Holly's Hollands Rabbitry
Raising Holland Lops exclusively with the mindset of quality over quantity.
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Rabbits & Friends

6/7/2015

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Picture
PictureHolly's Saige, with her guinea pig friend Cupcake
Can rabbits make friends with other species, such as dogs, cats, and guinea pigs?
YES! 
With careful, slow introductions, rabbits and other species can become lifelong friends. 

A really good book I like on the subject is Living With A House Rabbit by Linda Dyke and Helen Flack. It has chapters on introducing cats and dogs to your rabbit, as well as great potty training/house training tips and advice. 

RABBIT/DOG: Dogs are one of rabbit's natural enemies. Needless to say, if your dog goes chasing after squirrels and attacks birds, chances are it'll try to do the same thing to your rabbit. A puppy or young dog can just play to roughly with the rabbit and unintentionally kill it. The dog and rabbit don't necessarily have to be bonds - what you are aiming for is that they will at least not care about each other and leave each other alone. 

RABBIT/CAT: Rabbits and cats can be good friends, as they have very similar body language. However, a cat that brings small rodents to your doorstep may be tempted to do the same to your new pet. 

With introducing both of these pets to your rabbit, always take your time and make sure to NOT force the bunny and resident pet to be friends. Do NOT under any circumstances, leave the rabbit and other pet (cat or dog), alone together. Without you there to enforce safety for the rabbit's sake, bad things can happen. Make sure you also give the same amount of attention and love to each pet, as one can become jealous and act out. 
One of my new bunny owners had a resident dog and two cats before they bought their rabbit from me. They have 4 "phases" that take the bonding of the animals slow and steady. Phase number 1 is smelling each other, but not having any access to each other. Phase 2 is being able to see and smell each other (one of their cats seems pretty interested in Effie below). Phase 2 is in process for several weeks before Phase 3, which is having the rabbit out of cage, with the cats and dog, seeing, smelling and touching each other, supervision during the whole procedure. I think everyone should introduce their rabbit to their resident pets this way. 

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Other Pets

12/18/2013

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You bring home your new bunny and then you realize you have a dog. And a cat. Can the new rabbit be friends with the other family pets?
For one thing, this isn't a question you should be asking yourself the day you bring home a rabbit. If your considering getting a rabbit, but you already have pets, make sure you do your research on this topic beforehand. You don't want to bring home the new bunny that everyone is so excited about, only to realize that you didn't do your research and therefore have to either put the cat, dog or rabbit in a shelter or up for adoption. No. 
A really good book I like on the subject is Living With A House Rabbit by Linda Dyke and Helen Flack. It has chapters on introducing cats and dogs to your rabbit, as well as great potty training/house training tips and advice. 

RABBIT/DOG: Dogs are one of rabbit's natural enemies. Needless to say, if your dog goes chasing after squirrels and attacks birds, chances are it'll try to do the same thing to your rabbit. A puppy or young dog can just play to roughly with the rabbit and unintentionally kill it. The dog and rabbit don't necessarily have to be bonds - what you are aiming for is that they will at least not care about each other and leave each other alone. 

RABBIT/CAT: Rabbits and cats can be good friends, as they have very similar body language. However, a cat that brings small rodents to your doorstep may be tempted to do the same to your new pet. 

With introducing both of these pets to your rabbit, always take your time and make sure to NOT force the bunny and resident pet to be friends. Do NOT under any circumstances, leave the rabbit and other pet (cat or dog), alone together. Without you there to enforce safety for the rabbit's sake, bad things can happen. Make sure you also give the same amount of attention and love to each pet, as one can become jealous and act out. 
One of my new bunny owners had a resident dog and two cats before they bought their rabbit from me. They have 4 "phases" that take the bonding of the animals slow and steady. Phase number 1 is smelling each other, but not having any access to each other. Phase 2 is being able to see and smell each other (one of their cats seems pretty interested in Effie below). Phase 2 is in process for several weeks before Phase 3, which is having the rabbit out of cage, with the cats and dog, seeing, smelling and touching each other, supervision during the whole procedure. I think everyone should introduce their rabbit to their resident pets this way. 

Picture
Holly's Effie - living happily with her new family (cats, dog, and humans)!
Picture
Holly's Effie - living happily with her new family (cats, dog, and humans)!
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Bunny vs. Cat

12/17/2013

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Have you always wanted a cat as a family pet for your kids? But then you heard that a rabbit can also be litter trained and you want to know which is better? 6 reasons why you should pick a rabbit:

  1. A rabbit's first instinct isn't to scratch. They rarely scratch (and never on purpose), if their nails are kept short enough. Rabbits are prey animals. When they feel threatened, they run away. 
  2. Rabbits cannot vomit.
  3. Rabbits will not beg to go out, and leave you wondering if it got hit by a car or became someone else's pet. If they do happen to get out, the stay close to home. They don't have a wandering soul. 
  4. Some rabbits (especially Holland Lops) have a dog's temperament and personality. Most are very comical but are still little, lap-loving sweethearts. 
  5. Rabbits can be trained to walk on a leash like a dog
  6. Rabbits do not need yearly checkups, and they never need vaccines. 

Picture
Photo Cred: Google
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    My name is Holly.

    I'm glad you're here! Don't be a ghost; leave a comment every once and a while! Let's talk ;) 
    A little about me - I love breeding and raising Holland Lop rabbits! I have been blessed the with the opportunity to raise rabbits in the city, and I am so grateful!
    Besides rabbit breeding, I have a babysitting business, and I am an author. I hope to have a novel published in the next couple years or so!
    In this blog I hope to post daily articles and updates on the rabbitry. Thank you for following and I hope you enjoy! Don't be shy; feel free to leave a comment once and a while! I would love to get to know you.

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