KEEPING RABBITS - Lion Head Rabbits

The Lionhead Rabbits are the latest breed of rabbit, initialy imported into the U.S.A. in 1999. Along with the first appearance of this adorable little rabbit with its vertical ears, the precious little Lionhead Lop was developed!

A Lion head rabbit is a hybrid rabbit acquired by crossing a Lion Rabbits with a Holland Lop. Lionheads crossed with the Mini-Rex are referred to as Velvet Lionheads. There are many hybrids of the Lionhead and they're all really cute, really unique, and will make great pets!
The major feature of the Lion head rabbit and the Lion Rabbits is that they have a 'mane'. These small rabbits are so much easier to cherish than longhaired or wooly rabbits like the Angoras, because their mane only needs to be combed out every couple of days. The mane on the Lionhead Lop does tend to mat a little more than on the vertical eared Lion Rabbit.


One thing to keep in mind when getting a young Lion Rabbit is that this is a very new breed, and you will not know what your pet will look like till it grows up! There's no conclusive certainty that it will keep its mane. The mane may molt and vanish permanently or it may grow back even fuller than it was before.

Background:
The Lion Rabbits were initialy brought into the U.S.A. from Europe in 1999, largely from England and Sweden. It is usually believed that the Lion Rabbits were firstly bred in Belgium in 1996 and then imported to England in 1998 where they were crossbred with other small animals to develop what is today called the European Lion Rabbit; Lionhead Lops were also being developed.
There are a couple of thoughts on where the Lion Rabbits originated. Some think they were the result of crossbreeding a Swiss Fox and a Belgian Dwarf, while others think they're from the Dwarf Angora.


To help get more uniformity in type and size, breeders have been crossing the Lion Rabbits with a variety of other rabbits.

Description:
The Lion Rabbits are small-scale bunnies that have a 'mane'! They are unique to all other "new breeds" of rabbits. It has the first major mutation in rabbits since 'satin' fur first appeared in a litter of Havana's in the early 1900's. Unlike most fur mutations that are recessive genes, the Lion Rabbits have what seems to be a dominating mutation that makes the 'mane'. So only one parent is required to have this gene to produce more Lions and it can't be recreated utilising other breeds!

Color deviations:
The Lion head Rabbits come in many patterns and color diversities. Sixty colors are approved for showing in England.

KEEPING RABBITS - Rabbit Care

Rabbit care is relatively inexpensive to keep when compared with larger animals such as dogs or horses. They make fantastic pets and can be easily cared for by adults and older children, even younger children can learn from keeping a pet rabbit provided an adult is there supervising them.
Rabbits have a long life span, so make sure your prepared to care for your pet through the long term. There unique creatures who form tight bonds with their families. They require vet care and are not by all means low maintenance.

For good rabbit care you must learn the following things :

Feeding your pet rabbit - Even the best quality rabbit pellets are not adequate on its own as a diet, they need plenty of fresh grass, hay is very important in their diet as are fres greens and vegetables. They need a well balanced and high fibre diet.
Look for greens which are dark, tough and thick leafed - dandelion greens and flowers, raspberry leaves, cabbage red and green, mint leaves, turnip / carrot tops, parsley. Look at feeding them at least 3 different types of greens a day for variety.Include some pea pods not the peas, carrots, apples, strawberries and mango.
When first introducing fruit and vegetables to your rabbit do it in small amounts to avoid runny spoilage and diarrhea.

Annual vaccinations - Make sure you take your rabbit to the vet for vaccinations against viral haemorrhagic and myxomatosis.A common cause of death in female rabbits (does) is uterine cancer which can often spread to other organs before it is diagnosed. This can be prevented by spaying if the rabbit is not intended for breeding and is best done when the rabbit is between 6 months and 2 years of age.
If your pet is scratching alot its most likley fleas. These are small flying insects dark brown in colour and are not easy to spot in all the fur. If not treated they will lay larvae eggs.It can be treated with revolution and is applied to the back of the rabbits neck.

