Netherland Dwarf owners

[bunnytowne]

I am curious    are Nethies really as aloof and standoffish and skittish as people say?  They are so cute and little to be so skittish.

IN researching the breed  seems they were bred to wild rabbits in England or wherever to keep their small size.   If they are skittish and aloof that would explain why.

Knowing generalizations can be incorrect I would like to hear from Nethie owners.

[skunklionshow]

My Jessica is a netherland dwarf.  She meets the stereotype perfectly.  She does not like to be held and won’t tolerate many pets except when she is snuggled up to Leo.  She’s cute as a button & fast as can be…but definately the typical netherland dwarf!

[Hedi]

My Pookie fits the stereotype as well! She is bonded to Cooper, our minilop so she sticks around for banana slices but that is all. We rarely ever see her. Rarely ever pet her or anything. But she is so darn cute! And way too fast for her own good. She has been almost stepped on more than once. Shes quiet and gets underfoot too often.

[mattman0182]

How do you tell if the bunny is a netherland dwarf?

[jerseygirl]

Posted By mattman0182 on 02/23/2009 8:44 PM
How do you tell if the bunny is a netherland dwarf?

 

Mainly from their size, face shape and ears.  They little 2 pounders, have short flatish faces and little ears.

2nd pic is Mr Conk (member kismet’s bunny)

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[Thearina]

I have a female netherland dwarf, Pixie, that is a little stand offish. Pixie really doesn’t like being picked up more so than my other rabbits, so I don’t unless its really needed. She will come up to the side of her condo for me to give her nose rubs through the grids. But when I open her condo door she will run a little ways away. I do pet her when she is in her condo, she usually flattens and closes her eyes like she really likes it, but that after she has run her safe distance away. She will often peek out of her condo and look like she is really listening when I’m talking. I don’t know if Pixie being a little stand offish is because her breed or because the breeder I got her from didn’t really like Pixie because she has red eyes so she may not have had alot of human attention. But I adore her and she happens to be my favorite among all of my rabbits. I think she knows when I’ve had a bad day or am sick because she will do binkies and race running around like she’s doing the bunny 500. I don’t plan on getting anymore rabbits but If a shelter near me got a netherland in I would be VERY tempted to adopt it. I just happen to like the breed. But I know that a lot people don’t because they think their too hyper or jumpy, but that is just the breed.

[Sarita]

I’ve had a few and I would say they are independent – I just love these little netherlands though.

[bunnytowne]

OH my gosh….. Mr. Conk looks so much like Cotton…    His face markings and his blue eyes.  Some coloring on his rump…. OH wow.

How beautiful he is too.    I don’t believe it I have never seen another bun that looks like Cotton.

Cotton hates being held/picked up but he does good when I say I am going to pick you up Cotton he recognizes the word pick you up.

He does come up to me to dig on my clothes but not to be petted.  HE loves pettings though when I go to him.  If he isn’t in the mood he moves my hand or hops off.       HE seems to have small ears like a nethie but I am sure he is pure lionhead. 

So is Mr. Conk a nethie?  Can I see more pics of him?

So for the most part nethies are standoffish or independent.   OK.. The one that lets you pet him in his house sounds so cute.

[Royce&Abby]

I just adopted and bonded a netherland dwarf to my holland lop.  The size difference is hilarious to see but they love eachother! so cute!

Anyways, my holland lop LOVES to be pet but my little netherland dwarf will come and check you out but as soon as you go to pet her, she’ll run and hide.  I started petting Royce, my lop, and he was purring and really enjoying it.  Abby, my dwarf, came up to see what was going on and started scratching at my hands to get me to stop petting him.  I thought that this meant that she finally came around and wanted to be pet instead but she made a run for it again! Last night I tried to pet her and she stomped and I guess Royce was being protective and he bit me.   They groom eachother all day long but when it comes to being pet by a human, the netherland dwarf hates it and the holland lop love it!

[skunklionshow]

My Jessica has put on a bit of weight since her spay, so she is larger than the 2 lbs that Nether Dwarfs are ‘posed to be.  I’m glad to hear that there are some breed similarities….my girl is real speed demon and a little sweets pig.  I agree…I love her to pieces.

[MooBunnay]

I have a little Netherland Dwarf and she is also the same – she is super sweet and will groom my feet, but as soon as my hands come towards her I get a dwarf sized grunt from her Sometimes I can corner her enough to give her some pets and she actually seems to enjoy it – but as soon as she figures out what is going on she runs away. Mine also seems quite, and definitely very cautious. She turns into a stretched out sausage when she is exploring because she refuses to move her back feet no matter how far ahead her front feet are, just in case she needs a quick escape!

