Choosing Your Rabbit
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Choosing Your Rabbit
This will probably make me very unpopular with a lot of people but my personal advice is do not buy your rabbits from a pet shop/pet superstore unless you are certain that the young are healthy and do not come from inter-bred adults. Most shop bought rabbits that I have had over the years have either died much sooner than privately or own bred rabbits, or have developed illnesses from an early age that they later died off (snuffles in particular).
Ideally you also want to see the mother and father that your rabbit was bred from to get an idea of not only the size it will, but also their condition of health as well.
You will also pay a much higher price for your rabbit from a pet shop rather than a friend, neighbour or an advert in a local paper.
If
you do buy from a Pet shop then apply strict criteria to any establishment
that is selling live animals.
Demand overall cleanliness in the surroundings; look for alert and
healthy rabbits and insist upon intelligent answers to all your questions
from the staff.
A shabby, untidy operation
is unlikely to be indicative of good health and hardiness in the stock.
One of the best places to get a new pet rabbit is a rescue centre, they are a great place to get your rabbit because they usually vaccinate, health check and neuter them before you adopt them which is a good start and they will give lots of advice if your a new owner too.
Always
know as much as possible before purchasing a pet: be aware of what a healthy
specimen looks like, how large a six-week-old rabbit should be, what
characteristics are important in your chosen breed, and so on. If
you are looking for a particular breed or a less popular colour variety
of a known breed, a breeder may be your only possible source of supply.
Breeders generally are dedicated and highly knowledgeable fanciers;
they are also interested in you and the kind of environment and home you
intend to give your new pet.
The best age to buy a rabbit is when it is from five to eight weeks old. Its eyes should be bright and clear. Its nose should not be runny - do not choose one with sniffles or sneezes. The coat should be sleek and evenly distributed. Stains or discolourations around the rear could indicate diarrhoea.
What breed you deicide to buy will depend on many factors - is it just a family pet, are children going to be handling it, do you want to show it, how big a cage/garden do you have? My personal favourites are Netherland dwarf rabbits.
There
are rabbits as big as spaniels and as small as guinea pigs.
In between, there are rabbits of every size, shape and colour - more
than 50 domestic breeds from which to choose your pet.
If this figure overwhelms you, find out from a pet shop or breeder
the best breed for you. Although
it is not possible to present here every rabbit breed that is available, the
following descriptions give the reader a thorough overview of some of the
types of rabbit that are available to the hobbyist.
Dutch
This
rabbit is coloured similarly fore and aft, with a broad band of white around
the front part of its body up to the head.
A small-to-medium character with a charming disposition, it comes in
a variety of attractive colours. It
is no wonder that it has become popular as a pet.
Polish
This
is the original dwarf rabbit, a small, lean individual weighing no more than
0.9kg. It is the same size as the more common Netherland Dwarf, but the
complete opposite in body shape, having a log, graceful body and a racy,
alert appearance. The most
usual variety is the red-eyed white, although many other colours exist, such
as black, blue, smoke and sable. The
fur of the Polish is very short and shiny, as though it has been polished -
hence the name (although 'Polish' is pronounced as if it was derived from
Poland). Unfortunately the
Polish has a reputation for being bad tempered and is therefore not a pet
for the novice.
Belgian Hare
One
of the most intelligent of rabbits. This attractive animal, whose weight can range from 2.7kg to
4.5kg, has beautiful lush fur that is reddish tan in colour.
Its body shape is similar to that of a hare, with very long legs and
ears.
Himalayan
This
red-eyed rabbit sports a white coat with black, blue, chocolate or lilac
markings. These markings are on
the nose, ears, tail, feet and legs. Medium
in size, it weighs from 0.9kg to 1.8kg.
Angora
These
beautiful rabbits are easily recognisable by the distinctive quality of
their coats. This breed is
available in white and various other colours.
The Angora is more difficult to take care of than some other types of
rabbit, but if you devote the necessary time and patience to brushing,
cleaning and clipping it you will be rewarded by the beauty of this prized
and unusual pet.
