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Old 01-30-2009, 11:17 AM
 
Location: SC
543 posts, read 2,357,922 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JetJockey View Post
When you say family, I assume you have children You should try getting them involved in 4h! Most clubs have monthly meetings, and then have seperate meetings for just people involved with rabbits, horses, swine etc. so you're going to get individualized attention and have a very knowledgable leader to ask questions. Plus, it's a great program, and will let you be involved with other families that also have bunnies
Thanks for the suggestion. My children are a little older now.
However, I am seriously considering getting into showing rabbits. I have fallen in love with this particular breed.
I also like the dwarf Hotot rabbits, too.
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Old 01-30-2009, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Up in the air
19,112 posts, read 30,532,342 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by usc_gal98 View Post
Thanks for the suggestion. My children are a little older now.
However, I am seriously considering getting into showing rabbits. I have fallen in love with this particular breed.
I also like the dwarf Hotot rabbits, too.
Hotots are so cute! I showed mini rexes and holland lops for many years. You should definitely go to a rabbit show, if you haven't been to one already. Sooo much fun, and lots of interesting people to meet. One of the top US breeders for mini lops was my 4H leader for many years.
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Old 01-30-2009, 12:03 PM
 
Location: SC
543 posts, read 2,357,922 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JetJockey View Post
Hotots are so cute! I showed mini rexes and holland lops for many years. You should definitely go to a rabbit show, if you haven't been to one already. Sooo much fun, and lots of interesting people to meet. One of the top US breeders for mini lops was my 4H leader for many years.
There is a show coming up about 2 hrs from my home in May. I'm excited to go! I think it will give me a better understanding about what is involved in showing rabbits.

Mini Rexes are so cute. Do you still show? Oh, I remember all the fun involved in 4H club. I was in that club when I was a young girl.
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Old 01-30-2009, 03:22 PM
 
Location: Up in the air
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Quote:
Originally Posted by usc_gal98 View Post
There is a show coming up about 2 hrs from my home in May. I'm excited to go! I think it will give me a better understanding about what is involved in showing rabbits.

Mini Rexes are so cute. Do you still show? Oh, I remember all the fun involved in 4H club. I was in that club when I was a young girl.

Not anymore, unfortunately I was more into larger livestock and started my own goat dairy when I was 13, and the rabbits/chickens fell to the wayside. I was one of the top ranking poultry showmen in the state for a while, and the top ranking dairy goat showmen for quite some time, but when college came around I had to move on Still have 5 of my goats, though!
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Old 01-31-2009, 02:49 PM
 
Location: SC
543 posts, read 2,357,922 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JetJockey View Post
Not anymore, unfortunately I was more into larger livestock and started my own goat dairy when I was 13, and the rabbits/chickens fell to the wayside. I was one of the top ranking poultry showmen in the state for a while, and the top ranking dairy goat showmen for quite some time, but when college came around I had to move on Still have 5 of my goats, though!
Well, Jet....I found out that Dolly isn't a Dolly today! She is a he! I have a buck netherland dwarf so now....we will call him Bizkit.

I had a woman who is very experienced in breeding and showing take a look at my bunny today. She said that Bizkit has show potential and I should start him off in the junior division. She said she would like to see his head fill out a little more but thinks that will come as he ages a little. He's only 8 weeks old now.

I'm super excited now! I really want to get into showing rabbits.

Oh, your goats sound cute! I love those little fainting goats.
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Old 02-02-2009, 12:44 PM
 
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I also bought a new dwarf netherland rabbit. His name is Sweetie. I'm not sure how old he is or how much he was handles before we got him...but he doesn't seem to like us. Do you need to "handle" him EVERYDAY? How do I cut his claws? He also bites and I'm afraid he'll draw blood on my youngest. I want his to be sweet, as his name suggests, but he's turning out to be quite the little booger...
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Old 02-02-2009, 06:58 PM
 
