What do you like about the rabbit breeds that you have?

[TinysMom]

So often we get posts that say "vote for your favorite rabbit breed" or "Whats your favorite breed".....etc.

I thought I'd do this a bit differently....I thought it would be nice to share what you like about the specific breed (or rabbit) that you have.

I have a large herd so I thought I'd share my thoughts on several breeds (feel free to do so if you're a multi-breed family).

My favorites have to be the flemish giants. I love these rabbits because they are *usually* so gentle. The girls will climb in my lap if I sit on the ground and many times they'll give me kisses. The boys always love to see me and want pets when I open their cage doors. When I put them outside - some of them just show such JOY at being outdoors and when they binky - it is really something to watch.

My second favorite is probably tied between the e-lops and the holland lops. In some ways I lean more towards the e-lops. The three that I have are very gentle in their nature - will sometimes give me kisses - and are just so fun to watch and play with when they're out of their cage. But - like a flemish giant - their energy level is low to moderate. There is a good chance that if I have to catch my elop...I'll be able to do so (even if it takes time). My holland lops are just adorable and love to flirt -but boy can the girls be mean to each other sometimes (when they're out on playtime and they want to breed). Their energy level to me is just....astounding. I sometimes wonder if the Energizer bunny is designed after them....they seem to just keep going and going and going. If one of them gets loose - it will take two or three of us to try and corner them and catch them. Boy...they're smart (elops are very smart too and love to get into mischief).

I think that Polish are becoming my next favorite - something that shocks me. I have one Polish doe that is 6 years old...but you wouldn't know it to watch her. When she gets upset - she'll chase after the dog and hip at her (and the dog is over 15 times her weight). Still yet - she loves to be held and cuddled and many times if I say her name and tell her that its her bedtime - she'll sit still for me to pick her up - and has been known to even come to me! She doesn't have the high energy level of the lops but she still is fairly active. She has a way of looking at me and I swear she's talking to me...its like she just finds some way to communicate. I can't get over the Polish breed and have seriously considered getting another at some point to see if they're all this sweet.

I'm torn on the next breed....I'm going to say Californians are next. There is something about this breed that I love but I'm not sure what it is. I have two brothers that have lived together now for almost two years (both intact). Yes...there's some mounting as one is dominant...but they are such sweethearts. This breed is another larger breed that I find to be fairly gentle with people. If I had a child that wanted a rabbit (say 10 years old or so), I think I'd want them to start with a flemish or a Californian as I think these are great "starter" bunnies for a family.

Lionheads are next - which is funny since I bred them for a few years. I adore their looks - and most of the ones I've had were well-behaved and had great personalities. One of them was not only self-litterbox-trained at 10 weeks of age - but he would pull his litter box forward to have it get changed every few days. I love their adventuresome spirit (sorta like holland lops)...and some of them are very energetic in their pursuits of trouble. I love the variety of colors you can get too. I don't think I'd breed them again because while I do like them....I am just more in love with the larger bunnies. But I've got to say - that if you get one that was well socialized - you can have a fun pet - and I've had a few snugglers.

Finally - the beverens. We've had what we think are the Beveren (sp?) rabbit and they are very gentle - yet somewhat regal looking. Jenny is 6 years old and while she's not overly people-friendly - she has such a gentle (and trusting?) spirit about her. I don't know much about the breed other than her....but I've got to say that I enjoy her a lot. I think if I spent more time with her - she would be more friendly.

So .... what about y'all? What do you like about the various breeds of rabbit that you have?

 

[Boz]

I haven't had a lot of breeds but of the ones I have...

French Lops and Holland Lops pretty much tie for first.

I LOVE big ol' french lops! They are usually gentle (my first was a sweetie, Marley gets bunny PMS, LOL!). I love that they are big and lovable. Both my frenchies had such sweet sides to them and loved people and attention. Neither was easily scared and pretty much loved life.

