Lionhead Breed and Care

Lionhead Breed Information:

Lionheads are an extremely gorgeous, intelligent, gentle, curious, personable, friendly, domestic breed of rabbits who stay quite small (under 4 lbs) and have longer fur and a distinctive wool “mane”. If treated kindly and well-cared for, they make great family pets. They are very social animals, so should either be kept in bonded pairs or receive a lot of daily human interaction, if kept as solo bunnies. They are a recognized breed by the BRC and, more recently, the ARBA. They can be either “double” or “single” mane, which simply means they either carry one or two copies (one from each parent) of the mane gene. Typically, the mane is thick, wooly and soft with evident "crimping".

The only time to truly tell if they are double or single mane is when they are just a few days old. A double mane Lionhead will have a distinctive “V” form around their skirt/flanks. Fur will come in on their back in this V shape and they will be balder on their sides, at this young age. (*See photo album on: “The Lovely Lioness” Facebook page for newborn and few day old photos of our litter, for an illustration, as they are all double-mane). After this time, it can be difficult to tell as there are many factors which affect body fur length and mane growth, such as brushing or self-grooming, pulling of hair by self or other bunnies, nutrition/diet, age, hormones, molting, matting, etc.

The Lionhead breed was thought to have originated in France and/or Belgium. It is believed to have been produced by breeders trying to breed a long-coated dwarf rabbit by crossing a miniature Swiss Fox and a Netherland Dwarf. Others report that it was created by crossing a Netherland Dwarf with a Jersey Wooly, but none have been substantiated. While we may never know exactly how they have come to be, we are certainly blessed that they are here and can appreciate everything about these unique and stunning little beauties!

Behavior and Care:

Well-cared for Lionhead rabbits, can live be 8-10+years. Here, we cover some of the most important aspects of providing proper care for your new baby.

Diet/Nutrition:

A Lionhead rabbits diet should consist of 70%-90% fresh unlimited hay and the remaining 10% should be high-quality rabbit pellet and greens. We recommend not feeding fresh foods to young rabbits under 5-6 months of age, unless in very small amounts. After this age, greens such as romaine lettuce, collards, parsley and kale, can be offered in small amounts (cutting back if any signs of loose stools). We do not recommend high-sugary foods, such as carrots, unless a very small piece as treats, from time to time. Baby rabbits can have free-access to pellets but, after they reach 5-6 months of age, their pellets should not be offered “free access” and given in small amounts of 1/8 - 1/2 cup per day, depending on your individual bunnies needs/requirements. 1/4 cup a day +/- depending on individual needs and conditions. Many bunnies will become addicted to pellets and will under-consume necessary grass hays (or eat none at all). This is not good, as they need hay most for long-stem fibers (to prevent common and deadly issues like GI stasis!), digestion and proper health and to keep their teeth wore down. It is their most-natural and healthiest diet to consume up to 70%-90% of their diet in the form of fresh grass hays. We buy bales of fresh organic timothy hay from local farmers (just be sure it is not sprayed!) and also add various store-bought hays, such as: Oxbow Brand Alfalfa and Oat hay for variety. Young/baby bunnies (3 weeks to 4 months old) do well to consume some Alfalfa hay due to higher nutrient and calcium content, though alfalfa should be cut or limited and timothy hays increased, as they reach adulthood. Look for pellets which are timothy-hay based also (not Alfalfa based) for adult rabbits and for 17% or higher protein. We buy large feed store bags of Purina brand pellets and also use Oxbow and Martin brand pellets. Fresh water should be provided daily and kept available at all times. We recommend using only water bowls- not bottles, and this is what our babies are raised with and accustomed to. Heavier/ceramic-type bowls are best to prevent tipping and spilling. All feed/water bowls should be fully washed at least once weekly.

Grooming:

Due to their wooly fur coat and mane, Lionhead rabbits will need at least once weekly brushing, but we recommend brushing every day. Combs or slicker cat-type brushes work great for them. *Please* view grooming your lionhead as absolutely essential for their care and well-being. They can be prone to matting, especially in their underbelly area, if not properly groomed and this can be painful! We recommend getting your baby rabbit used to brushing from day one. Most bunnies will love grow to love being brushed if done gently and from a young age. They will need to be brushed daily, when molting.

Teeth/nails:

Bunnies teeth and nails are constantly growing. Well-bred bunnies with properly aligned teeth/bite, will naturally keep their teeth worn down by eating a proper diet with lots of hay. Bunnies with misaligned teeth (malocclusion, which is very painful) will need to have frequent vet care to either have their teeth trimmed or removed. Nails should be trimmed at least once a month and small dog or cat trimmers work great for bunnies. It’s good to get your bunnies used to this from a young age too. Offering a high-value treat (few whole oats, black oil sunflower seeds or a tiny piece of banana is ok) after any care/grooming, will help to make it a positive and rewarding experience.

