General Information
Common wording on Holland Lop rabbitry websites:
Buck = Male
Doe = Girl
Senior = Any bunny over six months of age
Junior = Any bunny under six months of age
Broken = A coloring that is any darker color mixed with white
Solid = Any coloring that is not in a broken pattern
SSB = Solid Senior Buck
SSD = Solid Senior Doe
SJB = Solid Junior Buck
SJD = Solid Junior Doe
BSB = Broken Senior Buck
BSD = Broken Senior Doe
BJB = Broken Junior Buck
BJD = Broken Junior Doe
Life span:
Many people do not take this into consideration but when thinking of adopting a bunny, please take into
account your new companion will live anywhere between 7 to 14+ years in age, with proper care. Most Holland
lops live wonderful lives into their 12th year.
Buck or doe?:
Probably the most common asked question. Many people have heard bucks make better pets because
does become aggressive as their hormones kick in, or that bucks are generally more friendly than does.
None of this can be further from the truth. The number one difference is the breeding, find a breeder that
considers personality as important at the breed standard itself. Many breeders while striving to produce
excellent quality show animals, along the way either do not care or do not notice that personality is not
taken into account. Also, how the animal has been raised. Has it been handled, has it been left in a cage without
human interation. A bunnies personality takes much more into account than his or her gender.
Altering:
The largest and scariest issue that comes along with pet bunny ownership. Your pet bunny MUST be altered
after 6 months of age. Neutering can run in costs of $100 to nearly $300 depending on the rabbit
veternarian, spaying a doe will be in the upper end of that. These procedures must be done by a
qualified rabbit veterinarian, as rabbits are more sensative than a normal household pet and need special care.
Altering will give your bunny a long and happy life with you. Rabbits are extremely prone to
reproductive cancers and altering will remove these risks. Please do not consider adopting a bunny if you
do not plan to alter your new companion or can not afford to have it done. Altering is for your bunnies
health.
Do bunnies need vaccines like a dog or cat?:
No, bunnies are not vaccinated in the USA currently. The only time your bunny will need to see a vet is to be
altered or because he or she is not feeling well.
What about nails?:
Yes, bunnies have nails much like other small animals (although, bunnies are NOT rodents, they are a lagomorph).
Bunnies will need their nails trimmed as they grow long or pointy, this is easy to do at home, but many owners
takes their bunny to a veternarian or an experienced bunny person to have them trimmed. Bunnies nails will need
trimming roughly every three to four months.
Can a rabbit be litter trained like a cat?:
Yes, you can box train your bunny! Bunnies can become full house pets without a cage.
Rabbits are a Lagomorph?:
The Lagomorphs, order Lagomorpha, are an order of mammals of which there are two families,
Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas).
Though members of order Lagomorpha can resemble rodents (order Rodentia), and were classified as
a superfamily in that order until the early twentieth century, they have since been considered a
separate order. For a time it was common to consider the lagomorphs only distant relatives of
the rodents, to whom they merely bore a superficial resemblance; however, genetic studies have
since shown that, while still distinct from rodents, they are indeed very closely related after
all.
Are bunnies noisy at night? - I work all day, will the bunny be lonely?:
For those whom plan to keep bunnies nearby or inside their bedrooms, bunnies are not active at night.
Rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk, meaning they will play most in the early morning and evening
hours. Bunnies sleep in the middle of the day and in the middle of the night. This works out wonderfully
for new owners that are home during these hours, whether you are leaving for work or for school. If you are
a late sleeper, I suggest you keep only 'soft' toys without rattles (read below about toys) in your bunnies
home. Full house bunnies (bunnies without cages that are box trained) can, and will jump on yon on your
bed, so you may want to keep a cage setup (yes, I have been woken up by my house bunny hopping on top
of me).
Housing:
Pet rabbits are to be kept indoors. You will get the most enjoyment from your bunny if he/she lives
in your home with you. Many people believe bunnies are meant to be kept outdoors in a hutch, mostly
because they have no idea what amazing and wonderful animals they can be.
Types of housing of course vary greatly. For anyone looking into a pet home, you should consider costs
of the bunny overall. Good housing will likely not be found at a local pet supply place. Caging is a major
consideration. For house bunnies you need a cage large enough to place a litter box and other supplies
into the cage and still find the bunny. For this I recommend a cage sizing 36" wide, 24" deep and at least
18" in height. You want a cage with at least two openings. A large opening on the top of the cage (for
your own ease of caring and handling your bunny) and also a door that can be opened on the side (so bunny
may come out and go back on his own when allowed too).
The next recommendation would be a wire floor. Now this sounds odd, but you do not want a solid bottom
on your bunnies cage. Any chance of the 'ground' (rather bedding) sliding out from under the bunny as he
moves or plays in his cage could be very dangerous. It's better to invest in wire floored cage with a pull
out drop pan and of course give the bunny several options to get off of the wire. All of this will be
less costly than a trip to a bunny vet to splint a broken leg.
Best recommended pet bunny cage: The Libby cage made by KW cages located in CA. Cage cost: about $90 plus OS shipping
charges (roughly $35).
The Libby cage may be directly purchased from KW cages. [ KW Cages ]
There are other safe options for housing your bunny though. Do lots of research and choose a house both you
and your bunny will enjoy.
Simple cage setup for a house bunny, cage available at petsmart.com (Medium size Wabbitat)
Flooring:
Options for flooring on top of the wire floor in your cage:
Seagrass mats, EZ foot rest mat, carpet, dish drain mats, fleece.
As my favorite, I like to suggest giving bunnies fleece squares to sleep or sit on. At any fabric store,
go scope out the sale section for fleece material. Find one you like and buy a yard (or more!). Cut the
yard into 4 squares, and then you have fleece squares for your bunny. You can either wash these or toss them
as needed, but always keep an extra on hand so when you take one out, you have another to replace it.
