Will my rabbit get a heart attack?!?!

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I'm considering getting a mini rex rabbit. But I'm worried that he will get a heart attack. I heard that they get them easily. See, I plan on putting it in a chicken pen (it's big enough for a rabbit) but I was worried that my dog's barking would give it a heart attack?jumping on the wood fence, or even his collar? But by the chicken pen has a stack of wood all around, so would it scare the rabbit if the dog was looking down on him? Also, I live by a vet, so would the barking of all the dogs during the day and night give the rabbit a heart attack

ANSWER: While it is possible for a rabbit to have a heart attack due to fear, this isn't all that likely if you take the time to introduce your rabbit and dog and let them get used to each other.  

Mini Rex aren't any more likely to have a heart attack than another breed due to dogs or etc.  The best thing to do would be to get a young rabbit and don't just stick him out in the pen you have set up, but take a week and slowly let him get used to the noises outside etc. Also if this pen does not have a top you have to be aware that birds of prey, stray/house cats, and other dogs  have been known to snatch a domestic rabbit out of an outside pen.

The best solution would be either to provide a fully enclosed hutch for the rabbit that is up off the ground where dogs and cats or birds can't get to it, or provide a top(if it doesn't have one) to the chicken enclosure.

Also if your dog is able to get up above the fence then you have to be aware of the fact that any stray dog can get up above the rabbit also, while this may not lead to a heart attack, if the dog can get inside the rabbit pen it will more than likely lead to a dead rabbit.

Try a google search on Rabbit Pens  or Rabbit Hutches to get some ideas
Good Luck
Amy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My dog is very fiesty. Especially around other animals new to the family. If he see this rabbit, I bet he will want to poke at it with his muzzle, kind of, gently bite him, or lick him, is that ok? Also, I plan on breeding them for market, so, beside the pen, there is a red shed, and beside that there is a spot (more then enouch for a hutch)
I was wondering if I should put the males there. And would it be ok if one male did the breeding and another was there for back up (incase the other one died) or should I do them both? Will they kill eachother if only one does it,or if both do it? And is it ok that the does pen was bigger than the bucks pen? These are just a few more questions I have.

Answer
If you plan on breeding rabbits the set up probably needs to be one rabbit per cage, female rabbits are extremely territorial and will kill or hurt each other if they share a cage, especially if they have young.  
Also the males will need separate cages unless they are brothers, then once you use one for breeding you will need to have a separate cage for it.  

Because of rabbits nature it is generally not a good idea to put them together in a situation like this, even though wild rabbits live like this sometimes in the wild these rabbits will not be family members nor more than likely will they have ever lived in a situation like this.

As for the dog, the best way to intro a rabbit and a other animal is through the bars of a cage, they have to be close enough together that neither animal can reach claws, or teeth through, then it just takes time, I have a border collie who thinks he is everyone's mother and the way I get my new rabbits used to him is to set their cage on the floor and allow them to have limited access for the first week then slowly up the access so that soon the rabbit either looks for attention from the dog or ignores it completely.

Check out these websites on rabbit breeding for more info
http://www.islandgems.net/bunbreeding.html
http://www.welshrabbitry.com/becomearabbitbreeder.html
Good Luck
Amy