My Hollands, well I had one a while back and now I have Dolla, who is actually a Fuzzy lop but Fuzzy lops are like Fuzzy Holland Lops! I love their spunky personalities and silliness. They seem to get into mischief but their little ears and squishy round face, you can't help but love'em!

I think next would be an e-lop. I've never owned one but everything I've heard about them makes me want one so much!

Flemish giant also is on this list. Pretty much everything you said Peg is why I like them!

Mini rex is another one I love. I have met some awesome mini rexes. They seem to have clowny personalities. Always ready to be with you!

After that I think I'd say mix breeds. Louie is a mix and I LOVE him!! He's just a little squishy "mutt" that I love.

 

[Sweetie]

I love lionheads!!!!!!

Lionheads are cool because they have the mane and they look so adorable with their cute little faces. I have a lionhead mix and I love her to pieces. She does the cutest things, like when she stretches and yawns it is so cute. When she binkies it is so cute. Today she ran and binkied I loved it.

Netherland Dwarf: because they are small and easy to handle. Prince does his cute things. When he yawns I looked in his mouth and it is small.

I just love small breeds!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

These are in the order that I got them.

Mixed breed (polish cross?)-Korr. Korr is my first rabbit, so has had to put up with me learning about rabbits, he is 5.5. He is the only rabbit I have gotten as a baby. He is a bit of a ham, he loves to run around. He is not really the kind of rabbit who comes up to you wanting affection all the time, but he does come for pets and treats. He has become quite affectionate in the cage, coming up for pet and hoping for a treat. He is much more social with other bunnies and hasn't come across a rabbit he doens't like. It's hard for me to say if I would get another mixed breed or even a Polish (if that is what he is), but if the right one came along then I would go for it.

Dwarf Hotot -Sophie. When I first saw her picture on the humane society's webstie, I knew she was the bun I wanted. I am not sure what drew me to her, but I think it has something to do with the markings. I think she may have been a mix as she was bigger than other dwarf hotots. She was very affectionate and would lick me. If I was sitting on the floor, she would come and tickle my back. Again, I am not sure if I would get another as I don't think I could get one that was like her. While she was quite special to me, it's not really a breed I would go for in the future.

Lionhead-Penelope and Amelia. I love lionheads. From first learning about them on this forum, I knew I wanted them. I love the fur and the personalities are great. They have attitude, spunk and can disapprove like no other. They are like little balls of great opinion. Both my girls have been quite spunky. They know what they want and will go for it. In agility, they don't need to be handled too much, just enough to get them to go and they know what they are doing. They are intelligent, Penelope learned the weave poles in about 15 minutes and Amelia learned to pull down the teeter totter in about 10. Mine haven't been aggressive, but do know what they like. Amelia is shy, but is warming up to me (with some help from treats). I will have these little buns in the future.

Giant Angora-Sean and Lillian. When I first saw Sean's picture, I knew he was for me. I didn't set out wanting an angora, but I knew there was something special there right away. Sean was more like a dog than a rabbit. He would come up to the pen begging for pets from just about anyone. He was a very special rabbit. He is the one that I started doing agility with. After he died, I knew that I needed another angora and preferably another giant. Lucky for me there is a breeder not to far away and she was willing to let me have one of hers. I didn't really know if I wanted a male or female. The breeder choose Lillian for me and we hit it off right away. She can be a bit more gumpy than Sean was, but she is a bit spoiled. She will come up for pets and doesn't mind being held or carried around. If she doens't like something, she is not afraid to tell me, she will grunt and run away but she never bites or gets aggressive. She is very curious and just wants to explore everything. I love my angoras and will have them in the future, but I probably won't have a lot at once due to the grooming and the dander when I blow them out.

Satin Angora-Ginny. Ginny is something completely different. She is affectionate, but territorial. She is quite nervous out of her cage and can be destructive in it. She require different handling than the others. She is an escape artist, so she needs a clip on her cage to keep her from breaking out. She needs to be monitored when out of the cage, even in a pen as she can jump it. While she is affectionate and always wanting pets, I can't totally trust her as she does nip and box. She cannot be around other rabbits (especially Lillian) as she does attack. I am not sure if she is a good representation of her breed, but I will not get another one.

