Rabbit Breeds
Breeds
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.
A detailed page on particular popular breeds will be added in March 2006
Alaska
Weight: 6-8 lbs.
Alaska rabbits were originally bred for their fur, originating in Germany from Argente and Himalayan rabbits. They are not ARBA-recognised.
American
Weight: 9-12 lbs.
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 lbs.
ARBA-accepted varieties: Agouti, Broken, Pointed White, Self (solid colour), 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 recognised by the ARBA in 1988.
American Sable
Weight: 7-10 lbs.
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 coloured 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 colouring of a Siamese cat.
Angora
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 recognised.
English Angora
Weight: 5-7 lbs.
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 lbs.
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 recognised Angora breeds.
Satin Angora
Weight: 8 lbs.
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. The Satin Angora's wool is said to be stronger for spinning than other varieties of Angora.
Giant
Weight: 10 lbs. 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. They are known for their gentle dispositions.
German
This breed is not recognised by the American Rabbit Breeders' Association and is strictly a commercial wool-producing breed.
Argente
There are four types of Argente, two of which are ARBA-recognised. All Argente breeds originated in France.
Champagne d'Argente
Weight: 9-12 lbs.
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 100 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.
Creme d'Argente
Weight: 8-11 lbs.
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.
Argente Bleu
Weight: 6 lbs.
This breed is not recognised by the ARBA. Its coat features an undercoat of lavender blue and guard hairs of bluish white. Overall it's a whitish grey rabbit with even blue ticking and is very pretty.
Argente Brun
This breed is not widely-seen in America and is not ARBA-recognised. Brought into England in the 1920's from France, the Argente Brun is very rarely seen in the United Kingdom as well.
Belgian Hare
Weight: 8 lbs.
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.
Beveren
Weight: 10-11 lbs.
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-recognised. There is a rare variety called the Pointed Beveren, which comes in the same colours but has white tipped hairs.
British Giant
Weight: 12.5 lbs. 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 lbs. 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-recognised Polish rabbit in the U.S. at the time of the Britannia's import to the States. The Britannia Petite is though to have been derived from small wild rabbits and is known for having a somewhat wild temperament.
Californian
Weight: 8-10 lbs.
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 lbs. or larger
ARBA-accepted varieties: Black, Blue
The Checkered Giant, a large, spotted rabbit, were first recognised 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 recognised by the ARBA(But we are listing only two, as the third is not bred for show, or as a pet, its bred for the dinner table.)
Standard Chinchilla
Weight: 5-7 lbs.
ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard
This breed originated in France and was first introduced after the First World War. The coat colour 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 for which this breed is named.
American Chinchilla
Weight: 8-12 lbs.
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.
Cinnamon
Weight: 8-11 lbs.
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" colour complimented by gray ticking on the tips of the fur.
Dutch
Weight: 3.5-5.5 lbs.
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 colour 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 lbs.
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 lbs.
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 colouring on the nose, ears, and around the eyes, and chains of coloured spots along its sides.
Flemish Giant
Weight: 15-16 lbs.
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 lbs., and of a dirty iron grey colour with sandy or white bars on the legs and long ears with bent tips.
Florida White
Weight: 4-6 lbs.
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 lbs.
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 lbs.
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 recognised, and the Black variety was recognised in 1980.
Himalayan
Weight: 2.5-4.5 lbs.
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.
Lionhead
Is one of the newest breed of domesticated rabbits.
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.
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.
English-(most popular Lop) Bred in a limited variety of colours, the most popular being sooty fawn. Others are black, fawn and marked varieties of these colours.
Dwarf-A newer breed that originated by crossing the French lop with a Dwarf.
Mini Lop or German Lop
Netherland Dwarf
Introduced into the UK in 1950, this breed is one of the smallest and is widely considered one of the cutest. It is bred in a wide variety of colours and patterns. Though it was originally of foul temper when it was first imported from the Netherlands, it is now a gentle but energetic rabbit breed. It is the breed of rabbit most commonly kept as a pet.
New Zealand
New Zealand rabbits are available in three ARBA-recognised colours: white, red, and black. The Red has bright golden red fur with a slightly harsher coat than the other colours. White is the most common colour 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 colour is to have as little variation as possible. The Golden variety is to be a bright golden shade over a cream to white undercolour. The Lynx variety has a medium pearl gray surface colour blending to an orange beige intermediate colour over a cream to white undercolour.
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
Weighing around 6-8 pounds, all the Rex varieties are of the same type, a graceful rabbit gently sloping up to well rounded hindquarters.
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, colouration and Markings being next with equal values.
Satin
Weighing 6-8 pounds, the Satin comes in over 20 colours, all of which have a velvety coat.
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 colours of this rabbit are black (Silver Gray), blue (Silver Blue), fawn (Silver Fawn), and brown (Silver Brown.) All of which include silver hairs.
Silver Fox
Weighing 5-7 pounds, four colour varieties are available in this breed: black, blue, lilac, and chocolate. Longer white hairs should be ticked across the body.
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 colours.
Tan
Weighing about 4.5 pounds, tan rabbits make a good pet. The undersides of this rabbit, which include the tail, stomach, chin, and ears, are coloured in tan fur. The rest of the rabbit is coloured in black, blue, brown, or lilac.
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.
