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Rabbit breeds are notably different varieties of domestic rabbit created through selective breeding or natural selection. Breeds recognized by organizations such as the American Rabbit Breeders' Association (ARBA) may be exhibited and judged in rabbit shows. Breeders attempt to emulate the breed standard by which each breed is judged.
This breed listing is compiled by using the American names provided in the ARBA guide book, Raising Better Rabbits & Cavies. Some non-ARBA accepted commercial or foreign breeds are also listed using their most common name.
American
- Weight: 9-12 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Blue, White
The American Blue was first standardized in the early 20th century in southern California and first exhibited in 1917. It quickly became one of the most popular blue-coated breeds of the era. From throwbacks of the Blue varieties, the American White variety was created and standardized at a later date.
American Fuzzy Lop
- Weight: 3-4 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Agouti, Broken, Pointed White, Self (solid color), Shaded, Wide Band
American Fuzzy Lops were derived on the West Coast United States from crosses between Holland Lops and Angora rabbits. These small lop-eared rabbits have thick wool on their bodies like that of an Angora. The breed is relatively new, having been recognized by the ARBA in 1988.
American Sable
- Weight: 7-10 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard
The Sable is a result of Chinchilla rabbit crosses. Sables are identical to Chinchilla rabbits in body conformation, but their coats are colored differently. The head, feet, ears, back, and top of the tail are a dark sepia, while the coat fades to a lighter tan over the rest of the body, similar to the coloring of a Siamese cat.
Angora
- Main article: Angora rabbit
The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, originating in Ankara, Turkey. They are bred largely for their long wool, which may be removed by shearing or plucking (gently pulling loose wool).
There are five individual breeds of Angora rabbits, four of which are ARBA recognized.
English Angora
- Weight: 5-7 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Agouti, Pointed White, Self, Shaded, Ticked, Wide Band
English Angoras were derived from commercially-used French Angoras as a show breed. Rabbits of this breed are adorned with "furnishings," growths of wool on the tips of the ears and front feet, along with their thick body wool. They are gentle in nature but not recommended for those who don't enjoy grooming their animals.
French Angora
- Weight: 5-7 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Agouti, Broken, Pointed White, Self, Shaded, Ticked, Wide Band
While French Angoras have long been used by the French to make woolen items, these rabbits are still widely used throughout Europe as commercial wool animals. This breed was the ancestor of all other recognized Angora breeds.
Satin Angora
- Weight: 8 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Agouti, Pointed White, Self, Shaded, Ticked, Wide Band
Derived from a cross between a Satin and a French Angora, this breed is named for the extremely soft texture of its wool. It has no furnishings on face, ears, or feet, and it is also easy to groom compared to the English variety. Satin Angora's wool is said to be stronger for spinning than other varieties of Angora.
Giant
- Weight: 10 lb. or larger
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Ruby-Eyed White
The Giant Angora is larger than other varieties of Angora, having been created to be an efficient wool rabbit on economical feed and housing. It has three hair types in its wool: underwool, awn fluff, and awn hair.
Argente
There are four types of Argente, two of which are ARBA-recognized. All Argente breeds originated in France.Champagne d'Argente
- Weight: 9-12 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard
The Champagne d'Argente is one of the oldest known rabbit breeds, having existed in the Champagne province of France for over 400 years. At that time known as the French Silver for its silvery coat, it was once prized for its pelt in spite of the fact that it was a common breed. Kits are born pure black and begin turning silver grey at about 3 weeks. By 6 months old they are a lovley shade of silver grey. Champagnes are not commen in America today, but are increasing in popularity each year.
Creme d'Argente
- Weight: 8-11 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard
The Creme D'Argent is an old breed originating in France. When exported to the USA, American breeders further developed the breed, selecting for larger size and more muscular build. The Creme D'Argent is uncommon in the US.
