Breeds of Rabbits
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If you are thinking of getting a new rabbit, you are probably wondering which breed to get. You need to know about crossbred rabbits (more that one breed is in the rabbit's background) and purebred ones (bred from one breed). Here are some guidelines to think about when considering crossbred, verse purebreds.
- It costs just as much to house and feed a crossbred as a purebred.
- If you plan to breed and raise rabbits, purebred young bring a better sale price
- If you want to show your rabbits, crossbreds will only be able to be shown at a few shows.
You should try to read as much as possible about all of the breeds before choosing one. A very good book to check out is the ARBA's Standard of Perfection this has a detailed description of each breed. It can be ordered online at the ARBA's web site, just click on "Shop Online." Besides reading about breeds, find out where you can see rabbits in your area. Local breeders are a good starting place. Another good place at a ARBA sanctioned show. If you go to a show or a fair that has rabbits, just go to look for the first time. DON'T BUY!!! Before buying, it is important to decide exactly why you want a rabbit. Do you want to raise them just for pets? Or for show? Do you want to sell their wool, fur, or meat? Since some rabbit breeds have been selected just for this purpose, I suggest just looking at first. I also recommend looking at this Breed Gallery to learn more about different breeds of rabbits.
The breeds are listed below followed by a brief description of them. For more information, contact the national breed club. Find a listing of all of the breed club's web addresses can be found on the ARBA's web site by clicking here. The breed profiles that have a * before them are written by a breeder of the breed, the others were written by me. I've tried to find some informative sites about the different breeds, so if the name of the breed is underlined, you can click to find more information.
American - The American is a large breed, weighing 9 to 12 pounds full grown, they come in white and blue. They have a "mandolin" type and have a moderate arch over the loin and hindquarters with definite taper from the hindquarters to the shoulders. The head is well-shaped and somewhat narrow with the ears in proportionate length tapering to a point. The blue is one of the darkest of blue varieties and is a rich, clear, dark slate blue.
American Fuzzy Lop - The American Fuzzy Lop is a small (3.5 to 3.75 pounds) and come in chestnut, chinchilla, lynx, opal, squirrel, broken, pointed white, black, blue, blue eyed white (BEW), chocolate, lilac, ruby eyed white (REW), sable point, siamese sable, siamese smoke pearl, tortoise shell, fawn, orange, and blue tort. The body of the Fuzzy Lop is short with good depth, the head has a good width with a well-filled muzzle.
American Sable - The American Sable is a unique breed that has a rich sepia brown on the head, ears, back, feet, and upper side of the tail. The saddle, flanks, underside of tail, and the belly shade off to a paler shade of brown. They weigh 7 to 10 pounds and have a medium body length, good depth and width of shoulders, midsection and hindquarters. The topline of the animal should be a continuous curve starting at the nape of the neck, rising to the hips.
English Angora - This is a wool breed that weight from 5 to 7.5 pounds, and comes in pointed white, BEW, REW, chinchilla, chocolate chinchilla, lilac chinchilla, squirrel, chestnut, chocolate agouti, copper, lynx, opal, broken, black, blue, chocolate, lilac, pearl, sable, seal, smoke pearl, blue tortoiseshell, chocolate tortoiseshell, lilac tortoiseshell, tortoiseshell (black), blue steel, chocolate steel, lilac steel, steel, cream, fawn, and red. It has a compact body with a good uniform coat of wool giving the appearance of a round ball of fluff. The head has heavy bangs and side trimmings and is capped by ears with heavy tassels the legs, feet and tail are all covered in wool as well. The wool of the English is very silky in nature.
French Angora - A larger wool breed that weighs from 7.5 to 10.5 pounds, and comes in pointed white, BEW, REW, chinchilla, chocolate chinchilla, lilac chinchilla, squirrel, chestnut, chocolate agouti, copper, lynx, opal, broken, black, blue, chocolate, lilac, pearl, sable, seal, smoke pearl, blue tortoiseshell, chocolate tortoiseshell, lilac tortoiseshell, tortoiseshell (black), blue steel, chocolate steel, lilac steel, steel, cream, fawn, and red. They have medium body length and a full chest. They are longer and narrower than the English and not as heavily furnished like the English. The length of their wool has an ideal length of 2.5 to 3.5 inches. The wool is much coarser than the English's.
Giant Angora - This wool breed comes only in ruby eyed white, and is the largest at 9.5 to over 10 pounds. It has a commercial type structure covered by firm flesh and a well nourished body. It has a unique coat structure because the wool is comprised of 3 different hair types. The underwool, the awn fluff, and awn or guard hair. the breed has a lot of density and is usually cut for the wool, because it rarely molts.
