Fact About Rabbit - Dutch

The Dutch rabbit, easily identifiable by its characteristic colour pattern, was once the most popular of all rabbit breeds. However, after dwarf rabbits were developed, the popularity of the Dutch rabbit dwindled. Nevertheless, the Dutch rabbit remains one of the top ten most popular breeds worldwide.

"Although the name suggests that the Dutch rabbit is from the Netherlands, it was actually developed in England. During the 1830s rabbits were imported to England from Ostend in Belgium every week for the meat market. Amongst these rabbits was a breed known as the Petite Brabancon, as it originated from Brabant in Flanders. The Petite Brabancon may still be found in paintings from the fifteenth century. The Dutch rabbit has its genetic roots in this old breed. The Petite Brabancon would often display Dutch markings, and breeders in England selected those with even markings, fixing those markings into the breed we know today."^[1]

Dutch are popular both as pets and among show breeders.

Appearance

American Grand Champion Black Dutch buck showing correct marking pattern

The American Rabbit Breeders Association standard calls for a small to medium rabbit. Dutch are a 4-class breed. Junior bucks and does are those under 6 months of age with a minimum weight of 1.75 lbs. Seniors are 6 months of age and over, weighing between 3.5 and 5.5 lbs, with 4.5 being the ideal weight. Dutch are to have a compact, well-rounded body; rounded head; short, stocky, well-furred ears; and short, glossy "flyback" fur. Six colors (in conjunction with white) are recognized for show:

Black, a dense, glossy black

Blue, a medium blue-gray

Chocolate, a rich chocolate brown

Gray, (UK: Brown Grey) an Agouti color similar to that of the American cottontail, with bands of color on the hairshaft which produce a ring effect when blown into

Steel, (UK: Steel Grey) a black color with off-white tips to the hairshaft

Tortoise, (UK: Tortoiseshell) a bright, clean orange with slate blue shadings along the ears, whisker beds and hindquarters.

In the UK, Yellow (US: Gold) and Pale Grey (no US equivalent) Dutch are also recognized for show. New varieties under development in the United States include Harlequin (UK: Tri Coloured Dutch) (a pattern of black and orange patches) and Chinchilla. The Dutch rabbit originated in Holland, near the birthplace of the Netherland Dwarf. Both were considered strictly fancy showing animals at the time.

Despite its popularity, the Dutch rabbit has not changed much over the years. The most striking aspect of the breed is the marking pattern:

The blaze is an even wedge of white running up the rabbit's face. It is shaped by the cheeks which are the rounded circles of color on either side of the face. The neck marking is a white wedge on the back of the head. The saddle is to be a straight line running behind the shoulders and continuing underneath the rabbit to the undercut across the belly. The stops are located on the rear feet, which should be white from the toes to a point one third the length of the foot.

The American standard allots 50 of the 100 total points to markings, 25 points to general type, 10 points to color, 10 points to fur and 5 to condition.^[2]

The BRC and UKDRC Standard

A black and white Dutch rabbit

Ears short and strong, not pointed, and fairly broad at their base. (10 points)

Eyes bold and bright, fairly large. (5 points)

Blaze wedged shaped, carrying up to a point between ears.

Cheeks as round as possible, and coming as near to the whiskers without touching. Also covering the line of the jawbone. (15 points with Blaze)

Clean Neck means free from coloured fur immediately behind the ears. (10 points)

Saddle is the junction between the white and coloured fur on the back. This line to continue right round the animal in an even straight line. (10 points)

Undercut continuation of the saddle. To be as near up to the front legs as possible without touching them. (10 points)

Stops white markings on the hind feet, about 1 1/4 inches in length, and to cut cleanly round the foot in a similar manner to the saddle and undercut. (15 points)

Colour see below for colours. (10 points)

Shape (type) and Condition compact, cobby, rounded. Shape also means type. Weight and condition also have a bearing on shape or type. The ideal weight of an Adult Dutch should be 41/2 to 5lbs. Hard and firm in flesh. Back well covered with firm flesh. Not baggy in belly. Skin tight, gloss on coat, bright eyes, lively, alert. (15 points)

Classes for young Dutch rabbits are recommended by the UKDRC as being for Dutch rabbits under five months of age.

