Thursday, May 31, 2012

Best Rabbit Breeds For Kids - How to Choose Your First Pet


Best Rabbit Breeds for Kids
Children worldwide love to have pets and there are many benefits that parents may experience from raising their children with pets. It has been noted that pets help your child achieve a sense of responsibility and independence and effectively sets them on the right path towards becoming responsible and mature adults. Parents who have never had the pleasure of owning a pet themselves are encouraged to consider choosing one from the various rabbit breeds as available. Rabbits are famous for being very intelligent and are easy to train using simple positive reinforcement methods. In addition, rabbits are very social but mild-mannered animals and will not often bite or scratch. Furthermore, rabbits have a long lifespan of 10 years or more and will be a great pet for your kids through the ages of 3-12.
How to choose a good rabbit as a pet for your children
It is not uncommon for many parents to walk into a pet store and randomly purchase any cute rabbit to be their child's pet. This may work out for some parents but it is recommended that you do your research before deciding on which type of rabbit would be best for your family as each breeds have their own set of characteristics and personality. One way to tell the difference between the rabbit breeds is by their body size and type.
1.Compact body type- This rabbit category has very small bodies and only weighs between two to six pounds. The most common and popular rabbit breeds in this category are:
2.Netherland Dwarf- the characteristics are a small round head, flat face with large round eyes
3.Dutch- the characteristics are a round head, long ears up to about 4-5 inches
4.Polish- this breed has small round heads, are slightly larger than the Netherland Dwarf and have ruby or blue colored eyes
5.Mini Lop- they have small round bodies and are extremely mild tempered
6.Commercial body type- this rabbit category generally have large bodies and are often referred to as meat breeds but can also be great pets for your children. The most common and popular rabbit breeds in this category are:
7.New Zealand- These rabbits have large heads and large round bodies with long 6 inch ears. It is worth noting that research has stated that white New Zealand's are jumpy and not very friendly
8.Champagne D' Argent- compared to the New Zealand, these rabbits have smaller bodies which are round and full. The most prominent characteristic is the gorgeous thick, silver coat of fur all over their bodies. When choosing this rabbit breed when young, it is worth mentioning that they are born with a completely black coat of fur that gradually changes color as it matures.
However, it is the general consensus among parents that the Mini Lop rabbits are the best of the rabbit breeds and is great house pets as they learn quickly and will become loyal and affectionate pets if allowed to interact with their human families form an early age.

No comments:

Post a Comment