Re: Rabbits -my thoughts
Posted by: dhaley <dhaley@...>
having outdoor rabbits. Our rabbits have been outdoors YEAR ROUND here in
MN. We do put them in an area of the barn where they are out of the wind
during the worst of the winter. Everyone does that here. I would encourage
you to go visit some folks with rabbits or prehaps a county fair where the
children show rabbits to see if you have a strong reaction. I would also
encourage you to look at something other than an angora if you are looking
for pets. Angoras are alot of work and usually just folks that like fibre
arts will spend the time Angora's take. Due to the amount of fibre they
produce they also need a bit more management from the owner. If someone is
going to have a stronger reaction it's usually to the longer haired breed of
that species (but not always). Since you are unfamiliar with
rabbits....angoras have very long hair that must be plucked or sheared. In
my case I'm allergic to the protein in the saliva on certain dogs...not the
dander. I have indoor dogs but can't be around labs or shepherds for more
than about 15 minutes before I start sneezing. My allergy doctor told us
that I'd never be able to have an indoor pet. He was wrong...I do just fine
with Gus our Schnauzer. I do best when he's clipped short.
I just went back are re-read your original post. Take a good look at dwarfs
since you want three. I'd look at the mini-rex they are very soft and we've
found them to like handling by people. Avoid the lops. I personally like
them however, the local 4-H'ers have found that their ears can have problems
in cold climates...it's because there is so much ear and it's not highly
vascular so they can freeze in colder temps. Depending on the length of the
ear they are also more prone to injury. When you consider housing keep in
mind that most people have a separate cage per rabbit. Sometimes you can
keep them together if they are in same litter but it isn't always
successful. Males tend to make the kinder pet, females can be more
tempermental...trust your judgement. There are very nice females and mean
males too.
My daughters most favorite rabbits have all been males because they have
been so kind and enjoy the attention. She has not found this to be the case
with her females.
Oh...almost forgot...you need to know if you are going to be allergic to
hay. Just because you walk into someone's barn to see rabbits and start
sneezing, it may be the litter you are sneezing at not the rabbit. I always
thought I was allergic to llamas...no kidding! I'd get so swollen eyed and
sneezy when I got near a llama barn at the Puyallup fair when we lived in
WA. I discovered a couple of years ago that I truly wasn't allergic to
Llamas. I've been on several farms with them and have no problems. It was
they hay they fed in the barn that sent my senses into la la land.....Deanna