Disqualifications: Wrong coloured eyes (see Colour Standard). Discoloured or wall eyes (pale blue iris), specked eyes (pale blue spots or specks on the iris). Coloured fur on the White part or white patches on the coloured parts. Flesh markings (usually on ears). Trimming (attempts to straighten out irregularities, dyeing white spots on coloured fur etc). Malocclusion and mutilated teeth.

Black - Deep, solid and carrying well down to the skin, with blue under colour, the deeper the better. Free from white hairs and mealiness or flecking. Eyes dark hazel.

Blue - Deep, solid , slate blue, colour to carry well down to the skin. Blue under colour, the deeper the better. Free from white hairs and flecked or mealy coat. Eyes dark blue.

Steel Grey - Dark steel grey merging to pale slate blue in the undercolour. The whole interspersed with black guard hairs. The medium bright and evenly ticked shade is the one to aim for and the extreme tips of the fur will be tipped with steel blue or grey. The mixture to carry well down the sides, flanks and hind feet. Belly colour will be a lighter shade varying with the top colour. Upper part of the tail to match the body colour; underside to tone with the belly colour. Ears to match body, Eyes deep hazel.

Brown Grey - Slate blue at the base followed by a band of yellowy orange then a black line, finishing by light or nut brown tips to the fur. The whole interspersed by black guard hairs. That is the impression gained when the fur of the brown grey is parted. The general impression should be light or nut brown on ears, cheeks, body, hind feet and top of tail, the whole ticked with black hairs. Belly colour and eye circles (small as possible) bright straw colour. A lighter shade permissible under tail. Eyes hazel, deeper the better.

Pale Grey - Top colour biscuit carrying well down and merging in to pale slate at the base, the whole interspersed with black ticking. The general impression should be biscuit tipped with black on ears, cheeks, body and top of tail. Belly colour white with pale slate undercolour. Eye circle white but ideally non-existent or as small as possible. Body colour should be present on hind feet. Underside of tail white. Eyes hazel.

Tortoiseshell - An even shade of orange top colour to carry well down and shading off to a lighter colour to the skin. Ears, belly and under the tail blue-black. Cheeks and hind quarters (flanks) shaded or toned with blue black. Eyes hazel, the deeper the better.

Chocolate - Deep solid dark chocolate, colour carrying well down to the skin. Undercolour to match the top colour as near as possible. The deeper the under colour the better the top will appear. Free from white hairs and mealiness. Eyes hazel, the deeper the better.

Yellow - An even shade of yellow throughout. The exact shade is not so important as that the colour should be even and extend to the belly or undercut and no eye circles. In fact, a self colour free from chinchillation on cheeks and hind feet. Eyes hazel.

Description of terms used: Flecking or Mealiness - Individual hairs more than one colour in selfs. e.g. Blacks should be black at the tip of the fur, that colour carrying down the fur as far as possible, then merging into blue. In flecked or mealy exhibits the individual fur would be black, then dark grey, then a deeper shade before merging into blue at the base.

Chinchillation - A mixture of colours ticked with a darker shade, often found on the cheeks of yellows. The steel, pale and brown grey are chinchillated varieties to a certain extent.

The BRC has a separate standard for Tri Coloured Dutch.

Fact About Rabbit - Dutch

The Dutch rabbit, easily identifiable by its characteristic colour pattern, was once the most popular of all rabbit breeds. However, after dwarf rabbits were developed, the popularity of the Dutch rabbit dwindled. Nevertheless, the Dutch rabbit remains one of the top ten most popular breeds worldwide.