Location: Up in the air
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweetiesmom View Post
I also bought a new dwarf netherland rabbit. His name is Sweetie. I'm not sure how old he is or how much he was handles before we got him...but he doesn't seem to like us. Do you need to "handle" him EVERYDAY? How do I cut his claws? He also bites and I'm afraid he'll draw blood on my youngest. I want his to be sweet, as his name suggests, but he's turning out to be quite the little booger...
Yes, handle them everyday, even if it's just for 5 minute intervals a couple of times a day. Get them used to human hands being in the cage, picking them up (learn the correct way to pick up a rabbit i.e. ears and scruff of neck, then supporting their behind with your other hand). It's also a good idea to train them to be comfortable holding them upside down, it makes it easier to calm them down and trim their toenails/teeth if necessary. You can trim his toenails with regular small dog nail clippers. Does he have a chewing block to keep his teeth down? That may be the reason he's a bit nippy, maybe his teeth hurt a bit, and that's making it difficult to drink and eat. I would highly recommend going to youtube and searching for '4H rabbit showmanship' which will teach you many basics of handling a rabbit properly. It may take time, but your bunny will soon become a happy member of your household
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Old 02-03-2009, 12:20 PM
 
Location: SC
543 posts, read 2,357,922 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweetiesmom View Post
I also bought a new dwarf netherland rabbit. His name is Sweetie. I'm not sure how old he is or how much he was handles before we got him...but he doesn't seem to like us. Do you need to "handle" him EVERYDAY? How do I cut his claws? He also bites and I'm afraid he'll draw blood on my youngest. I want his to be sweet, as his name suggests, but he's turning out to be quite the little booger...
JetJockey gave you some good advice.

What is the age of your child? What is the age of your rabbit?

You have to learn how to properly pick up a rabbit. Young children can often hurt a rabbit by not picking it up the proper way. You must always support the hind legs and back when picking it up. Rabbits are known to squirm and they can actually break their legs and backs if twisted the wrong way.

Your rabbit could just be scared. I speak to mine in a soft voice and gently pick it up. I also hold it closely to me when holding it. If my buck starts to squirm a bit while in my arms, I gently place my hand over it's eyes and face a little to calm it down.

I'll tell you one thing, my little buck will nip me from time to time. I've learned that he does not like the pooper scooper and does not like for me to touch his log.

And to answer your question - yes, you should handle your rabbit every day. You can also let your rabbit out of his/her cage from time to time with strict supervision. Rabbits can chew through electrical cords in a heartbeat.
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Old 02-22-2009, 12:51 PM
 
Location: Denver
1,082 posts, read 4,703,281 times
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I have had rabbits, none now. They are my favorite pets, tops. I miss them the most when I am cutting vegetables: they just LOVED the parsley or other herb stems and leaves or fruit peelings I didn't use. So unless you compost it all for your garden, take the fresh stems or whatever and let them try stuff. You will soon find out what they like the best and no waste! There are a few things you should not give them, but you can find those on lists on the webs. There is a good one about house rabbits.
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Old 06-22-2010, 02:52 PM
 
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I had "Smokey" for 10 yrs 4 mths; he was a Netherland Dwarf also, his nose, ears, feet and tail were all dark, the rest of him was white. He loved to play and in fact, I made him a play pen of sorts, with all types of stuff in it, cardboard boxes, with windows and doors cut in it, but small enough for him to jump on top (also, keep him under 2lbs, or they're considered overweight), he loved those yellow car clothes you can buy at Walmart (ones used to clean cars, about 4 -6 to a pack) - he loved bunching them up, bu don't let him/her eat the cloth. I also bought a cement tube (smallest they had at Home Depot, cut it down, washed it off and he loved running like heck through that - I had actually wired it to the side of the "play pen" so it was a few inches off the ground - he thought that was great. Rabbits will either be nesters (collect and move hay, etc), diggers (usually a small box full of hay will really get them going). Mine, however, did have to have his teeth ground down about 3-4 times a year because he wouldn't eat enough grass or chew on wood, etc to keep them ground down, so if yours stops eating or acting sick, that may be the problem - my Vet always had to give him anesthesia to grind his teeth down because it hurts them too much (plus they fight it) to open their mouth up enough for even the smallest file. And they can jump much further and higher than you'd ever expect.
Also remember that rabbits cannot throw up, but they groom like a cat does, but have no way of "hacking" up the furball - papaya pills and especially malt, called "Laxatone" - you can find it in the cat section or most stores - they love the papaya pills and the malt. I give my bunnies (I still have 2 - both much larger than Smokey was) a papaya pill every morning and malt about every couple of days, about an inch of the stuff, they'll eat it right out of the tube and beg for more - of course, rabbits are known for having a notorious sweet tooth. Mine loved any type of dried fruit (sweeter), bananas and love it when you give them dandelion greens. And they have they're own personalities, which makes it lots of fun and entertaining.
God luck, have fun and take care
Karen
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