Getting a Holland Lop to Illinois

Four to five days.

Chicago has excellent exotics vets, several of them rabbit specialists.

What the Illinois climate means for a Holland Lop

Chicago winters are the headline, but the summers get genuinely hot and humid too, and July in a Chicago apartment without air conditioning is harder on a rabbit than most people expect.

What Illinois owners should know

Chicago winters are the headline, but the summers are the part that matters for a rabbit. July in a Chicago apartment without air conditioning is genuinely hot, and the heat waves that settle over the city are more dangerous to a Holland Lop than any winter has ever been. Rabbits handle cold far better than heat. Chicago has some of the best rabbit-specific veterinary care in the country, and the House Rabbit Society has a strong presence here. Downstate Illinois is more humid and has considerably thinner veterinary coverage.

Common questions

Is a Chicago apartment too hot for a rabbit in summer?

It can be, and this is the risk people miss. Rabbits handle cold far better than heat, and a July heat wave in an apartment without air conditioning is considerably more dangerous to a Holland Lop than any Chicago winter has ever been.

Is rabbit veterinary care good in Chicago?

Among the best in the country. Chicago has genuine rabbit specialists and a strong House Rabbit Society presence. Downstate is considerably thinner.

Before you buy

Two things are worth reading first, and both are the sort of thing a seller would rather you did not think about until after the sale.

• How long they actually live. Seven to fourteen years.
• What the first year actually costs. The rabbit is about a quarter of it.

We do not take money for a litter that does not exist yet, and there is no waiting list. If nothing here suits you today, check back rather than pay to hold a place. More on how we work.