Considering Netherland Dwarf?

We never had a Netherland Dwarf before. Although we always wish to own a nice pair, we must admit, we were quite disappointed with the quality of most Netherland Dwarf which we came across. There were just too many of the so called "Pure Netherland Dwarf", most of which are mix breed. It is also a challenge to find a nice buck at affordable price $$ in Malaysia let alone a doe.

At this point, we would like to make a note. Bunny that comes with pedigree certificate or is from a Grand Champion bloodline does not guarantee the quality of the rabbit and its offspring. Pedigree is just a paper to show the bloodline of the bunny or to show the pureness of the bunny. If there is Grand Champion in the bloodline, it simply means that there are some good quality genes in such bloodline. But whether or not the genes would be passed down to the offspring is another matter. That is why all breeders cannot guarantee how the kits would develop as they grow. No one would guarantee the kits would be Grand Champion if they are produced from the Grand Champion line. The bunny however, would most probably place well on the table.

Below are some tips for those who want to purchase a quality Netherland Dwarf. We hope people are well informed, least they end up spending on mix breed or worst if the so called "Netherland Dwarf" purchased turns up to be a normal bunny. So start acting like an ARBA judge :)

There are 4 areas one should judge a Netherland Dwarf, Body, Head, Ears and Eyes. Sounds easy. But please go through the information that we are going to share below. You will realize that one needs a set of skills to judge. Don't worry, we are also learning ^_^

So let's start with the body.
A quality Netherland Dwarf should have compact body. Body of the Netherland Dwarf must cover everything from medium bone, wide chest, short neck, short and deep shoulder that is equal in width to the hip and nice hip with no protrusion of the point of the hip. Ideally, the hindquarters of a Netherland Dwarf should be well filled.

What about the head?
The head of a Netherland Dwarf must be large, but well balanced with the body. Nice head is propotionate to the body. Generally a buck will have a bigger head than the doe, so propotionate and balance of the head and body is the key. Surely you don't want your Netherland Dwarf to look like a big-headed doll! From the side view, the head should be rounded.

Now the ears.
This is quite easy. For an adult Netherland Dwarf, ears should be 2 inches max in length (there is no need to use a ruler or measuring tape to do this. Just estimate); wide in the base at the skull; pionted upward and not sloped back over the shoulder; open out to the side; not folded at the tip; rounded at the tip; extremely well furred; thick in substance, and not bowed when viewed from the front. If the bunny is still young, request to see the parents. If the parents have good ears, most prabably the kits would have the same.

Lastly, the eyes
This is the easiest. Just make sure that it has large, round and bold eyes. The width between the eyes should be equal to or wider than the length of nose from front of eye to tip of nose.

This is a sample of a quality Netherland Dwarf

Photo adapted from Lots-a-Hop's Rabbitry

Some informations above were adapted from "judging the Netherland Dwarf" written by Donelle Bomben. Special thanks to Donelle for sharing such priceless information