The Ultimate Guide to Pet Rabbit Breeds

There are a number of pet rabbit breeds to choose from. But if you have decided to bring a pet rabbit in to your home, you may already have realized that there are quite a few varieties. Depending upon your individual circumstances and experience owning small pets you may find one particular rabbit breed suits you best. In this article we will cover a number of the most popular pet rabbit breeds and how you can distinguish between them even as a non-experienced small pet owner.

American Rabbit

The American rabbit weighs in at anywhere from nine to twelve pounds and has a rather pear-shaped body. There are two different varieties of American rabbit that are distinguished by their coat color: the blue and the white. The blue American rabbit has blue grey eyes and a bluish grey shade of fur. The white American rabbit has pink eyes and a solid white coat.

American Fuzzy Lop Rabbit

The American fuzzy lop rabbit is the result of crossbreeding of Holland lop and angora rabbits which results in long hair that requires more grooming time than the American rabbit. The American fuzzy lop has a fairly compact body and comes in many more color varieties than the American breed. The possible colors for the American fuzzy lop include: chestnut, chinchilla, blue, squirrel and Siamese sable.

Angora Rabbit

The Angora is known for having a particularly long and wooly coat, this results in a demand for much more grooming that many other breeds. There are four varieties of Angora rabbit: the English angora, French angora, satin angora and giant angora. The English angora is more compact in size than other angora rabbits and is by far the most popular of all angora breeds. The French angora is similar in appearance to the English angora however it is longer in the body and has much less fur on its legs, head and ears. The satin angora is fairly similar in stature to the English and French angora; however, they have a much shinier coat that sets them apart. The giant angora is a particularly large breed of angora and weighs approximately nine pounds and has a coat that resembles that of the English angora.

Californian Rabbit

The Californian rabbit is a heavy rabbit with a solid white coat with the exception of the feet, tail, ears and nose which are all tipped with color. The color of these extremities varies, but can be lilac, chocolate, blue or black.

Dutch Rabbit

The Dutch rabbit is a particularly popular breed when it comes to pets. The color of the Dutch coat can be steel-gray, pearl gray, brown gray, black, tortoiseshell and chocolate, blue and yellow. The Dutch can weigh anywhere from three to five pounds and has white markings on the front legs, chest, tips of the back legs and a blaze.

Flemish Giant Rabbit

The Flemish giant rabbit can weigh as much as fifteen pounds and sometimes more! This giant rabbit, despite its size is still a favorite among pet owners with its long hefty body. The Flemish giant comes in a number of colors including gray, blue, black and white.

Havana Rabbit

The Havana rabbit is small, weighing in at around five pounds and it is characterized by a compact medium length body. This rabbit comes in three main colors: blue, black or chocolate and the eyes are always red.

Himalayan Rabbit

The Himalayan is a long-bodied rabbit which is also particularly light weighing in at between three and four pounds! The coat of the Himalayan is always white; however, it is marked with various color markings that can be lilac, blue, black or chocolate in color.

Hotot Rabbit

The Hotot is a white rabbit that is characterized by the presence of black circles around the eyes. These rabbits are slightly heavier than many other breeds weighing in at around nine pounds.

Lop Rabbit

The lop rabbit is one of the more recognizable rabbits with their long and droopy ears. While these make great pets and have gentle temperaments they are also much more prone to ear problems such as infections due to the fact that their ears hang low. There are four types of Lop rabbit, the mini lop, the Holland lop, the French lop and the English lop.

Netherland Dwarf Rabbit

The Netherland dwarf is a small rabbit that weighs around two pounds each! These small rabbits are often confused for babies even when they are fully grown. The Netherland dwarf has large eyes and particularly small ears and comes in a considerable number of colors and patterns. Some people believe that this species is the result of breeding between the Polish and the small wild rabbit.

Palomino Rabbit

The Palomino is a large rabbit breed that weighs in at just less than ten pounds. The palomino is recognizable by its arched back and unique color. There are two color variations for the palomino, the golden and the lynx. The golden colored palomino rabbit is extremely similar in color to the palomino horse which is where the breed gets its name.

Rex Rabbit

The rex rabbit is one of the most commonly recognized breeds for those who love to keep them as pets. The coat of the rex has a texture like velvet and can be a number of colors. The texture of the coat alone is one of the reasons that many people choose to keep the rex rabbit as a pet.

Silver Rabbit

The silver rabbit weighs in at anywhere from four to seven pounds. This breed is unique in the appearance of its coat which comes in a small variety of colors including: brown, black and fawn with a blue-silver undercoat.

Beveren Rabbit

The beveren rabbit is pear-shaped and is favored by parents of smaller children who want to keep rabbits. These rabbits weigh in at anywhere from eight to twelve pounds which makes them somewhat hardier than other rabbits that are smaller in stature. The coat of the beveren rabbit is thick and soft and comes in a number of colors including brown, lilac, black, white, and light lavender blue.

Belgian Hare

The Belgian hare is another large rabbit that weighs in at around nine pounds on average. This breed of rabbit is so named because of its similarities to the hare: long back legs and longer ears. It is important to keep in mind that this breed is named as a result of physical similarities and not because it is actually a hare. The Belgian hare comes in either a chestnut color or red tan color with a light blue under coat. The coat hair is also characterized by black ticking that runs along the ears and down the length of the body.

Britannia Petite Rabbit

The Britannia petite is a particularly small rabbit and weighs in at around two pounds with a coat that is either all black or all white. This breed is so small and delicate that extra care has to be taken when keeping these rabbits and they are not recommended for a home with small children who are likely to mishandle them.

Crème D’Argent

The Crème D’Argent is a small breed for the argent family of rabbits weighing in at between eight and eleven pounds. The undercoat of this rabbit is recognized for its orange hue where the top coat is smooth cream color.

Video: Which Pet Rabbit Breed Should You Get?

Trying to decide which breed to get for a pet? Don’t get too caught up on the type of rabbit, focus more on the personality to find a good fit. This video briefly explains more about why and shows you a few different varieties.

Factors to Consider in Choosing the Right Rabbit for You

There are a number of things to consider when bringing a new pet in to any home, but particularly with small animals there are additional considerations to be made. There are a large number of breeds which often make the choice of which rabbit is for you an easier process. It is essential to do all of your research on any breed of rabbit that you think may be the right fit for you however, since without proper care a rabbit (or any other animal) will suffer both psychologically and physically. When determining which breed you want to incorporate in to your family take every consideration under advisement: do you have small children, do you have rough children, does your chosen breed require extra grooming, does your chosen breed have special dietary needs, does your chosen breed require a second rabbit to thrive…these are all things that will affect your final choice.

If you feel that a specific breed mentioned above is the right choice for you, make sure that you do your research and know everything possible before seeking out a rabbit breeder or rescue organization that can supply you with your new pet. Keep in mind that a happy pet will yield a happy owner.

Do you like having a pet rabbit?