Satin Angora - A mix between a Satin and a French Angora came this unique breed with the sheen of the wool. It can weigh from 6.5 to 9.5 pounds, slightly smaller than the French and Giant Angoras. It comes in pointed white, BEW, REW, chinchilla, chocolate chinchilla, lilac chinchilla, squirrel, chestnut, chocolate agouti, copper, lynx, opal, broken, black, blue, chocolate, lilac, pearl, sable, seal, smoke pearl, blue tortoiseshell, chocolate tortoiseshell, lilac tortoiseshell, tortoiseshell (black), blue steel, chocolate steel, lilac steel, steel, cream, fawn, and red. It has a medium length, and is not short coupled and round like the English Angora, but more like the French. The wool is finer than the other breeds, and is very soft with a silky texture and shining from head to toe.
Belgian Hare - This rabbit, not a hare, but so called due to the resemblance to it's cousin counterpart, comes in only one variety, a deep red shade, weighing 6-9.5 pounds. Their body is long and refined, nicely arched with a continuous sweep from the front of the shoulders to the tail. They have a very rounded body, but are know to have a bad temperament and are prone to foot problems due to the activeness. They have very close lying fur and a stiff texture.
* Beveren - One of the larger breeds, weighing 8 to 12 pounds, these beauties come in blue, black and white. The whites are all blue eyed white, and are unique. They have a mandolin type or semi-arch type, with a body of medium length, broad meaty back, slightly arched. The head is full with a curvature, in profile, between the eyes and nose. The blue, is a clean, intense shade of light lavender blue throughout and down to the skin, the black are to have glossy, jet black surface going well down into the fur.
* Britannia Petite - Class 4 animal with Full Arch body type. The main use for this breed is SHOWING. This breed is under 2 1/2 pounds for Sr. weight. This is NOT A PET BREED. Brits tend to be high strung, nervous, and can be vicious. I do not recommend this breed to anyone without LOTS of experience with rabbits and NEVER to youth under the age of 16 without above stated experience. Benefit to this breed? They are lots of fun, you get fast hands, and the pleasure of seeing one of these beautiful animals in full pose on the show table makes up for the temperament in my opinion. Litter size is 1-4 babies generally, you do get double dwarfs, but does have little difficulty delivering.
* Californian - This rabbit breed is usually used for meat and fur, but makes a great pet as well. They weigh from 8-10.5 pounds. They come in only the standard variety, with as dark of markings as possible on the nose, ears, feet, and tail. They have a body of medium length, full around the hips with a firm, meaty saddle carried as full and meaty as possible to nape of neck and down sides over ribs and shoulders, with as little fat as possible.
Champagne D' Argent - This breed also comes only in the standard color which is the color of old silver, or the color of skimmed milk, with no trace of yellow tinge. Their young are born solid black, and gradually get the silver color all over from four months on. They weigh 9-12 pounds and have a moderate body length, well developed hindquarters, shoulders and back.
Checkered Giant - One of the giant breeds, these gentle giants come in black and blue, and can weigh anything over 11 pounds! (does must be over 12, bucks over 11). They have an arched body and medium broad hindquarters. They are really interesting and have distinct markings. They have butterflies, eye circles, cheek spots, ears, spine marking, tail, and side markings making them true beauties!
* American Chinchilla - This chinchilla breed is a 6 class breed weighing 9-12 pounds. They have medium body length and well rounded hips. They also should have well filled loin and hips. They have the same standard color, but type is more important than color. Their color and temperaments make them ideal for the beginner, in spite of their large size.
Giant Chinchilla - The biggest of the chinchilla breeds which weighs 12-16 pounds. They have a mandolin type and are to be moderately long, massive, powerful, and with full broad for and hind quarters. The topline should start in the middle of the shoulder continuing to the highest point over the hips. They also come only in the standard (chinchilla) color.
Standard Chinchilla - The smallest chinchilla breed, these little guys have the same standard color only. They are to be compact, with well developed shoulders and hindquarters. The depth and width should be equal throughout the body. Fur and color is more important than type on these guys.
Cinnamon - These guys also come only in the standard color, weighing 8.5-11 pounds. They are a rust or ground cinnamon color with uniform gray ticking across the back blending into a smoke grey shading on the sides to a dark belly. They have a orange undercolor and a medium, well filled meaty body. They are generally accepted "commercial" typed bodies.
