The different types of Rabbits

Submitted by Admin on 03/04/2009

Domestically, the main types of rabbits are:

The Dutch Rabbit

The Dutch rabbit has a very friendly nature and makes an ideal pet, its not as small as a dwarf rabbit, but never grows to the size of some of the larger types. Its coat is quite unusual making it distinctive to look at, with the front of the rabbit being white fur and the rear darker fur with white feet, the face is mostly the darker colour but with a white narrow area that runs down the face and opens up to the nose. The Dutch rabbits can usually be found in 8 different colours.

The English Rabbit

One of the oldest fancy breeds the English Rabbit dates back the 1800's its colour includes a dark stripe down the back with matching colour spots on the sides on a back ground of white. Its common to find the English in a number of colours including black, blue, tortoise shell, and chocolate. This is a very friendly breed, ideal as pets.

The Netherland Dwarf rabbit

Also referred to as the dwarf Polish rabbit, the Netherland actually evolved from the Polish in the early 1800's, it became more popular in the mid 20th century, and is the smallest of the current breeds generally available. It can be a huge number of colours, a small nose and unusually small ears, although its not as friendly as some other breeds.

Dwarf Lop Rabbit

The Dwarf Lop has become hugely popular in recent years, with the classic floppy rabbit ears the dwarf was originally bred in the Netherlands. The rabbits actually are born with upright ears but as they grow older and the ears increase in size they flopp.

The Rex Rabbit

Originally the Rex rabbit was used extensively in the fur trade due to its very smooth coat, nowadays its very popular as a pet. If you are planning to keep a Rex as a pet, its important to ensure they have a thick layer of bedding in their hutch as they are prone to sores on the hind legs.

The types of rabbit we have reviewed so far are all relatively small, making them often suitable for pets with owners that have young children as they are of course smaller and easier for children to hold. Below we have a selection of large rabbit types, be aware some of these may grow up to 9kg in size:

Flemish Giant rabbit

Weighing in at up to 9kg this is a large rabbit, most commonly found steel grey in colour, but it can be found in pure white, black and blue. The Flemish makes a great house pet, they settle into a home environment very quickly and can be trained to use a litter tray at a young age, they are also very calm and friendly.

Belgium hare

The Belgium hare is in fact a rabbit, although its body is slim and athletic carictaristics usually associated with a hare. Its a deep chestnut in colour and due to its long body you will need to ensure you have a rabbit hutch with suitable headroom to allow the rabbit to sit back on its hind legs without hitting its head.

Beveren

Originating from Belgium the Beveren rabbit is quite large and grows up to around 5kg, its coat is very soft and silky. Traditionally the coat is a lavendar colour, although later in its development it became available in black, and today is available in a whole variety of colours.