NDs?

[The_Dutchess]

My brother and I were considering getting Netherland Dwarfs but he said oh they're too mean and nippy. I was just like wut??? And then we found some Dutch rabbits and liked them got them but we sold them (refer to my previous posts for more info). Now we are both getting seperate breeds and I would like Jersey Woolies or Silver Fox but these came to my mind. So how are NDs temperament? Just tell me all about them.

 

[luvabunny]

It has been 10+ years since I dealt in ND, but I wouldn't have them again.
I found them nippy, hard to handle, difficult to raise and really not worth the trouble. They are certainly not kids pets, and the show competition is fierce.

A rabbit of nearly the same size is the Polish. I found them just the opposite of ND. They are friendly, easy to raise, have good sized litters and come in nearly as many colors.

 

[akane]

Depends. Some show lines are not so great. They bred more for color and body type since ND have a very extreme body type that is hard to maintain. Some lines are quite friendly though and they are a far cry from some more notorious breeds like checkereds. I have many scars from my half checkered does. Also being so small the damage they can do when they have a little hissy fit is pretty minimal. I've never had one break skin. Every now and then if you block his path to get somewhere repeatedly Kido will give you a tiny nip and grunt about it. None of the ones I've bred myself from Kido, Rhi, and my does Shimo and Hana would bite. Enki is 3rd generation and has a wonderful temperament. I have 2 kits as his first litter and they both just flop on or near you when you get them out. When we had the netherlands outside they were exceptionally hardy to illness and extreme temps except for breeding in the cold because they have too small of litters for body heat.

Breeding can be a little difficult and is probably the biggest down side. They have small litters and trouble delivering them. A lost kit or doe is more frequent than other breeds. If you combine too many dwarf genes you can also get peanuts which can't survive. Some lines don't produce many peanuts despite being small and other lines produce tons of them. They don't breed easy and like I said they can't be bred in the cold.

 

[HoppinHalfPints]

Depends. Some show lines are not so great.

Exactly. I have a buck that is an absolute sweetheart. He'll come up to the door, and will lick any available bodyparts. On the other hand, one of my does is a reserved and sometimes snotty rabbit. Definitely doesn't like to be handled. She's from a BIG breeder (ie 20 litters at a time) while my buck is from a small rabbitry. Same for any breed. My other doe, Fiona, is VERY calm and tolerant. I like having my 6 year old nephew handling her since she is super nice. Competition is fun; I like having a popular rabbit 1. you get to see a lot of REALLY nice rabbits 2. they sell REALLY fast.

I love my NDs. I know some users have had bad experiences with NDs like Dood, but they are a great breed.



PS a lot of problems happen around puberty, so getting older rabbits will help with attitude. The older they are, the sweeter they tend to be. (I've found)

 

[akane]

We were actually thinking of getting Shimo approved as a therapy animal because she was so easy going and friendly.

 

[Zass]

I've been to 4-h shows with plenty of ND's being shown and handled by small kids.
Perhaps that's a good place to look if your interested in sweet tempered lines?

 

[Northwinds Rabbitry]

Mine are really sweet!!! I love them alot

 

[squidpop]

I have I have 5 NDs I think are not related and come from 4 different lines. Two of them are so sweet they don't seem like the same breed as the others- they are snuggly and let you pick them up from the floor when you have floor time without having to chase them. Would be fine even for children to handle. The other 3 don't like to be handled to varying degrees. One is so fast I hate to let her have floor time because it is almost impossible to catch her once she is let loose she is like a wild animal. I feel really lucky to have the ones from the line that is sweet and tame and I'm only breeding to continue their lines not the others.

But my favorites of all my rabbits are the Jersey Wooleys

 

[Dood]

Just curious about why you didn't like the Dutch and re-homed them?

By knowing what you don't like in a rabbit and what you want to do with your rabbits (pet, show, breed, etc...) you can narrow down a breed that will be a good fit and won't be re-homed later on.

