Netherland dwarf rabbit care?

Hi, I’ve been looking into getting a rabbit, and have decided on getting a Netherland Dwarf rabbit. I already have an idea on what size the cage should be, and what to feed it. A breeder in my area has a litter of Netherland dwarfs that were born yesterday, and I plan on getting one of them when they are ready. I heard that females rabbits that are over 2 and haven’t been bred are likely to get uterine cancer and die, is this true? Should I get a male or female? What games do rabbits enjoy? Anything else I need to know? Thanks in advance for the helpful answers!

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If you’re getting from a breeder I would be very wary of any advice they give – many breeders keep their animals only for money and don’t keep them appropriately. If kept in a cage rabbits should have a minimum of 6″ x 2″ x 2″ of space, but ideally they should have free range of a room or home. They should never be kept outside; rabbits kept outdoors have an estimated lifespan of 2-3 years when kept outdoors while indoor rabbits can live to be 8 years or more if you’re lucky.

The fact about uterine cancer is true. While other animals should get spayed to prevent pregnancy, rabbits need to be spayed as a medical necessity. Up to 80 percent of female unspayed rabbits will contract uterine cancer, and their life expectancy is half that of a spayed female. My vet is a rabbit specialist and said she’s seen cancer as young as 18 months; it’s best to get them spayed before 1 year of age so they can bounce back a bit quicker. Ignore the first commenter – if you get a pet it’s your responsibility to make sure they have the best quality and longest life possible.

As far as male v. female, rabbits of both genders have a wide range of personalities (which don’t come out until adulthood) so every rabbit will be different, but on AVERAGE female rabbits tend to be more aloof and male rabbits tend to be a bit friendlier. Again, you could easily find a super friendly female and a super mean male but the rabbits I’ve encountered tend to follow this rule. That being said, I have a female who, while she’s aloof and not very cuddly (not that rabbits are), is just wonderful in her own way. I wouldn’t worry too much about this stuff – chances are when you take a look you’ll find one bun you just fall in love with!

The only difference would be cost. Rabbits are very expensive animals, so either way you’ll have to have the means to care for them, but neutering a male tends to be a cheaper procedure than spaying a female since it’s not as invasive. I generally thing $1 here or there doesn’t make a difference though if you fall in love.

As for games, don’t worry about the pet store toys and never get the pet store treats. They’re usually unsafe and rabbits ignore them. They best toys you can get are the ones at home – cardboard, newspaper, and hay are all great. The website www.binkybunny.com has some great ideas for homemade toys – and since rabbits destroy stuff they’re easy to replace. Some rabbits find ways to have interactive little games with their owners, but this is up to the individual rabbit so just let them settle in and then they’ll let you know what they want you to do!

If you have any more questions throughout the process, www.binkybunny.com and www.rabbitsonline.net both have great forums where you can get help from other rabbit owners. Rabbit.org is the homepage for the House Rabbit Society and has all the basic health/care info you could ever need.

Props for doing your research and good luck!