Netherland Dwarf Rabbits for Sale in Illinois

Getting a Netherland Dwarf to Illinois

Illinois is 1,900 to 2,100 miles from us, 2 to 3 days on the road. We drive it ourselves in a climate-controlled vehicle with regular stops. No depot, no holding facility, no handover between carriers, and never flown or shipped as cargo.

What this breed's size means for the journey. A Netherland Dwarf is the easiest of the four to move. It travels in a small carrier, it eats little on the road, and it copes with a long journey better than the heavier breeds because there is simply less animal to keep cool.

Illinois weather, and this breed

Chicago winters bring lake-effect snow that can stop a route for a day. We watch the forecast and move the date rather than push through it.

Being small, a Netherland Dwarf sheds heat more efficiently than a Mini Lop, which makes summer travel less fraught. The short face is the offsetting factor though, so we still run the southern legs at night.

Keeping a Netherland Dwarf in the Midwest

A Netherland Dwarf handles Midwest cold well for its size, provided the water does not freeze and the pen is out of the draught. The bigger regional point is that this is a bright, reactive breed and a long indoor winter needs enrichment. A bored Dwarf is a destructive one, and five months is a long time.

Size. 1.5 to 2.5 lb full grown, the smallest rabbit we raise. Care. The short face means dental alignment is worth watching properly: check the front teeth monthly and get any misalignment seen early. Otherwise low maintenance, with a short coat that needs almost nothing.

What it gets mistaken for. Confused with a young Holland Lop, because a Holland at eight weeks is about the adult size of a Netherland Dwarf. The ears settle it: Dwarfs stand upright, Hollands lop. Everything about the Netherland Dwarf.

Keeping a Netherland Dwarf in Illinois, month to month

The two things that catch Illinois owners out are the water supply in the cold months and the cooling in the hot ones, and both are cheap to solve before they matter rather than during.

Everything else is the same as it would be anywhere: unlimited timothy hay, a pellet ration measured rather than topped up, and fresh greens introduced slowly. What we feed and why.