The Creme D'Argent is a beautiful breed with bright orange fur tipped with silver. For more information, please visit the Creme D'Argent Rabbit Federation website at www.cremedargentfederation.com.
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Belgian Hare
- Weight: 8 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Agouti
Originating in Belgium, the Belgian Hare was perfected in England. Though it is a breed of domestic rabbit and not a hare, its lean, arched body, large ears, and energetic temperament led to its misleading breed name. In spite of its popularity, it is still known as a temperamental and high-strung breed not well-suited to most pet owners.
In Europe and the United Kingdom breeders have recently introduced two new colours - the albino and the Black and Tan. Currently only the original Red Agouti and the new Black and Tan are recognised by the British Rabbit Council.
Beveren
- Weight: 10-11 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Black, Blue, White
The Beveren is one of the oldest and largest of the fur rabbits. It was first bred in Beveren, a small town near Antwerp in Belgium. Their coats can be blue, white, black, brown and lilac, though not all of these varieties are ARBA-recognized. There is a rare variety called the Pointed Beveren, which comes in the same colors but has white tipped hairs.
Blanc de Bouscat
This breed of rabbit originated in France and is quite rare in England. The breed is quite big; bucks are generally around 12 pounds and does about 14 pounds. The fur is quite silky and dense and is most commonly white.British Giant
- Weight: 12.5 lb. or larger
This giant breed is not ARBA-accepted, as it is uncommon in the United States and exists predominantly in England. It appears in a number of different varieties: dark steel grey, black, white, blue, brown, grey and opal.
Britannia Petite
- Weight: 2.5 lb. or less
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Black, Black Otter, Chestnut, Sable Marten, Ruby-Eyed White
Known as "Polish" in Britain, this breed was renamed in the United States as there already existed an ARBA-recognized Polish rabbit in the U.S. at the time of the Britannia's import to the States. The Britannia Petite is thought to have been derived from small wild rabbits and is known for having a somewhat wild temperament.
Californian
- Weight: 8-10 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard (Pointed White)
- View Article: Californian rabbit
The Californian was first bred from crosses between Chinchilla, Himalayan, and New Zealand rabbits in the 1920s, with the intent of creating a better commercial meat rabbit. It was first brought to the UK from the United States in the 1950s. The colour of the points on the ears, feet, and tail can be black, chocolate, blue or lilac.
Checkered Giant
- Weight: 11 lb. or larger
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Black, Blue
The Checkered Giant, a large, spotted rabbit, were first recognized as a breed in Germany. Among its ancestors were the Flemish Giant and purportedly a breed known as the Checkered Lop, a spotted lop. Other spotted breeds or white breeds may have been used. The breed was imported to America in 1910 and has since been developed into a type distinct from European Checkered Giants.
Chinchilla
There are three breeds of Chinchilla rabbit recognized by the ARBA.Standard Chinchilla
- Weight: 5-7 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard
This breed originated in France and was first introduced after the First World War. The coat color is distinctive: the undercolour of the fur should be slate blue at the base, the middle portion pearl grey, merging into white and tipped with black--much like the chinchilla, the fur-producing rodent after which this breed is named.
American Chinchilla
- Weight: 8-12 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard
The American Chinchilla or "Heavyweight Chinchilla" is larger than the Standard Chinchilla but otherwise identical. Standard Chinchillas bred for large size produced this breed.
Giant Chinchilla
- Weight: 12-16 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard
The Giant Chinchilla is a result of crosses between Chinchilla breeds and Flemish Giants; it originates in the United States. This breed is used primarily as a commercial meat rabbit.
Cinnamon
- Weight: 8-11 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard
Originating in Montana in the 1960s, this breed was accepted by the ARBA in 1972. It is a meat rabbit noted for its rust or "cinnamon" color complimented by grey ticking on the tips of the fur.
