Dealing with a Teenage Terror Rabbit

Spaying or neutering your pet will help calm his foul temper and that can be safely performed at any time after your bunny is four months old. If you do intend to breed your pet this is of course not an immediate option, but there are ways to deal with some of the most common problems that “teenage” rabbits present.

Taming a Biter Bunny

One of the most common things that a maturing rabbit will do is start to bite. To avoid becoming a victim never pull your rabbit from his cage when he is facing you, as he may feel “cornered” and his only defense is his teeth. Instead, stroke him gently behind the ears and turn him around gently with your other hand, so that he is no longer facing you. Then pull him out gently, supporting his back legs firmly.

Just like their human counterparts teenage rabbits will not appreciate being disturbed from a great nap. Most rabbits prefer to spend much of their day sleeping, becoming more active around dawn and dusk, a genetic throwback from their wild ancestors, as these are safest times for wild rabbits to hunt. To avoid being nipped allow him to sleep when he wants, he might be more up for a nice playtime if he decides what time that should take place.

Reintroducing the Litter Box

For the unaltered teenage rabbit this can be hard. When your rabbit is out and about make sure there is a litter box no farther away from him than about 15 feet. Teenage rabbits seem to forget about their litter box if it is much farther away, unlike a pet cat who search the whole house to track his down. Often a teenage rabbit will become so engrossed in his tasty hay that he will forget about his litter box. Placing hay in front of it may help him remember.

Finding a good vet for your rabbit is important, and it is even more important that you have one in mind before your bunny falls ill. The vet you used to take your cat to might have been great with Fluffy, but what does he know about rabbits?

In your search for the right vet for your rabbit let a telephone conversation with several offices be your starting place. The answers you get to a few simple questions can help you decide if a particular vet is really equipped to take care of your precious pet:

1. How often do you see rabbits? If the answer is not often ,this a red flag right away. If the receptionist hesitates or says something like “we can see rabbits” or “we will accept a rabbit” this is not the same as a vet who sees them on a regular basis. Ask how many bunnies they see each week. One or two once in a while is not enough to make the vet in question a rabbit expert.

2. Ask how much it costs to spay or neuter a rabbit: Even if you did this ages ago, asking this one question can be another way to determine how often rabbits are seen at a practice. If the receptionist has to check to see if they do, then it is rather obvious that they do not do so very often. If you get a quick answer and a price quote, this is a very good sign.

3. Throw in a Tricky Question: Try asking if a rabbit should be forced to fast before surgery. The correct answer is a resounding NO. Fasting is to prevent vomiting under anesthesia, and rabbits cannot vomit. If the receptionist says yes, give her the benefit of the doubt for a moment, she is not the vet. Ask her to check with her boss. If she does and the answer is still yes, hang up and call another vet.

4. Do not assume a livestock vet knows her rabbits: Vets who work with farmers and breeders may not always share the compassion that house rabbit owners have for their beloved bunnies. Livestock are usually a financial commodity and sick rabbits are often killed instead of being treated.

5. Ask Fluffy’s Vet for a Recommendation: Remember the nice cat Dr? He may not know his rabbits, but chances are he knows someone who does. That way you can take the referral, then call and ask your trick question to make sure!

The Dwarf Lop – Colorful and Cuddly

A Dwarf Lop is very similar in appearance to its’ similarly sized cousin, the Mini Lop. The only real difference is size, the Dwarf Lop being larger by a pound or so on average.

Both breeds make great pets, but as the Dwarf Lop lives to an average of nine or ten years old, they are rabbits that will be around for a long time, with proper care and handling.

Do the Ears Hang Low?

The baby Dwarf Lop is born, like all breeds of lop, with ears that stand up straight. As they mature the ears flop down into the characteristic droopy style.

The Dwarf Lop breed was perfected first, as the result of introducing a dwarfing gene to a strain of French Lop rabbits in the late nineteen eighties. They are a relatively new breed to American market, but are becoming increasingly popular as pets for older children. It is not always recommended to give a Dwarf Lop to a very small child, as they are quite delicate and may not withstand rough handling.

Dwarf Lops come in many different colors, from black to lilac to orange. They can be one of any number of patterns too. Show Dutch Lops will only be accepted in black, white, blue, agouti, chinchilla, sable, seal point and fawn. Any other color would be disqualified as unsuitable.

As Cool as Cats

The Dwarf Lop is quite smart, and can be trained to use a litter box or tray. If you do decide to litter train any breed of rabbit it is best to use a non- clumping litter, as rabbits choke easily, and will not be able to digest hard lumps of clay litter.

Dwarf Lops are usually very affectionate and loving. Some pet owners report that their Lops actually seem to be purring when they are being stroked and petted.

Why Should I Spay or Neuter my Pet Bunny? Why not Breed?

It may be an attractive idea. Breeding your cute pet bunny, to produce a few more cute bunnies that you could put into a show or sell to the local pet store.

However, rabbit breeding is a serious business, and thousands of rabbits are left homeless every year as a result of a “back yard breeding” experiment gone wrong.

Get Rich with Rabbits?

Most serious rabbit breeders will tell you, if you think you will become wealthy breeding bunnies, think again. If you are willing to breed rabbits for the love of it, and have the considerable resources and available space to do so successfully, it can be incredibly rewarding.

Experienced rabbit breeders take great pride in the development of new colors, patterns and even breeds.

A rabbit bought from a chain pet store is rarely ever suitable for breeding purposes. It is hard to find out enough about the pet store rabbits ancestry and genetics to use them in a breeding program that will have a chance of being a successful one.

Thinking Ahead Before You Begin

In the event that you did decide to breed, and began properly, with quality stock, what will become of the kits once they are born? Are you willing and able to house those less desirable rabbits that don’t sell as babies?

Will you take back an unwanted rabbit if the purchaser finds them unsuitable, or just no longer wants them?

Many people buy rabbits, especially as pets, on a whim, and have no idea the amount of work involved in keeping them happy and healthy.

If you are not able to face these kinds of responsibilities rabbit breeding is not for you. That isn’t to say no one should breed rabbits outside of large “bunny mills”.

If undertaken in the knowledge that there is a good deal of hard work and financial investment involved, rabbit breeding can be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience for bunny lovers anywhere.