Satin, Himalayan, or Holland Lop? Info Please!

I have always loved Hollands, and I have been researching them. But it's so hard to find a good Holland. The bone will be thin, head to small, dozens of slipped crowns, which are okay I guess if they're only minor but I want a good show rabbit so I'm being very picky. Another thing is the Holland show world near us is VERY competetive and there's so many so it's next to impossible to win something.

A breeder recommended that I look into Satins, but I can't find much information so if someone could help me there it would be greatly appreciated. Do they have good temperaments? Are they easy for kids to handle? They would be 4-H rabbits if I got some.

I also want to know about Himalayan's temperament, and how they are with kids. They carry the dwarf gene, right?

I am looking for a cuddly, friendly breed of rabbit that is good with kids, and I don't care what size, although a smaller breed is slightly preferred.

ANd my brother is trying to decide between the Polish and Dwarf Hotot breeds. He wants a sort of independent-ish rabbit that likes to be held, but doesn't "have" to be. He wants a small breed of rabbit.

Thanks a million!

"Most" Himalayan rabbits are very Good with children. They are a very laid back personality. ( i'm sure there could be unhappy ones.... but all i've dealt with were very gentle rabbits.)
They do Not carry the dwarf gene. ( at least back in the day they didn't... i am not Positive about Nowadays )

My sister has full sized Satins. I have not been impressed with either their friendliness or their cuddliness, but then I'm spoiled by the elop attitude.
Her Satins, for the most part, would prefer to be left alone and not handled. They aren't mean or aggressive, but would just as soon you went away and left them to their day. She has 4 kids between 8 and 18 so they get plenty of attention, but don't seem to appreciate it. They are a large rabbit, so maybe not the best for very young kids.

Mini Satins have a reputation for snarky behavior. I've not owned any, but this is what I've heard speaking with numerous breeders.

Polish used to be a very friendly rabbit, however I've been out of them for over a decade, so attitudes may have changed. I wouldn't suggest Dwarf Hotot's for kids, for the same reason as Mini Satins.

Jersey Woolies are generally a small, friendly breed of rabbit, as are Florida Whites....just my opinion on any of these tho. As I said, I raised nearly everything once, and settled back into English lops because I just love their personalities.

The_Dutchess":27zzj0t9 said:

A breeder recommended that I look into Satins, but I can't find much information so if someone could help me there it would be greatly appreciated. Do they have good temperaments? Are they easy for kids to handle? They would be 4-H rabbits if I got some.

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Like most breeds, Satins have some members along the way with different temperments. There are exceptions in every breed, though, and if I were going to recommend any of them, I'd have to say that reds tend to have the more tolerable temperments of the lot. Most any of them can become easier to handle with lots of training. Most likely none are going to be down with being handled as a youngster and by youngsters without lots of work and patience on the owner's part.

Nobody is going to sell you their best, but for obvious reasons, don't by yourself crap and expect to get far (which I like that you are picky!)

Temperament can vary SO much with show stock. I don't expect the friendliest temperament when I buy from big rabbitries. They aren't mean, but they just rather do their own thing. I usually get the temperament with the kits because I invest more time handling them.

Hollands are a very pretty breed, but very competitive. With them, you should start out as strong as you can from the get go. I agree, it's hard to find competitive stock. I think that you need to start out at least with a strong trio that compliments on another because I don't know many that would let go of kick butt ones unless by mistake. In my experience with them, they have been a little more on the skittish side for my taste,but I've been around sweet ones, you just need to find them. For obvious reasons, they do excellent for pet sales aswell, but you're looking at only small litters since dwarfs like to sometimes have their babies born on the wire, peanuts,max factors,stuck kits....etc

I consider dwarfs the high risk, but high reward breeds.

Himis are super sweet. I haven't met one that isn't sweet. I know only one person in GA with them, so competition is so-so with them.

I know little about mini satins, but they are pretty! I've heard people call them mini satans but the ones my friend had seemed calm and relaxed.

Polish and Dwarf Hotots....I haven't heard many bad things about them. The dwarf hotots seem to have issues with falsified pedigrees or iffy breeders from what I've been relayed through friends that have them or that were buying during convention. Not all are bad though. Just have to go to the right people. The dwarf hotots seem to be becoming rising in popularity

With all it depends a lot on whether the breeder breeds for temperment and handles their stock.

I tend to like the larger breeds, they are less skiddish than the dwarfs, and less likely to break if a youngster drops them.

I miss my Hollands but they don't breed true, even in the best lines, thee is a lot of variation among them. They are a pain to breed, I went through five does and only one had a live litter that lived past 12 weeks, and she had two stuck litters before that.

If you want some competition, you will get more with Satins than the other breeds.

Thanks guys!

I have been watching for Hollands, found one but the lady hasn't replied for quite some time.

I like the Himalayans, will watch for them and try to find more info on them.

What about Havanas? I love their chocolate color, but what are they like?

Sorry I'm asking so many questions. XD<br /><br />__________ Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:33 pm __________<br /><br />Okay so the interests have changed quite dramatically. Can anyone tell me about Jersey Woolys, Silver Foxes, or New Zealands? I also love the running breeds like the English Spot and the Tan, but can they be nippy or a little agressive?

