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House Rabbits

1.9K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  Raven_Samara  
#1 ·
I was just wondering, what are the most popular breeds for House Rabbits and why?
 
#4 ·
I think a lot of people looking to get house rabbits care more about the individual rabbit than what breed it is :). Mixes are quite common, too.

But if I had to pick I'd say that Holland lops, miniature lops, Dutch rabbits, and dwarf breeds are more common. They're all fairly small and easy to manage.

It might actually be easier to pick what breeds aren't common as house rabbits (and by house rabbit I'm assuming you mean a rabbit that's considered a pet and allowed to hop around the house?) :). Rare breeds (Belgian hares, for example), angora breeds (most people who just want a pet don't pick a rabbit requiring that much grooming), and "commercial" breeds (such as the Californian) aren't as common as house pets.
 
#5 ·
I think that the majority of house rabbits are mutts, since a lot of bunny breeders don't necessarily push indoor housing like rescues do. :)
 
#7 ·
The truly giant breeds (like flemishes) seem to move pretty fast because people really like big rabbits. But the moderately large breeds (say 7-10 pounds) seem to be less adoptable overall. Interesting coloration or excessively friendliness helps, but a 9 pound rabbit of plain coloring with a pretty basic bunny personality can be around a long time.
 
#10 ·
It's one of those weird things. We've had a lot of requests lately for older rabbits because we've had a lot of people who's current rabbits lost a partner. Old doesn't necessarily mean unadoptable, but it is tougher to adopt, usually. Rabbits in general are pretty hard to place -- we may place 30-40 guinea pigs per year and only 5-7 rabbits.
 
#11 ·
The rescue here is OVERRUN with rabbits and do not have enough adoptive homes or foster homes.They cannot take in anymore rabbits at this time,as most people do not want to commit to a rabbit.

http://birdandsmallanimalrescue.webs.com/rabbitsforadoption.htm

They did just have a "adopt a rabbit" day and have had some interest from that,so thats a good thing.
 
#13 ·
I plan on keeping these rabbits for the rest of their lives.


People that I have talked to that have given up on their rabbit didn't seem to know what they were getting into. They heard that rabbits could be litter box trained like cats, so they expected to get a pet that was more like a cat in a rabbit's body. I wish there were a better term than "House Rabbit" that would better discribe a pet rabbit.


My satins were from an "unwanted litter". I see a lot of that. I wish there were a way to make everyone that sells or gives away rabbits to give out information on rabbits and rabbit care, because I see ignorance as a big part of the problem.
 
#14 ·
People that I have talked to that have given up on their rabbit didn't seem to know what they were getting into. They heard that rabbits could be litter box trained like cats, so they expected to get a pet that was more like a cat in a rabbit's body. I wish there were a better term than "House Rabbit" that would better describe a pet rabbit.
So, dumb question, but how much work has been done on improving their litter habits, or were they just brought inside with a litterbox and expected to know how to use it? Are they spayed?

We took in 6 rabbits that were around 6+ from a local prison who was using them for the inmates as part of their rehab programs, and none of them started off with good manners because they had lived outside on dirt their entire lives. Now most of them have excellent manners, and the two worst offenders even pee in their boxes exclusively. But it's taken a lot of work, starting off with several huge litterboxes and working our way down. Some of them have needed specialized boxes that are a bit bigger, and some have needed ones with more shallow doors as they're slightly arthritic.

I wish people would simply take the time to search for a local rescue that would help coach them through the process, find them rabbits that fit their lifestyle, and then would remain a resource to them throughout the life of the rabbit. We even do this for non-rescue rabbits. I've spent much time at houses of rabbit owners for rabbits I didn't save an adopt out, trying to help them with litterbox issues and advising on cage setups.