Dutch
- Weight: 3.5-5.5 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Black, Blue, Chocolate, Steel, Gray, Tortoise
This old breed was first bred in the Netherlands and brought to England in 1864; it is still very popular today. The markings consist of a white stripe down the face, a white stripe around the front torso (including front legs), white on the ends of the hind feet, and some other color over the rest of the body. Dutch rabbits are primarily judged on their markings, though body type plays a small role. As the markings are a pure genetic trait, Dutch patterns can also appear in other breeds of rabbit.
Dwarf Hotot
- Weight: 1-3 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard
Dwarf Hotots are essentially dwarf-sized versions of the Hotot breed, a white rabbit whose only marking is a black circle around each eye. Dwarf Hotots are actually genetically black rabbits that carry a "bleaching" gene that turns most of the fur white except for the distinctive eye-lining. However if one is wounded, the fur will often come back black.
Two different German breeders created this breed almost simultaneously in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, the breed first entered the United States. These small rabbits are known for having somewhat fiery temperaments.
English Spot
- Weight: 5-8 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Black, Blue, Chocolate, Gold, Gray, Lilac, Tortoise
The English Spot is an old breed suspected to have origins similar to that of the Checkered Giant, including Flemish Giants and some kind of spotted wild rabbit. English Spots have been bred in England since the 1880s, and the first English Spots imported to America were from England. This breed is mostly white, with coloring on the nose, ears, and around the eyes, and chains of colored spots along its sides including a black stripe down its spine.
The English Spot is a very active breed because of its high arch and needs at least 2 hours of running time each day. English Spot's make good pets because they are generally quite docile, but like most rabbits, they do have a few ‘mad March hare moments’! They will happily tolerate other pets included Guinea Pigs and familiarise themselves with domestic cats.
More recently, breeders in the UK have been able to cross the English Spot with smaller rabbit breeds. It has been quite a slow process, although the latest families of offspring are showing muted-grey markings of the English Spot including the spine stripe, eye patches, and nose patch. Currently, this ‘scaled down’ version of the English Spot is not recongnised by professional bodies, but is recongnised amongst some breeders as the 'Mini English'. The Netherland Dwarf, however can be showin in the UK in any recognised colour for any breed so there are a few dedicated breeders who can be seen with English marked Netherland Dwarves.
Flemish Giant
- Weight: 13 - 20+ lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Black, Blue, Fawn, Light Gray, Sandy, Steel Gray, White
During the 16th and 17th century, Dutch Traders may have brought back giant Patagonia Rabbits from the Argentine Republic to Europe. The large rabbits of Flanders were well known at the time and may have been cross bred with the Patagonian. The name Flemish comes from Flanders. But because the Flemish exhibits the same body type and appearance as the Patagonian, it seems obvious that our favorite Giant is decended from the wild Argentine rabbit. There is no verifiable record of the Flemish Giant Rabbit until 1860. Travelers from Flanders spoke of the giant rabbits raised in that country. English rabbit breeders, raising the typical 7-8 lb. rabbit, were having trouble meeting the demand for rabbit meat in their country. So some of these "Giants" were imported to England and it was only a matter of time before they began showing up at local rabbit shows. The original Flemish Giant was typically impressive in size, about 14 lb., and of a dirty iron grey color with sandy or white bars on the legs and long ears with bent tips.
Today Flemish Giants are a popular breed to show and own as pets.
Florida White
- Weight: 4-6 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard
This breed was originally created in Florida in the 1960s as a small meat rabbit and white laboratory rabbit. It is generally thought that Polish, Dutch, and New Zealand White rabbits were combined to create the Florida White.
Harlequin
- Weight: 7-9.5 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Japanese, Magpie
At one time, Harlequin rabbits were known as "Japanese"; this misleading name lives on in the most common style of marking in the breed. Originating in France, this fur and meat breed is uncommon in America. It is known for its docile temperament and distinctive markings. Japanese-marked Harlequins are orange and black in a split pattern down the front of the body--half black and half orange, like a court jester, hence the name "Harlequin." Black and orange stripes appear on the animal's sides. The Magpie markings are similar but substitute the orange for white.
