesteday! I think its one of the main things I love about the breed

 

[NZminilops]

Polly, to really complete your study I think you need to send me some of your nethies, so I can get the feel for some really nicely bred ones .

 

[Little Bay Poo]

polly wrote:

Robyn (i have got that right LBP havent i) its one i would agree on when you say like a kid with tomuch candy!! i see that a lot in my nethies.

Close, it's Robin with an "i" . I guess I should start putting my name at the end of my posts so people don't have to call me by my username. Especially since my username is a not-so-nice nickname given to me by my lovely brother