Caring for your Netherland Dwarf
Purchasing your Netherland Dwarf Rabbit
Before buying your rabbit, you or your breeder should do a health check on the rabbit. You should look for:
Ears: Should be clean inside. A brown, crusty appearance could mean the rabbit has ear mites.
Eyes: There should be no discharge from the eyes and no cloudiness. Cloudiness could indicate the rabbit is blind.
Nose: It should be clean and dry. If you notice the rabbit has a runny nose, combined with crusty or wet fur on the front legs, the rabbit could have a cold or a serious illness like snuffles.
Teeth: The front teeth should slightly overlap the bottom teeth. If one set of teeth is longer than normal it indicates the rabbit has malocclusion. Rabbit teeth with maloclussion prevent the animal from chewing properly, can grow into the mouth, and must be trimmed regularly.
Front/Hind Feet: A rabbit's legs should stretch out straight and have five toenails on the front feet and four toenails on the back feet. It is important that your rabbit has all of its toenails if you are going to be showing it. Also check the bottom of the feet for redness which would indicate sore hocks. Sometimes this is caused by poor cage sanitation, other times the rabbits feet are being aggravated by the wire floor. You can help a rabbit with sore hocks by keeping a board in the cage to give it a place to sit off the wire. This is not as common in Netherland Dwarfs as it is in larger breeds.
Body: The overall body should be clean, smooth and firm. Feel the body to check for any abcesses and for the build-up of droppings on the underside that could indicate dietary or other problems.
Responsible breeders do not sell rabbits with these defects, but it is a good idea to look for these things yourself before buying a rabbit.
What you will need for your Netherland Dwarf Rabbit
Don't forget to bring a carrier to the breeder to pick up your rabbit. It is bes to use a wire cage with a metal pan to keep the rabbit from sitting in its dropping. Cardboard boxes are not always a good way to bring your rabbit home because urine can soak thru the bottom.
Netherland Dwarf rabbits are not expensive to keep, but they do need basic items. Here is an idea of what you will need to keep your rabbit and the cost:
Cage: Netherland Dwarfs are comfortable in an 18X24x14 cage or larger. You may choose a cage with a wire bottom and a drop pan or one with a solid bottom and try to litter box train your rabbit. Cages can be purchased from pet stores but are less expensive if you build one yourself or purchase one at a rabbit show from a company that specializes in cages. Prices range from approximately $30 -75.
Pine shavings: A bale of pine shavings can be purchased from the feed store for about $5-6 and will go a long way. You will need pine shavings if you are going to litter train your rabbit (NEVER use cedar shavings which are deadly to rabbits) and if you use a drop pan, pine shavings can help absorb the urine and keep the smell down. Shavings should be changed regularly, at least once or twice a week, for your rabbits' health.
Water bottle: A wide mouth water bottle is the easiest and least messy for providing your dwarf water. Cost: $3-4
Feeder: A metal feeder that attaches to the cage is best for your rabbit. Plastic can be chewed and pans that are not attached can be used as a toy by your bunny and easily flipped. Cost: $4-5
Feed: Buy your rabbit the best quality feed you can afford. A feed store will offer the best option for low cost, high quality pellets. You can purchase a 50 pound bag of feed for $10-15 and this will go a LONG WAY for one dwarf rabbit. Remember to store your feed in some type of air tight container like a trash barrel. Feed left exposed to the air for more than 24 hours looses its vitamins and can become moldy if exposed to moisture. NEVER feed your Netherland Dwarf moldy feed because it can make it very sick.
Hay: Provide your rabbit with plenty of TIMOTHY hay. Alfalfa hay can give your rabbit diarrhea. Hay helps your rabbit with digestion and will keep it feeling full without extra feed that can contribute to an overweight rabbit.
Nail Clippers: A good pair of animal nail clippers are necessary unless you have the time and money to take your rabbit to the vet regularly to have its nails clipped. Cost: $5-10
Caring for your Netherland Dwarf Rabbit
Netherland Dwarf rabbits can make ideal pets because of their size. Netherland Dwarfs can be kept in a bedroom, in a basement or garage or outside. When choosing the best location in your home for your rabbit, remember to choose a spot that does not have a draft. If you are going to keep your rabbit outside, you will need to make sure its cage offers a space for it to get out of the elemets and has plenty of hay for it to build a warm nest. You will also need to check its water more frequently because of the danger of freezing that would not allow your rabbit to get the essential water it needs. When chosing your indoor location, do not place the cage next to a heater, curtains or wires (that can be pulled in and chewed)
Fill its water bottle daily.