"Although the name suggests that the Dutch rabbit is from the Netherlands, it was actually developed in England. During the 1830s rabbits were imported to England from Ostend in Belgium every week for the meat market. Amongst these rabbits was a breed known as the Petite Brabancon, as it originated from Brabant in Flanders. The Petite Brabancon may still be found in paintings from the fifteenth century. The Dutch rabbit has its genetic roots in this old breed. The Petite Brabancon would often display Dutch markings, and breeders in England selected those with even markings, fixing those markings into the breed we know today."^[1]

Dutch are popular both as pets and among show breeders.

Appearance

American Grand Champion Black Dutch buck showing correct marking pattern

The American Rabbit Breeders Association standard calls for a small to medium rabbit. Dutch are a 4-class breed. Junior bucks and does are those under 6 months of age with a minimum weight of 1.75 lbs. Seniors are 6 months of age and over, weighing between 3.5 and 5.5 lbs, with 4.5 being the ideal weight. Dutch are to have a compact, well-rounded body; rounded head; short, stocky, well-furred ears; and short, glossy "flyback" fur. Six colors (in conjunction with white) are recognized for show:

Black, a dense, glossy black

Blue, a medium blue-gray

Chocolate, a rich chocolate brown

Gray, (UK: Brown Grey) an Agouti color similar to that of the American cottontail, with bands of color on the hairshaft which produce a ring effect when blown into

Steel, (UK: Steel Grey) a black color with off-white tips to the hairshaft

Tortoise, (UK: Tortoiseshell) a bright, clean orange with slate blue shadings along the ears, whisker beds and hindquarters.

In the UK, Yellow (US: Gold) and Pale Grey (no US equivalent) Dutch are also recognized for show. New varieties under development in the United States include Harlequin (UK: Tri Coloured Dutch) (a pattern of black and orange patches) and Chinchilla. The Dutch rabbit originated in Holland, near the birthplace of the Netherland Dwarf. Both were considered strictly fancy showing animals at the time.

Despite its popularity, the Dutch rabbit has not changed much over the years. The most striking aspect of the breed is the marking pattern:

The blaze is an even wedge of white running up the rabbit's face. It is shaped by the cheeks which are the rounded circles of color on either side of the face. The neck marking is a white wedge on the back of the head. The saddle is to be a straight line running behind the shoulders and continuing underneath the rabbit to the undercut across the belly. The stops are located on the rear feet, which should be white from the toes to a point one third the length of the foot.

The American standard allots 50 of the 100 total points to markings, 25 points to general type, 10 points to color, 10 points to fur and 5 to condition.^[2]

The BRC and UKDRC Standard

A black and white Dutch rabbit

Ears short and strong, not pointed, and fairly broad at their base. (10 points)

Eyes bold and bright, fairly large. (5 points)

Blaze wedged shaped, carrying up to a point between ears.

Cheeks as round as possible, and coming as near to the whiskers without touching. Also covering the line of the jawbone. (15 points with Blaze)

Clean Neck means free from coloured fur immediately behind the ears. (10 points)

Saddle is the junction between the white and coloured fur on the back. This line to continue right round the animal in an even straight line. (10 points)

Undercut continuation of the saddle. To be as near up to the front legs as possible without touching them. (10 points)

Stops white markings on the hind feet, about 1 1/4 inches in length, and to cut cleanly round the foot in a similar manner to the saddle and undercut. (15 points)

Colour see below for colours. (10 points)

Shape (type) and Condition compact, cobby, rounded. Shape also means type. Weight and condition also have a bearing on shape or type. The ideal weight of an Adult Dutch should be 41/2 to 5lbs. Hard and firm in flesh. Back well covered with firm flesh. Not baggy in belly. Skin tight, gloss on coat, bright eyes, lively, alert. (15 points)

Classes for young Dutch rabbits are recommended by the UKDRC as being for Dutch rabbits under five months of age.

Disqualifications: Wrong coloured eyes (see Colour Standard). Discoloured or wall eyes (pale blue iris), specked eyes (pale blue spots or specks on the iris). Coloured fur on the White part or white patches on the coloured parts. Flesh markings (usually on ears). Trimming (attempts to straighten out irregularities, dyeing white spots on coloured fur etc). Malocclusion and mutilated teeth.

