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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
- This topic has 15sd replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 4 months ago by
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Hi all,
I never properly introduced myself and my bunnies…I kinda just jumped right in as soon as I had some urgent question and never did a proper intro…
Anyhow, thank you for welcoming me anyway, and answering my tons of questions!
First, my name is Ali, I’m 27 (for a few more weeks at least…) and just recently married in September. My current lifestyle consists of working as a chemist for a pharma company, running, and spending as much time with my bunnies and husband (in no particular order haha) as I can fit in with a very long daily commute…
I have two bunnies, Oreo and (Mr.) Blu. He’s a tentative “Mr.” because that was his original name as a baby but as he “grew up” we noticed he’s not much of a Mr. due to his small stature…but the name sticks
They are both Holland Lops.Oreo is a female, broken black about 4lbs and about 9 months old now. We got her when she was 9 weeks old, after we had been married for just over a month (She was actually born same month as our wedding, so we thought that was kind of special). My husband travels a LOT and I’ve never been much of an animal person but always thought it would be nice to have some company when he’s gone. So after much thinking/discussing we located the breeder in our town, and after visiting his “only” lop (all the rest had been bought), we instantly fell in love and knew we had to have her. I can’t help but think it was meant to be. For some reason I was set on a broken brown lop and when I contacted the breeder he said, all I have right now is a female broken black. I’m so glad we decided to take her. It’s been a learning experience from day 1, as my previous “pet” experience consisted of a backyard hutch bunny as a 9 year old, and I didn’t exactly take care of him (or her?)…my parents did. Now I can’t imagine my life without a bunny…or two…
Well, we enjoyed her so much, we wanted another (a boy) and have the hopes of bonding them. We had been in touch with the breeder and I had already gone to visit his new bunnies a few times and just knew I had to have a second… So we decided on Mr. Blu, a blue (gray) Holland lop, coming in at just over a whopping 2 lbs and right now is about 4.5 months old.
Oreo is your typical female, likes to stand guard atop her cottontail cottage and know everything that is going on, and also incredibly sweet and loves to give licks in return for grooming or just when she wants to let you know she likes you (I think
). Blu has been a little hesitant to petting and physical contact, but he’s definitely coming around lately and actually seems to finally enjoy being pet…probably because he’s getting a little older. He is super energetic and super lazy at the same time. Total opposite of Oreo. His favorite pastime is standing on his basket in periscope position (see pic of basket below..) trying to get a good look at everything, including Oreo…So that’s my long intro, and here they are, the most recent pictures I have (although many of you have seen them already…) Sorry for such a long intro, but that’s my style…and too many pics, but I have tons and I know people usually enjoy seeing them
Here’s Oreo:
The best part of her day…. She can’t eat those greens fast enough…and I’m usually given a head butt just trying to get the plate on the ground…
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And here’s Blu
This is his normal spot…Oreo is in a pen to the left …he’s usually periscoping..
He’s so hard to take pics of because his fur is so dark! And it was a bit dark in the room..sorry for the grainy-ness, but it was too cute to pass up.
I had to post this one because of the hilarious mohawk he was sporting (he’s shedding and it started on his head)
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Thanks everyone J They really are great bunnies…I’ve been so happy with them. Now if only they are bonded successfully, then everything will be even better…
Monkeybun, thanks for the welcome and I do agree Blu is quite adorable…of course next in line to monkey
Funny, I wasn’t crazy about the gray, but my husband actually picked him out and now I love it. The Mohawk was a funny stage for him..oreo never shed like that so we had a good laugh about it…Thanks lunar, I’m a big fan of lops…obviously since I have two… but thanks for the compliment, they’re both blushing right now. Lol
BunnyLiz, you’re totally right, he does look like Lucy! Just much smaller…haha
Brittany, yeah Oreo is very lovey when she wants to be…we’re still working on blu, but he’s getting so much better! Thanks for the welcome..
Karla, thanks and I’ll post some more pics soon…I have tons…I love your broken black as well, he’s a cutie!
Merbella, Blu is actually 4.5 months or so, Oreo is 9 months…but still he is small compared to her. They are both purebred hollands, so you can see how different they still are even with that.
And since everyone wants to see a little more of blu I’ll post some pics soon…
~Ali
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Merbella, Blu is actually 4.5 months or so, Oreo is 9 months…but still he is small compared to her. They are both purebred hollands, so you can see how different they still are even with that.
Oh, ha!
I guess I read that wrong. My Holland lop is purebred as well. He’s 6 mo., so he’s just a tad bigger than Blu. I love Hollands so much! <3 At first, I was thinking of getting a Netherland dwarf, but I've heard their temperaments aren't generally as nice as Holland's. (Not sure if that's true or not.) In any case, Oreo and Blu are absolutely adorable. I hope you’re able to get them bonded! I’ve been thinking a little bit lately about getting another one, but the only thing really stopping me is the bonding process… It sounds so difficult from what I’ve read online. :/
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Merbella,
I’m not too informed on any other bunny temperaments, but since netherland dwarfs are smaller (I’m pretty sure they are a much smaller breed?) they probably tend to be more jumpy/scared/frisky…from what I have heard, the larger the bun, the more mellow they are..generally speaking of course. I actually had one as a kid, but didn’t keep him in the house or play with him much but I know he wasn’t as gentle as my lops are. But then again I’m sure you’d find lops that aren’t as gentle too…
As far as getting a second one, I definitely think it’s a good idea if it works for your lifestyle. I know we spend a lot of time away during the day with work being far, etc.. so I wanted Oreo to have a companion so she wouldn’t be so lonely (although I’m pretty sure she sleeps most of the day) and it’s usually beneficial for them to have a mate. I know bonding will not be an easy process but I made the choice to get a second one knowing that I wanted to put the effort in to get them bonded (when I find some more free time)… And seeing the outcome is priceless!
I know I enjoyed spending a lot of solo time with Oreo in the beginning, not sure when you got your little guy, but I had Oreo a good 5 months or more before looking into a second…and I valued that alone time with her, we really got to bond
So you might want to wait a bit…enjoy your time with him first That’s just my opinion of course. -
Thank you for your reply, Ali.
I heard the same idea, i.e., that the smaller the breed, the feistier they generally are. I wonder if that means mini lops are significantly more mild-tempered than Hollands? Probably not by much if at all… I talked to a lady that raises rabbits and spends a lot of time with them, and she said she’s never encountered a Netherland dwarf that she’d consider “calm.” There seem to be a couple members at BB that are happy with their Netherlands though, so who knows? All I know is that I’m very happy with my Holland.
I would really love to get a second one. (Possibly a grey female Holland?
I heard females and males get along best (assuming they’ve both been de-sexed, of course), and I love Blue’s coat!) Right now, unfortunately, is just not a good time. I’m taking a huge exam at the end of July that I have to study for for hours every day. 
Once that’s over with, I might be able to consider getting another one. I’m in no rush though right now, especially since Edmund seems to be so happy. Like you said, I’m also enjoying this time to bond with him. I got him a stuffed rabbit chew toy the other day and he’s been biting and humping it ever since.
Probably not a good time to introduce another bunny anyway… He was neutered not too long ago and he’s still a teenager. Might want to wait for all of his hormones to calm down a bit more.
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So, I will just ignore that and tell you how incredibly gorgeous Blu is! 
I can’t believe Blu is 9 months! He’s looks like a baby in those photos! *sigh* I want him. 
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