Give your Netherland Dwarf approximately 1/3 cup of feed per day. Kits and pregnant and nursing does should be allowed to free feed. Feed your rabbit at the same time every day, whether it is in the morning or in the evening. A good quality feed will provide your rabbit with all of the nutrients it needs so treats should be kept to a minimum. Treats like fresh carrots, carrot tops, bananas, apples, oats, stale bread are nice but not necessary and should only be feed in small amounts once or twice a week. Treats should not be given to rabbits that are under 5 months old. Store bought treats might be tasty but can be fattening. Unless your rabbit is getting a substantial amout of excercise each day to burn this off, it is best to stay away from them.
Things to NEVER feed your rabbit:
celery, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, potato peels, grass that has had chemicals sprayed on it.
Attention! Rabbits love people attention. The more you hold and interact with your rabbit, the more your rabbit will respond to you. Young children need to be supervised around rabbits because rabbits can move quickly and frighten a small child who might accidentally drop the bunny. Find a safe area for your rabbit to run. If you have an outside area, make sure it is well supervised and well fenced because rabbits can both dig and jump. Indoors, make sure your rabbit does not have access to any stereo wires or electrical wires. One bite could be disasterous for both your equipment and the rabbit. NEVER LEAVE YOUR RABBIT UNATTENDED OUTSIDE OF ITS CAGE.
Netherland Dwarf rabbits do not need the company of another rabbit. They prefer their own "space." If you have more than one rabbit, each rabbit should have its own cage. We have been told that sometimes does can live together if they are raised together. We have not found this to be true. Even our mothers will attack the kits if they are left in the same cage once they are weaned. Un-neutered bucks will always fight each other if kept in the same cage once they are a few months old. And if you have a buck and a doe together, well, you will need more cages.
Do you need to groom your rabbit? Netherland Dwarf rabbits have normal fur, which is a fur type that is soft, medium in length and easy to maintain. For the most part, Netherland Dwarf rabbits will keep themselves clean and do not need grooming, but sometimes during shedding periods can use a little help. If you want to groom your dwarf, use a soft comb or brush and go in the natural direction of its fur.
Sometimes when rabbits are shedding they will swallow their own fur. Rabbits cannot digest fur they swallow and, unlike cats, do not have the ability to throw it back up as a fur ball. If you are noticing that your rabbits droppings seem particularly small or dry, this may be an indication that your rabbit is becoming blocked internally by the fur it is swallowing. This is a very serious condition that can lead to death if not dealt with immediately. Provide your rabbit with more hay and give it a couple of dried papaya or papaya tablets each day. Papaya will help your rabbit pass the fur thru its digestive system. Rabbits usually love papaya and will love to have it as a treat. Sometimes the smell is initially too strong for them and they take a little while to get used to it. Look for dried papaya in the health food store or papaya tablets in a vitamin store.
In emergency situations where your rabbit has completely stopped eating its feed, we have found that 3-5 cc of pineapple juice, sometimes given forcibly into the rabbit's mouth with a syringe (no needle!!), given a few times a day, can help things get moving.
Clip your rabbits nails at least once a month. Long nails can prevent your bunny from using its feet properly and may get stuck on something causing an injury. To clip the nails, simply hold your rabbit with its head tucked under your arm and gently hold a paw and clip back to the fur line. If you clip the nail too short, you will clip into the "quick" and the nail will bleed. If you do this, hold a clean towel or rag over the nail until the bleeding stops. If you have a squirmy rabbit, you can ask someone to hold the rabbit upside down in their arms (suprisingly this sort of puts a rabbit into a trance if it is quiet) and gently clip the nails. This can take some practice!
Litter training your Dwarf rabbit
If you decide you want to litter train your rabbit, let the rabbit spend the first day in the cage deciding which corner it likes to use best to do its business. The next day, put the litter box in the corner that the rabbit prefers. Make sure the litter box is low enough for the rabbit to jump in and out. Put pine shavings in the litter box and put some of the droppings into the box so the rabbit will get the idea. It will recognize its own smell and return to the same spot. If a rabbit goes outside the cage, sweep up the droppings and put them in the box. Remember, often with litter boxes, droppings will be kicked out as the rabbit moves in and out of the box.
Sometimes, rabbits who are being litter trained will find that the litter box is more comfortable than the cage and start to use it as a resting place. If this happens, offer your rabbit a better option, such as a comfortable piece of wood to rest his feet on. Sometimes, just extra hay on the floor of the cage will do the trick.
Veterinary Care
Usuallly rabbits do not need any regular veterinary care. They do not need any shots and you should be looking at and holding your rabbit regularly enough to notice any changes in its body that would require attention.
