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Netherland Dwarf Rabbit

Family: Leporidae

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Oryctolagus cuniculusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

     These are the cutest rabbits one could imagine! They come in about 36 different varieties (more than any other breed!) all of which stay very small!

     This extremely cute bunny is easily one of the most popular show rabbits in the United States. It is also very popular in Europe where it is known as the 'European Pole'.

     Most of the time Netherland Dwarfs are happy, friendly little pets, but once in a while there will be one that becomes less agreeable as it approaches breeding age. During this time it may be more protective of its body and its cage.

   Usually the bunny will settle down and become friendly again if it is bred. However if you aren't planning on breeding, getting your bunny sterilized can often help avoid behavioral problems. There are also definite health benefits for the rabbit as well. Neutering or spaying can be done when your rabbit is over 4 months of age.

For more information about Rabbits and their care:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Rabbit

Background:      The Netherland Dwarf rabbits were developed in Europe and are thought to be based on the British Polish breeds. It is suggested that these early dwarf rabbits were seen in Holland, which is where they got the name "Netherland" dwarf rabbits. It was recognized as a breed in the United States in 1969.

Description:      The main feature of Netherland Dwarf rabbits is their small size. They have a similar appearance to the Polish dwarf, except that they are the smallest of all rabbits - weighing only 2 to 2 1/2 lbs. They are very compact, with short little ears that stand straight up. Their fur is short, dense, soft, and glossy. They are popular for showing and as pets.

Color differences:      Netherland Dwarfs rabbits come in all kinds of colors. There are currently 24 colors recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Some of the colors include black, blue, chocolate, lilac, lynx, opal, otter, silver marten, tan, fawn, and steel, as well as the white red-eyed (ruby-eyed) and blue-eyed.

