My wife works at a rabbit rescue and welfare group. She says... spaying and neutering does greatly reduce the agressivness of rabbits, and they wont spray anymore (females too). It is better for a females life as well as they are really prone to certain cancers. You do need to find an vet who deals with "exotic" animals. Rabbits are very sensitive to anesthesias and unlike a dog or cat, must not "fast" before surgery either as it could kill them. Just get your bunny fixed, give them lots of fresh hay daily, veggies, limited pellets from timothy hay, and you can litter box train them and make them your house pets too. It is really easy! IT is true that males are usually a little more docile as the females tend to be the "rulers" of the house and get territorial if any other females come around even if fixed.
If you have any questions about rabbit care just ask.

JIM

I use a "Mini Rex" smart and small. I just purchased a Shi tzu puppy and would like to add to my children's show. I am looking for a used rabbit to dog illusion. Does anyone out there have one they wish to sell --Terry

To me the type is not important. It is the personality. When you enter a pet shop, pick up a rabbit. If she shows a lot of aggression, she is going to stay that way. If she is calm in your hands, let her be your partner.

I use a New Zealand white rabbit. She is 8 years old and still kickin' Has a bit of an attitude sometimes (What female doesn't though *oops, did I say that out loud?*), but when its showtime, she performs every single time. She is a little fussy when her water runs low - she's kicks the water feeder off her cage to the floor, and then stomps at me everytime I walk by until I fill it up. She's a "hoot". She's about 5-6lbs....doesn't eat too much, and loves to have all the attention to herself....you should see her sunbathe....she's a little drama queen! *haha* - I think she wants to retire.....

Yes, spaying and neutering rabbits works. It calms them down, keeps them healthier, they don't spray, and they don't hump your leg... unless of course you rub carrot juice on your shin. Then, watch out... there will soon be little bunny/shin babies hopping around all over the place. And that's not a great breed... Unless of course you are planning on doing "the ole bunny/shin trick." No one is doing that anymore... It plays big, but the preset is just too much! Unless of course you hire a bunny/shin preset assistant. They're hard to come by though... unless of course you hang out at the bunny/shin preset assistant university... they crank em out there... But after graduation, then what? They end up loading regular bunnies into non bunny/shin props... it's pretty tragic if you think about it... unless of course you don't think about it... which I don't recommend... unless of course you plan on adding a rabbit to your act... then you should probably think about it for a while.

I have a male white mini rex and a male dwarf. The mini rex is the perfect bunny for me. I love my dwarf but he is hyper sometimes.

I've had very good luck with the Jersey Wooley breed, sometimes just referred to as a "Wooley". They stay small to medium sized, have a very calm temperment and have a beautiful and very soft coat that's similiar to an Angorra but does not require the constant grooming that Angorra's do.

My current rabbit is a Lion's Head rabbit. This breed is half Jersey Wooley and half Netherland Drawf. The result is a small, long haired rabbit with a sort of mane around his head. He's a bit feistier than the Wooley, but still very good around children. Everyone comments on what a beautiful rabbit he is. To see a picture of this breed, go to this webpage:

http://www.welshrabbitry.com/lionheadrabbits.html

I've never had my rabbits nuetered, but I've had a vet tell that if you have a female rabbit that you don't intend to breed, you MUST have her spayed or she will develop problems later in life.

From my experience, the best way to keep a rabbit good around people is to do a lot of shows (or at least handle him a lot). The more you get the animal used to doing your act and being around people, the better his demeanor will be, regardless of the breed.

I just took the plunge today and bought a couple of rabbits, mostly as pets but they're also going to be working in the magic business a little! I went to a rabbit show sponsored by ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association) and they had every breed you could think of. It was nice being able to look at so many possibilities all in one place as opposed to rolling the dice on whatever they happened to have at the pet store. I went went with a Holland Lop and a Lionhead, both of which will only get about four pounds max.

I recently purchased a Dutch rabbit female. I was told the males spray (a light tinkle, but smelly) and since I keep it indoors, I was told that females were the gender of choice. I highly recommend Dutch rabbits as they're great with kids, smallish when full grown, and don't have the hair maintenance needs of some other breeds (and they're commonly available.