[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by canyafly

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

Good info. Thanks for posting. We are considering getting a rabbit for my son as a first pet (other than previous fish and hermit crabs). A dwarf rabbit seems to be a pretty good fit for us as far as house pets go.

[tookey]

Rabbits are great pets. I have a Dwarf Netherland an she is a real sweetheart. Just remember though that they do bite now and then especially if they are stressed. Also my vet told me not to feed mine anything with too much protien their digestive systems can't absord the protien. As another poster said papaya is very good for digestion. Lots and lots of timothy hay is recommended. Mine loves fresh spinich leaves and Kale I only give these as a once a week treat though but of course follow the diet recommendations of your vet. Enjoy your rabbit they are the sweetest things. Also be sure and give plenty of excersise that also aids in digestion as well as keeps their bones and joints healthy.