Litterboxes/Litter:

We HIGHLY recommend litter-training your bunny. We start this very early with all of our babies and they catch on very quickly. Uncovered or covered cat litter boxes work great, as do simple plastic tote bins (provided they are low enough for bunnies to hop in and out easily). We prefer to start babies off with smaller/corner-type of litter pans with hay-only (in case of ingestion of litter), then we move them up to larger cat pans and, finally, as they get bigger, to our top preference: covered cat litter pans! A lot of bunnies like to dig, as they reach maturity, especially many does and this goes for spayed/neutered bunnies too. We love that they can be free to do so to their hearts content, without making any mess for us! A lot of people use recycled newspaper pellets for litter, though, we prefer to buy bags of wood pellet (very affordable: approx $6 a bag at any hardware store). We find they work great for urine absorption and odor control. Just make sure these are real wood pellets, not mdf cheaper kinds or those with glues/fillers. Simply fill box with a one or two inch layer of pellet and add fresh hay (daily) inside the box on one side. We do NOT recommend using shavings, as they can be ingested by babies and they can choke to death! They are also very messy, do nothing to control or absorb urine odors and they tend to matt/get stuck in lionhead rabbits fur. We recommend cleaning out the litter-pan every 1-3 days to keep your home odor-free : )

Housing & Bedding:

As stated above, we do not recommend using shavings for bunnies, for many reasons, especially for Lionheads who are prone to getting them matted in their underside-fur. As we do NOT recommend keeping bunnies in small in-humane so- called “bunny-cages”, anyway, there would be no need to consider shavings. There are limitless ideas when it comes to creating indoor spaces for your bunnies : ) Linoleum tile flooring, rubber or foam mats work great for “flooring” for inside the space your create for your bunnies “home” (just be sure to change/remove, if you have a bunny who likes to eat them!). Washable rugs, washable soaker-pads and small fleecy blankets. https://best4bunny.com/housing-ideas/ and http://www.therabbithaven.org/sweet-home-for-bunny-x-pens-and-other-housing-options are two great links, for ideas for creating awesome and humane bunny housing/spaces. We often recommend a simple dog/puppy “exercise pen”, which can be ordered on Amazon for under $50, as an affordable, quick and easy solution for new adopters/bunny parents. Spaces can always be changed, added to or upgraded later and after you have bunny-proofed your home (electrical cords etc.), your bunny will hopefully be allowed plenty of daily free-roaming time to play, “binkie” and explore!

Toys / Enrichment:

Rabbits are highly social and intelligent animals and, as such, should be provided with toys and “enrichment” in their living environment. A large, comfy, safe space / area / pen of their own can be filled with so many things such as: toilet paper rolls stuffed with hay, “tricky treat” balls which can be filled with pellets or a few treats, kitty balls, cardboard boxes (bunnies absolutely LOVE boxes!), plastic (and cardboard) hidey-houses (look in the “step-stools” /laundry basket isle of your local dollar store for many such options for $2-4!), grass mats, shelves, ramps, stairs, tunnels, a ring of plastic “baby keys”, blankets, hay racks, stuffed toys, hay cubes, wood chews, litter-boxes with hay etc. etc.). Ideas for enrichment of bunny spaces are limitless! Bunnies love to pick things up, move them and re-arrange their personal spaces. Get creative and have fun!

Rabbit Emergencies:

Here are two great links/resources re: rabbit emergencies: http://www.therabbithaven.org/rabbit-emergencies and https://rabbitexpert.com/rabbit-health/. They do a wonderful job in describing many issues that can come up with bunnies. As rabbits are prey animals, they are extremely good at “hiding” when they are ill or in pain. It is very important to take notice of any changes in your bunnies behaviorr or eating habits, as many issues can be fatal if not caught and treated quickly. This is also why it is essential to have a local / rabbit-savvy vet on hand for when you need them! GI/Gastrointestinal stasis (when the bunnies digestive system comes to a halt, they stop eating, drinking and passing stools, become lethargic, grind-teeth etc.) and teeth issues, are most commonly seen in rabbits. GI Stasis is treated with motility drugs, pain management drugs (such as metacam), fluids and “critical care”, which is a product I highly recommend researching and keeping on hand at home for such emergencies. We are happy to discuss this topic more fully with you and answer any questions. This is by far, the most common and quickly-fatal illness that occurs in pet rabbits and is most important to know signs/symptoms of to catch and treat quickly.