Anyone wishing to acquire a dwarf rabbit should look around to find breeders to purchase their rabbit. The reason I say this is that there are pet shops that are not always truthful and could sell normal rabbits as dwarfs. The best way would be to search on the internet or contact a club; there are clubs in Gauteng, Natal and Cape Town.

Next decision to be made is to decide if you are looking for a pet or if you want to start breeding. Most breeders will distinguish between pets and breeding stock. regardless if you are acquiring it as a  pet or stock for breeding the important thing to remember is that the welfare of the rabbit is now your responsibility and they can not be left to their own devices. They need a cage where they are safe and sheltered from the elements.

The most important is that they have access to clean drinking water, they must be fed daily and their cages must be kept clean.  

The cage must be large enough to allow the rabbit to move around freely. As a guide a dwarf cage must be an absolute minimum of 400mm x 450mm by 350mm high per dwarf. 

The ideal material to use for building a cage is welded wire mesh (not bird or chicken mesh), this allows sufficient air and so that the rabbit’s urine and feces can fall through onto the ground or into a tray containing cat litter.

If however you are building your cage out of wood with a mesh on the door then the floor should be treated with bitumen left to dry and then sawdust can be used as the floor covering. This will mean that the sawdust will be required to be replaced at least once a month.

For food bowl an empty 170 gram tuna tin can be used, please ensure that the edge is free of any sharp protrusions. It should be fastened to the side so it can not be knocked over.

For a water bowl the same can be used, alternately an empty 750ml tomato sauce bottle with a 1.5mm hole in the centre of the screw cap (hole can be made with a panel pin from the outside inwards) can be used by hanging it upside down in the corner of the cage.

Any new owners are welcome to contact us for any information, or to arrange a visit to see how the rabbits can be kept.