Different breeds of rabbit can have quite different and characteristics. However, most personality characteristics are related to their parentage, rearing and socialisation.
A good, reputable breeder will will know his/her bunnies and their personality characteristics and will be able to guide you and help you choose the most suitable rabbit for your requirements.
In order to select the best bunny to meet your needs and preferences, please consider the following:
 | Are you looking for an indoor or outdoor bunny? Different breeds have different characteristics making certain breeds more suited to indoor life as a house rabbit. French Lops are ideal house bunnies whie while Netherland Dwarf are more suited to living in hutches. Of our own bunnies, certain litters will be more suited to indoor rather than outdoor life - and vice-versa. For this reason, we will ask which you prefer and help you choose the bunny who will best match your lifestyle and preferences. |
| What size bunny are you looking for? We keep several breeds from tiny Netherland Dwarfs (all have retired from breeding) weighing 2lbs right up our largest French Lop who tips the scales at a colossal 16lbs. Our Breed Sizes page will give an idea of sizes. |
| If you are looking for an indoor, house-bunny - do you have any previous experience of pet rabbits? You will need to tuck electrical and telephone cables out of reach and continue litter-training an already trained bunny. If you buy an untrained bunny then you need to start from scratch. See 'house-training' page for tips. |
| If you are looking for an outdoor bunny - what size hutch do you have? Do you already have a run or will you be buying/making one (always - the larger the better). A 4' x 18" hutch will be adequate for a Netherland Dwarf but most breeds require a 5' hutch (as a minimum size) with larger breeds requiring considerably more space. As a general rule, the more space you allow your bunny then the better this is. And please ensure your bunny can sit up and stretch out within his/her hutch as cramped conditions can make life very miserable and lead to muscle wastage and impaired digestive and respiratory function. In addition to their hutch, your bunnies will also need a large run for daily exercise. This is essential - not an optional extra to consider just for summer use. (Please remember, a bunny can the be same size as a small dog or cat and few people would ever consider confining either of these to a tiny cage for long periods.) |
| Would you like a bunny you can take for walks on a lead? If so, a larger French Lop or a Giant could be ideal for you. We stock leads and harnesses for our French Lops and British/Continental Giant bunnies and regularly take them for local walks (which amuses passers-by who often take a second look!). Prior to vaccination, we are careful to avoid fields which might have been frequented by wild rabbits potentially carrying myxomatosis or VHD. |
| Who is the bunny for - an adult, child or a family pet? Different breeds and different litters have different temperaments and personalities and we try to take the time to ensure we match a suitable bunny to its adopter. |
| Children's pets: Rabbits can make excellent pets for older children but please be aware that a rabbit, like any pet animal, will require daily care and a regular routine which must be overseen by a caring and responsible adult. A child cannot be expected to accept full responsibility for any pet and could easily miss symptoms of illness. The best arrangement is that adults should also think of the bunny/bunnies as pets for themselves and their responsibility - but then encourage active involvement from your child/children. We recommend that you allow your children to help with the cleaning and feeding and actively encourage their continued interest but, if they become bored, then allow their interests to change and move on rather than try to force an interest which isn't there. Always remember that a rabbit is not a temporary or 'throw-away' pet, or a 'starter pet' for children. Rabbits are living, breathing animals deserving the utmost respect and require the same level of care, commitment and dedication as any other pet animal, large or small. Please also see "A Child's Pet?" page for further information regarding buying a bunny for a child. |
| French Lops make ideal pets for adults who enjoy their affectionate personalities, docile natures and almost puppy-like behaviour. They can be excellent free-range bunnies but, if housed in a hutch, will need one with lots of space - 5-6' long x 36'' deep x 24'' high as a minimum. They are especially suited to being house-rabbits and we allow our French Lop house-bunny complete freedom to explore the house but confine him to the lounge overnight. If we accidentally leave doors open overnight then it's common to hear him bound up the stairs and leap into bed! Another Frenchy we bred, likes to hop into the walk-in shower every morning with his owner! |
| Medium-sized and cross-breed bunnies usually make very good family pets who will spend part of the day in hutches but join the family in evenings in the home to watch TV, enjoy a cuddle and fuss from their owners. They can also become very good house-rabbits. |
| Do you have children (aged at least 8+ - we do not consider bunnies to be appropriate pets for younger children) who will not be handling the bunny too often? (Remember, young children have small hands and so will be unable to comfortably hold a larger rabbit without potentially hurting him/her). If so, a mini-lop might be the best match. Similarly, if your bunny will not have a lot of daily human contact for long periods (ie while you're out at work or children are at school) then it's usually best to adopt two bunnies to live together - ideally sisters (both will probably need to be spayed at 6 months of age) or a castrated brother and sister. Since all our bunnies are used to a lot of handling, fuss and attention, we prefer them to be adopted by homes where this will continue - our bunnies are companion pets rather than those at the opposite end of the Care Spectrum, ie the poor neglected rabbits who live lonely lives isolated at the foot of the garden, with food thrown in twice a day and are otherwise neglected. We do not wish our bunnies to go to this type of home environment. |
| Pairing with Guinea-Pigs: There is no natural reason why humans should consider housing rabbits (who tend to be territorial) and guinea pigs together any more so than housing rats with gerbils or elephants with hippos! We do not recommend pairing rabbits with guinea pigs as these are very different animals with different personalities, communication methods and eat very different dietary requirements. A rabbit can trample on a guinea pig causing internal injury and many bunnies will bully a guinea-pig leading to a life of fear for a natural timid animal. A guinea pig can also give a rabbit a nasty nip which could lead to abscesses requiring surgery. Therefore, we feel it is much better to house like with like - a bonded pair of neutered rabbits or a small group of guinea-pigs - not mixing the two together. |
| Grooming: All breeds will require some grooming to remove loose fluff and ensure this is not swallowed. This can lead to furballs and blockages which can lead to life-threatening gastric stasis in bunnies. Immediate vet attention is required together with, probably, a motility stimulant to help restore motility to the gut. Longer-furred breeds such as cashmere lops or Angora will require daily grooming to prevent matts forming and to keep their coat in good condition. In the case of Angoras, it is advisable to clip this down to about 1" in rabbits who are not exhibited at shows. See also grooming |
| Colour: Different coloured coats can be of a very different quality. Usually black coats tend to the glossiest while albino are often the softest and silkiest. Blue coats can feel relatively coarse in comparison. Our Coat-Colours page lists some of the colours we can produce - with the possible addition of orange butterfly French Lops from 2006. |
Are you looking to adopt just one bunny or would you prefer two?