 

[skysthelimit]

I loved my ND. I used to take her to school all the time, walked her on a leash, she ran around (supervised) in the house and back yard, came when called, and got a long well with the female Holland. That was many years ago, when I only had two pets, and I had her from 8 weeks old. She was a hand pet.

 

[The_Dutchess]

I rehomed the Dutch rabbits because they were "sisters" and we had them in the same cage. Well after being sexually mature we noticed they got VERY friendly and Denali turned out to be a boy and had gotten Willow pregnant. We aren't breeding rabbits so we were going to sell them both after she had the babies but she ate them. So we sold them and decided to go with a different breed(since markings are hard to obtain). As for what I want in a rabbit I want a sweet rabbit either small in size or large in size. I'm really not to fond of posing so a running breed would be nice but aren't they jumpy? We'd be raising them for 4-H maybe some shows. My brother wants. a. rabbit that isn't REALLY cuddly but won't squirm when you pick him up. He likes the.r running breeds but really wants a small rabbitDutch or English spot is the largest he'll go.

 

[Dood]

Not to be over critical but you are contradicting yourself.

You say your not breeding rabbits but you didn't want Dutch because breeding for the proper markings is difficult.

Please clarify if you plan to breed your new rabbit or not? Competition can be fierce with some breeds so the cost of quality stock can be high and you may need to breed new rabbits every year to stay competitive. Also, breeding proper markings for broken varieties, and especially English Spot, can be trickier than getting a good Dutch pattern.

Having a calm running breed can be a difficult feat as they do tend to be jumpy. They are more active so they are generally squirmier and not enjoy handling as much as rabbits you pose. But with daily handling he could likely train such a rabbit to fight its natural urge to escape.

English Spot can go up to 8 pounds so I am assuming he would actually prefer a rabbit similar in size to a Dutch and be under 6lb. Since Dutch are not a choice, perhaps he'd like a Tan, Thriantra or Himalayan, or even a Florida White or Havana.

I use to breed ND and the ones I knew in the 80's were notorious for bad attitudes. I personally like their feisty temperament but would never recommend them for first time rabbit owners or children. Of course different bloodlines may be better or worse depending on what the breeder selects for. About 80% of the rabbits I currently rescue are ND or crosses and they still have "quirky" temperaments that are not everyone's cup of tea. Poor litterbox habits, cage aggression and destructive behaviour are the most common reasons I'm given for them being unwanted.

 

[The_Dutchess]

I'm sorry I meant that buying a rabbit with good markings are difficult. And yeah I want to breed but.. 1. We aren't allowed to cause my dad doesn't want a bunch of rabbits. 2. We don't have cage space. 3. We're first time rabbit owners. My brother is ok with difficult markings but I would prefer something with easyish markings. Thanks for the suggestions Ill keep these in mind.

 

[Rachel.And.Yue]

NDs are great pets. It all depends on how they are raised.

My buck is extremely friendly, easy to handle. I bought him at 5 weeks old.
My doe is cage agressive due to how she was raised. I bought her at 1yr. She is easy to handle but does not like hands near her in her cage.
I kept one doe from their litter. She is almost 2 months old, very friendly and curious. And is NOT agressive.

 

[Silver Willow]

I agree, it does depend on the line of Nethies you get them from. Most of our rabbits ( who are ALL NDs) are very friendly, and I make sure all of them tolerate handling- no mater what lines they come from. We have our new doe who is just four months old now, and she is so lovely I've been useing her as my 'reading bunny', Im on the couch or bed reading, and she will just sit/ lay down beside me or hop around on top of me! I think they are a wonderful breed, just possibly not the easiest breed to start with in terms of showing and peanuts etc. I'm sure you'll choose on the breed that most suits you though, and for now our breed is definately Netherland Dwarfs

 

[akane]

My movie watching bunny turned hormonal. Not aggressive but hopping around more and thumping rather than happily sitting. I think she's bred and calmed down again.