Before buying your rabbit, you or your breeder should do a health check on the rabbit. You should look for:
Ears: Should be clean inside. A brown, crusty appearance could mean the rabbit has ear mites.
Eyes: There should be no discharge from the eyes and no cloudiness. Cloudiness could indicate the rabbit is blind.
Nose: It should be clean and dry. If you notice the rabbit has a runny nose, combined with crusty or wet fur on the front legs, the rabbit could have a cold or a serious illness like snuffles.
Teeth: The front teeth should slightly overlap the bottom teeth. If one set of teeth is longer than normal it indicates the rabbit has malocclusion. Rabbit teeth with maloclussion prevent the animal from chewing properly, can grow into the mouth, and must be trimmed regularly.
Front/Hind Feet: A rabbit's legs should stretch out straight and have five toenails on the front feet and four toenails on the back feet. It is important that your rabbit has all of its toenails if you are going to be showing it. Also check the bottom of the feet for redness which would indicate sore hocks. Sometimes this is caused by poor cage sanitation, other times the rabbits feet are being aggravated by the wire floor. You can help a rabbit with sore hocks by keeping a board in the cage to give it a place to sit off the wire. This is not as common in Netherland Dwarfs as it is in larger breeds.
Body: The overall body should be clean, smooth and firm. Feel the body to check for any abcesses and for the build-up of droppings on the underside that could indicate dietary or other problems.
Responsible breeders do not sell rabbits with these defects, but it is a good idea to look for these things yourself before buying a rabbit.
What you will need for your Netherland Dwarf Rabbit
Don't forget to bring a carrier to the breeder to pick up your rabbit. It is bes to use a wire cage with a metal pan to keep the rabbit from sitting in its dropping. Cardboard boxes are not always a good way to bring your rabbit home because urine can soak thru the bottom.
Netherland Dwarf rabbits are not expensive to keep, but they do need basic items. Here is an idea of what you will need to keep your rabbit and the cost:
Cage: Netherland Dwarfs are comfortable in an 18X24x14 cage or larger. You may choose a cage with a wire bottom and a drop pan or one with a solid bottom and try to litter box train your rabbit. Cages can be purchased from pet stores but are less expensive if you build one yourself or purchase one at a rabbit show from a company that specializes in cages. Prices range from approximately $30 -75.
Pine shavings: A bale of pine shavings can be purchased from the feed store for about $5-6 and will go a long way. You will need pine shavings if you are going to litter train your rabbit (NEVER use cedar shavings which are deadly to rabbits) and if you use a drop pan, pine shavings can help absorb the urine and keep the smell down. Shavings should be changed regularly, at least once or twice a week, for your rabbits' health.
Water bottle: A wide mouth water bottle is the easiest and least messy for providing your dwarf water. Cost: $3-4
Feeder: A metal feeder that attaches to the cage is best for your rabbit. Plastic can be chewed and pans that are not attached can be used as a toy by your bunny and easily flipped. Cost: $4-5
Feed: Buy your rabbit the best quality feed you can afford. A feed store will offer the best option for low cost, high quality pellets. You can purchase a 50 pound bag of feed for $10-15 and this will go a LONG WAY for one dwarf rabbit. Remember to store your feed in some type of air tight container like a trash barrel. Feed left exposed to the air for more than 24 hours looses its vitamins and can become moldy if exposed to moisture. NEVER feed your Netherland Dwarf moldy feed because it can make it very sick.
Hay: Provide your rabbit with plenty of TIMOTHY hay. Alfalfa hay can give your rabbit diarrhea. Hay helps your rabbit with digestion and will keep it feeling full without extra feed that can contribute to an overweight rabbit.
Nail Clippers: A good pair of animal nail clippers are necessary unless you have the time and money to take your rabbit to the vet regularly to have its nails clipped. Cost: $5-10
Caring for your Netherland Dwarf Rabbit
Netherland Dwarf rabbits can make ideal pets because of their size. Netherland Dwarfs can be kept in a bedroom, in a basement or garage or outside. When choosing the best location in your home for your rabbit, remember to choose a spot that does not have a draft. If you are going to keep your rabbit outside, you will need to make sure its cage offers a space for it to get out of the elemets and has plenty of hay for it to build a warm nest. You will also need to check its water more frequently because of the danger of freezing that would not allow your rabbit to get the essential water it needs. When chosing your indoor location, do not place the cage next to a heater, curtains or wires (that can be pulled in and chewed)
Fill its water bottle daily.