Black - Deep, solid and carrying well down to the skin, with blue under colour, the deeper the better. Free from white hairs and mealiness or flecking. Eyes dark hazel.

Blue - Deep, solid , slate blue, colour to carry well down to the skin. Blue under colour, the deeper the better. Free from white hairs and flecked or mealy coat. Eyes dark blue.

Steel Grey - Dark steel grey merging to pale slate blue in the undercolour. The whole interspersed with black guard hairs. The medium bright and evenly ticked shade is the one to aim for and the extreme tips of the fur will be tipped with steel blue or grey. The mixture to carry well down the sides, flanks and hind feet. Belly colour will be a lighter shade varying with the top colour. Upper part of the tail to match the body colour; underside to tone with the belly colour. Ears to match body, Eyes deep hazel.

Brown Grey - Slate blue at the base followed by a band of yellowy orange then a black line, finishing by light or nut brown tips to the fur. The whole interspersed by black guard hairs. That is the impression gained when the fur of the brown grey is parted. The general impression should be light or nut brown on ears, cheeks, body, hind feet and top of tail, the whole ticked with black hairs. Belly colour and eye circles (small as possible) bright straw colour. A lighter shade permissible under tail. Eyes hazel, deeper the better.

Pale Grey - Top colour biscuit carrying well down and merging in to pale slate at the base, the whole interspersed with black ticking. The general impression should be biscuit tipped with black on ears, cheeks, body and top of tail. Belly colour white with pale slate undercolour. Eye circle white but ideally non-existent or as small as possible. Body colour should be present on hind feet. Underside of tail white. Eyes hazel.

Tortoiseshell - An even shade of orange top colour to carry well down and shading off to a lighter colour to the skin. Ears, belly and under the tail blue-black. Cheeks and hind quarters (flanks) shaded or toned with blue black. Eyes hazel, the deeper the better.

Chocolate - Deep solid dark chocolate, colour carrying well down to the skin. Undercolour to match the top colour as near as possible. The deeper the under colour the better the top will appear. Free from white hairs and mealiness. Eyes hazel, the deeper the better.

Yellow - An even shade of yellow throughout. The exact shade is not so important as that the colour should be even and extend to the belly or undercut and no eye circles. In fact, a self colour free from chinchillation on cheeks and hind feet. Eyes hazel.

Description of terms used: Flecking or Mealiness - Individual hairs more than one colour in selfs. e.g. Blacks should be black at the tip of the fur, that colour carrying down the fur as far as possible, then merging into blue. In flecked or mealy exhibits the individual fur would be black, then dark grey, then a deeper shade before merging into blue at the base.

Chinchillation - A mixture of colours ticked with a darker shade, often found on the cheeks of yellows. The steel, pale and brown grey are chinchillated varieties to a certain extent.

The BRC has a separate standard for Tri Coloured Dutch.

Fact About Rabbit - Holland Lop

Holland Lop with broken orange coloring Two-month-old Holland Lops A Holland Lop eating its basket A junior broken tortoise Holland Lop Two junior broken black Holland Lop does A three-month-old Holland Lop buck

Holland lops are a breed of rabbit originating in the Netherlands. The breed was recognized by the Netherlands' Governing Rabbit Council in 1964 and the American Rabbit Breeders' Association in 1979. They are popular house pets, known for their sweet temperament and nonaggressive behavior.

History

This breed marked its beginnings when Dutch rabbit breeder Adriann de Cock sought to combine the best qualities from two rabbit breeds, the French Lop (known for being large and having floppy ears) and the Netherland Dwarf, into a new breed.

In the winter of de Cock bred a white Netherland Dwarf doe to a French Lop buck, but obtained an undesirable litter. Unsatisfied, he decided to switch the genders in the breeds, breeding a French Lop doe and a Netherland Dwarf buck. The resulting litter of six, however, all possessed normal, erect ear carriage.