Cleaning a Hutch - You should clean the hutch one a week and the toilet area every other day. When you first get your pet you can train them to use a litter tray and it will be much easier and tidier to clean the hutch. When cleaning a hutch you need to pull out all the soggy newspaper and scrape it into a bin liner with the hay and wood chippings.Scrub the hutch with a soultion of hot water and vinegar and allow to dry. Lay the hutch with newspaper adding more in the toilet area, then add the wood chippings and bedding hay. Wash the water bottle and food dish out and replace with fresh food and water to finsh.

Holding your rabbit correctly - Many owners have difficulty when it comes to picking up their rabbit and being picked up is not a natural experience for them. They do not have wings and are not designed to fly through the air at great (to a bunny) heights.Therefore you should make it as comfortable as possible, use two hands, one supporting the chest and one supporting the bottom.There are several ways to hold your rabbit, you should use the one that your bunny feels most comfortable in and you feel most secure holding it.
Hold your rabbit facing you with all four feet against your chest. Place one hand supporting the bottom, holding it against your body to stop it kicking out and the other hand across the rabbits shoulders. If you put your thumb in front of the bunnies front leg it helps prevent attempted escapes over your your shoulder.
The other position is like a hug using your arms to hold the bunny firmly against your chest. Hold your bunny sideways with its feet resting at your hip facing your right shoulder. Wrap you left arm across its body and support the chest with your hand, thumb over the shoulders, fingers underneath. Use your other hand to support the bottom, firmly to press her feet against you so he/she can't lift them to kick out.

So now you know about rabbit care you can get down to doing and enjoying it.

HOW TO KEEP RABBITS - Bunny Rabbit Facts

Want to know more about your bunny and understand him/her better? This short article contains fascinating bunny rabbit facts that every owner should know.

Fact #1: Rabbits are crepuscular (most active at dawn and twilight).

Fact #2: Neither wild nor domestic bunnies hibernate.

Fact #3: A rabbit may tear apart her cage out of mating frustration? If your bunny isn't spayed or neutered, you should get her/him altered as soon as possible.

Fact #4: Bunnies can't throw up. They can gag, but they can't vomit.

Fact #5: Rabbit can snore!

Fact #6: Bunnies can jump 36 inches and higher. Bunnies are excellent at jumping.

Fact #7: Wild bunnies can be found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. (While rabbits are not indigenous to Australia, there IS now a large population of feral rabbits brought to the continent by European ancestors.)

Fact #8: Wild rabbits sleep in burrows.

Fact #9: A group of bunnies is called a herd.

Fact #10: Less than 10 percent of all abandoned wild baby bunnies survive.

We also recommend you to read about "Rabbit Care Secrets", the book with literally hundreds of bunny rabbit facts.

How to keep rabbits Secrets You can get the book here: http://www.rabbitsecrets.com/R.htm is the book with literally hundreds of "word of mouth" tips and tricks - secrets which are next to impossible to find in books and pet stores. This is the gold which only comes from years and years of hands on experience... including all the hard to find Rabbit information people just can't locate with internet searches or trips to the library!

HOW TO KEEP RABBITS - Popular Rabbit Names

We get a lot of email asking for help in choosing a name for newly adopted rabbit pets. Well, as part of our research we looked into the most popular bunny names, so we thought we'd share them with you.

Here are rabbit names from our collection in random order:

* Bailey

* Bugs

* Thumper

* Puddles

* Midnight

* Riley

* Stormie

* Pippin

* Noel

* Piper

* Holbrook

* Willow

* Cocoa

* Maybelline

* Oreo

* Dezzi

* Pepper

* Cherub

* Romeo

* Hershey

* Hayley

* Velvet

* Tinkerbell

* Juniper

* Dutch

* Tuxedo

* Patches

* Sadie

* Tyler

* Duchess

* Harvey

* Pumpkin

* Angel

* Binky

* Hopkins

* Snowball

* Peanut

* Dakota

* Dash

* Hopper

* Nutmeg

* Smokey

Not Enough? :-) Ok, more names for your rabbit pet:

* Chance

* Satine

* Shadow

* Snuggles

* Thumbelina

* Flopsy

* Marshmallow

* Gatsby

* Jade

* Frodo

* Arial

* Rex

* Mittens

* Zuzu

* Halo

* Onyx

* Sabrina

* Belle

* Noir

* Q-Tip

* Nibbles

* Daisy

* Merry

* Tricycle

* Oscar

* Zoey

* Pepper

* Sundance

* Hopson

* Ripley

* Trance

* Sweetpea

* Charmin

* Noah

* Bunster

* Silver

* Bumper

* Rascal

Do you know other popular rabbit names? Let us know and we will add them to this list!

