Himalayan or Californian?

[Radhika]

When I adopted my bunny I was told he is a Himalayan. That meant nothing to me at the time, but I have since looked it up and saw that a healthy adult Himalayan is about 1.8-2kg. Harry is 6 months old and he was weighed at the vets today – 1.73kg. To me he looks tiny, I was expecting him to be about 1kg.

Anyway, I’m 100% sure he is not overweight so I thought perhaps he is a Californian, as my bunny expert friend had told me they are similar except for size. I read that they get to about 4kg.

Does anyone have a Himalayan/Californian or know about them? What do you think Harry is? My friend also said he may be a cross, which makes sense, but he looks very much like a purebreed. I would just like to know what to expect so I can make sure he is a healthy weight. It might actually be a good thing if he is a Californian because I’m hoping to bond him with a New Zealand doe who is about 4kg herself.

Pics for reference:

[Sarita]

Very pretty! I’ve had both (or probably mixes of both). My Californians were between 8 and 10 pounds – I did get them full grown though so I have no idea their weight at 6 months. I did have a baby who was most likely a Himalayan mix – he was smaller than my Californians.

To me the Californians seem to have a more rounded body shape than the Himalayan’s as well.

It’s pretty hard to say at this age but I would say he kind of has the rounder face of the Californian rabbit.

I love the New Zealand rabbits as well and have had quite a few of those as well.

[Radhika]

Very interesting. I suppose I may never know, the place I got him from didn’t have any records at all except for the reason the first owners gave him up (“change in family circumstance”). I’m not even sure if he is 6 months old as they didn’t have a date of birth.

I’m slightly concerned that if he and his wife are both 8-10lbs, the hutch might not be sufficient. Although they will have the run of the house for most of their waking time, and if neither of them are carpet diggers/chewers they can be out 24/7.

[Deleted User]

I know my vet said that buns reach their full size at 6 months and fill out until they hit 1yr old. I wouldn’t worry too much about size difference. There is a member on here who has a little girl that is bonded to a Flemmie. Buns don’t discriminate between age or size. =]

[Sarita]

You might consider an exercise pen for them. That would be a very good alternative and easy to maintain as well.

[Radhika]

Posted By Skipper’s Mama on 10/16/2012 12:56 PM 
I know my vet said that buns reach their full size at 6 months and fill out until they hit 1yr old. I wouldn’t worry too much about size difference. There is a member on here who has a little girl that is bonded to a Flemmie. Buns don’t discriminate between age or size. =]

That is good to hear

Jessica Rabbit (potential wife) lived with mini-lops in her previous home, so the rescue owner is confident she will be okay with a smaller bunny if Harry does turn out to be small.

Sarita – 

Yes, that’s what I’ve been thinking. I’m already confident enough with Harry to leave him unsupervised in other rooms (bunny proofed), or when I’m sleeping, but I don’t know about Jessica. I suppose there will be another learning curve when she arrives – exciting times

[LoveChaCha]

What a beautiful bunny!

The size of rabbits that are bonded do not matter. We have a member on here that has a bonded pair of girls, one is a Lionhead, the other is a Flemish Giant. It really goes with who your bunny clicks with

[Elrohwen]

If he’s six months, he’s mostly done growing and will not get as big as a californian. My holland lop was his full weight of 4lbs at 6 months. He may get a bit bigger, of course, but he won’t come anywhere near the size of a Californian. Honestly, I think he looks like a netherland dwarf in himalayan coloring – his face looks more like a nethie to me and they do come in that color. Not all himalayan colored rabbits are part of that breed (similar to how harlequin is both a breed and a color)

[Radhika]

He could be anything really! I suppose I will just have to do a kind of condition scoring to see if he’s at the right weight, since I don’t really know what I should be aiming for with him.

[Deleted User]

Honestly when you get him to a rabbit savvy vet they will be able to help you out a lot. I’m not completely sure what my bun’s breed is. My vet was able to help with pinpointing down pretty much what she is and is giving us a ballpark weight for her to keep her around. It really is important to get a vet that is knowledgable and one that you love. =]

[FrankieFlash]

I feel ya though on the confusion with breeds. I have a little boy who is only 2.5 lbs or so but he has a harlequin pattern. Purebreed harlequins are suppose to be 8-10 lbs. Idk how he got his pattern but I love it. I love mixes though. They bring so much uniqueness (and I’ve heard they can sometimes have a better health history). I have a himalayan mix too we think. She is almost over 4.5 lbs and they think she is around 6 months. I’m going to my vet this week that I know can give me better age approximation. A good rabbit savvy vet can also tell you whether he is a healthy weight or not.

Btw, I love his little “boots”. I’m not sure I’ve seen either californian or a himalayan with them. SO CUTE!

[jerseygirl]

What a doll! I agree he is some sort of mix but just has the himalayan colouration. Looking at your intro thread pics I’d even wager he has some lop in him! It could be the camera angle but he has big chunky ears <3 and they spread out to the sides a bit like you see in lop mixes. Or maybe a mix with the large breed uppy ear buns that have the chunky ears.

Another trait I’ve read about the himalayan breed is their body shape is tubular where as with californian, you get the more rounded form.

@FF, Bunjamin has to be a nethie. Look at those cheeks and lil ears! As Elrohwen mentioned ^ harli colour can appear in non-harli breed rabbits too. Whats cool about Bunjamin is he has harli colour in a tan pattern! i.e. the colour on back, face but white belly, white under tail, around nose and eyes. Confusing again as “Tan” is pattern name as well as a rabbit breed name.

[jerseygirl]

I wanted to add this example of himi colour in another breed. This is Lintini’s Plum Bun. She a netherland dwarf, show quality. (She was entered in shows before she became Lintini’s bunny).

So. Darn. Cute!

 

  

[Radhika]

I love his boots too, and his ears, and his nose… everything really

The vet I saw seemed knowledgeable about rabbit health. I took him in for runny eyes and immediately she checked the nose, mouth and teeth and she talked about snuffles, tooth roots and tear duct impaction. But I forgot to ask her about weight or breed, I will do that next time I go. And actually the receptionist said the other vet is their rabbit expert, and she has rabbits of her own. So perhaps I will ask for an appointment with her when we go back.

I don’t know if that helps at all. I don’t want to take too many pictures because I can’t work out how to turn the flash off, and it can’t be good for his eyes to have all those sudden bursts of light.

[Sarita]

Definitely not a Nethie – his ears are too large – love the dark points as well.

[Deleted User]

I would definitely see if you can get an appointment with the other vet that has buns of their own. I had gone to several different vets until I found my current one. I absolutely love her. And since she has, and has had her own buns for a while now, she’s totally great and helpful. She’s willing to deal with my crazy questions and has been a great help in steering me with what to do for my little girl and how to find her a husbun. So it’s always great to get a rabbit savvy vet that has had a couple of their own because they’re invested in the health and welfare of your bun because they Understand what it’s like to be a caring bun parent.

[Elrohwen]

Yeah, I agree with Sarita – seeing those pics, not a nethie. Probably a himmie after all then. Are there any other breeds that come in that color? I feel like there must be, but I can’t think of any.

[jerseygirl]

He does look just like the ARBA thumbnail pic of a Himalayan.
http://www.arba.net/breeds

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