A "What to get?" question...

[SatinsRule]

Maybe havanas. They just sound cool. Or mini satins?

But you see where I'm at, the bigger the better!!!

Mini "Satans" aren't what I'd recommend to a youngster. They have developed a reputation for being nasty tempered.

A reasonably-sized breed I'd recommend would be the Mini Lop. Enough personality to keep the young man's interest up.

And yes, DO go to a show first.

Hmm, interesting. In general, except for the hollands, I have a strict aversion to mini animals of any kind, especially small dogs. I was hoping they were close...

Mini Lops are a bit bigger than Hollands, and their temperments tend to be more tolerable. Mini Satans on the other hand? Sharp rabbits, but sharp teeth and claws, too. :strongbad:

 

[faiththequeen]

Okay, I've not made any decisions yet. I plan on going to a show or two first. But, I keep coming back to American Fuzzy Lop. I love all the color options, size, and they aren't ridiculously popular or super rare. So what are you AFL opinions?? Id love to hear it all

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I for one think they are ADORABLE, and would personally jump all over owning one if it fell into my lap. Then again I'm head over heels for my Angoras so to me it'd be like a puffy little cute loppy tribble of a bun-bun, so cute I could just die, but...hey, maybe that's me.

Honestly though, from all I've read they are very similar in personality and temperament to Hollands, and that right there has my vote.

 

[ZRabbits]

Don't know much about American Fuzzy Lops, but found with long haired rabbits, the grooming period can be a good way to help a rabbit to become docile. I really enjoy that time spent and it's helped my LH's considerably.

Good Luck at the shows. Look forward to hearing your experiences and hear what you finally decide.

Karen

 

[Hazel]

I agree with who ever said maybe two breeds. Fuzzy lops are great , but your son might want something a little more manly. Like a californian , or a champagne d argent , or a american chinchilla or even a standard chinchilla or dutch or florida white. And a i think a determined child will be able to handle his rabbit, i would let him pick what kind he wants, up to a point , i wouldnt let a child have an angora or something that needed a lot of grooming until they showed they could care for a rabbit that was a bit easier to deal with.

 

[faiththequeen]

My son is 10 and loves every kind of rabbit! Lol!!!! I'm fairly confident he'll be able to handle whatever we decide to get. We have a dog, a cat, 2 guinea pigs, and a house rabbit that's an English Lop. We had a Flemish Giant "house bunny" a couple years ago too. He's wonderful with all of them I think will probably enjoy the grooming process. But I definitely realize that I will be ultimately responsible.

You guys are all so helpful!! Thanks so much!!!

 

[Bumper]

Maybe havanas. They just sound cool. Or mini satins?

But you see where I'm at, the bigger the better!!!

Havanas can have a bit of a temperament too, in my experience. I've owned two of them. Neither were nasty, but not real sweetie pies either.

My best suggestions for a child's starter breed are always Mini Rex, Dutch, and Himalayan. The latter two are renowned for their gentleness, and Mini Rex are usually sweet too from what I've seen.

 

[uhurubuns]

I second LauraNJ. If you had Flemish before, and really liked them, but want just a tad smaller, Beveren might be a good fit for you. If you are in south Michigan, you are not terribly far from Kim Calloway, the King of Beverens. So good quality stock would not be a problem. They are a threatened breed that is beginning to make a comeback, but could still use all the fans they can get.

Beverens are gentle, friendly, good mothers, and I think the most beautiful buns on earth. They come in blue, white, black, and I seem to remember that somebody started the process to add chocolate. Once chocolate is in, lilac won't be far behind, it's the logical next step.

I chose by simply looking through breed books over and over, until I saw that the same couple of breeds kept drawing my eye again and again. Those were blue Beveren, and the Satin breed. Falling in love all over again every time you just look at your rabbits is a wonderful feeling, and helps you keep going on those days when things aren't so great.

In the end I chose Beveren because it's the only breed that emphasizes lightest lightest blue, which I find just breathtaking. But it was a close thing, if Satins were light blue rather than darkest blue I might have gone the other way.

My daughter is 11 and has no problems handling them.