Leaping and changing direction in midair, standing on its hind legs, rolling, sprawling, scratching, digging, and constant coat grooming – your dwarf rabbit displays these behaviors only when living conditions and care are correct ad it feels completely comfortable.
Safe Transport Home
It’s important to get your dwarf rabbit home as quickly as possible. So that it doesn’t experience too much shock from being transported, you should use a secure carrier box made of plastic, similar to the ones available for transporting cats. The money spent for the carrier is also worth it for later, if you ever have to take your rabbit to the veterinarian or want to take it to a show.
When you arrive home, put the animal in its cage and leave it completely in peace for the first few hours.
Dwarf Rabbits and Children
The sweet little friendly dwarf rabbit conquers every child’s heart, but children learn primarily through training and following their parents’ example to take responsibility for the animal and to handle it properly. For example, children usually like to play with the dwarf and carry it around and stroke it. So parents have to teach children not to disturb the rabbit when it is resting, grooming itself, or eating. A child should be of school age to understand the animal properly and to care for it independently. To teach your children concern for their rabbit, write a list with colorful marking pens and hang it near the rabbit’s cage.
- Am Your Dwarf Rabbit:
- Speak kindly and softly to me or I will be afraid of you.
- Don’t take me out when I want to sleep.
- Feed me only hay, greens, and my own food and treats.
- I love fresh straw, not smelly, damp straw.
- When you are partying with your friends and listening to loud music, put me in a quieter place.
- Wait until I come to you, and then pet me. Rabbits don’t come when called, the way dogs do.
- You were already outside today; did you remember to take me outside too?
Dwarf Rabbits and Other Pets
Unfortunately, there is no basic recipe that guarantees a peaceful coexistence of different animal species. Sometimes regular friendships develop, but often, strong antipathies are present. In any case, you should never leave animals of different kinds in an area together without supervision.
Guinea pigs: In general, they get along well with dwarf rabbits and can even be kept together in a roomy indoor cage. Getting used to each other works best when guinea pig and dwarf rabbit are still young and are acquired at the same time. But be careful! In a fight, a rabbit can gravely injure its housemate with a bite. A rabbit buck must be neutered so that it isn’t constantly mounting the guinea pig and trying to mate with it.
Birds: Rabbits have very sensitive hearing. Loudly screeching and whistling birds in the same room cause it stress.
Dogs: Most dogs consider rabbits prey; however, you can train a dog so that it makes a kind of truce with the rabbit. Primarily it is the herding dog breeds and the friendly Golden and Labrador Retrievers that possess the temperament for this.
Cats: Rabbits are prey for cats; furthermore, cats can be trained only to a certain point. Cats and dwarf rabbits sometimes can live together amicably, but only under close adult supervision. Secure outdoor pens or exercise runs on the balcony so that strange cats cannot force their way in.