Names From Our Readers

* Jazmin (name for girl bunny-rabbit)

* Princess

* Rox

* Ebbie (stands for the initials E.B., short cut for Easter Bunny)

* Emma

* Sophie

* Einstein (name for smart male rabbit

* Muffin

* Mopsy

* Honey

* Dopey (cute name for small cute pet)

* Charlie

* Smores

* Ollie

* Willow Jett

* Fern

* Snickerz

* Gadget (probably the name for rabbit who love to play with toys)

* Dandelion (great name!)

* Thumper

* Zypp

* White Chocolate (in case the rabbit is brown and white)

* Tinker

* Sunny

* Buttons (when you'll see baby bunny's eyes you'll understand this)

* Hocus Pocus

* Houdini

* Treacle

* Bunny-Bunny (fun name when said in a very high pitch)

* Milly

* Amber

* Max

* Jessee (for a girl or a boy rabbit)

* Lola

You also can send us feedback note about our rabbit names collection. We will be happy to hear your opinion about it.

How to keep rabbits Secrets You can get the book here: http://www.rabbitsecrets.com/R.htm is the book with literally hundreds of "word of mouth" tips and tricks - secrets which are next to impossible to find in books and pet stores. This is the gold which only comes from years and years of hands on experience... including all the hard to find Rabbit information people just can't locate with internet searches or trips to the library!

Rabbit Cages and Hutches

Before we look at the different housing options, you should understand that the more room your bunny has when she's confined, the better. You might think because a particular bunny is a dwarf, she doesn't need as much room as a larger bunny. Not true. Dwarfs have a lot of energy, and therefore, need plenty of room to move, roam and run. The cages you see at pet stores claiming to be for guinea pigs and dwarf rabbitsll for any rabbit, no matter what size.

Your bunny's housing will need plenty of room for a full-size litter box (consider having two if you have two bunnies,) her hay box, her food bowl and either a water bowl or a water bottle. In addition, you'll want to make sure your bunny has plenty of entertainment, so she doesn't get bored when she's confined. (For an idea of the kind of toys bunnies love, read the section Exercise and Entertainment.nt her to have plenty of roomnot just enough room to turn around. Make sure her cage is at least four times her size.

There are many fun cage options your bunny will love: NIC condos and exercise pens are the most popular housing for bunnies who don't have free reign. Other options include large dog carriers, cages designed specifically for rabbits and hutches.

Since we don't have enough room to talk about them all in an email, let me confine myself to the best in my opinion - Neat Idea Cubes! (They're roomy, fun to put together, and reasonably inexpensive).

NIC Condos: NIC stands for Neat Idea Cubes. Neat Idea Cubes are wire flats you can put together to make cubes and bunny condos. It's a wonderful alternative to a cage, and it's much cheaper.

NIC condos are very easy to put together, but it is a very time consuming process. (If you make one, let your bunny watch you. She'll love to sniff and investigate what you're doing.) If you want to make a condo for your bunny, you first want to determine how big you want it to be. How many floors? Let's say you decide to make a four-floor condo for your bunny. Here's what you'll need to get started:

* You'll need packages of Neat Idea Cubes (assuming they come eight in a package) because you'll need at least 47 pieces to build the condo. You can get the Neat Idea Cubes from places like Target, Wal-Mart, Costco, and you can check with Home Improvement and Lowe's.

* One package (you may find you need more) of cable ties.

* A pair of scissors

Then, just do a search on the internet (we like Google) for "Neat Idea Cubes Articles" and you'll find about a half dozen sites with step by step instructions.

Rabbit Care Secrets You can get the book here: http://www.rabbitsecrets.com/R.htm is the book with literally hundreds of "word of mouth" tips and tricks - secrets which are next to impossible to find in books and pet stores. This is the gold which only comes from years and years of hands on experience... including all the hard to find Rabbit information people just can't locate with internet searches or trips to the library!