Give your Netherland Dwarf approximately 1/3 cup of feed per day. Kits and pregnant and nursing does should be allowed to free feed. Feed your rabbit at the same time every day, whether it is in the morning or in the evening. A good quality feed will provide your rabbit with all of the nutrients it needs so treats should be kept to a minimum. Treats like fresh carrots, carrot tops, bananas, apples, oats, stale bread are nice but not necessary and should only be feed in small amounts once or twice a week. Treats should not be given to rabbits that are under 5 months old. Store bought treats might be tasty but can be fattening. Unless your rabbit is getting a substantial amout of excercise each day to burn this off, it is best to stay away from them.
Things to NEVER feed your rabbit:
celery, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, potato peels, grass that has had chemicals sprayed on it.
Attention! Rabbits love people attention. The more you hold and interact with your rabbit, the more your rabbit will respond to you. Young children need to be supervised around rabbits because rabbits can move quickly and frighten a small child who might accidentally drop the bunny. Find a safe area for your rabbit to run. If you have an outside area, make sure it is well supervised and well fenced because rabbits can both dig and jump. Indoors, make sure your rabbit does not have access to any stereo wires or electrical wires. One bite could be disasterous for both your equipment and the rabbit. NEVER LEAVE YOUR RABBIT UNATTENDED OUTSIDE OF ITS CAGE.
Netherland Dwarf rabbits do not need the company of another rabbit. They prefer their own "space." If you have more than one rabbit, each rabbit should have its own cage. We have been told that sometimes does can live together if they are raised together. We have not found this to be true. Even our mothers will attack the kits if they are left in the same cage once they are weaned. Un-neutered bucks will always fight each other if kept in the same cage once they are a few months old. And if you have a buck and a doe together, well, you will need more cages.
Do you need to groom your rabbit? Netherland Dwarf rabbits have normal fur, which is a fur type that is soft, medium in length and easy to maintain. For the most part, Netherland Dwarf rabbits will keep themselves clean and do not need grooming, but sometimes during shedding periods can use a little help. If you want to groom your dwarf, use a soft comb or brush and go in the natural direction of its fur.
Sometimes when rabbits are shedding they will swallow their own fur. Rabbits cannot digest fur they swallow and, unlike cats, do not have the ability to throw it back up as a fur ball. If you are noticing that your rabbits droppings seem particularly small or dry, this may be an indication that your rabbit is becoming blocked internally by the fur it is swallowing. This is a very serious condition that can lead to death if not dealt with immediately. Provide your rabbit with more hay and give it a couple of dried papaya or papaya tablets each day. Papaya will help your rabbit pass the fur thru its digestive system. Rabbits usually love papaya and will love to have it as a treat. Sometimes the smell is initially too strong for them and they take a little while to get used to it. Look for dried papaya in the health food store or papaya tablets in a vitamin store.
In emergency situations where your rabbit has completely stopped eating its feed, we have found that 3-5 cc of pineapple juice, sometimes given forcibly into the rabbit's mouth with a syringe (no needle!!), given a few times a day, can help things get moving.
Clip your rabbits nails at least once a month. Long nails can prevent your bunny from using its feet properly and may get stuck on something causing an injury. To clip the nails, simply hold your rabbit with its head tucked under your arm and gently hold a paw and clip back to the fur line. If you clip the nail too short, you will clip into the "quick" and the nail will bleed. If you do this, hold a clean towel or rag over the nail until the bleeding stops. If you have a squirmy rabbit, you can ask someone to hold the rabbit upside down in their arms (suprisingly this sort of puts a rabbit into a trance if it is quiet) and gently clip the nails. This can take some practice!
Litter training your Dwarf rabbit
If you decide you want to litter train your rabbit, let the rabbit spend the first day in the cage deciding which corner it likes to use best to do its business. The next day, put the litter box in the corner that the rabbit prefers. Make sure the litter box is low enough for the rabbit to jump in and out. Put pine shavings in the litter box and put some of the droppings into the box so the rabbit will get the idea. It will recognize its own smell and return to the same spot. If a rabbit goes outside the cage, sweep up the droppings and put them in the box. Remember, often with litter boxes, droppings will be kicked out as the rabbit moves in and out of the box.
Sometimes, rabbits who are being litter trained will find that the litter box is more comfortable than the cage and start to use it as a resting place. If this happens, offer your rabbit a better option, such as a comfortable piece of wood to rest his feet on. Sometimes, just extra hay on the floor of the cage will do the trick.
Veterinary Care
Usuallly rabbits do not need any regular veterinary care. They do not need any shots and you should be looking at and holding your rabbit regularly enough to notice any changes in its body that would require attention.
