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Permalink Reply by steve smith on March 13, 2012 at 4:11pm

What a nice family that wil make. Hope that they will be good to each other

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Permalink Reply by Molly and Isabella on March 13, 2012 at 4:52pm

Me, too, Steve.  Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Di, Pazu, and Mochi the Bunny on March 13, 2012 at 4:27pm

Yes, I have one.  The Netherland dwarf bunny (Mochi) and Pazu would chase each other around, but usually Pazu the corgi would start running AWAY from the bunny to spur the bunny to chase him because bunnies have very strong predator drive.

I would take it very slowly.  I had the bunny first and Pazu as a puppy.  So Pazu learned very early on to respect Mochi's space.  I think part of why the relationship worked is because Mochi was older (over a year old), had already established his territory in my home, and was less frightened of things (if this bunny you are bringing home is extremely timid, it might not be a good fit.  rabbits can die from fear.).   And Mochi would let Pazu know when he didn't want to play chase anymore.  Also Pazu has very good nipping control.  Depending on the breed of your rabbit, it could be dangerous for the rabbit (a Corgi nip can break a rabbit) as well as your Corgi (rabbit's hindlegs kicks hurt!  and rabbits do bite).  Mochi has a "top bun" attitude about him.  He has met cats and dogs and would often go straight up to them and command his territory.  My own vet said that when she was in school, her border collie followed the commands of her roommate's bunny rabbit.  The bunny rabbit would thump once, indicating she wanted to be chased and thump again, when she wanted it to stop.

 

And my lab border collie Lilo learned to just "leave" Mochi alone.  I didn't trust either of them chasing each other, especially Lilo exhibits a little bit of "lab retrieving" traits. (She caught a rat and brought it home to me.) Mochi would actually nip Lilo's legs if she was in the way and Lilo learned to lie down and be very still whenever Mochi was near.

 

As for the cat/rabbit combo,  may I suggest you read this?  Cats and Rabbits  I think this sums it up every well.   Mochi had been introduced to one of my friends' cats Toby a few times.  Toby was primarily an indoor cat with not much hunting instinct.  Mochi would chase Toby and Toby would run away and hide.  That's a very good initial reaction.

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Permalink Reply by Molly and Isabella on March 13, 2012 at 4:50pm

Thank you, Di.  Very good information!  I found that article online yesterday in my search, so thanks for bringing it to my attention again.  Now I have it for handy reference since I failed to make note of it.  The bunny will be a young bunny, so may be too small for a while before introductions.  I imagine I can do some early, in-hutch introductions very slowly so they all have plenty of time to get acquatinted before I ever try anything out of the hutch. 

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Permalink Reply by Di, Pazu, and Mochi the Bunny on March 13, 2012 at 5:09pm

You're welcome.  If you have any other questions (even if it is just about bunnies), please let me know.

 

Bunnies are very intelligent creatures and can be potty trained.  My own Mochi learned to solve a lot of Pazu's puzzle toys.  Mochi would open drawers to get dog food and roll treat  balls to have little pellets fall through.  He could throw little cardboard boxes with treats and chew through the box to get the treat inside. And bunnies need to be handled and held often to help them overcome their fear of being held (feeling that a predator has caught them.)   In many ways - it is similar to raising dogs.  If the bunny ever nips, let out a high pitched yelp.  I also taught Mochi how to stand up on its high legs, spin, jump, put his two paws on my hand, and give me kisses on my hand.  And rabbits live in groups "warrens" so it is easier for them to get lonely and can express their grumpiness in different ways.  Oh ya..  Pazu had this herding thing with Mochi where when it was time for bed, he would gently herd Mochi back to his home.  Probably because corgis herd sheep/cattle back to their pen.  Just be mindful of this as Isabella's herding instincts might kick in similarly.  It doesn't happen with the cat because I am guessing that the cat is allowed everywhere.  That might not be the case for the bunny though. Enjoy bunny parenting! 

 

For me personally, these would be my requirements for getting this triad to work:

The owner - patience, patience, patience and know the personalities of your pets well.  Listen to the animal's body language and what they are saying.

Corgi - good nipping control, good "leave -it" command, not an aggressive herder, not an extreme barker (barking is scary for rabbits), good at listening and responding to other animal species communication (not pushy)...

 

Cat - trimmed nails (!), doesn't have a strong hunting drive (you can probably tell based on what toys your cat likes to play with), won't jump in your rabbit's hutch initially, will allow the bunny to assert itself

 

Rabbit - "tough bunny" attitude (I think this comes with exposing the rabbit to different smells and sounds and toys and whatnot), plenty of things to gnaw on to keep their teeth files, trimmed nails, a place to feel safe in their home and for introductions later outside of the home (preferably a neutral place - typically rabbit to rabbit intros are done in the bathtub)

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Permalink Reply by Molly and Isabella on March 13, 2012 at 5:19pm

Thanks, again!  Very helpful information.  The bunny breed is Mini Rex.  That's all I know, but I've been reading all I can find.  I had a French Lop when I was a kid, but she was massive in size.  Probably bigger than Isabella...and would have had the "tough bunny" attitude for sure!

This new critter isn't even born yet!  Talk about planning ahead.  The new addition will move in sometime this summer - July or August...

 

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Permalink Reply by Shou on March 14, 2012 at 5:56am

Your whole post gave me really awesome (and funny) mental images about dogs and bunnies. Haha. I'm hoping to get a Holland Lop someday, so I hope I will have the same success that you have. Though I think in my case, the puppy will be coming first.

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Permalink Reply by Chris West on March 13, 2012 at 4:30pm

You shouldn't have any trouble as long as your corgi knows the "leave-it" command.  I used that one to convince Frosty that chickens do not really exist.  Every spring we have chicks that run all over him and he just ignores them.  I wouldn't hold your breath on the cat-rabbit thing though...

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Permalink Reply by Molly and Isabella on March 13, 2012 at 4:52pm

Thank you, Chris.  The "leave-it" command's effectiveness comes and goes.  I swear, it is more difficult sometimes than recall! 

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