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.
Cristina Pichon
Cristina Pichon is a psychologist with a specialization in clinic psychology from Complutense University of Madrid. Since 2012 she has dedicated herself exclusively to researching the animal world, with an emphasis on dogs and cats with mobility problems. Her biggest aspiration in life is creating an animal shelter, and she knows that, eventually, dreams come true.
