Bunnies are very, very smart. Especially Holland Lops. They can be trained to respond to their name and come when called, give "kisses", and do tricks. However, they can also develop bad habits. 
My house rabbit, Elsie (above), is energetic, spastic, sweet, VERY SPOILED, and loving. She doesn't like to be held or cuddled and is definitely not a lap bunny, but she loves to be pet and scratched (with all four feet on the ground, of course). 
She, however, being spoiled, knew that when she nipped me she would get attention and I would pet her, to keep her from nipping me again. Well, her nips started turning into full-scale bites so I had to train her to stop! Bunny teeth hurt. 
Each time she bit or nipped me I cupped my hand over her face and pressed her head to the ground. She would try to struggle out but I would only let her go when I wanted to (only after a couple seconds). She learned very quickly, and doesn't bite anymore! When she wants attention, she licks me or puts her paws on my legs asking for loves. Of course, every once and a while, she'll try to nip and I'll have to enforce the rules. Otherwise, she's normally a very good girl. 
I don't know about rabbits pinning other rabbits to the ground in the wild, but I know dogs do it and that's how to you train dogs to stop being so dominant, so I tried it with her. 

I posted this in a 5-part series on my Facebook page several months ago, but I'm going to post it here again, since I have more followers now then I did when I started. 


A RABBIT NEEDS FOOD, HAY AND WATER TO STAY HEALTHY - I'm not going to go in depth here about the importance of food, hay and water. This post would be much too long! I've posted about all these three before under Hay, Pellets, and Water. 


A RABBIT DOESN'T NEED TREATS TO BE HAPPY, BUT SOMETHING A LITTLE EXTRA NEVER HURT ANYBUNNY: See more about this here. 


RABBITS NEED PROTECTION FROM THE ELEMENTS, HEAT AND COLD - This one is self-explanatory pretty much. If you have a house rabbit, this is easy. If you don't, keep it in a traditional wooden rabbit hutch instead of one that is all-wire. Rabbits are very exposed in these all-wire cages, so usually if a breeder is going to use them they are either kept in the house or in a shed. Because of their fur coats, rabbits do not need anything to stay warm, and they do better in cold weather then in hot. 

RABBITS NEED LOVE, ATTENTION, AND HUMAN INTERACTION AS OUR PETS - In the wild, rabbits live in communities in their underground warrens, living together, playing together, and grooming each other (this is why domesticated rabbits enjoy petting. It is what they are used to receiving when they live in groups). 
Rabbits would get VERY lonely and sad without a friend. If you don't have much time to devout to a rabbit, consider getting it a bunny friend. Read more about that here. 

How can you be sure to buy a healthy bunny? What are the key signs to look for? 
If you buy from a reputable breeder, they will know which bunnies are healthy and which are not. If they are a good breeder, they will NOT prompt you to buy an unhealthy rabbit. We DO NOT sell any unhealthy rabbits from our rabbitry, ever. 
Still, here's the signs of a perky, healthy, Holland Lop bunny:


EYES: The eyes are wide, attentive, alert, dry, and follow your movements. The eyes are not crusty, red, or watery. 


NOSE: The nose is twitching and dry. 


EARS: The ears are scentless, clean, and the bunny is not constantly itching the ears. 


PAWS: The paws are not crusty, which is a sign the bunny has been wiping its nose. Yellowness from the urine is fine, and completely normal. 


BUTT: The bottom is clean, not smelly or stinky. Unspayed/unneutered does/bucks may emit a smell from the scent glands down there, but it's not usual. If a rabbit has a smell like this, spaying or neutering usually eliminates the odor. 


MOVEMENTS: The bunny is moving normally, hopping, inquisitive about his surroundings and comes up to you when you open the cage door (unless the bunny is just shy). The rabbit takes interest in its food and eats fervently, as well as drinking normally and often. 


FUR: The fur lies down nicely, isn't matted, and isn't dull or in a constant molt.


TEETH: The top teeth slightly overlap the bottom. It's considered malocclusion if the teeth are in any other position. Bunny teeth generally stay in the proper position. Malocclusion is usually caused by poor breeding because it is hereditary, but it can also be caused by a rabbit chewing on the cage bars or falling and hitting it's face. 

In my opinion, the water bottle is the best choice just because it stays cleaner and lasts longer. 
No matter the method of providing water you use, the rabbit should have water constantly available. 

Part of the responsibility of being a good pet owner is finding someone to watch your pet(s) while you go away. If you can't take your pet with you when you go on vacation with the family, you will need to find someone to come and feed/water/play with your rabbit. If you will only be camping for a weekend, then your rabbit will be able to be caged up with extra food and water for that time period. 
Having a pet may keep you from going on long summer vacations as often as you would like. 
Of course you can board the animal, but often having a trusted family member or friend come in and take care of the rabbit causes much less stress then taking them to a bunny hotel. It's always easiest for the bunny to get to know the caretaker ahead of time, so they don't get stressed out when they see someone new feeding them and trying to hold them. 