Subsequently, in 1952, de Cock took a doe from the litter of six to breed with an English Lop buck. Producing five young of mixed ear carriage between lopped, erect and half-lopped. As the lone fully-lop-eared doe was deemed too aggressive in nature, it was not subjected to further breeding and a half-lopped doe was instead bred with a buck from the original litter of six. In turn, the does from the original litter were bred with the bucks from the second litter. The resulting lopped young were selected from the litter and interbred with an emphasis on French lop characteristics (in order to compensate for the infusion of the English Lop during the breeding process). de Cock soon had a group of Holland Lops weighing between 2.5 to 3 kilograms. By January 1964, he bred the Holland Lops to a more desirable weight of less than 2 kilograms and presented four such specimens to the Netherlands Governing Rabbit Council, where the Holland Lop was recognized as a new breed. Soon thereafter, Aleck Brooks, founder of the Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club brought the breed to the United States in 1976 where they were subsequently recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders' Association in 1979.^[1]

Source: Holland Lop History at the Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club

Physical features

The Holland Lop is very popular and well-liked by many rabbit enthusiasts, pet owners and breeders, because of its compact size and attractiveness. It ties as the smallest breed of the lop-eared rabbits with the American Fuzzy Lop with an ideal weight of 3.5 lb (1.6 kg) for showing in American Rabbit Breeders' Association sanctioned shows. Their stocky, muscular-appearing body, is characterized by broad shoulders, deep chests, and short thick legs. The most common colors attributed to Holland Lops are toroise shell,broken tortoise shell, Broken Black and black, as well as several other colors.Many breeders are experimenting with finding a new color such as the blue eyed white.^[1] The Holland Lop shares a color guide in the ARBA Standards consisting of well over twenty colors with the fuzzy lop.

Fact About Rabbit - Angora

The Angora rabbit is a variety of domestic rabbit bred for its long, soft hair. The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, originating in Ankara, Turkey, along with the Angora cat and Angora goat. The rabbits were popular pets with French royalty in the mid 1700s, and spread to other parts of Europe by the end of the century. They first appeared in the United States in the early 1900s. They are bred largely for their long Angora wool, which may be removed by shearing, combing, or plucking. There are many individual breeds of Angora rabbits, four of which are ARBA recognized.They are English, French, Giant and Satin. Other breeds include German, Chinese, Swiss and Finnish, to name a few.

An English Angora rabbit

Coat and appearance

Angoras are bred mainly for their wool because it is silky and soft. They have a humorous appearance, as they oddly resemble a fur ball. Most are calm and docile but should be handled carefully. Grooming is necessary to prevent the fibre from matting and felting on the rabbit. A condition "wool block" is common in angora rabbits and should be treated quickly.^[1] These rabbits are shorn every three to four months throughout the year.

Medical Considerations

Rabbits are unique because they do not possess the same allergy-causing qualities as many other animals. The average rabbit can live for about 5-7 years when kept indoors and well-cared for. However, many outdoors rabbits have a shorter lifespan. Maintenance is a must. The Satin Angora has a much lower guard hair count and their wool becomes easy tangled. Regardless of breed, all Angoras must be monitored to prevent wool block, a condition where their innards become clogged with hair.

Breeds

There are four different ARBA-recognized Angora rabbit breeds: English, French, Giant and Satin. The German Angora is also common, but is not ARBA recognized. It has its own association; the IAGARB.

English

A ruby-eyed white English Angora doe.

• Weight: 2.0–3.5 kg (4.4–7.7 lb).
• ARBA-accepted varieties: Ruby Eye White, Pointed White, Self, Shaded, Agouti

Prior to the 1939, there was one breed of "Angora Wooler". In 1939, ARBA reclassified "Angora Wooler" into "English Type" and "French Type". In 1944, ARBA officially separate Angora rabbit into two breeds: English Angora and French Angora.

Rabbits of the angora breed are adorned with "fur," growths of wool on the ears and the entire face except above the nose, and front feet, along with their thick body, and wool. They are gentle in nature, but they are not recommended for those who do not groom their animals. Their wool is very thick and needs to be groomed twice a week.