Crème D'Argent - The Crème D'Argent's type is similar to the Champagne, but is slightly smaller. The standard calls for well developed hindquarters, deep think loins, broad, well developed shoulders, slightly arched back, tapering towards shoulders but avoiding mandolin type and flat flabby shoulders.
Dutch - A smaller rabbit weighing 3.5-5.5 pounds, and coming in black, blue, chocolate, grey, steel, and tortoise. They have a colored head, with a white blaze down the center of the head, the ears, and back end of the rabbit are colored as well. The front and part of the hind leg are white. They have a compact typed body and it is very difficult rabbit to breed for show! But they make excellent pets!
Dwarf Hotot - These guys look like a Netherland Dwarf, but are all white with a small ring around the eye. They should have short, compact bodies and a relatively large head set off by short well-furred ears. They are larger than NDs weighing in up to 3 pounds.
English Spot - A full-arched type, they have coloured ears, eye circles, a butterfly on their nose, a cheek spot, a herringbone marking down their back, and a chain of spots starting behind the ears, and extending to a larger area. They also have an excellent dress out, and are good fancy breed too.
Flemish Giant - The largest breed of rabbit, weighing more than 14 pounds. This is an incredible docile breed, which is posed in a semi-arch profile. They are friendly on the most part, but their size makes them a poor choice for young children. They come in sandy, fawn, light grey, white, black, blue, and steel grey.
Florida White - A pure white, compact type small rabbit that makes a great pet. They weight 4-6 pounds, and come only in white with red eyes. This breed of rabbit was originally created for laboratory use.
Harlequin - Beautiful patches cover this commercial, 4 class breed. They come in Magpie and Japanese. Magpie is white in conjunction with black, blue, chocolate, or lilac and Japanese is orange in conjunction with black, blue, chocolate, and lilac. They have an ideal weight of 6 1/2 to 9 1/2 pounds.
Havana - Friendly, beautiful black, blue, and chocolate compact, 4 class rabbits. They are to weight 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 and have extremely shiny, lustrous coats. They are commonly used for fur and show.
* Himalayan - A very friendly 4 class breed, and the only rabbit that has a cylindrical type. Despite their long skinny appearance, they look like any other rabbit when not posed. They come in black, blue, chocolate, and lilac, and weigh about 3.5 pounds. Although originally bred for fur, they have wonderful personalities that make them perfect for pets, and they are fun to show especially for the beginning showman or woman.
Hotot - A commercial 6 class rabbit with a pure white coat and a simple black ring around it's eye. The eyes are deep brown. This rare breed weighs from 9 to 11 pounds.
* Jersey Wooly - 4 Class wooled breed with a Sr. weight of under 3 1/2 pounds. They can be used for wool, showing and even pet markets. Very mellow personality with a friendly, curious behavior. They tend to have few breeding problems and do not require significant grooming as adults unlike some of the other wool breeds. They have a compact body type with a head-up stance. Recommended to younger breeders looking to get started in a wool breed due to mellow personality, easy care, and low breeding problems. Shown in color groups of Agouti, Self, Shaded, Tan Pattern, and AOV.
Lilac - Beautiful 4 class, commercial rabbits with a pure lilac coat. Another rare breed, it weighs from 5 1/2 to 8 pounds.
English Lop - These rabbits have huge ear spans of around 15 inches! They come in many different colors, but are shown in solid and broken patterns. They are one of the oldest known breeds of rabbits and are extremely docile and calm. They are semi-arched, 6 class, weighing from 9 pounds up.
French Lop - Another large breed weighing 10 1/2 pounds and up. This breed also comes in many colors, but is judged in broken and solid varieties. They are friendly, but their large size makes them hard to handle for small children. They are commercial and 6 class.
* Holland Lop - The Holland Lop is a breed which exudes massiveness in a compact package. Weighing 3-4 pounds, Hollands are short coupled with a round head, flat face, wide body, full chest, and short lop ears that fall from a wrap-around crown. Their body-to-head ratio is 2 to 1, with the overall look reminiscent of a Bulldog. Coming in a variety of broken and solid colors, Hollands have a unique show pose of resting lightly on their front feet. Most importantly the Holland Lop has a sociable, comedic nature that is truly endearing.
* Mini Lop - 4 Class animal with Sr. show weight of 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 pounds. Mini Lops have a compact body type and are shown in in 2 groups of Solid and Broken. The only non-showable colors within these groups are Harlequin and Tan Pattern. They can be used for meat although are slow growers and for fur purposes although same problem as meat. They are primarily a mellow show animal with a good temperament which makes them a good pet. I highly recommend them to pet buyers with small children and to younger 4-H or people new in the rabbit because of their easy-going personalities and low risk pregnancies.
