What type of rabbit breeds are there

The British Rabbit Council recognizes more than 50 rabbit breeds. In any rabbit breed organization, a breed standard is set for each rabbit breed, and this becomes the standard of perfection that rabbit breeders aspire to as they selectively breed these furry cuties. Gaining breed recognition by the American Rabbit Breeders Association is a process that takes many steps and several years. According to ARBA, any proposed rabbit breed must be new, not an existing breed that merely has a different coat structure or ear carriage.

Once awarded a Certificate of Development, the rabbit breeder must provide various documents and meet deadlines, including showing the breed successfully at three ARBA conventions within five consecutive years, and never having a failed showing two years in a row.

Multiple rabbits of the breed must be presented at each showing. Various other rules apply, and failure can mean that official breeder status is passed on to the next breeder who has a Certificate of Development for the proposed breed.

All rabbit breeds have their fans. In the early days of rabbit keeping, the focus was more on rabbits as stock animals rather than companions. Because of this, larger breeds were more popular in the early part of the 20th Century. In the United States today, rabbits are popular as members of the family and the smaller breeds reign. These breeds range from the tiny 2.

Bucking the trend toward smaller breeds was the New Zealand, which can weigh up to 12 pounds. Enjoy a few fun facts about rabbit breeds, as recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Google the rabbit breed name if you want more detailed information about them. You might think that with that name, it would originate from Alaska, but it is in fact from Germany.

The goal was to profit from the fur, but the venture failed, but the rabbit breed lived on. Image source: Ailura. The Angora rabbit is one of the oldest domesticated rabbit breeds out there. Exacly when it was created is unknown, but it did excist during the reign of King Henry VIII, wich ruled from to French royalty favoured this rabbit as a pet in the midt of the 18th century, and it spread across Europe in the end of the same century.

It was not imported to America until the early 20th century. The Angora rabbit is known for its big fluffy fur, wich is also the reason why the breed was created. This breed requires to be groomed regulary, otherwise the fur will overgrow and may result in pain and infection for the rabbit. In other words, not exactly the easiest pet rabbit breed to deal with. The Argente de Champagne rabbit breed is a very old breed that originates from the region of Champagne in France, hence the name.

When these rabbits are borned, their fur is pure black, but once they reach around 3 weeks of age, their coat starts to turn silverish, and by the age of 6 months they are completely silver colored. They also go by the nickname French Silvers, and there are six varieties of the Argente rabbit.

An adult Argente de Champagne weighs typically 4. British giants was bred from the Flemish giants in England in the s. These big buddies cam become up to 7 kilo and have the same size as a small dog. The British giant is the largest of all English rabbit breeds, yet they are smaller than the continental Flemish giants. The British giant was bred for a larger color variety like opal, white, sable, blue, grey and black. These rabbits needs to be groomed regular in order to keep the fur in top condition, otherwise it can become matted.

The fur is medium in lenght, dense and and soft. Average lifespan is 4 to 6 years, wich is quite low for rabbits. This breed is mainly common in England. While we are looking at giant rabbits, the breed that is considered the largest is the Flemish giant.

These gentle giants originates from Belgium and dates back to the 16th century. Unfortually these rabbits are commonly bred for meat and fur, but their calm nature and patience in being handled makes them suitable as pets too. The average Flemish giant weighs 15 pounds, or 6. Due to their big size they obviously needs much space to roam around on, so if you live in a small flat without any possibilities for having an outdoor area as well, this breed might not be the one for you.

Dutch rabbits are known for their unique cut-off fur patterns, suddenly going from one color on the back part to white on the front, with a two colored head. Even thou it got the name Dutch, these rabbits actually originate from England. Once upon a time, this breed was the most popular of all rabbit breeds. This however changed when the dwarf rabbits was created, yet it is still among the top 10 popular breeds worldwide. Dutch rabbits are generally calm in nature, easy to handle and easy to train, wich makes them a good choice for pets.

