Tell me about Dutch Rabbits

[mommaofmany]

Ever since we started looking into rabbits my daughter has wanted a dutch.

We have mini rex and holland lops at the moments.


What are their general temperaments? Any important things we would need to know, etc

 

[Dood]

Getting the proper show markings can be tricky so there are a lot of culls compared to other breeds.

The Dutch I've known were all rather 'feisty', but not as bad as my Netherlands temperaments, and that was in the 80's so they may have improved since then.

 

[AmysMacdog]

I had a wonderful line of Dutch years ago and I'd love to have them again. Mine were nicely marked and were very calm and affectionate. I miss them a lot. I hope you can find some like I had!

 

[Peach]

I had one and I really liked him! He made a great pet. Usually recommended for foster moms by breeders.

They are pretty much easy to cull for. You can cull them from the nesting box since they are a marked breed ( but if you can't stomach it, you can grow them out and decide if sports are good for brood)

 

[Birds Buns N Bees]

When I raised them in the 90's, the does were almost unanimously sweet-tempered, while the bucks were generally very feisty and territorial. I got sprayed every single day by at least one buck, and those guys had impeccable aim -- I had one that could, and would, hit you in the face from six feet away.

That sort of thing seemed to be common in the Dutch in my area; of course, that was 20 years ago, so things may have changed now.

 

[desertcat]

We've only had rabbits for a year, but I love my Dutch bunnies! Most of ours are very outgoing, and a little on the goofy side. Yeah, we HAD a sprayer, but right now we have 8 teenage & adult bucks and nobody needs a hazmat suit :hiding:

What I have noticed with ours is the does tend to like everybody, but the bucks have their favorite people.

As with any other critter, bloodlines and handling definitely influence the happiness quotient.

 

[Frabo]

The Dutch have really surprised me. I love mine! Great temperaments, good mothers, and a real nice all around rabbit. I am hoping to have a couple I can show this coming year, getting the markings for show has been my issue.
My bucks are cuddle bugs, some of the does I find can be a bit more on the skittish side but haven't seen any aggression.

 

[The_Dutchess]

Our Dutch were both calm and didn't squirm much and were good with nail trimming. The boy was exceptionally sweet and he would just lay like a baby in your arms until you put him back. But when the doe got preggers she ate her babies. I have been told they do tend to eat their babies but it may just vary from rabbit to rabbit.

 

[akane]

Generally good tempered, fast growing, and good mothers. They were meat rabbits before they were pets and show stock. The downside is how difficult a proper marking can be especially if you don't want to spend the money on very well marked rabbits to begin with. This does not apply to the junk in petstores which are becoming as popular as the small lop and "dwarf" rabbits they like to sell.

 

[Marinea]

My experience has been like Frabo's. My bucks are sweethearts, while my does are more skittish and shy. They are very healthy, good growing and not too scared of the farm noises.