One breed I would like to get is a tan. They seem to have a mischievous look and I think it would be great to do agility with one. The only trouble seems to be actually finding one that I can afford (shipping is a lot too).

 

[TinysMom]

Boz wrote:

I LOVE big ol' french lops! They are usually gentle (my first was a sweetie, Marley gets bunny PMS, LOL!). I love that they are big and lovable. Both my frenchies had such sweet sides to them and loved people and attention. Neither was easily scared and pretty much loved life.

That's funny because I deliberately left french lops off my list.

We had one a few years ago...and she HATED us and over time...I grew to dislike her too.

But it was my fault. I figured that as much as Tiny loved lionhead girls - he'd rather have a girl his own size.

BIG MISTAKE!!!

They hated each other....and she grew to realize that Tiny was the favored one....and she wasn't (even though we were good to her).

We had someone drive 5 hours one weekend to pick up some lionheads. She fell in love with Beatrice and we offered her to them. THey said no...only to have the husband drive five hours one way the FOLLOWING weekend because his wife just couldn't get Beatrice off her mind.

Beatrice LOVED her new home and everything about it. She was definitely the queen and she was spoiled rotten.

Here are a few photos of her.









What's funny is I heard somewhere once that french lops were a mix of flemish and e-lops (my favorite breeds).

I think of her sometimes and smile.

If you look at the last picture - you'll see a very very small lionhead baby tucked by her head (he's brown). He would get out of his cage and go snuggle with her (he was a peanut). She was devastated when we lost him and she would search for him for the first few days.

 

[Sweetie]

Beatrice is very pretty and adorable. So is the lionhead in the last pic with her.

 

[TinysMom]

That was Jacque. He died at 7 weeks of age....not sure if he was a peanut or a runt...he was in my first litters.

But as much as she hated us...she loved that little guy.

 

[Yield]

[align=center]I have had a new zealand (Soleil) and I currently have a dutch (Sabriel) , flemish giant (Silas), and a mix (Solara).

What I like about Sabriel is he is so friendly. He can be really skittish and shy when startled or introduced to a new situation, but he loves attention and loves pets. And from what I've seen, it is a universal dutch personality for the most part, because I've met other dutches who have had a very similar personality. I love his small size and tolerance for handling (especially when he had to get his cast changed every monday). He also loves to lick.

What I like about Solara is her beauty and daintiness. Despite her general dislike for me and most other people, I have loved the way she has loved both of my male rabbits. I love how she can be really sweet, and submissive, and then she'll show those boys who's boss after they hump her (meaning she humps them back). I have always seen myself in Solara, even though she is a rabbit. Despite missing her beginning affection towards me, I like her attitude sometimes. It's kind of hilarious. She likes to attack me but sometimes will cuddle with me XD

What I liked about Soleil was her friendliness towards humans. She loved people in general, no matter who. She would come to the side of her pen if anyone walked in, and she would beg for attention. When she got that attention she would just flop down all contently. She never licked, but she was eager to learn. I loved her ability to learn so well. She learned almost 10 tricks in around 8 days.

What I love about Silas is his LAZINESS. He is so lazy and it's just so adorable. I also love the way he begs EVERYONE to pet him. When we were at Petco, he would put his head out to anyone walking by so that they would pet him. I love his general friendliness and acceptance of almost every animal. He accepted Solara and Sabriel without any bonding (which I hadn't really planned on) and even allowed them in his cage. He even doesn't mind being around dogs.

=)

 

[Randi]

I have a New Zealand named Nolan and a mini lop named Noelle.

I love my New Zealand because he is incredibly friendly and fearless. He loves to be pet and he follows me around. He is also very loving to his girlfriend.

