Is it a Netherland Dwarf, Polish, or some sort of mix?

[SamieLee]

It seems like I’ve run into a problem that many other dwarf rabbit buyers encounter. I purchased my bunny Sander about two weeks ago from an expirienced breeder and was told that he is a Netherland Dwarf. Now admittedly, this is the first time I’ve ever purchased a Netherland Dwarf, but I’ve seen a great number of them in pictures as well as in person. At the time when I bought him I noticed right away that his look just didn’t seem like the standard look for a Netherland Dwarf. But I figured that because he was still so young and since it’s pretty normal for baby bunnies to look different when they’re that small, that I needed to just brush it off and maybe in a few weeks his look would change. However his appearance has stayed pretty consistent and he still does not really look like a Netherland Dwarf to me. His body shape is a bit bulky and round and his ears are placed close together, but his shape is not quite as round as the other Netherland Dwarfs that I’ve seen. I’ve also noticed that his ears are a bit too long and wide for a Netherland Dwarf. I’ve been questioning whether or not I had been give a Polish rabbit by accident. However, he doesn’t have the standard look for a Polish either because of the round shape of his body and head. So I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s either actually some sort of a weird mix or he’s just a really awkward looking Netherland Dwarf. Honestly it doesn’t matter to me what breed he is, it would never change how I feel about him and he’s not a show rabbit so it’s not like his breed will impact me in that aspect. I just want to know more out of curiosity than anything else. Below are some pictures of Sander when I first brought him home (the first two pictures) and some from today (the bottom three pictures). Can anyone who has any expirience with handling Netherland Dwarfs or Polish bunnies give me an educated opinion? Your input will be very helpful and much appreciated!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sarita]

It’s hard to tell from the photos but I think he looks like a Netherland to me.

[Sarita]

Here’s a close up on my Netherland.

 

[SamieLee]

I appreciate your input!  I guess what throws me off is the size of his ears. They just look too big! But then again he’s barely over a month old so maybe he just has to grow into them? And I’m really sorry the pictures not the best of quality  Not only is the camera on my phone bad but neither of my bunnies are very fond of taking pictures. And Sander is definitely the worse of the two about it. I’m lucky he even sat semi-still for the ones I took today.

[SamieLee]

Oh wow your bunny actually looks really similar to mine! His ears seem a little bit smaller than Sander’s, but other than that they look alike. So I guess maybe Sander is just a Netherland Dwarf with big ears. The ones that I’ve seen always looked like the one in the photo below, super round and with very short ears.

 

 

 

[LoveChaCha]

Looks pretty dwarf like to me!

I have a dwarf girl and she has big ears. She is a dwarf, just not the typical ‘dwarf’ and is called what breeders say “False Dwarf” because of the longer ears, bigger body, etc. Sad, but she is still a treasure

[SamieLee]

That may be situation with mine too. But oh well I like his big ears, I think they add character!

[LoveChaCha]

Yeah, the one in the photos are usually the ones that people see. Dwarf buns typically have small ears, but some come out to be a little bigger

Here is a photo of my sweet grumpy dwarf:

 

[Sarita]

Well, it’s always been my best guess that Bobby is a Netherland Dwarf – he was dumped off at a guinea pig rescue (and I know he’s not a guinea pig although he’s smaller than some of the guinea pigs I know) and that’s what he seems to most resemble to me.

[LoveChaCha]

Posted By SamieLee on 01/09/2013 10:12 AM

That may be situation with mine too. But oh well I like his big ears, I think they add character!

OH! They do, believe me, those ears do I can tell how my bunny feels by her ears!

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/

[tanlover14]

I agree with ChaCha. The breeder I got my buns from has Nethies also. She currently has one for sale, listed down because of the size of her ears and the width of them apart so you probably just got a breeders not first choice. Lame. He’s a handsome as heck bun!

[mia]

How long are the ears? They look too long and wide to be Netherlands. I believe true Netherlands’ ears can’t be more than ~2inchs. I’m sure there are measurements posted somewhere. The black and white in mine is supposedly a true Netherland; she’s a rescue but everyone who’s seen her says she was likely a show bun previously.

[Elrohwen]

Looks like a nethie rather than a polish to me. Not all bunnies will meet breed standards, so while the ears aren’t tiny like a show nethie, they don’t seem outrageously big either. There’s also the issue of false dwarfs, which are very common (in a litter bred from two bunnies with the dwarf gene, 25% will not inherit the gene and will be false dwarfs)

[SamieLee]

Posted By LoveChaCha on 01/09/2013 10:13 AM

Yeah, the one in the photos are usually the ones that people see. Dwarf buns typically have small ears, but some come out to be a little bigger

Here is a photo of my sweet grumpy dwarf:

 

Aw she’s so adorable! Yeah her ears look a lot like how Sander’s do, and he also likes to use his to express how he feels! It’s quite entertaining to watch!

[SamieLee]

Posted By tanlover14 on 01/09/2013 10:14 AM

I agree with ChaCha. The breeder I got my buns from has Nethies also. She currently has one for sale, listed down because of the size of her ears and the width of them apart so you probably just got a breeders not first choice. Lame. He’s a handsome as heck bun!

Aw thank you! Yes it’s quite a shame that they lose value over something like that! Personally I don’t think his ears make him any less attractive than the Netherland Dwarfs with the standard ears. I actually like that he’s unique among his breed in that sense.

[SamieLee]

Posted By Elrohwen on 01/09/2013 11:45 AM

Looks like a nethie rather than a polish to me. Not all bunnies will meet breed standards, so while the ears aren’t tiny like a show nethie, they don’t seem outrageously big either. There’s also the issue of false dwarfs, which are very common (in a litter bred from two bunnies with the dwarf gene, 25% will not inherit the gene and will be false dwarfs)

I agree that this is most likely the case with my bunny. After looking at pictures of Polish rabbits it just seems to me like Sander’s body is too round and compact to be a Polish. Their bodies are a bit more elongated. Plus when I went to pick him up from the breeder I noticed all the other baby Nethies in the cage with him (there were four others) had the “standard” ears. Maybe he’s just one of the ones that fall in the 25%. But hey on the upside at least he has something unique about him!

[Monkeybun]

I have a nethie and a polish. Yours looks more nethie to me, just not show quality, with the slightly bigger ears. Quirks of genetics probably

[Elrohwen]

Posted By SamieLee on 01/09/2013 03:16 PM

Posted By Elrohwen on 01/09/2013 11:45 AM

Looks like a nethie rather than a polish to me. Not all bunnies will meet breed standards, so while the ears aren’t tiny like a show nethie, they don’t seem outrageously big either. There’s also the issue of false dwarfs, which are very common (in a litter bred from two bunnies with the dwarf gene, 25% will not inherit the gene and will be false dwarfs)

I agree that this is most likely the case with my bunny. After looking at pictures of Polish rabbits it just seems to me like Sander’s body is too round and compact to be a Polish. Their bodies are a bit more elongated. Plus when I went to pick him up from the breeder I noticed all the other baby Nethies in the cage with him (there were four others) had the “standard” ears. Maybe he’s just one of the ones that fall in the 25%. But hey on the upside at least he has something unique about him!

I think my holland lop may be a false dwarf too. I actually prefer the slightly longer ears on nethies, so I think Sander is adorable!

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