[mattman0182]

Guess Martin is not a nethy….cant help you then!

[KytKattin]

I had one when I was much younger (to young to really own one, it was my mom’s). She was actually quite a doll for a dwarf, and put up with my childish antics. The breeder who we got her from really spent a lot of time with her though. She was a little moody at times (unspayed), and preferred the company of other rabbits. Most dwarfs I have met, or just small breeds in general, tend to want less to do with people. Males seem to be better about people interaction, but that might be because most dwarfs I’ve met have been unaltered. Nova, a Polish, is also said to come from wild lines, and I’ve read that they are kept in particularly small cages by breeders because they can be easily startled and injure themselves against the wire. I have seen Nova act like this when scared, so I could see their reasoning behind this (not that Nova is kept in a small cage, or gets scared so much any more). I have to say, that the small breeds are some of the smartest rabbits I have ever encountered. Yeah, they might seem to run off of instinct most of the time, but if they calm down and are given a chance to think, they really figure out problems quickly.

[earthisours]

Mine are part netherland. And they both fit the stereotype pretty well, even for being mixed. >.>

[BunnyBuns7]

Lily doesn’t like to be picked up, but that’s about it. She LOVES attention and she’s very bold. She charges the dogs! She’s very brave! I’ve never heard that Netherlands are supposed to be skittish and stand offish. Lily loves coming up to me and nuzzling my elbow so that I’ll pet her and scratch her a little. I really think it just depends one your breeder and the rabbit you pick out. It also has to do with how much attetion you give them.

[MarkBun]

My Dono is a little more Netherland than Dutch and he’s also the aloof type. I think your bun was scratching at your hand while petting the other one because he was getting jealous of you touching his gal.

I would love Dono to allow me to pet him or even just stop running away from me in terror. But as he’s for Maryann and not me, I really can’t complain.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Netherland dwarfs are my FAVORITE! They are beyond cute and those big eyes and little ears make them look like babies.

We just took one into our shelter, a little while ago (pics to come) from Calgary. He’s soooo cute, very small (Eight years old, but everyone thinks he’s a baby when they meet hiim) and he’s beyond friendly-by far the least skittish and most friendly in our shelter! I want him sooo bad-he spent a couple days at my place when he first came up from Calgary as the owner drove him to my house (shelter is another forty minutes on an already three hour drive)-and I just got really attached. He’s silver agouti, and so adorable!! I want!!!

[Colin]

I’m not sure if Yoshi is 100% Netherland Dwarf, but he LOVES to be pet. Any time you start petting him he’ll melt into a little bunny puddle and start chattering with his teeth. He doesn’t like being picked up or held, but he is getting used to being picked up when we need to.

[sweetbluebun]

I’ve got a Netherland dwarf too, he was my first bun, and let me tell you he got me on the bunny band wagon! Cheeky doesn’t fit the stereotype at all, in fact he’s much friendlier and tamer than my Holland Lop Guppy. Cheeky loves attention and runs sides in his pen when I approach. He sticks his little nose right under my hand for pets and although I don’t think he likes being picked up, he lets me do it and will snuggle for quite awhile until I let him down. He’s the sweetest little love bug and likes to lick my nose when I’m close enough. He is super fast and does need alot of run space to get his energy out, but overall he’s a great litte bunny.
 

[bunnytowne]

Your dwarfs sound really sweet.  They are cute with their little round face short ears and big round eyes. 

[Moonlight_Wolf]

She turns into a stretched out sausage when she is exploring because she refuses to move her back feet no matter how far ahead her front feet are, just in case she needs a quick escape!

Haha I laughed when I read this! Fern does this too even though she is a holland lop.
I have heard that neatherlands are skittish and aloof, I picked up a baby one once (I was thinking of buying, before I got Fern) It struggled like I was trying to murder it. The mother was a bit aloof too. When I picked up Fern for the first time she sat in my arms like an angel.

[KitD]

I just realized that Odie is a Nethie!

I’m not super breed saavy, so I ‘m grateful for those pics.

He is more skitish than Scooter, (his son ) but I thought that was because I bottle fed Scooter due to mother rejection. Odie was found in campsite with a Californian doe. She was so big we thought Odie was her baby!

As for attitude, he does okay with picking up if neccessary but for affection, he prefers to come to me only if I lay down flat on the floor and let him come to me then he leans so hard against my scrubing fingers and buries his face against my arms to say “harder Mommy, harder”.

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