Before buying a pet you must make sure that you can care for it properly.

You MUST be able to:

• provide the right housing
• have room for it to exercise
• feed and water it daily
• handle it daily
• exercise it daily
• groom it regularly
• clean out the cage daily to control germs
• check for signs of illness or disease
• take your pet to the vet for regular health checks and other procedures
• know someone who will look after it for you when you are away

Once you are happy that you can provide everything that your new pet will need you can then choose the perfect rabbit for yourself. Make sure that you have everything ready for him before you pick him up, so that you can pop him into his new home as soon as you arrive and he can spend the first 24hrs getting used to his new environment. Dont forget that he will be missing his brothers and sisters and will like you to talk to him. We suggest you dont handle him too much for the first day or two, but give him plenty of clean water and feed only hay for the first 24hrs to avoid digestive upset. Introduce his new diet gradually. You will soon know when he has settled in as he will begin to eat, drink and groom himself.

WHICH RABBIT IS THE BEST FOR YOU?

One that loves to be inside (they can be trained to be clean, just like a cat or dog) or one that you would like to keep outside?

House rabbits (thats their official name) will love to run around the house, hiding behind furniture and playing. Be careful, though, they also like chewing electric wiring, and may decide that your favorite chair is now theirs! Althought they can run around when you are there to supervise, they will need a nice, roomy cage to live in too.

Rabbits that live outside need you to socialize with them every day, even if they do have a companion. You must take special care with outdoor rabbits to ensure they are not exposed to extremes of temperature or predetors.

There are a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors and coats (over 100 different breeds altogether!). Some rabbits have been bred for particular characteristics such as long ears (lops), long coats (angoras) and there are dwarf breeds who have shortened noses and faces.

The most common breeds seen are the Dutch, Dwarf Lop and the Netherland Dwarf.

The Dutch

The Dutch is highly suitable as a pet. They are small to medium sized with a white upper body and white blaze on the face. The rest of the body and face is colored (black, blue, chocolate and yellow are some examples).

Netherland Dwarf

Probably one of the best known breeds. Netherland Dwarfs have been bred to be extremely small and they weigh less than 2 lbs. They have short ears and faces and come in a variety of colors, such as white, black, blue, sealpoint and chinchilla. Netherland Dwarfs are an attractive pet for children, but their temperament can be uncertain.

Dwarf Lop

The dwarf lop is extremely popular. It is a small compact breed with floppy ears and makes very good pet. Dwarf lops come in a variety of colors black, blue, agouti, chinchilla and butterfly are just a few. Lops also come in other varieties, such as mini lop, English lop and the giant breed, the French lop, which can weigh up to 10 lbs.

It is important to choose the right breed for you to be able to handle with confidence and safety. Some of the giant breeds may be too big.

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