This is the smallest Angora rabbit of the four breeds recognized by ARBA. This breed is more common as a pet because of the facial features that give it a puppy dog or teddy bear look. If the texture of the wool is correct, the maintenance is relatively easy; if the texture of the rabbit is cottony, it requires a great deal of maintenance.

The English angora can be bred to have broken colors, (ex: the rabbit is white with black spots.) This is not accepted by ARBA standards and would lead to a disqualification when showing the rabbit. When showing an English angora rabbit the toe nails should also be only one color, the ears could be folded over at the tips, and the furnishings on the face may cover their eyes.

French

A French Angora rabbit

• Weight: 3.5–4.5 kg (7.7–9.9 lb).
• ARBA-accepted varieties: Agouti, Pointed White, Self, Shaded, Ticked, Wide Band, and Broken.

This breed has a preponderance of guard hair on the surface, with wool as an undercoat. If the texture is correct, it requires less maintenance than other Angora breeds. Small ear tufts are allowed but not usually preferred by breeders. ARBA recognizes the same colors as with English Angora, plus broken. They are shown at ARBA shows using the types "white" and "colored" (broken being a colored). As with other ARBA shown rabbits toe nails should also be only one color.

The French Angora is one of the large Angora breeds at 7 1/2 to 10 lbs, with a commercial body type. It differs from the English, Giant and German Angora in that it possesses a clean face and front feet with only minor tufting on the rear legs. The color of a French Angora is determined by the color of its head, feet and tail (all the same color)

German

• Weight: 2.0–5.5 kg (4.4–12 lb).
• IAGARB-accepted varieties: all (not subject to ARBA standards)

This breed, while not ARBA recognized, is common in the United States and Canada. It looks much like the Giant Angora, the majority of German angora are ruby-eyed white or albino. Back in 2006 several Black German Angora were imported to the USA and Canada.

Many hand spinners have bred the German Angora with another type of colored angora (or non angora in some cases) in effort to acquire color in the more dense non-matting German- type wool. These resulting rabbits are called German crosses; not to be confused with the rabbits called German angora hybrids. Briefly explained, a German Hybrid is a rabbit that when you look at its 3 generation pedigree there are only 100% German angoras listed as ancestors.

A separate association for German angoras exists called the International Association of German Angora Rabbit Breeders, or IAGARB. Instead of conformation showing, the emphasis is on both the wool bearing properties & the body type charactaristics of the rabbit for commercial purposes. The rabbit must meet objective standards and perform well on 90 day shearing tests in order to be officially recognized as a registered German angora rabbit.

IAGARB will now also recognize colored [hybrid] German angora rabbits; and they may achieve a German registration if they conform to the IAGARB breed standard and prove their wool bearing ability by passing the Judges testing via 90 day wool shearing tests. Since IAGARB registration is independent of parentage or ancestry, any REW (ruby-eyed-white) or colored angora rabbit that meets the registration standards of the club can be registered as a German Angora. The notion that they come only in white is a common misconception, as the rules have recently been changed to include colored angoras as well as ruby eyed white.

Giant

A Giant Angora buck

• Weight: 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) or larger
• ARBA-accepted varieties: Ruby-Eyed White

The Giant Angora is the largest of the ARBA accepted angora breeds, having been created by Louise Walsh to be an efficient wool producing rabbit sustained with 16-18% alfalfa based rabbit feed & hay and living in the standard size all wire cages used for commercial breeds. Its coat contains three types of wool: under wool, awl, and guard hair; the awl type wool exists only on the giant and German angora. This breed should have furnishings on the face and ears. Many people confuse German angora with Giant angora, but they are not the same.

This is the largest of the four ARBA recognized Angora breeds. The only color ARBA officially recognizes for Giant angora is REW (Ruby Eyed White), or as more commonly referred to as an "albino"-indicating the absence of color pigment in the genetic makeup. The Giant Angora produces more wool than the French, Satin or English Angora. Like the German angora Giant Angora rabbits do not molt; And like the German Angora, they require their wool to be clipped or shorn off at least once every 90 days.