Adopting a pair has definite advantages. Rabbits are social animals and definitely enjoy rabbit company. It's wonderful to watch them interact together, they have a constant companion and young rabbits settle in very easily after adoption. You do, however, need to choose a pair or a partner with care.
For further information, please read the Companionship page.
We feel that keeping bunnies in pairs is crucial for hutched bunnies living outdoors in the garden to ensure they always have some company rather than lead a life of isolation with less human interaction. A single bunny is always at risk of suffering from boredom although this can be reduced a little by providing stimulating toys and varying them, perhaps offering different toys on a rota. Indoor bunnies tend to receive attention and stimulation throughout the day.
Bunnies also like to have Toys to play with.... These can be purchased from our online shop..
These are generalisations only and each rabbit will have its own personality
characteristics. Please take the time to discuss your preferences and
requirements with the breeder who will be able to help and guide you choose the
most suitable companion rabbit.
It is also a service you would not find in (m)any pet shops or DIY stores (where the rabbits are often 'mass produced with little human contact or interaction). These rabbits are normally 'bought in', sometimes bought nationally from a single mass-breeding source, and nothing is known about their individual personalities or background - the customer takes his or her chances.....
To take a look at our companion pet rabbits available, please click the link: BUNNY SALES
Adopting Our Bunnies:
We hope that adopting any of our bunnies will be a most enjoyable experience. From shortly following birth we send photos of a litter and film the babies to ensure that no adopter needs to miss out on your furry friend's early days. These photos continue right through to weaning so that you can chart your bunny's progress from birth through to weaning and collection.
We strive to offer some of the best bunnies available in terms of:
| personality |
| character |
| temperament |
| colour |
| health |
| quality |
We care deeply for our bunnies who are our family
pets. We take our breeding very seriously and believe ourselves to be
responsible and have the highest regard for bunny-welfare.
The health and welfare of our bunnies is of paramount importance and we take stringent steps to care for our furries by ensuring
| every baby is handled regularly from shortly following birth |
| all hutches are cleaned daily |
| all bunnies are cuddled, snuggled and fussed over daily - in addition to a general daily health-check |
| we have a quarantine area some 40' away from our 'Burrow Court' bunny enclosure |
| we use Vet-grade disinfectants such as Virkon |
| the bunnies have access to runs or the freedom of the garden during the day |
| we use quality feeds and always provide a list of feeds used together with a starter bag on adoption. |
| we do not allow visitors to handle our bunnies to help ensure there is no contamination from outside sources |
| we rarely 'buy in' bunnies. On the occasions when we need to introduce new blood then we source our stud bucks extremely carefully - even if this means joining a waiting list more than a year ahead. We won't buy 'any' bunny and would always insist on meeting his/her parents and previous generations to assess their general health, character and inspect for obvious defects such as malocclusion or other potential problems. We want to breed the best bunnies we can, without avoidable problems. |
All
of our bunnies are thoroughbred and pedigree but we choose not to ring them
since this is both unnecessary for pets and the rings can lead to leg injury
and damage, particularly in French Lops and larger breeds - as illustrated by
this photograph of a rescued French Lop.
We also aim to provide our bunnies with the best accommodation we can afford. During January - July 2003 we spent over £3000 on providing new housing for our bunnies and accommodation was improved further during Jan-Feb 2004 with a few later alterations during summer 2005. They have lighting, fans, a listening system for overnight use and security CCTV in their section of the garden plus toys, tunnels, tubes, Ka-bobs, chew and other amusements within their overnight hutches. We always try to ensure our bunnies never want for anything!
We also strive to be ethical and responsible. We don't over-breed our bunnies and we don't make any profits from breeding. Any income from sales of babies makes a small contribution towards our bunnies' feeding and healthcare costs.
We will always try to help and offer advice on caring for any bunnies you adopt from us and, should s/he fall ill at any time, then we will try to offer advice on this and possible treatments. However, this is not in place of a professional veterinary opinion and veterinary treatment.
Should your circumstances change and you legitimately find you need to rehome your bunny, then we will help if we can. We can't guarantee we will be able to take him/her back immediately but we might be able to find a loving home within a month or two.
All our advertised rabbits for sale are surplus stock. We do not breed for specifically for sale and never for profit. We retain some girls, plus the occasional male, from most litters to meet our longer-term objectives and the rest are offered for adoption.
 |
Is
a rabbit for me? |
Always look for a well-mannered bunny....
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