# Female netherland dwarf advice.



## Daisybunny (Sep 6, 2013)

Good morning,

I was just wondering if anyone could answer a couple of questions I have. First of all my female netherland dwarf is bein a little sod at the min. The breeder warned me that females get pmt like us women do when they reach sexual maturity between 4 and 9 months. Well she is 4 and a half months old and wow is she grumpy. She is grunting when I pick her up and also goes to scratch me. Once I've picked her up she is fine and likes sitting on my lap bein stoked until after a while she will try and nibble at my tummy or my boob. But on the whole when she sits with me she is lovely. She also throws her food bowl around in a strop. The breeder told me that once the female is spayed she will calm down. I've looked online about what age to get them spayed and it's come bk with a few different answers so I was wondering if anyone here could tell me? 

Also (mayb I'm being completely soft because I'm cold I this chilly weather) but do u think I should get some bedding for her? She is in a hutch in the garden during the day and then in the evening I move her into the shed into another cage. (I worry about a fox gettin her as there r lots around our area at the min-I'm probably completely overreacting but she is my baby and I want to keep her safe) I no she is a rabbit and they r used to this sort of thing but as it's her first winter I want to make sure she is warm. Would u recommend putting some sort of bedding in or just lots of extra sawdust?

Thank u in advance for any help and apologies for sounding completely mad.


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## Funky (Dec 8, 2012)

5 months is a time when girl can be spayed!
You are not paranoid by moving her to shed over night -I heard lots of horrific stories about foxes getting into hens! I wouldn't risk it!
To be honest during the winter time she should be moved to shed or house as hutch would be too cold! I would nt recommend sawdust as bedding -as they can cause respiratory problems. We are eating bale of hay from
Local farmer and use newspaper on the bottom of tray (lately I used puppies training pads and they are amazing -wee proof) and lots of hay. You can get snuggles safe (I don't use it as my buns are indoor) which you microwave for few minutes and it stays warm for hours, you can also get blanket, bit of carpet where she can sit or a cat / dog bed. My two Netherlands used to have a cat bed which looked like little kennel and they loved to sit inside-I had to wash it quite often as thy pooped there but thy liked it.
I have two Netherland boys (one passed away but is still keep saying like e is here) and Stuart was very affectionate but grumpy at some point-he was very vocal-he would 'growl' at me if something wasn't his way-but lovely bunnies! Netherlands are my favourite breed! Shhhh don't tell my crossbreed a and English spots!
Did you think about getting your girl -hubby? With right bunny he will be much happier and warm!


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

Sawdust can cause problems with the lungs, I wouldn't recommend you used it. Do you have no bedding in there for her at all or hay? She needs lots of fresh hay to munch on every day & plenty of straw in her bedroom filled right to the top for warmth. 
Spaying will help control her hormonal urges & finding her a friend will also make her happier.


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## Funky (Dec 8, 2012)

Lopside said:


> Sawdust can cause problems with the lungs, I wouldn't recommend you used it. Do you have no bedding in there for her at all or hay? She needs lots of fresh hay to munch on every day & plenty of straw in her bedroom filled right to the top for warmth.
> Spaying will help control her hormonal urges & finding her a friend will also make her happier.


I know some people use straw -we only use hay as we get it in bale £3.50 per bale is cheap to put as much as we can fr them to keep them fed and warm


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Hello and welcome.

If you have foxes around, it is very sensible to keep her in the shed.

She most definitely needs bedding. The bulk of a rabbits diet should be hay, for roughage and to wear their teeth down. So you need to pile in a mound of fresh hay daily. This will be both for eating and to keep her warm.

We have lined our hutches with an offcut of vinyl (easier for cleaning). On top of that, we put layers of newspaper. Then we pile in the hay.

We buy bales of hay - much cheaper, and you can be generous with it.

In the coldest weather, we also put loads of straw (which they don't eat) under the hay. That insulates well.

It's not advisable, as the others said, to use sawdust or shavings - can cause (expensive) respiratory issues.