Lop
The
hallmark of lop rabbits is their long, soft, dropping or 'lop' ears (which
in some breeds are enormous in size in relation to body size).
In the larger lop breeds, ear lengths easily measure over 50cm.
The French Lop is the largest variety, growing as big as 6.8kg. It
has a very round, compact body shape. The
slightly smaller English Lop is a mean, lean shape, with the largest ears of
any rabbit. The German Lop, the Dwarf Lop and the Mini Lop are all
smaller versions of the French Lop, the Mini Lop being the smallest at
approximately 1.4kg. The Meissner Lop has distinctive silver colouring,
similar to the silver rabbit, and the Cashmere Lop is the longhaired version
of the Dwarf Lop. All Lops come
in a great variety of colours and markings, and make excellent pets.
Silver
These
beautiful rabbits are the choice of quite a few hobbyists.
Silvers, whose coats are short and even in length, are available in
several colours, all of which are highlighted by the breed's characteristic
silvering. Adult members of the
breed weigh from 1.8kg to 3kg.
Netherland Dwarf
These
rabbits, often simply called dwarf rabbits, are a favourite of many in the
fancy. Their appearance is
distinctive: short ears perched on top of an apple-round head, and a very
compact body. Netherland
Dwarfs, which come in a variety of beautiful colours, are known for their
even dispositions.
Chinchilla and Chinchilla Giganta
These are two recognised breeds and are similar in appearance. The Giganta is larger, weighing about 4.9kg to 5kg while the Chinchilla weighs 2.7kg. The distinguishing characteristic of both is the unique colour, 'to resemble real chinchilla'. The undercolour is dark slate blue at the base, light pearl at the centre, and the top banded in black; the chinchilla effect is produced by a very light band brightly ticked with jet black hairs in a wavy fashion. The top colour of the Chinchilla Giganta is darker than the Chinchilla.
Rex and Satin breeds
These rabbits are 20th-century breeds. The Rex is characterised by short, dense fur that looks and feels like plush. It is the result of a mutant factor, that reduces the guard hairs to the length of the underhair. The Satin sheen is the result of a mutant factor causing the fur to roll back. Among the many Rex colours are opal, lynx, sable, seal, blue, castor, chinchilla, and others. Colours often suffer from the lack of density of the coat.
English
This
is a medium breed of about 3.6kg/8lb. The pattern consists of a
butterfly-marked snout, a narrow saddle along the spine, dark ears, dark eye
circles, cheek spots and chain markings on the flanks. Colours are blue,
black, tortoiseshell, chocolate or grey on white.
Normal Havana
A
furry Dutch rabbit, once dubbed the beaver, the Havana has been a well-known
European breed since the turn of the century, exhibited widely in France,
Switzerland, Germany, Holland, and England.
Its present name derives from the brown variety's close colour
resemblance to the Cuban cigar.
Short, cobby and wholly romantic, the Havana has dark eyes that
twinkle a rich ruby glow in a darkened room.
The fur is approximately 2.5cm in length.
Flemish Giant
This
is a long and powerful rabbit with a notably square and wide body.
Colour, which is always uniform, can be any solid except white.
As its name suggests, this rabbit blossomed in Flanders, Belgium,
where it was known as the Patagonian and favoured for its tremendous size.
Its coat is strikingly full and bright, and always of one length.
Californian
A
pure white rabbit with black Himalayan markings on the body, this is a
'Roaring Twenties' rabbit creation, achieved by crossing a Himalayan and a
Chinchilla.
The body is medium long, appearing full and somewhat rounded.
Beveren
Beveren
is a small town in Belgium where this rabbit was first bred in the early
1900s. Its
initial popularity in England was with butchers, as opposed to pet shop
keepers, as meat was very scarce during the First World War.
The Beveren's body is shaped like a mandolin and it enjoys being
stroked. Considered
one of the largest of the fur breeds, the Beveren can weigh up to 4.5kg.
This medium sized rabbit is a well-furred, good-eared little darling who sports a very rich sepia-brown colour, which extends as deep as possible. The eyes are brown with a distinct ruby glow.