Havana
- Weight: 4.5-6.5 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Black, Blue, Chocolate
In Holland in 1898, the first Chocolate Havana appeared in a litter from a Dutch doe that was housed with other breeds. They gained recognition throughout Europe in the early 1900s, and they were accepted by the ARBA in 1916. In 1965, Blues were recognized, and the Black variety was recognized in 1980.
For any one who wants avery soft lovable house rabbit this is for you. It is great with kids because of its wonderful laid back attitude and is a great 4-H or FFA Fit and Show rabbit. The Chocolate variety is the most popular because of its deep chocolate color.
Himalayan
- Weight: 2.5-4.5 lb.
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac
The Himalayan is an old breed long-known in Asian countries in the region of the Himalayan Mountains. It is more widely distributed throughout the world than any other rabbit breed. Like a Himalayan cat, the Himalayan rabbit is white with dark points on the nose, ears, and feet. The original variety had Black points, but later breeders created the Blue, Chocolate, and Lilac varieties.
The Himalayan is the only breed classified as cylindrical - long bodied like a cylinder or tube. When shown, the judge judges this breed posed in a "stretched out" position.
Jersey Wooly
The Jersey Wooly, also known as the Dwarf Angora weighs about 3 pounds with a bold head and easy-care wool fur on their body.Lilac
Weighing up to 7 pounds, first bred in the UK around 1913. It has a dense silky fur evenly coloured throughout in a pinkish dove shade, and of course lilac to lavendar color.Lionhead
Is one of the newest breed of domesticated rabbits. It has particularly long hair surrounding the face, which reminds one of the mane of a male lion, hence the name. Other characteristic traits of the lionhead include a rounded head and small size, usually between 2.5 and 3.5 pounds. It also tends to have slightly shorter ears than most breeds.The Lionhead rabbit originated in Belgium. It is reported to have been produced by breeders trying to breed a long coated dwarf rabbit by crossing a miniature Swiss Fox and a Belgian dwarf. The Lionhead seemed to have been more popular than the long coated dwarf, and so breeders carried on this trend in breeding them intentionally, and so came what we know today as the Lionhead rabbit.
The breed has been recognised by the British Rabbit Council, however as of yet it is not a recognised breed in the US.
Lop
Is one of the oldest breeds of domesticated rabbits. Four types of lops: French Lop, Holland Lop, Dwarf Lop, English Lop, Mini Lop.- American Fuzzy Lop: Similar to a Holland Lop in structure and type, but with angora wool
- French-is thought to have been produced by crossing the English Lop with an unknown breed.
- Holland Lop-the Holland Lop is to be heavily muscled, short coupled, compact and well balanced in length, width, and depth. The shoulders and chest should be broad and well filled, same as the hindquarters. The head being massive in appearance setting high on the shoulders and close to the shoulders showing no neck. With the depth almost equal at the top of the shoulder as over the hindquarters. The legs are to be short, thick, straight, and heavily boned for the size of the animal. Ears are to be bell-shaped and short, no longer than 1 inch below the chin.
- English: Bred in a limited variety of colours, the most popular being sooty fawn. Others are black, fawn and marked varieties of these colours. Famous for their long ears, often growing over 20 inches in length!
- Dwarf-A newer breed that originated by crossing the French lop with a Dwarf.
- Mini Lop or German Lop
- External link: Lop-eared rabbit club of america
In the United Kingdom there are many similar breeds of Lop but sometimes with different names.
The smallest of these is the Miniature Lop, similar to the Holland Lop weighing around 3lb and being a close relative of the Netherland Dwarf The next smallest is the Dwarf Lop at a little over 5lb, followed by the English, German, Meissener and French Lop breeds. The Meissener is a very rare breed available in only a couple of colours and is hardly ever seen at shows.
