netherland dwarf bunnies

[doxy0486]

Hi. I am getting a ND this weekend and after doing a 2-week research on them Im kinda confused. A lot of experts and vets say they are very sweet and friendly and great for kids. But then there are people who describe them as being aggressive. I know it has to do with their line and everything but how do u choose the right bunny and pick the nice one. how can u tell one from the other?

 

Also, I read bucks tend to spray. do they do that everytime they pee or whenever they feel like it? Is it pretty easy to litter train them? I heard it wasnt too hard. Well any info is great, thanks.

[ShellyHall]

I have a ND rabbit called Archie.  Just to confuse you she's a she.  I was told by the pet shop, the breeder and the vet that she was a boy when I first got her.

I had a little trouble with Archie to begin with.  "He" started being quite territorial and would growl at me when I tried to pick "him" up.  I just ignored this and carried on as normal so "he" knew who was boss.

"He" then started plucking fur and nest building.  A trip to vet revealed that "he" was in fact a "she" and I arranged to have her spayed.  This did the trick - no more aggression and growling.

She is very sweet now, but a little nervous.  I do think it depends on the individual bunny, but have heard that NDs can make excellent pets.  I would say though that children should be supervised at all times with bunnies.

I have never tried to litter train Archie, however she only toilets in one place in her hutch so I would imagine (and have heard from other bunny owners) that it would be easy to litter train your new bunny.

Good luck.

[lalalaland]

ive had ND's for 10 years and only one has turned out so aggressive we had to send her back to her breeder where she had many a litter and was a happy bunny. the girls can be more aggressive than th boys tho. ALWAYS get yr rabbits from a breeder-they will be of invaluable help to u when they get sick(and you'll save a fortune in vets bills). i currently own a beautiful little boy and girl(who live separately). the boy got very sprayey and we had to have him neutered but he is fine now and is still gorgeous and has such a lovely nature as does my unneutered girl who can get a bit growly when u put yr hand in her cage but only 'charges' and doesnt bite as many rabbits will do if u invade their personal space. saying this about girls i have also had a lovely girl rabbit who also had a perfect nature.

the bottom line is you cant tell when a rabbit is a baby how it is going to turn out-you may be lucky, like me, or not. if you want a mini rabbit who will be nice to yr kids then i would suggest a mini lop-they always have gorgeous characters and are more laid back-the ND's are very highly strung!

as for litter training, both are trained(naturally, no help from me) to poo in their hutches only and my girl does it in her poo corner-girls seem to be neater than boys!