Another idea is instead of cutting the yard of fleece into smaller squares, just fold it up. Buy two, then you
have two beds. They wash nicely in a washer and tumble dry (just be careful of the fabric softener and cleaner
you use, must be bunny safe).
Flooring outside the cage can also be a concern. Hardwood or tile floors are hard for bunnies to move around on.
They slip easily and can actually really hurt themsevles trying to navigate on them. If your bunnies home can not
be on a carpet flooring, I suggest a small rug be placed under the cage. Allow a couple of feet around the cage, so
depending on your cage size a 4' x 6' rug would probably be the smallest you want to have. This will allow the bunny
a "landing" for going in and out of the cage, but also a safe zone, where they will not slip or fall. For play time,
you may want to invest in a larger rug. Bunnies will not "boink" often without good flooring and if they do they could
easily slip and brake something (much like the problems with solid bottom bunny housing).
Toys:
There are many things to set up for, before you bring your new family member into your home. Some
considerations to your bunnies new house objects may be a place to start. Although older bunnies
love noisy and hard toys to play with, young bunnies and also older bunnies (in addition to harder
toys) love baby soft toys. Terry cloth stuffed animals, rattles, and small toys are a wonderful addition
for your new bunny. A stuffed toy is nice for a bunny to snuggle with and will be completely safe. In fact,
my older bunnies tend to drag their stuffed "friends" around with them, and many of my older bunnies snuggle
with them or use them as pillows.
Some suggestions of baby toys safe for bunnies.
Litter training:
**coming soon**
Diet & Health:
Hay is your number one bunny feed. A rabbit can not have a healthy life without proper
ammounts of hay in his/her diet. If you or a family member are allergic to hay, consider how you will handle
this and if a bunny is really the right companion for you. Hay is essential! A rabbits diet should consist of
about 90% forage/hay.
Hay is not all the same. Alfalfa should not be fed to your Holland Lop. Alfalfa has a high calcium content that can
be damaging in large amounts to your Holland's health. This is most noticible in your bunnies urine. Thick, clumpy,
white or even a pale yellow means your bunny has too much calcium in his/her diet. A normal bunnies urine is a dark
orange to reddish color. This is quite alarming to many first time owners, but it very healthy and shows your bunny is
not having extra calcium in his/her diet.
What's the problem with too much calcium?
Bladder stones, bladder sludge
and OCD (Osteochondrosis).
What types of hay should a Holland eat?
Timothy or Orchard grass.
The very best hay is soft, green and long stemmed. Short, stick-like hay is not good. If only stick-like hay is available in your area,
look into online stores for purchasing a better quality hay for your bunny. Not only is hay quality good for your bunnies insides, often
times the hard, stick-like hay can poke a bunny in the eye and cause quite an eye injury.
Pellet feeds are another important part of your bunnies diet. A young bunny may only eat 1/8 to 1/4 a cup daily of these pellets.
It is important to not over feed or free feed your bunny pellets. Not only can your bunnies digestive system get quite upset, but your bunny
can also become quite pudgy. On a growing rabbit, extra weight or being classed as obese can have a serious toll on his/her muslce and
skeletal structure. Adult bunnies tend to do well on 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of feed, once daily with free feedings of hay. It is important to check what is in your
pellet feed and make sure the crude protein percent does not go above 17%. Pellet feed is made heavily from alfalfa,
which is perfectly fine, as bunnies and growing bunnies need calcium. Alfalfa also contains at high amount of
protein, which is where the higher reading of protein on the feed label comes from. Protein is wonderful in small amounts,
however these small rabbits need a diet of pellets being between 15% and 17% protein. Although alfafla may seem like
a nice additive, I do not suggest feeding alfalfa hay,
as the amount the bunny will eat daily in the pellets is enough to support his or her calcium and proteins needs
when given the currect amounts, along with free feedings of timothy or orchard grass hay.
 
Unsafe treats and feed:
Not all treats and types of feed produced for bunnies are really safe for bunnies to ingest. Lets start with
yogurt. Yogurt is a dairy product, which is something a bunny can not safely digest. Often times you may see
suggestions to feed yogurt to a bunny with a tummy ache for the good gut flora found in yogurt. However, their
are special products made for rabbits, called Probios (found at Petsmart for $3.99 a tube) that are very safe and
actually supply a better and larger amount of good gut flora, without upsetting the bunnies digestive track. There
are indeed manufactured bunny treats made from yogurt (Yogurt drops is just one example). Please refine from feeding
these to your bunny. No milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese... or other dairy products for bunnies.
Not all pellet feeds are created equal. Please read labels. Not only does the protein % count, but also what the pellets
are made from. Many major brands found in mass stores (Petco, Petsmart, Target, Wal*Mart) include products that are
really not safe or healthy for your bunny. Back in 2006 I remember reading the back of a Kaytee rabbit pellet bag, and
listed was "animal bi-products". They added other animals fat and parts to increase the fat and protein content of the
pellet feed. So I do suggest, no matter the brand, you read and understand what is in your bunnies feed.
Stick like hay or better known as, small bags of hay found at major retail and pet stores. Brands will vary for these
but if your hay does not feed like grass and have a green coloring, do not feed it. I do not ever recommend purchasing
hay from anyplace other than a hay farm or a store that carries high quality animal forage products.
More suggestions, treats, toys, diet info, litter training, housing ideas, and more to come!
Please if you plan to copy my information ask first... it's very upsetting to see what I have written on another
breeders website.
Copyright 2004 - 2008 ©, All Rights Reserved Sinkiyia
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