Unfortunately, the rapid selective breeding in different types of lops over the past few decades does leave some strains of the breed susceptible to dental problems because the skull and jaws have been unable to evolve properly and have become un-aligned. The general structure of the skull is also different to other breeds as Charles Darwin observed many years ago :External link: * which can produce distorted skulls when crossing with normal eared rabbits.
Mini Rex
This little rabbit has the fur of the Rex, but in a small size 3-4 1/2 pounds, it had plush velvet fur from the mutation causing no visible guard hairs in their coat. They are very popular with exhibitors in the ARBA and are good for a child to start with due to their small size. They are also one of the easiest to breed of the dwarf rabbits, and are very good mothers.
Mini Satin
Thanks to dedicated Satin breeders across America, the Mini Satins are here! This Shinny little bunnies have just been accepted into the ARBA Standard of Perfection in 2005. They are small, 3-4 pounds, and are only recognized in one color so far, white. Other varieties are being developed and will be perfected soon. They are small versions of the Satin, with a round well filled body. They cary the genetic mutation that cause the guard hairs to have a glass clear coating, giving them the beautiful sheen of a Satin.Netherland Dwarf
- Main article: Netherland dwarf rabbit
Although a very small rabbit, Netherland Dwarf's do benefit greatly from daily use of a good sized outdoor run or grazing ark. Some individuals exercise an incredible ‘vertical leap’ behavior when playing and would appreciate a run height the same as that of larger rabbit breeds and an equal ‘perimeter size’ to scamper round.
New Zealand
New Zealand rabbits are available in three ARBA-recognized colors: white, red, and black. The Red has bright golden red fur with a slightly harsher coat than the other colors. The white is the most common color and was first bred in the USA for commercial purposes.Palomino
Weighing 9-10 pounds. The body is to be of medium length with firm flesh, well developed shoulders, and well filled and rounded hindquarters. The top line should have a gradual arc smoothly rising upward from the neck reaching it’s high point at the loin hip and sloping downward towards the tail. The surface color is to have as little variation as possible. The Golden variety is to be a bright golden shade over a cream to white undercolor. The Lynx variety has a medium pearl grey surface color blending to an orange beige intermediate color over a cream to white undercolor.Polish
First bred in Holland. The red-eyed white is the most common. The English Polish rabbit has only recently been introduced into the USA, it has a separate classification and is called the Britannia Petite.Rex
The Rex breed is distinguished by its lovley velvet fur. A medium size rabbit, they can be 7-9 pounds. They come in 15 different colors. Rex fur is a genetic mutation that results in no guard hair production. The resulting coat is short, plush and very dense as it is what would be called undercoat on a normal fured rabbit. They are full of personality and make lovely pets.- Mini Rex - weighing around 4 1/2 pounds. Short and rather close coupled, it is moderately well filled with flesh. The ideal length of fur is 5/8 inch, and is to have a lustrous appearance, good body, and a plush-like effect which offers a distinct springy resistance to the touch. This breed is also referred to as a "Velveteen" rabbit.
Rhinelander
Weighing 6-8 pounds, the body is to be well arched carried off the table, avoiding any tendency toward heaviness in the shoulder or hindquarters. Rhinelanders should exhibit length that gives a graceful appearance, width of a well rounded body, and a smooth top line blending into a rounded hindquarter. They should also display an appearance of alertness and springiness. The unique quality of the Rhinelander is based on three things: Type being first, Coloration and Markings being next with equal values.Satin
Weighing 8-11 pounds, the Satin is reccognized in 11 varieties by the ARBA. A genetic mutation found first in a litter of Havanas, the Satin fur is distinguished by a glass clear sheath to their guard hairs giving them a very high sheen. They are a commercial type rabbit, with one of the best meat to bone ratios. Excellent mothers, easy breeders and good growth rate makes them a very good choice for backyard meat production. They have beautiful colors with fur that can be worked into many beautiful items. They are the most popular of the commercial type rabbits exhibited in America today, and good quality stock can be found almost everywhere.- Satin Angora-weighing around 8.5 pounds. The Satin Angora is similar to the French Angora, but with silky, shiny wool.