If you want to do 4H, be sure to talk to the rabbit leader BEFORE getting a rabbit. In some areas (like mine), they only allow certain breeds at the 4H shows. We had several really nice Dutch prospects this fall, but they weren't an 'approved' breed. Did make a profit on our Calis that we're supposed to be my freezer bunnies

I didn't know that they limited the breeds the kids can do. Is there a particular reason behind it?

If you are looking for a hyper goofball, the English Spots are your bet! The are a marked breed, but the self satisfaction when you get that perfect spot is just amazing! Unfortunately there is very little competition with the Englishspots in my area.
I am also starting rabbit hopping with mine

I have a soft spot for the large breeds so I think it's pretty much between Silver Fox and New Zealand but I'm worried about how much they will eat and how much room they'll need. I feed one ounce per pound,and if both breeds' max. weight is 12 pounds, that's 12 ounces = 1.5 cups of feed. How much do you feed? And how big are your cages?

Do either of these breeds in particular eat a lot?

I borrowed the SOP from the library so I've been reading that.

highly highly recommend polish.. I love 'em and every child who gets one loves them to... even into adult hood. They are super sweet nice rabbit, independent yet good with being held.

Holland lops can be highly frustrating unless you want to spend the bucks to get a solid start in them.

Every himalayan i have met has been a soft pliable bunny. Some have been difficult breeders and you need to be careful how you handle them.

can't tell you much about Satins other than wow...they are pretty.

How much do you feed? And how big are your cages

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I breed American Chinchillas and crosses. The amount i feed depends on the rabbit and what they are doing.

I have a 10 year old NZ x Flemish buck who gets free fed grass hay and 1/2 cup 16% protein pellets, anything g more and he gets obese. He is still fathering litters but has slowed down a lot so he doesn't need the calories. My other, younger, buck gets free fed grass hay and 3/4 of a cup. They are in 30 x 24 cages

The does are all in 36 x 30 cages. My non nursing does are free fed grass hay and get 2/3 to 3/4 of a cup of 16% depending on their metabolism.

Now, my nursing does and kits get the hay and as much as they want of an 18% protein feed, usually they start out at about 1 cup / day but by 8 weeks, and depending on litter size, they can be eating 6+ cups/day.

New Zealands are not a particularly friendly breed nor are they really aggressive. The ones I have met and raised do not want to be cuddled or held for long, even those I raised from birth. That is a little frustrating to me.

I feed about 1.5 cups of pellets with hay and greens daily. Sometimes they clean up all their food and sometimes they don't.

For breeding, I have had a mix of results. Some does are excellent mothers from the very beginning and others are horrible mothers that I should really cull but haven't. I've had no trouble with does getting pregnant and my litters have ranged from 4-10 kits.

In my area, there are just a handful of New Zealand exhibitors. White NZ have stiffer competition. I have reds which are becoming more common, though the quality of some is questionable.

You can find a nice show trio in the range of $150-$200.

Yeah, I think I'll get a Silver Fox buck, but I was reading the SOP and Champagne D'argents and Tans caught my eye, but they're pretty rare around us. Does anyone here breed those? What are they like?

I have a trio of Silver Fox and I just love them, they're super mellow and easy to deal with. Any of the really big rabbits are going to eat more than the small breeds.
At the show this weekend I was intrigued by a friends Polish, they seem to be pretty easy to handle, lots of colours, they have a commercial body type, and there's no dwarf gene to mess with.
There is a possiblity two or three *might* end up in my barn at some point

I have personally had all these breeds.
I would not recommend the Satin.They generally aren't mean rabbits, but for their size, their temperaments are nothing special. They can be flighty and not as cuddly as some larger breeds like French and English Lops or Flemish Giants.

Himalayans are wonderful and I always recommend them for kids, especially in 4-H. I don't know if they have the dwarf gene, but I consider one of the friendliest small rabbits, right next to the Holland Lop.

Polish and Dwarf Hotots can be nasty. I have absolutely horrid experiences with them being aggressive to the point of tearing fingers off. I have had many different ones from different lines,sometimes I find very friendly ones, but oftentimes I've found them to be unpredictable (as with Netherland Dwarfs) and they are among the only breeds of rabbits I will not put my hand near.

luvabunny said:

My sister has full sized Satins. I have not been impressed with either their friendliness or their cuddliness, but then I'm spoiled by the elop attitude.
Her Satins, for the most part, would prefer to be left alone and not handled. They aren't mean or aggressive, but would just as soon you went away and left them to their day. She has 4 kids between 8 and 18 so they get plenty of attention, but don't seem to appreciate it. They are a large rabbit, so maybe not the best for very young kids.

Mini Satins have a reputation for snarky behavior. I've not owned any, but this is what I've heard speaking with numerous breeders.

Polish used to be a very friendly rabbit, however I've been out of them for over a decade, so attitudes may have changed. I wouldn't suggest Dwarf Hotot's for kids, for the same reason as Mini Satins.

Jersey Woolies are generally a small, friendly breed of rabbit, as are Florida Whites....just my opinion on any of these tho. As I said, I raised nearly everything once, and settled back into English lops because I just love their personalities.

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My daughter is 11 it is her 2 year in stock show she now gets to choose the rabbit she wants is a mini satin better than a Holland lop for her