English Spot vs Dutch - Therapy rabbit for Elderly

Hello. I am considering purchasing a rabbit to have not only as a pet but to also take in to a nursing home for the residents to pet and interact with. I have done this in the past when I was raising Mini Lop rabbits, and the people loved it! A Mini Lop was a good choice for this but I am interested in possibly getting a different breed. I have read good things about the temperament of both English Spot and Dutch (ones that have been raised being handled frequently).

I just wondered if anyone might have any particular opinions, from experience with these breeds, on if one breed might be better than the other for this purpose.

Thanks so much for your time.

Joanna

English spots can be friendly, but they are high energy: on the show table they are required to run back and forth, so they've been bred to not want to sit still too long. Dutch are more laid back and would be better therapy rabbits imo. The best small, laid back breed for a therapy rabbit would probably be a dutch or himalayan. I've had all three of those breeds.

I've always heard good things about the temperament of Dutch rabbits. Another consideration is that most of the residents of nursing homes are seniors and Dutch rabbits, at least here in Ontario, were the popular pet rabbit in the Baby Boomer years. They are likely to bring back pleasant memories for a significant number of them.

Dutch rabbits are very sweet and a nice small size for the elderly to hold.

My dutch were always sweet little love bugs. Though you might need to handle the one you get a fair bit to get him/her used to it.

How do you keep them from pooping and peeing on someone's lap? A wet lap is not nice. I suppose you have them on a heavy towel?

a7736100":3fyzjue3 said:

How do you keep them from pooping and peeing on someone's lap? A wet lap is not nice. I suppose you have them on a heavy towel?

Click to expand...

What about those waterproof pads meant to put under babies? (Or do they no longer make them? )

Rabbits don't like to pee while being held, and they'll tell you when they need to go (hormones asides, hormonal peeing can happen whenever). They start getting antsy when they need to go, digging on shirts and nipping, so that's what when I put them back for a few minutes so they can take care of their business. I haven't had one pee on me in three years. A towel would help for scratches or accidents, though

MaggieJ, they do still make those waterproof pads. I had some at my mom's house. Not sure if she kept them or not though.....

I raise English Spot. They are very sweet rabbits. A couple of mine will sit and tolerate being held by kids for about an hour, unless they have to go pee. My babies also have started fussing when they have to poo too. They decided on that all on their own though. I didn't teach them that. They can also be a great joy just to watch jump, play, and run. They are quite funny. One of mine is so sweet that you have to share ALL of her treats with her. If you don't take a nibble, she won't finish it. She also has a really calm temperament. Her perfect day would be for me to just sit there and pet her all day long. I don't have many rabbits yet, but you can see my bunnies in the (Old) English Spot post in breed discussions

Thank you all for your input! I appreciated the feedback.

Well, I actually ended up getting one of my favorite Mini Lops (my former herd buck when I was raising Mini Lops - some of you may remember "Whitehaven Woods Rabbitry" - that was me.) back from a friend. She was kind to allow him to come back to me to be used for bunny therapy! I'm so thankful! He is the one in my avatar photo.

On the subject of rabbits peeing when held at the nursing home...
Yes, in the past, I took in old bath towels and folded them on the residents laps. However, I did this more to prevent an accidental scratch. I've never had a rabbit pee on anyone when I took them in to the nursing home.
Of course it is super important that the rabbits are VERY tame and you are confident it is a safe situation for the people and the rabbit. The ones I use to take in were 4-6 week old Mini Lops. They were tiny and easily held. I found that the litters I did this with had some of the best temperaments and I attribute that to a degree to them being exposed to different people at such a young age. This rabbit I have now is obviously a full grown rabbit. I plan to be the one holding him and letting the residents pet him. In time, if he seems comfortable, I will then move to assisting those that are able in holding him.

Joanna