Siberian
Weighing between 5-7 pounds, the Siberian Rabbit was first bred in the UK around 1930 although its ancestry is unclear. It is a very graceful rabbit with an attractive coat, coloured black, blue, brown or lilac.Silver
Weighing around 4-5 pounds, with silver specks of fur spot this rabbit's body. The colors of this rabbit are black (Silver Gray), blue (Silver Blue), fawn (Silver Fawn), and brown (Silver Brown.) All of which include silver hairs.Silver Marten
Weighing 5-7 pounds, four color varieties are available in this breed: black, blue, lilac, and chocolate. Longer white hairs should be ticked across the body. Crossing a Silver Marten with a Netherland Dwarf produces a perfectly ‘scaled’ version of the tradition Silver Marten strain.Silver Fox
Weighing 9-12 pounds, two color varieties are available in this breed: black and blue, black being the only one recognized by the ARBA's Standard of Perfection. The Silver Fox's fur is more coarse than the fur of other rabbits, one and half to two inched long, and when stroked from tail to head, the fur stands up. This is referred to as "no flyback" fur. The guard hairs are white. This combined with the length and coarseness of the fur resembles the fur of the Arctic Silver Fox for which the Silver Fox rabbit is named. The Silver Fox Rabbit is listed as "Critical" by the American Livestock Breed Conservancy, meaning there are less than 200 registered breeding adult Silver Fox rabbits in the Untied States and a global population of less than 2000.Smoke Pearl
The Smoke pearl was created in Scotland in 1926, it was originally known as Smoke Beige, the name was changed in 1932. The colour is light pearl grey and beige. The Siamese version has smoke on the saddle shading to pearl grey beige on the flank, chest and belly. The Marten version has white ticking, eye circles and belly.Sussex
The Sussex, a recent introduction is becoming increasingly popular. It is named after the county of origin, It comes in two colours, gold and cream.Swiss Fox
Weiging about 5.5-7 pounds. The Swiss Fox rabbits have 2 inch fur and come in many colors.Tan
Weighing about 4.5 pounds, tan rabbits make a good show animal. The undersides of this rabbit, which include the tail, stomach, chin, and ears, are colored in tan fur. The rest of the rabbit is colored in black, blue, brown, or lilac!Thrianta
The Thrianta is a beautiful orange breed of rabbit. It originated in the Netherlands and was produced by Mr Andrea. After being withdrawn from the list of recognised rabbit species in the Netherlands, the few remaining Thrianta rabbits were cross bred with the Sachsengold (which was developed in Germany by a breeder called Mr Bennack). The Sachsengold was very similar to the Thrianta, but the colour was not as intense. This cross breed was intended to deepen the Sachsengold's colour. The Sachsengold was renamed the Thrianta in 1979.
Thuringer
Weighing around 9 pounds, this thickset rabbit was first bred in Germany from Himalayans and Argentes. Its coat is yellow ochre or buff with bluish black guards hairs. it has darker hairs on its face and boots. this breed is usually only available from specialist breeders. they can come in a range of colours, although most commonly are yellow.Vienna
Weighing 8-12 pounds, the Vienna is an old Austrian breed which has recently been introduced into the UK. They come in two colours the Vienna Blue which has a dark, slate blue top colour with a lighter under colour and the Vienna White which has a silky white coat.References
- The Official Guide Book Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies, from the American Rabbit Breeders' Association, Inc.
- Angora Rabbit information website
- Giveusahome.co.uk Breed Listing
- Lionhead Rabbits information website
- Holland Lop Rabbits information website
- Snopes Urban Legends Reference Pages: Giant Rabbit
"List of rabbit breeds"