The bunny caretaker should be instructed on not only what the bunny needs to eat, but on what the bunny can absolutely NOT eat. Many people think that, duh, rabbits can eat lettuce. In reality, they cannot, and feeding a baby any fruits or veggies can result in death. 
The bunny nanny should also be instructed on what to do in case of an emergency. Rabbits can go downhill very quickly, and if you're across the country or even out of town, it can be impractical for you to make it back to your bunny to take it to the vet immediately. 
A vet I recommend is The Center for Bird and Exotic Animal Medicine in Bothel. I have not actually used this facility, but they seem trustworthy and they take are open 24hrs for emergency or critical care. They also take rabbits for boarding. Like I said, I haven't actually used them, but I have an emergency with the bunnies I won't think twice about going there. 

To answer my own question, no, they don't. But they do something very similar to purring when they are being scratched on the head or if they are comfortable. They grind their teeth together rapidly for a short amount of time, over and over. The teeth grinding makes a little noise and causes the rabbit to vibrate a little. You can feel it especially if you are giving the rabbit's cheek a rub. 

Rabbits grind their teeth together in two different ways. Both ways mean something very different. When rabbits are comfortable, they will grind their teeth quickly, in short bursts. 

But, if the rabbit is in pain, they will grind their teeth very slowly. This is one of the only ways that we can tell if our little furry friend is in pain. Being a prey animal, they are very good at hiding their pain because they don't want to be picked out as a weakling or an easy meal. 

Not all bunnies will grind their teeth when they are comfortable or relaxed. Some will lick you, or do nothing at all. It all depends on the rabbit. 

Hay, no matter the kind you buy, should be sweet-smelling, dry and clean. Some hays have more weeds then others, and more dry brown grass, but this isn't a problem for our rabbits. 
There are many different kinds of hay. Even though it doesn't really matter the type you buy, each one has its pros and cons. I have only really tried Orchard Grass and Timothy, so those are the varieties I am going to talk about. However, there are many other kinds of hay, and all of them would be effective in providing fiber for the rabbit, decreasing boredom, and wearing down the constant-growing teeth. 

Orchard Grass Hay: Orchard grass hay is a softer hay that my rabbits seem to like more then Timothy. It has very little weeds and brown grass. My favorite. 


Timothy Hay: Currently I am feeding Timothy hay because my friend gave me 20lbs of it for free. Timothy hay is coarse and messier then other hays, but because of it's coarseness it helps keep the teeth worn down better then any other hay. Both Timothy and Orchard Grass are very similar nutrition-wise, and if you feed one of these, the rabbit will always be grateful for a little change in hays every once a while. 


Alfalfa Hay: Even though I haven't tried Alfalfa hay, it's considered a big no-no. Alfalfa is too high in protein, and has been shown to cause kidney problems in most rabbits that eat it continuously. Most feeds are Alfalfa-based, which is completely fine. Alfalfa-based pellets are really why we wouldn't feed Alfalfa hay. It's just too much for the rabbit's digestive system. If you feed a Timothy-based pellet, then Alfalfa hay in small amounts would be O.K. 


WHERE TO BUY HAY

Pet Stores: Pet store hay is generally older, dusty, and close to molding. However, I used to get my hay at a pet store, and they have a ton of varieties and sizes to fit your needs. It's generally the most expensive way to buy hay. If you live nowhere near a feed store, though, this may be your only option. 


Feed Stores: Many local feed stores will sell different varieties of hay for really cheap. The only problem is that it's sold by the bale - and often, you can't break down the bale. A 120lb bale of hay isn't easily stored. It would also go bad way before it was gone if you just have a single rabbit. It's still a good idea to look into it, because this is usually the best quality of hay you can find. 


A Local Farmer: If you live in the country, this is also something to look into. Many farmers could sell you a few pounds of hay for very cheap if they grow hay or raise horses. Of course, if you live in the city, like me, this isn't an option. 


Online: I buy my hay here but it's really expensive. I'm going to start buying at our feed store, but as of right now, we don't have anywhere to put 120lbs of hay! The Bunny Bytes hay is very fresh, because it's made in WA, but even though I'm so close to the facility, it still costs just as much as the hay to ship to my door. 

We're trying again! Gracie's last breeding was unsuccessful, so we're hoping for the best with this pregnancy! Gracie was bred to Hopscotch Reigns Tuk, who we borrowed from Dragonfly Hollands Rabbitry. He's the same buck that her first litter is from, we had such success with that litter that we're trying it again! Gracie is due a week before Christmas, December 17-18! This time I'm going to be counting my bunnies before they are born, but they really liked each other and the breeding was successful, so I'm hoping for the best. 
Tuk's picture (below), does not do his justice! He's really very adorable and produces gorgeous babies! See some of his babies here (the Facebook cover photo and profile picture is one of his daughters, whom I kept). I'll keep you updated!

Hey everyone! I added two NEW pages to my website! These pages have possibly been addressed in previous blogs, but for new rabbit owners/prospective rabbit owners I've incorporated them into the website so that they can be found easily. Check them out! Both pages are found in the sub-menu under "Bunny Info"
Fuzzy Hollands
Can you Really Litter Train a Rabbit? 

The page "Bunny Info" is also a new addition to the menu. It was previously under the For Sale page, as a sub-menu, but I've added it to the menu for easier access. 

Let me know what you think!!! 

Going to try and breed Gracie tomorrow afternoon. I am unsure of what buck I'll be using yet. I will post on my Facebook page as soon as we get back. Hopefully this time we'll get some babies and her pregnancy will go as stress-free as it did the first time!!