Considering getting a Lionhead

[Mali]

Greetings,

I am new here on the forum, and for a bit have been considering getting a lion-head. I want to introduce myself, but while your reading keep in mind, i’m trying to see if any experienced bun owners have ever had issues with any of the pets I currently have and all that stuff that would be useful to know :). let me tell you a little about myself, I am a teen, have 2 parakeets, raise chickens EVERY year in my house (incubate and hatch 🙂 ), have 2 dogs (both terriers), 2 fish, occasionally wild baby birds fallen in my backyard. I have come unto this forum so I could see if a bunny is the right pet for me, and would like to make a responsible decision. I am looking for links to cages on amazon that are PROPER sizing, and a little on the cheaper side ($$ not quality). All the cages and stuff they sell near me (at petsmart, petsupermarket ect…ect..)  sell cages like the size for a hampster. I would like tips on the lion-head breed/temperment, and whether or not that may be a good or bad pet for me. I am looking for a breed that has a tendency to like to sit around and be held. I Like the lionhead for their looks, but would rather consider a bunny that has a temperment that fits me instead of for looks. Any diet, litter box training, and tips and tricks. I have a baby gate to my room, and don’t have any animals in my room except for occasionally a chicken for about a week, and my fish. I want a more of a 1-person pet, instead of a family pet. I really am just trying to collect info from people who already own buns (preferably lionheads lol) and gather info to see if a bun is the right pet for me 🙂  thank you if you made it to the end lol

Edited by LBJ10

[BZOO]

I have two lionheads.  Walter, from a breeder, occasionally asks for pets but not snuggley.

Boo was a shelter rescue, picked up as a stray.  Does not like contact at all.

Not to say that is typical for the breed, just these two.

I would suggest a digestive support to help with the hair.  These two LOVE Sherwood brand.

I would suggest you check out rescues and get an ready fixed, bonded pair.  Though if you definitely want lionheads, you might have to wait a bit.

 

[Plumped Cuddly Bunnies]

For cages and birds its much better and cheaper to buy/salvage some timber and buy some wire and build your own bird cages or aviary. You can do the same with your bunnies, build them a decent enclosure. You have plenty of materials state side to build stuff. You can use a combination of all kinds of things, puppy pen panels being popular among rabbit owners. Bunnies also like space to run about and its better to get two bunnies just make sure they are fixed.

Cages in pet stores are always way to small, although make great travel cages for transporting birds from one place to another.

[tobyluv]

One of my rabbits is a lionhead.  He will let you give him a few pats, but that’s it.  We don’t dare pick him up and try to snuggle with him.  Almost no rabbits like to be held, actually.  As prey animals, it frightens them.  They usually will struggle to get out of your grasp and they can injure themselves.  Many rabbits do like to sit beside a person, either on the floor or on a sofa, and may like to sit or lay in your lap – but it’s all on their terms.

Lionheads need regular grooming to prevent mats in their fur and to keep them from ingesting a lot of fur, which can lead to GI stasis.  Because of the shape of their head/face, they can be more prone to teeth problems.

[GlennTheLionhead]

Hi!

Aww its so nice to hear about all these animals you look after and raise. Very sweet.

Before considering breed ect please consider if a rabbit is right for you, unfortunately there are a lot of misconceptions about rabbit care. In short rabbits are not cheap or easy pets. Often cats are actually much easier than rabbits to look after and tend to work out cheaper… Which often suprises people lol.

Rabbits require a lot of space and care. The 3ft x 2ft cages often sold online and in pet stores are inappropriate as a permenant home for rabbits and often lead to health issues. Rabbits should have 24hr access to a large pen or room space that is big enough for them to run around and do binkies as they do need lots of excercise. Here in the UK minimum welfare standards set by the rwaf for space are 60 square foot of uninterrupted floor space 24/7, just to give you an idea. Guidelines on this may vary country to country and I do believe rabbits can be happy in different set up types if you would find it difficult to provide that 24/7. Another alternative that I have heard can work well for people can be keeping the bunny in an x-pen about 20/30 sqft and then allowing them excercise to a larger space for about 4-6 hours a day (this could be 3hrs in the morning and 3 hours in the evening or something like that). Finally another alternative is some people, particularly teens and college students  who typically share a house with their family/flat mates, is to bunny proof their bedroom and free roam the bunny in there keeping a corner of the room as a home base. Its worth noting that having an adult chicken in your room where a rabbit is free roamed or in an xpen could cause a potential for injury due to the chicken teeth and claws as well as transfer of diseases so that might be something to think about.

Domestic rabbits live a long life of 8-12+ years typically.

Rabbits can get ill quite easily and often rack up expensive vet bills. Also the onset of their illness can be seemingly rapid, appearing within hours and requiring immediate veterinary attention that can commonly cost about $500+.

Those are some of the key care point but there is lots more information on appropriate care in the informations tab of binkybunny and other webpages.

However, if you do feel prepared to meet their care needs and costs, rabbits make fantastic and rewarding pets. They are gentle, quiet, sweet and super cute. Typically rabbits aren’t really cuddly pets but some breeds may have a higher chance of being more cuddly than others but theres never any garauntees.

Lionheads are for sure beautiful and they are a very intelligent breed but they generally aren’t a cuddly breed, they are a ‘pet me on the floor for a little bit now and again” type of breed lol.

 

[LBJ10]

The least expensive option for an appropriately-sized habitat (if not allowing the bunny to be completely free-roam in your bedroom) is to make a condo and pen out of NIC grid panels. You can find more info here: https://binkybunny.com/bunnyinfo/cubes/

Rabbits are individuals, so their personalities are going to vary. However, there are some stereotypes when it comes to rabbit breeds. Holland lops tend to fall under the “lazy lop” category, for example. I don’t have personal experience with lionheads, but I have heard people refer to them as “divas”. If you really want to get a bunny that is a good fit for you, I would recommend adopting an adult. Baby bunnies, regardless of breed, are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get! They will seem sweet and cuddly as babies, but then their adult personality starts to show as they get older. Some bunnies do like to “cuddle”, but that typically means they want to lay next to you on the floor or on the couch. They don’t want you to pick them up and cuddle them that way. It’s much easier to find an affectionate bunny though if you look at adults.

[prince dorian the bun]

Everyone has already given you great advice.  I think every bun is an individual,  but my lionhead lop mix definitely is the stereotype of a diva lionhead bun. She is super sweet, but she she insists on look don’t touch most of the time. My other bun is a huge snuggle bun, but even he doesn’t like to be picked up. Oh and she’s constantly getting stuff stuck in her mane or butt fluff and I have had to cut out dreads and some tangles just end up as dreads. That and she may have teeth issues in her future,  which I think are common for lionheads.

I freeroam and they have a bunny room (formerly spare bathroom) which they sleep in. I don’t generally let them in my bedroom as it’s not very bun proofed, though once in a while they get to have an adventure and I just have to watch them very closely. They are both litter box trained and outside of their room they are really good.  There may be a little poop where they napped or such, but even that’s not common. In their room they most of the time use their litter to pee, but on odd occasions one of them will pee on a blanket and they make a mess of pellets next to the litter daily. It was much better when I had just one bun, I think part is they get kicked out and other part is they just decided that’s close enough.  It’s easy to clean so I gave up trying to get them to use the box 100%. I would say 90% of poops do make it in their litter.

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