Average lifespan is years. Cashmere lops are a medium sized rabbit breed that originates from dwarf lops. They were discovered in in England in a nest of dwarf lop kits, but these guys had longer and thicker fur than the rest, and a new breed saw the light of day. They soon began to gain popularity, and in the 90s they started to appear in shows, wich made them gain more popularity and the breeding of them picked up. Cashmere lops are social, playful and friendly creatures with an average lifespan of 8 to 12 years, wich is actually quite a lot for rabbits.

These little guys requires regular grooming in order to prevent their long fur from becoming wooly and matted. Dwarf hotots are energetic, playful and affectionate rabbits that was made by crossing several breeds with the hotot in the s Germany.

These rabbits have a unique look with their short ears and black borders around the eyes on the white rabbits. Dwarf hotos was first brought to USA in the beginning of the s and they are now a favoured pet breed due to their small size, making them require less room and food, yet as with all rabbits, they should be free roaming and not locked up in cages.

The expected life span of dwarf hotos range from 7 to 10 years, the fur is short and dense and requires very little attention from the owner. Dwarf lop is another popular tiny rabbit breed. Adult rabbits weighs around 2 to 2. The average life span of the dwarf lop rabbit breed is from 5 to 8 years.

Dwarf lops gained popularity in England during the s and s, after being recognized as a rabbit breed by the British Rabbit Council in the end of the s.

Yes we know, quite confusing. These rabbits comes in lots of different colors. English lops was created through selective breeding in England during the 19th century, in order to create a fancy breed of pets.

Check out our in-depth article and learn why lionhead rabbits are great pets! Flemish Giants are notoriously one of the oldest, calmest, and largest breed of rabbit in existence. Due to their easy-going, laid-back personalities, they are a considered as a favorite breed to have as a pet.

They are dually popular in the show arenas. See our in-depth article and learn why these friendly giants are a beloved breed! Holland Lop rabbits are a small breed that have a short, stocky and almost boxy body type, somewhat resembling that of a Bulldog. They have short, lopped ears and a pronounced tuft of fur on top of their heads. The average weight of this breed is typically plus or minus that of 3.

They are available in a wide variety of colors. Due to their size and personalities, Holland Lops are very popular as show and pet rabbits. Learn why holland lops are considered to be the cutest rabbit pets! Collectively, however, they are the largest breed in existence and can generally be found to weigh on the average of 18 — 22lbs.

They are also notorious for having very large, erect ears. Continental Giants are available in various colors, but there is a standard of 8 base colors. They are exceptionally intelligent and thrive best with high amounts of human interaction. As such, they are highly desired as pets, and their popularity is growing in the show circuits as well. Check out our article about this large eared giant! They generally weigh around 2. Being as small as they are, and with such high energy levels, it is common for them to exhibit aggression.

If choosing a Netherland Dwarf as a pet or for show purposes, it is suggested to choose wisely, especially if the bunny is intended for a child. Get to know more about Netherland dwarf bunnies!

Dutch rabbits are identifiable by their uniquely specific combined colors of white plus another base-color, in an exact pattern of markings. They are approximately 4lbs in weight, with short, compact bodies, and short erect ears. Generally speaking, they are a docile breed, which makes them a good choice as a pet. They are common, also, in the rabbit show arenas. Learn more about Dutch rabbits! English Lops are a large breed which is instantly noticed for their excessively long, lopped ears, which are an average length of inches from tip to tip.

These calm, easy-natured bunnies are typically around 12lbs in weight, and are readily available in multiple colors. Most owners of English Lops choose to show them, however they are well suited as nice pets. Make sure to read our in-depth article about English lops! French Lops are a medium, or commercial sized breed of rabbit which is highly prized for their sweet, calm, intelligent characteristics. They have a boxy-style head, with lopped ears. There are quite a few colors to choose from with this breed, and they are generally an excellent choice as a pet, and for showing purposes.