George came from a Salinas shelter.
New Zealand rabbits have long been used in laboratories because of their sensitive eyes and skin, for food because of their size and low-cholesterol meat, and as cherished pets. We prefer them as pets, of course.
Most of the white New Zealand rabbits we see are white with pink eyes, but there are New Zealands with black or red fur, as well. The average adult New Zealand is larger than most cats, weighing approximately 11 pounds. They have enormous stand-up ears and great bit “thumpers” (feet). The white New Zealands have very sensitive pink or red eyes, making them ideal candidates for the product-testing world.
Unfortunately, New Zealand Whites are commonly portrayed as the typical Easter bunny. Once small white balls of fluff, the New Zealands soon grow to be large rabbits who quickly outgrow their “starter cages.” All too often, we see adult New Zealand Whites abandoned in the shelters because “the kids can’t hold her any more” or “he got too big.”
Another common issue is their eyes. Some people are put off by the eye coloration and don’t even consider adopting one–an unfortunate decision based solely on eye color.
The House Rabbit Society always seems to have more than our fair share of New Zealand Whites and mixes in foster care. As experienced rabbit caretakers, we have grown particularly fond of this often misunderstood breed. We know what a pleasure they are to have around and what wonderful companions they typically make, but we also know they will be hard for us to adopt out. Many remain in foster care for a year or more before finding their permanent homes, if ever.
We wish people could look past the eye color, past the large intimidating size, and see the gentle giants most New Zealands are. Of course, each rabbit has a different personality, but typically the New Zealands are some of the most amiable, sweet-tempered rabbits there are. Often they are overlooked in favor of their tiny lop friends, but once you share your home with a New Zealand, you will be pleasantly surprised and may just have found your new best friend.
As an adoption counselor I am often asked, “Which breeds are good with children?” Or people will say, “I have a small apartment, so I want to get one of those miniature rabbits.” What’s wrong with these statements?
The main problem is that there are as many exceptions as there are rabbits who fit the description of a particular breed. A related issue is judging an animal by appearance rather than by personality. Anyone who has watched a dwarf rabbit dash from the kitchen to the porch by way of the couch, from about 3 AM through mid-morning will understand immediately the small apartment/small rabbit fallacy. The fact is that there is no apartment too small for even the largest rabbit. And if there were a safe generalization to make, it would be that larger rabbits tend to be less active and therefore require less space than the dwarf breeds.
So beware of sentences that begin “Lops are…” or “Angoras are…”. Such generalizations usually act as screens that obscure the particular, individual animal and focus instead on a (usually inaccurate) abstract. And while it is true that we’re all born with personalities, that we (rabbits and humans alike) do not come out of the womb as blank slates, it is not true that there is a gene called “good with children.” Most rabbits, if they are bred intentionally, as opposed to accidentally, are bred for appearance, not personality. The science of genetics has enabled humans to create a rabbit with a white body and brown ears, nose, feet, and tail, in both large (Californian) and small (Himalayan) sizes but not one who has an innate enjoyment of being grabbed by small sticky hands.
Caramel, rescued from a shelter after being labeled a "biter".
Lops are Mellow and other Myths
By Amy Shapiro
The soul behind the face
In terms of appearance, it is much more fruitful to read the individual rabbit — her facial expression, her body position– as opposed to the color of her fur. Gentle rabbits have gentle faces, regardless of breed. Worriers look worried. They rarely roll over on their backs or lie with their back legs extended behind them. Mellow rabbits lounge around any old way, dangling from your arm, in the middle of a busy room. Irritable rabbits have pinched, crabby facial expressions, just like that nasty bank teller who makes you feel like you’re imposing on her when you withdraw your money from her bank. As a student of rabbit nature, these are the observations to treasure.
Hand in hand with breed generalizations go breed preferences. House Rabbit Society fosterers often receive requests such as “We’re looking for a French lop”; or “Our last rabbit was a Dutch. Do you have any of those?” Isn’t the underlying emphasis here again on the abstraction rather than the individual? Even if there were an “Angora personality,” aren’t there also exceptions, variations, contradictions? Which relationships between humans tend to last longer, those based on physical appearance or on personality?
One of the great dangers of breed generalizations is that they can become self-fulfilling prophecies. If your dwarf rabbit bites you, oh well, everyone knows they’re irritable, and nothing can be done about it. More than one dwarf rabbit has ended up at an animal shelter because of behavior that would have been accepted and dealt with in a breed that doesn’t have a reputation for aggressiveness.
Another insidious aspect of stereotyping is it allows entire groups of animals to be categorized and then discarded. The terms “lab rabbit” and “meat rabbit” are examples. What’s the difference between a lab rabbit and a house rabbit? Not a thing, as anyone can tell you who has rescued the former and watched her transform into the latter. It’s all in the name, but the very act of naming supports the notion that some rabbits belong in labs and some in stew-pots.
And where do all these grand notions leave that special character, the mix-breed? Implicitly, if not explicitly, breed generalizations favor the pure-bred rabbit. The mix-breed is viewed as a second-class citizen. When applied toward the human species, this type of attitude is, at best, snobbery, and more often, bigotry.
We all make generalizations about other creatures all the time. These can range from the relatively benign to the positively hateful and dangerous. What is racism, sexism, speciesism, or any of the other us-against-them ideologies but a collection of generalizations based on appearance or lineage or religious preference? People who wouldn’t dream of making generalizations about humans based on a person’s “breed” (e.g., nationality, ethnic background, etc.) feel quite comfortable in sizing up non-humans by the color of their fur or direction of their ears. To say that lops are mellow is no different than saying that blondes are dumb or Sagittarians tactless.
Your rabbit is his very own self and nobody else. The process of getting to know him, and vice-versa, requires no generalizing. In fact, it is a very particular experience, shared by the two of you. His beauty does not reside in whether he has “papers” any more than his love for you is based on your ancestry. Once the blinders of generalization are removed, the world becomes a much more interesting place.
