Domestic Rabbit Breeds – An Ideal List
Are you looking to get a rabbit but don’t know which breed to choose? Let’s take a look at the most common pet breeds (if you want to know more about their basic care, check out our article How to Take Care of a Rabbit – An Introduction).
Dwarf breeds
Hotot dwarf
– Origin: Germany.
– Characteristics: Soft, fine and abundant hair, brown eyes with a black circle around the eyes, short ears covered with many hairs.
– Color: white.
– Weight: 1.2 kgs.
– Character: docile and sociable, affectionate and playful.
Polish small
– Origin: The exact origin is unknown, he can come from Belgium, England or Germany.
– Characteristics: long and straight legs, expressive eyes, compact body, short thick hair, oval head, very small and erect ears.
– Colors: Among the many variables we have: black, chocolate, blue-gray, and white with blue or ruby eyes.
– Weight: 800 grs. – 1.2 kgs.
– Character: Sociable, active, playful, freedom-lover; requires you to spend time playing with him and sharing funny moments.
Longevity: 6-8 years.
Netherland dwarf
– Origin: Netherlands.
– Characteristics: compact body, large eyes, short erect ears, short thick hair. Prone to dental problems, it´s recommended to take him to the vet regularly.
– Colors: comes in a variety of them: plain satin, white, black, chocolate, gray, orange, agouti (each hair with colored varieties resulting in brown-gold, as in the first image above), chinchilla (named after the characteristic color of chinchillas) and squirrel.
– Weight: 900 grs. – 1.2 kgs.
– Character: One of the most popular breeds as a pet. Docile, noble, gentle, curious and restless.
– Longevity: 7-9 years.
Dwarf rex
– Origin: France.
– Characteristics: bulging eyes, short, dense and velvety hair, upright ears and long legs.
Colors: amber, white (with red or dark eyes), chinchilla, dark and light brown, black, lilac (gray-purple), red, orange, chocolate, blue, broken (white with brown, black or mixed spots as in the picture above).
– Weight: 1.5 kgs.
– Character: very active, good temperament, enjoys cuddles and the company of people.
– Longevity: 10 years with proper care.
Medium breeds
Lionhead
– Origin: Belgium.
– Characteristics: erect ears, body covered by a wooly coat, longer hair around the legs, and head and tail like those of a lion (his long coat makes it necessary to comb him daily with metal combs designed for long hair) .
– Colors: There´s a variety of them: chinchilla, orange, gold, black, blue, lilac, chocolate and white with blue or ruby eyes.
– Weight: 1.5 – 1.9 kgs.
– Character: Sociable, friendly and peaceful, he´s smart and can get to understand simple commands such as “come”, “play” and “eat”.
– Longevity: 7-8 years.
Holland lop
Image: Alexander Horn.
– Origin: Netherlands.
– Characteristics: big floppy ears that attract much attention and a fur that is fine, dense and moderately long. Solid body, rounded hips and short, strong legs.
– Colors: among the many varieties we have plain colors like white, gray, chocolate, black, shaded blue, agouti and broken.
– Weight: 1.5 kgs average.
– Character: Sociable, friendly, lively, restless, affectionate, very gentle and not aggressive.
– Longevity: 7-8 years.
Belier or German lop
– Origin: Germany.
– Characteristics: medium-length hair, brown eyes, round face, robust body and broad, thick, long and floppy ears.
– Colors: Among the great variety of colors there´s white (with blue or ruby eyes), black, blue, lilac, chocolate and broken.
– Weight: 2.5 – 2.7 kgs.
– Character: very docile, quiet and likes to feel accompanied by people.
– Longevity: 6-8 years.
Large breeds
Rex
– Origin: France.
– Characteristics: long body, large and strong hind legs, long and upright ears and a velvety, short, thick fur.
– Colors: Among the variety of them we have black, brown, chinchilla, chocolate, lilac, amber and white.
– Weight: 3.5 – 4.5 kgs.
– Character: very alert, likes to play and has a balanced temperament. Prefers to rest during the day and is more active at night.
– Longevity: 6 years.
English lop
– Origin: UK.
– Characteristics: short and very soft hair to the touch, front legs larger than hind legs, very long ears that are dragged on the ground (it´s the breed with the largest ears) and that need special care; their nails also need attention to prevent them from doing damage to their ears.
– Colors: beige and lion (dark blonde).
– Longevity: 7-10 years.
– Weight: 4.0 – 4.5 kgs.
– Character: Very docile and quiet.