Understanding Rabbit Breeds in Choosing Your First Bunny

As rabbits come in a variety of breeds, colours and sizes, you should understand more about rabbit breeds in choosing your first bunny. It is not easy to correctly identify a rabbit breed. Even professionals make mistakes sometimes.

Note that not all pet stores sell pure breed rabbit. If you are really serious about getting a pure breed rabbit, then you should go to rabbit breeder. However, in view that there are so many rabbits in rabbit shelter that need a home, why not start there first.



Bigger rabbit breed actually makes better pet rabbit for smaller children. Rabbits have very fragile skeletal and an active child may easily injure the rabbit. On the other extreme, you would not want a giant rabbit breed as they may take up too much space.

There may be near to 100 rabbit breeds in the world but the American Rabbit Breeders Association only recognised about 45 rabbit breeds. Among some of the rabbit breeds recognised by the Association is presented below.

For the small rabbit breed weighing from 2 to 6 lbs, the Association recognised the following rabbit breeds: American Fuzzy Lop, Britannia Petite, Dutch, Dwarf Hotot, Florida White, Havana, Himilayan, Holland Lop, Jersey Wolly, Mini Lop, Mini Rex, Netherland Dwarf, Silver and Tan.

The descriptions of some of the more popular small rabbit breeds are as follows:

American Fuzzy Lop American Fuzzy Lop weighs from 3.5 to 4 lbs (1.6 to 1.8 kg). They have a variety of coat colours. They have compact muscular body, dense and coarse coat. Just like other lop-ear rabbit, their ears folded over to slightly below the jaw.

Dutch The Dutch rabbit breed is a fancy rabbit breeds weighing up to 5lbs. Breeders are always trying to breed perfectly marked examples. Miss-marked bunnies are always available and make excellent pet rabbits. The Dutch rabbit breeds come in various colours, black, blue, chocolate, yellow, tortoiseshell, steel grey, brown grey and pale grey.

Jersey Wolly The Jersey Wolly rabbit breed weighs under 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg). They come in a wide variety of colours and have long woolly coat. They are also known as the Dwarf Angora.

Netherland Dwarf This rabbit breed weighs under 2.5 lbs (1.1 kg). They were introduced into the UK in 1950. They are bad tempered, especially among bucks (male adult rabbits). However, the adult dwarf doe (female rabbits) are very docile and can make wonderful pet rabbits. They have short ears and are bred in a wide variety of colours and patterns.

For medium-size rabbit breeds that weigh from 6 to 9 lbs, the Association recognise the following rabbit breeds: Alaskan, Angora, Argente, Belgian Hare, English Spot, Harlequin, Lilac, Rex, Rhinelander, Satin Angora, Silver Marten and the Standard Chinchilla

The descriptions of some of the more popular medium rabbit breeds are as follows:

Angora

The Angora rabbit breed is one of the oldest breeds of rabbit. They are thought to have originated in Turkey hundreds of years ago and were initially breed for their wool. There are four types of Angora: English angora

5-7 lbs (2.3-3.2 kgs)

long silky hair; the French angora

7.5-10.5 lbs (3.4-4.8 kg); the Giant Angora

8.5 lbs (3.9 kg) and up

soft fine undercoat (wool), straight stiff guard hairs, and a wavy fluff with a guard tip in-between; and the Satin Angora

6.5-9.5 lbs (3-4.3 kg)

very fine wool.

The English Angora is adorned growths of wool on the tips of the ears and front feet that are known as "furnishings". They have rich ruby red eyes.



English Spot The English Spot breeds weigh from 5 to 8 lbs (2.3 to 3.6 kg). They come in white with black, blue, brown, gold, grey, lilac or tortoise colour. They have butterfly mark on the nose, colored ears, eye rings, spine marking (which is herringboned) and a spot on the cheek and a chain of spots along the body. They have long arched body like a hare.



Rex The Rex rabbit breeds weigh from 7.5 to 10.5 lbs (3.4 to 4.8 kg). All the Rex rabbit breeds are of the same type - a graceful rabbit gently sloping up to well rounded hindquarters. They are good nature rabbits and make excellent pets. They come in colours of black, black otter, blue, broken group, californian, castor, chinchilla, chocolate, lilac, lynx, opal, red, sable, seal or white.

For the large rabbit breed, the Association recognised the following rabbit breeds: American Sable, American Chinchilla, Chinchilla, Beveren, Californian, Cinnamon, English Lop, Hotot, New Zealand, Palomino, Satin and the Silver Fox.

For the giant-size rabbit breed weighing over 11 lbs, the Association recognised the following rabbit breeds: American Checkered Giant, Flemish Giant (Patagonian), French Lop, Giant Chinchilla and the Giant Papillon.





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