* Netherland Dwarf - The Netherland Dwarf is to be a very short compact rabbit with good bone density. Round head and round body when viewed from the side. They appeal to me because of the smaller size. Less food in means less comes out. So economical. They come in 29 color varieties so definitely something for everyone. Their fur is soft and very dense. They look so neat and tidy when on the show table, like little ceramic statues. They truly are the "Gem" of the rabbit fancy.
* Mini Satin - A miniature version of the larger satin, this new breed of rabbit was only accepted by the ARBA in 2005. It currently only comes in white.
* New Zealand - 6 Class, commercial typed rabbit typically used for meat. Comes in Black, Red, and White (Red-Eyed), and are great choices to be used as meat pens/single fryers. They are also quite friendly,
Palomino - A great meat breed, comes in lynx and castor. They are large, with a maximum weight of 11 pounds, but are friendly. This commercial, 6 class breed is also quite rare.
Polish - This small rabbits weigh just 3 1/2 pounds or less. They come in a variety of colors and are fairly calm. They are compact and 4 class.
* Rex - Rex are a medium sized, "commercial" type breed, but truly are an "all purpose" breed, and are bred for showing, pets, and the commercial industry, too. As for why I chose Rex, that's simple- the FUR! It was love at first touch. Plush & velvety, no other fur compares to the unique feel of good Rex fur. Then I discovered "Agouti" marked varieties. Blowing into an Agouti Rex coat is like discovering a beautiful secret. The different colors are mysterious because you can't see them properly unless you actually handle the rabbit & blow into the coat. And the phenomenon doesn't stop there- they change in color constantly, from the day they're born until they grow their Senior coat.
Mini Rex -A small, compact breed weighing just 3 to 4 1/2 pounds. They come in many colors, and have all of the benefits of the larger Rex, with out the large size. They are friendly and have the popular soft coat. The only drawback is their tendency to get sore hocks due to the shortage of fur on their feet.
Rhinelander - A broken rabbit that combines the harlequin gene with the broken. A truly outstanding rabbit. Full arch type, and may be too excitable for children. Comes only in one variety. 6 Class.
* Satin - Beautiful rabbits that come in 11 varieties, Black, Blue, Broken, Californian, Chinchilla, Chocolate, Otter, Siamese, Red, White They are very friendly and are great for meat, fur, and pets. They do quite well on the show tables and their characteristic sheen really catches peoples' eyes.
Silver - A compact, 4 class breed weighing 4 to 7 pounds. Although rare, they are very beautiful. Their coats come in black, fawn, and brown. Each color is combined with sparkling silver hair to create a brilliant coat.
Silver Fox - This 6 class, commercial breed comes only in one color but it is a beautiful black combined with silver ticking. They have unique fur that remains in an upright position after running your hands through it. They are a large, fairly rare breed weighing 9 to 12 pounds but are very docile and friendly, earning the nickname, "teddy bears" of the rabbit fancy.
Silver Marten - Black, blue, chocolate, sable rabbits with white belly, ticking, triangle, and jowl. This small, 6 to 9 1/2 pound rabbit makes a great pet and show rabbit. They are 4 class and are only slightly rare.
* Tan - One of the most beautiful breeds, the bright red really stands out from the black, blue, chocolate, or lilac. I recommend these beauties for anyone looking for a great breed to breed for people looking for an exhibition breed. They are also great pets, very friendly, and absolutely adorable. They are a 4 class breed and weigh around 5 pounds
Thrianta - Another new breed of rabbit, recently accepted by the ARBA. This beautiful rabbit's bright red coat will catch your eyes and it's deep brown eyes will make you melt. Anyone who can resist this adorable rabbit is crazy!
If you have a breed web page, e-mail me the URL and I will link it to here if I think it will help the beginning breeder. If you find a site that you think might work, e-mail me as well. I do not want the National Specialty club's website! I am also working on a brief description of each of the breeds. I was hoping that instead of me writing all of them, because I don't know all of the breeds that well, that I could get some other breeders to write about their breeds. I would like the varieties, uses (meat, fur, fancy, pet, etc.), adult weights, and body types to be included. If you could write a description of your rabbit, including whatever you feel necessary and e-mail to rabbits@amberwiseman.com I would appreciate it much! Thank you!