I love my mini lop because she is difficult. She is stubborn and cranky and everything has to be on her terms. She is cute and hilarious.

 

[Peppers mom]

My favorite breed is Flemish giants I have one right now named Graycee and my sister had one a few yrs ago named Moe Jo that died.. they are just so sweat if I lay on the floor Graycee will come up to me and lay with me sometimes and lick me and she is just so cute.. Ive only had her a week but I love her to peaces and wouldnt trade her for the world..

Next i would have to say dutch i have 3 Pepper whose a gray buck, Cocoa Bean whose chocolate and her daughter Pudgy whose also chocolate..
Pepper is the sweetest thing he loves to be held and petted and is super cute and if I let him out of his cage to run around outside he will normally come to me if I sit down and call his name.. my does arnt as friendly as pepper is but are still sweet pudgy is a little hyper some times but I still love them..

Californians would be next tho I don't like there markings because they all kinda look the same I love there personality Flemish they are really sweet and mine have all loved people even the ones I didn't do that much with were still friendly and you could hold them.. I have had a lot of them I only have one now I got rid of the rest because my mom and dad are saying I have to many animals which is totally true..

but I love all rabbits but these are a few of my favorites I have had a holland lop, a mini lop, 4 mini rexs, 2 flemish giants to many Californians to count, 7 dutch and a mutt.. and i have loved them all....

 

[Byfuzzerabbit]

I haven't like a lot of rabbits but if I ever had a Flemish giant that might be on the top of my list. They sound like they are chill.

I like Holland lops because they are like little diva's. Well the girls are at least the boys seem to have lass drama. It's a pain at times when they drop the drama bomb but I like it. Its her way or it just isn't going to happen kind of deal.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Ah what to say about Tans.
Well they are definitely not as cuddly as most other rabbits. I learned that from this weekend trying to show a family who was looking at cute bunnies. And you cant hold a tan how you do other rabbits so as the lady was holding her she tried to put her against her chest and the baby was basically using her as a human ladder. I love tans for how different they are. They enjoy doing binkies on the floor on your bed and even on the show table. This is what makes them so striking. And Yes you cant forget that beautiful color either, they are truly the aristocrat of the fancy They are very intelligent rabbits with a huge curiosity and mischievously innocent mind. Perfect for a young adult who has just as much energy as they do and who can laugh at the trouble they get themselves into.

As far as Britannia Petites I can say i have both rabbits from the ends of each spectrum. Rocky who must be the sweetest brit anyone could ever meet. And Whiskey who you need to use an oven mit to get her out of her cage LOL. Rocky is also a very nosy rabbit with a sense of mischievous humor. He is also VERY fast. I think describing him as an energizer rabbit is an understatement. It takes me minimum of one hour to catch this little guy when he jumps off my bed to the floor. His true predator/prey insticts come out when this happens and i never thought his eye could get any bigger than it already was lol. But Whiskey can be a sweetie dont mistake it. Shes just cage aggressive and hadn't been handled for the first year of her life so its understandable. As soon as shes out of the cage shes just as curious as rocky. I hope one day i will catch her doing a binky for that would be a sight and a relief to know she actually likes me lol

 

[elrohwen]

I have one holland and one mini lop, so obviously I love the floppy ears! I love the squished in faces of hollands too - it just melts my heart every time.

For some reason all of the mini lops I have known (through rescue, including my own) love to shred paper. Not sure what it is, but they're not content to lay around if there's paper to be shredded! My girl has a lot of energy and is very smart - not sure if that's typical of the breed as I thought they were usually laid back (though the paper shredding habit would say otherwise).