Comments
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Latest Comments
Just to let you know, you do not have to puut your rabbit down. It just has snuffles which is when a rabbits nose is runny or wet and they sneeze, will pass evenily. I am into 4-h rabbits and have menny rabbits at home. Don't worry, your rabbit will be fine and your last rabbit that had diarrhea did not have to be put down. My rabbit spunky got diarrhea 5 times because he kept eating to much apple. Reply Sabrina 2010-02-08
Your rabbit has sore hock. That is when the skin and fur is rubbed away and it bleeds. Put wood or carpit in its cage so it can get off the wire if it is in a hutch. Reply Sabrina 2010-02-08
Rabbits do not have a period like humans do. Reply BJ 2010-01-01
I got my rabbit a week ago for my son's b-day. I love her, she is nice and calm. I had two rabbit before, they can be very different. The one I had before was very wild. Reply Anonymous 2009-12-15
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Some of the bestest comments - here's the beef!
I have ten Netherlands Dwarfs. We originally bought two but we were told they both were males and later we found out one was a female and was pregnant. We separated them after that but we kept making mistakes and letting them reproduce two more times. Now we have ten but we are very happy with them. We have had only two major accidents. At the beginning with the first and second litter we let them be together when they were young and they ended up fighting. One morning we found one of them a female, Pikachu, with part of the fur in her face ripped. We immediately took her to the vet and got her fixed and ever since then we keep them separate in separate cages. Each male has his own cage and females can share cages because they are less territorial and can get used to live with each other. The second accident we had was about two months ago my wife put the cages in out patio. The patio has a roof so she thought the rabbits would be ok with the shadow for the day while she was cleaning the house but when I checked them I found out one of the males Noodle, was shaking and acting weird. We immediately took him in the house along with the other rabbits we cooled him down but it was too late he had a heat stroke. We treated him at home and he survived it took him days but he got full control over his body and can do everything normal now he loses balance from time to time but he is happy again. It was very sad to see him struggling when he lost the mobility of half his body. If you get a rabbit make sure you take precautions when leaving them outside they are very delicate and they can easily die from a stroke. I love my rabbits as if they were my kids. This rabbits are not mean. Some have a stronger character than other but they are good rabbits when you show them respect they will show you love. Pikachu and Noodle seem to be aware we save their lives because they are the rabbits that lick us most and they seem happy to see us every time we get home. We have another male that he is very nice to me now that I don't pick him up anymore. Some rabbits don't like to be picked up they rather be pet in their cages or outside in the floor. As humans not all rabbits are the same you will learn how your rabbit is as you interact with them and you learn what they like and what they don't like and they will be nice to you if you respect them and treat them right. The question shouldn't be if Netherlands Dwarf are good for kids or not the question should be Are your kids good for the Netherlands Dwarf. If your kid is respectful and knows how to handle small animals and can learn to treat the rabbit the right way and learn what the rabbit likes and dislike then it can be a really good pet. Otherwise its better to get a bigger rabbit or even better a different pet like a dog. Sometimes Rabbits can look cute but they might not be the right pet with you they are not a pet you can leave on the corner and just fill their food and water. They need to be cared for, special attention and sometimes they need medical care as well as they are very delicate so think well before you buy a rabbit. Don't let them die because you made a poor choice. There are other pets that need less care and it breaks my heart to know that there are little Pikachus and Noodles not being taken care of and let die because of it. Please think before you get your rabbit. Reply Oscar 2008-12-01
My grandad has 20 adult netherland dwarf rabbits, 13 girls and 7 boys. They are all soooo cute and have their own. The reason there are lots of mixed reviews is because there are lots of different rabbits, humans aren't all the same so why should rabbits have to be. The majority of ours love being held and stroked but some like to be held up and some along. You just have to get to know your rabbit. Some will love the company of all animals but some will hate it, and some are very territorial and some love you to stroke them in their cage. There are very rarely vicious rabbits, but if you have one, the key thing is trust. The rabbit must know you respect that it is their hutch and must come to you in their own time. We find the boys tend to be a little more territorial than the girls, but it really just depends on the rabbit. To anybody looking into have a netherland dwarf i am sure you have been told they are a lot of work. But they don't always have to be. You can have cared for your rabbit in 10 minutes each day, altough they do like lots of fuss and attention. By having an organised way of cleaning them, most rabbits will choose one corner as their "litter tray" and you can simply clean that corner each day, and your rabbit won't smell much at all. We do, however, have one rabbit with head tilt who almost died and all of the vets said her chances were slim, but she survived. We had to syringe feed her for almost a month and we made a special cushion. Well, good luck to everybody who wants a rabbit, I hope you get your furry little friend soon! Reply ellie 2008-08-10
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Questions - Answers
Can neatherland rabbits be outside like in a porch ? i am getting a rabbit in march and thinking of breeding, i am still learning about them and really need to know if it can be outside. if they can how cold or hot can it be ? thanks Reply Marlee 2010-01-04
Replies (1) Yes they can! I have a rabbit and she lives outside in a hutch. The only thing that you need to take caution in is that when it gets under 50 degrees outside you need to have some towels over her cage! But when it gets over 50 degrees then you need to take the towels off otherwise it might get too hot in side of its cage! I hope that this will help you a lot! :) ... Kelsi
I don't know what to do, my dwarf rabbit is a female and I've had her for almost 6 mon. I think she is a netherland dwarf and I heard it's not normal for them to lay down on their sides, but she does it a lot lately. I walked into my room and I saw blood in her cage! She also wasn't peeing in her toilet thing. She's acting really tense like she's in a lot of pain. She doesn't want to move. what is wrong and what do I do? Reply Allaynnah Faulkner 2010-01-31
HELP my rabbit was sneezing this morning and hasnt sneezed since but her nose is wet. Is she ill do i need to take her o th vet? I'm worried my last rabbit got ill with diahorrea and i had to have her put down!!!!!! Reply mel 2010-01-09
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Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
Hi, I just got my third Netherland Dwarf 2 months ago. I love her! Her name is Cherries because it is albino and albino rabbits have red eyes. She is very amusing because she is always knocking over her food bowl or be silly. She is very nice when I just want to watch TV with her sitting quietly in my lap. Her favorite vegetable is celery. She loves it when I buy her treats from the pet store. Now I am trying to convince my Grandma to buy a rabbit! So I came to this site to print out some information about rabbits. Cherries is such a card! Reply Cecilia Horchos 2009-06-27
Hi. Well, after checking out this site, I finally decided to adopt my first Netherland Dwarf yesterday. He is an eight-week-old chesnut buck. I absolutely love him. He is so sweet and loveable. He is not jumpy nor skittish at all. He sits still and lets my children pet him. He is so full of personality. I am so glad I found this site. Everyone's comments really helped us decide on this breed. My family and I just couldnt be happier. We actually plan on buying an all black baby Netherland from our local petstore later today. Thanks so much! Reply Lorna 2009-03-20
We are new parents of a sweet little netherland named Dolly Biscuit. After reading about the breed, we decided to purchase one as a family pet. We fell in love the moment we saw her! She is light/medium gray in color and has the cutest little face. We have found out quickly that she loves her treats and chews and also her little jingle balls. I'm glad that I found this website to read other stories from owners and also share my story, too. Reply Tana 2009-01-17

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