I want to get a holland lop and I want it to be show/pet.I also want to know which one is nicer the female or the male? one website says female the other says male.I really need to know 'cuz i can get one in a couple of weeks.(I have been begging my mom to let me start up with rabbits again!)Thank you for all your info and opinions.

Stephanie from ME

-- Stephanie (aubrey56@maine.rr.com), October 08, 2001

Answers

Well if you get a female, you could in the future breed her. And if you get a second one, two females can share a pen whereas two males will fight if kept together.You will need twice the equipment for the males.

-- Kate henderson (kate@sheepyvalley.com), October 08, 2001.

I disagree that two females should be kept together. Female littermates (sisters) could be kept together until they are 3-4 months old, but once they reach reproductive age they will FIGHT. Of course every rabbit is different and I'm sure there are exceptions, but it REALLY is best for each rabbit to have it's own cage.

If you want to breed the rabbit eventually, get a female. If you just want it for a pet, get a male. In my opinion, males in general are more easygoing and friendly than females. Females, once those hormones get going......WHEW! They can get downright mean!

Tracey

-- Tracey (trjlanier@cs.com), October 08, 2001.

I agree that males make better pets. I can't put my females together either. Mother and daughter!! They try to kill each other. I was cleaning cages one day and decided to put them together after they had only been separated for about 2 months (daughter is 6 months old) and boy did the fur fly....scared the heck out of me. Be careful putting any 2 bunnies together. Mine all have separate cages. I have alot more bucks than does..just because they are calmer and easier to handle. ( angoras) Good luck with whatever you decide. Holland lops sure are cute!

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), October 08, 2001.

I had a female holland log, Teddy Rabbit. I couldn't keep her with my female Netherland Dwarf because they fought. She was as sweet and tractable as she could be, though. They were house rabbits. When I told Tahar (the dwarf) to stop doing something, she would look at me and keep right on. When I told Teddy to stop, she would just go find something else to do. And she was quite a bit more companionable as well.

As for a male, I had a male mini-lop house rabbit a few years later. He was a nice enough guy but had this annoying habit of "spraying" when he was in his cage. He would run in a circle fast enough that he could bounce off the walls of the cage, urinating all the while. This resulted in an area about three feet around his cage that required constant cleaning. Also, his cage was against the wall, which had to be wiped down two or three times a day. Needless to say, I soon grew weary of his "companionship" and banished him to the outside. I understand that it is not uncommon for males to spray in this manner.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), October 08, 2001.

Oops. That would be "female holland lop."

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), October 08, 2001.

My female holland loves attention and keeps trying to get into the female next to her's cage. When I breed her, I'll leave her in with the male because she just loves to be with another rabbit.

Males are friendlier and make better pets. Not all spray but some do. Not all females get nasty but most do. If you can live past the terrible twos, they sometimes mellow out.

I had three mini rex that lived together and took care of each others litters until one time, Easter litters,of course, the first doe to kit wouldn't let the others near the other nesting boxes and they had to be seperated. Then they wouldn't be put back together again.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), October 08, 2001.

Stephanie, as you can see, opinions vary widely. I'd find a good breeder, then check out the personalities of his/her breeding stock. If her males are mellow and don't tend to spray, get a male. If her females are more mellow, get a female. If you gently and properly handle a rabbit regularly from a young age, it will, in all probability, make a good pet. Don't stress out about this decision. Just make your decision and work with it from there. I've had both males and females that have made wonderful housepets.

-- Sheryl in ME (radams@sacoriver.net), October 09, 2001.

I am a rabbit breeder and raise Netherland Dwarf rabbits. I find that Buck rabbits make better pets than Doe rabbits. I would not keep two female rabbits together in the same cage. You can check out the Eastern Maine Rabbit Breeders Association Web site for a listing of breeders in your area.

-- Gary in Nova Scotia (ggiles@north.nsis.com), October 10, 2001.