Which breed & sex of rabbit is right for me?
Sizes & Temperaments
Mini Rex average between 3-5 lbs; Calm-Medium
Velveteen Lops average 5-8 lbs; Calmest
Rex average 8-11 lbs; Medium
Satins average 8-11 lbs; Medium - Feisty
New Zealand rabbits average 8-12 pounds; Medium - Feisty
These estimates are based on actual experience and are not based on the breed standards. For example, Mini Rex should not be five pounds but false dwarfs can and do happen and can even reach six pounds, although it is not common in my program.
The temperament ratings above are based on our experiences but every rabbit is an individual. All of our babies are handled 2x daily both for health checks and to build the neuropathways to help them be easy to handle rabbits. When you bring home your new rabbit, the job of socializing and handling the rabbit is not complete, far from it. Regular, minimum daily handling is recommended to keep the rabbit easy to handle and to accustom them to their new home as a pet, brood or show stock. I recommend not handling the rabbit too much for the first few days to let them settle in and get comfortable in their new home, but after that, please handle your rabbit daily.
Velveteen Lops average 5-8 lbs; Calmest
Rex average 8-11 lbs; Medium
Satins average 8-11 lbs; Medium - Feisty
New Zealand rabbits average 8-12 pounds; Medium - Feisty
These estimates are based on actual experience and are not based on the breed standards. For example, Mini Rex should not be five pounds but false dwarfs can and do happen and can even reach six pounds, although it is not common in my program.
The temperament ratings above are based on our experiences but every rabbit is an individual. All of our babies are handled 2x daily both for health checks and to build the neuropathways to help them be easy to handle rabbits. When you bring home your new rabbit, the job of socializing and handling the rabbit is not complete, far from it. Regular, minimum daily handling is recommended to keep the rabbit easy to handle and to accustom them to their new home as a pet, brood or show stock. I recommend not handling the rabbit too much for the first few days to let them settle in and get comfortable in their new home, but after that, please handle your rabbit daily.
Sex
For young 4H stock and for pets I recommend males. They are less prone to hormonal and territorial behavior and are generally easier to handle and remove from their cages. Females can make good pets, but if they become hormonal or territorial I do recommend spaying them. Spay/Neuter in rabbits is high risk. They are sensitive to anesthesia and unfortunately they frequently die in these procedures. If you choose to go that route, please find a veterinarian that is experienced with rabbit spay/neuters.
A hormonal/territorial rabbit looks like growling, grunting, squeaking, lunging. She may also be "lifting" when you stroke her back (although please know that any rabbit receptive to breeding will do this). A hormonal/territorial rabbit is not a bad rabbit. She is doing what her body was engineered to do; she is wanting to make and have babies. Often the only problem is when you go to get her out of her cage that she may be verbal, stressed, and lunging at your hand. Please consider that you are a predator, and she is a prey animal, trapped in her den that she desperately wants to keep safe for her future babies; she is doing only what nature intended. We do not keep any truly aggressive does. This behavior almost always goes away for us once we start breeding them, and if it didn't they would not stay in our program and none of their babies would go to pet homes. The does are easy easy to handle for us when they learn we won't hurt them or their babies.
If your doe is doing this, finding a way to let her exit her cage her own way often makes her easy to manage as they don't usually do it once they are out; this is only practical for pet owners.
If you are having trouble handling a hormonal/territorial rabbit that is not a pet, please ask me for help. We often have one or two does we can demonstrate with. Typically they are 3-6 month old rabbits we are showing and waiting to breed and we can use them to teach with. They may be fussy and grumpy but they aren't truly dangerous or we wouldn't keep them.
When you are confident and firm but gentle in your handling they are much, much less frightened.
A hormonal/territorial rabbit looks like growling, grunting, squeaking, lunging. She may also be "lifting" when you stroke her back (although please know that any rabbit receptive to breeding will do this). A hormonal/territorial rabbit is not a bad rabbit. She is doing what her body was engineered to do; she is wanting to make and have babies. Often the only problem is when you go to get her out of her cage that she may be verbal, stressed, and lunging at your hand. Please consider that you are a predator, and she is a prey animal, trapped in her den that she desperately wants to keep safe for her future babies; she is doing only what nature intended. We do not keep any truly aggressive does. This behavior almost always goes away for us once we start breeding them, and if it didn't they would not stay in our program and none of their babies would go to pet homes. The does are easy easy to handle for us when they learn we won't hurt them or their babies.
If your doe is doing this, finding a way to let her exit her cage her own way often makes her easy to manage as they don't usually do it once they are out; this is only practical for pet owners.
If you are having trouble handling a hormonal/territorial rabbit that is not a pet, please ask me for help. We often have one or two does we can demonstrate with. Typically they are 3-6 month old rabbits we are showing and waiting to breed and we can use them to teach with. They may be fussy and grumpy but they aren't truly dangerous or we wouldn't keep them.
When you are confident and firm but gentle in your handling they are much, much less frightened.