In the winter, we also put in a well folded over fleecy blanket, in one of the areas.

Your rabbit is hormonal. Speak to the vet, and have her spayed as soon as the vet says she is ready. 

after a few months, it would be worth looking for a friend for her - a solo outside rabbit is going to be a very lonely rabbit. and 2 rabbits will help keep each other warm.


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## Daisybunny (Sep 6, 2013)

Thank u all for ur help. I've put sawdust down with plenty of hay but if sawdust can cause problems I will change that ASAP. I will look into gettin some straw as well. In her cage in the shed there is a bit at the end that's almost like a den with a door it's covered over - she likes it in there. I will put some hay etc in there. I think I will speak to a vet about when to get her spayed. I did guess it was her hormones as she is grumpy.

I would love to buy a bale of hay but I would hav no where to store it


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## Daisybunny (Sep 6, 2013)

As for a companion I was told that I shouldn't put another bunny with her as not all bunnies get along. As I was goin to buy 2 if she needed the company. Would she b accepting of another rabbit? I won't get one until she is spayed-not riskin babies as I won't hav the heart to re home them lol. Or would a Guinea pig b a good companion?


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## Funky (Dec 8, 2012)

No g pig as they are different species -plus rabbits carry on bordatella which is a killer for pigs! 
Regarding to bunny-you can go to nearest rspca centre or other animal shelters and they will help you with bonding as unfortuanety it is not just case to get bunny and put them together! Some of them don't get along like with humans -if you not really like someone you wouldn't like to spend your life with them! It is about right temperament! Bigger breeds bunnies are usually more relaxed-I always worried to bond my little ones with big buns but when my bunnies had been bonded my giant Flemish was the easiest one!
I have had two Netherlands boys bonded and that was great couple but Stuart always had to let Funky to have everything his way! Some bunnies are very territorial and will be pushing their partners around, some of them just get along very quickly and you cannot even notice who is bossy in that bond( I have two like that-I have put them together and they loved each other straight away and I can't say who iis the boss-and my girl didnt get alon with any bunnies we try to bind we with-it is right temperament and right bunny)! Rspca can help with bonding-rspca where I volunteer do the speedy dating-they will keep bunnies for about 2 hours and they would know if is good signs or it won't work at all! I have heard that some shelters would do the full bonding -just check with centres near you.


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Daisybunny said:


> As for a companion I was told that I shouldn't put another bunny with her as not all bunnies get along. As I was goin to buy 2 if she needed the company. Would she b accepting of another rabbit? I won't get one until she is spayed-not riskin babies as I won't hav the heart to re home them lol. Or would a Guinea pig b a good companion?


would a bale og hay sit on top of the hutch in the shed, perhaps? I only suggest that because you can a large bale that will last you for ages - we bought some at £6.50 a bale this week and they are brilliant.

Rabbits are sociable animals (think of the wild ones), so they really do need a friend of their pwon kind. Once you've seen a pair (or more) together, you realise how important it is to them.

But it is true that not all get on (like us, really). So a friend needs to be chosen carefully - for matching temperament, not looks - and bonding needs to be done carefully on neutral territory.

First your rabbit would need to be spayed, then you would need to wait for 8 weeks for her to heal andfor hormones to subside.

Then I would suggest going to a rescue, where they would help you find a compatible, ready neutered friend. They would date her, to see which one she got on with best. some even do the bonding for you, and support you when you take them home.

If you buy one from elsewhere, you would have to neuter (expensive), bond and run the risk that they wouldn't get on.

Years ago, people used to keep rabbits and guinea pigs together, and there are those that still do unfortunatley- but they should never be kep together

- they need a different diet
- a rabbit can physically damage a guines pig with their back legs
- rabbits carry something called bordatella, which can pass to guinea pigs and is very dangerous
- keeping a rabbit and guinea pig together would not be true companionship. they are different species.

Hope this helps.

Do read up all the sticky threads -loads of info on here, and do comeback with any questions. We are happy to help.


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

I think I repeated a lot of what Funky said. I just type slower!!


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