My holland, despite being the cutest little bugger ever, isn't the most friendly. He's never aggressive, and very mellow, but he's not one for pets or snuggles most of the time and just gives you the bunny butt. That's ok though! He makes up for it in cuteness - I think hollands can get away with anything because they're so darn cute. It surprises me to hear that other hollands are energizer bunnies - Otto is the most lazy laid back thing ever! We've had him since 8 weeks old and he's always been a lazy guy. We drove him 7+ hours to my parents' house for the holidays one year and as soon as I opened the carrier he hopped out and stretched out on their rug, right at home. When I take my mini lop places, she can't settle down for hours because she has to check out everything and be nervous. I've seen my holland be grumpy, but never nervous.

 

[buns2luv]

Well, these our the personalities of our guys,
Teddy our Lionhead, sweet, gentle, sits on my shoulder and nuzzles into my neck.
Caramel our Mini Lop, active, playful, likes to rearrange her cage, loves to run through the house as fast as she can and binkie, doesn't like to be picked up or held, loves her nose rubbed and purrs.
Gus, our Mini Rex, just got him Saturday, but so far doesn't mind being picked up, likes to be held, likes to stick to us, not too adventurous yet. Likes his toys, litter trained in a day...smart boy!

Our foster boy is also a Lionhead. Bentley also litter trained instantly. He was in his cage with one litter box, but he like to sit in it and sleep in it so he'd use the farthest corner for the bathroom, put another box in that corner and he has been meticulous about using ever since... he is smart, gentle and sweet!

I can't pick a favorite, I love the feel of the Mini Rex's velvety fur, the sweetness of our Lionheads and the playfulness of our Mini Lop!

 

[CiaraPatricia]

I have lionheads. I like them because they're small and cute. But also because they have lovely temperaments. I've only had one other rabbit (a mixed breed) so don't really know if this is because of their breed or what, but they've really sweet personalities.

And I love their manes

 

[GorbyJobRabbits]

I've had nearly every breed at some point in my rabbit raising career. I'm honestly not positive I could pick a favorite. I've seen good and bad out of every breed. I think my harlequins may be over all the friendliest. I can do nearly anything I want with all of them.

But I've too many good things to list about everything I've had.

 

[EileenH]

I have only had 2 bunnies so far, so I can only comment on those two.

My first guy was a New Zealand White and my first introduction to rabbits, so to be fair, I was a blank slate when it came to rabbits. He was big, friendly, & very laid back. Very interactive, would sit on the couch with me for hours. From what I have read, that is very characteristic of them and I really loved that. I like the body style of a NZW (long, big head) and always thought they had cool eyes. The one thing about Gulliver was, he was not the best with his litterbox with peeing; I don't know if it was because he was big, or they all do that? When I was in vet tech schools, they told us the male NZW's urinated outside their boxes. But that was not fun.

My new guy is a Californian. I've only had him a month so I am sure he will settle more into himself. I like big rabbits and thought Californians were around the same size as NZW's, but they really aren't. It is a different body shape and that is an adjustment. He (Jake)is also friendly and interactive but is much more high-energy, which is really fun to watch. What is very nice about this guy is he fits in his litterbox and is pretty impeccable with it.

In all fairness, it's too soon for me to decide which breed I prefer more.I am definitely a big-bunny person. Huge ears are a constant source of joy for me.

 

[RabbitTips101]

i havea female mini rex named gizmo. i love my bunny because she thinks she is so much better than everyone else. she does her binkies really high and she loves to run and play. the only thing is that she likes to cuddle on her own terms. not mine. oh well....you cant force bunny love

 

[Jynxie]

So far I'm loving my holland lop.

He doesn't mind to be picked up, as long as he's against your chest. He seems to really, really love being petted. He'll just sit there (and a few minutes ago he fell asleep while I was doing it!)

He loves to explore, he likes to climb onto the pillows when he's on the bed. Or find 'caves' made from pillows, blankets or stuffed animals haha.

He had a lot of fun running around his cage yesterday, he might have binkied even.

Plus they're adorable, they have puppy dog faces that make my heart melt.

 

[uofmtingley]

http://s379.photobucket.com/albums/oo232/UOFMTINGLEY/

Can anyone tell me what my bunny's breed may be?