Since rabbits ingest their wool when they groom themselves clipping off of their wool at least once every 90 days is considered a must in order to prevent "wool block" from occurring. the wool swallowed by the rabbit can not be coughed or vomited up and will cause the rabbit to slowly starve to death as its digestive system and intestinal tract fill up with their ingested wool, if left untreated wool block can lead to death. It is widely held among serious angora breeders that along with ample cage space to exercise and feeding fresh horse quality hay on a daily basis will help keep the wool moving through the system and prevent wool block. it is also widely held that feeding both bromaline (found in fresh pineapple) and papaya occasionally will aid in breaking down the ingested wool, and aiding in its passage through the rabbits system.

Like many other "giant" breeds of rabbits the Giant Angora grows slowly. A senior doe usually takes 1+ yr to reach full maturity (size and weight). A senior buck, can take up to 1.5 years to fully mature (size and weight).

Satin

A broken satin Angora rabbit.

• Weight: 3.0–4.5 kg (6.6–9.9 lb).
• ARBA-accepted varieties: Agouti, Pointed White, Self, Shaded, Ticked, Wide Band

The Satin Angora is 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. Satin Angora's wool is said to be stronger for spinning than other varieties of Angora.

They are shown at ARBA shows using the types "white" and "colored"(broken not approved). As with other ARBA shown rabbits toe nails should also be only one color. The color of a Satin Angora is determined by the color of its head, feet and tail (all the same color).

This breed does not produce as much wool as other breeds of Angora rabbits. This trait is being improved upon by selective breeding. The wool should have a silky texture with good guard hair for ease of maintenance.

Personality

Angora Rabbits are active, playful and social with lots of personality. They enjoy the attention of their owner, as well as the companionship of other rabbits and often house angora will nap with a docile mannered cat. They enjoy having toys, for example a plastic ball, a pine cone, a piece of soft wood, a stuffed sock, or an old glove.

Fact About Rabbit - Lionhead

A lionhead rabbit

Lionhead rabbit is one of the newest breeds of domestic rabbits, excluding in the American Rabbit Breeders' Association. It has particularly long hair surrounding the face, reminiscent of the mane of a male lion, hence the name. Other characteristic traits of the Lionhead include a rounded head and small size, usually between 2.5 and 3.5 pounds. It also tends to have slightly shorter ears than most breeds.

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 Lionhead has a short well rounded body, and the head is bold with well developed muzzle. Their legs are of medium length and not too fine in bone. Their ears do not exceed 3 inches in length. Their mane is between 2-3 inches in length to form a full circle around the head, extending to a 'V' at the back of the neck falling into a fringe between the ears. Noticeably longer hair on the cheeks and chest. The coat is dense and of medium length, roll back and even all over body in adults.

The breed has been recognized since 2002 by the British Rabbit Council and the North American Lionhead Rabbit Club, however as of yet it is not a fully recognized breed in the American Rabbit Breeders' Association (ARBA). Currently ARBA is working on them as a breed, the year 2008 they recognized Gail Gibbons, as the 1st COD(certificate of development) Holder, in a set of 3 CODs for the Breed standard. During the ARBA show of 2009, however, Lionheads did not receive a COD.

Manes

Typically, the mane is thick, woolly, and soft.Depending on the set of genes a Lionhead gets, it can have a double, single, or no mane.

• Single maned lionhead rabbits

have a mane that is around its head,ears,chin, and sometimes on the chest. The gene for the single mane is Mm. Single maned lionheads are the only ones accepted in shows so far.

• Double maned lionheads have the regular manes, but have a thick "skirt" of wool

around the hindquarters,and tail, but not on the tail. The gene for a double mane is MM. Double maned lionheads are not accepted in shows, but play a very important role in breeding.

• No maned lionheads have, as the name implies, no mane. They look like an ordinary

rabbit, or more namely like a Netherland Dwarf rabbit. The gene for the no-mane is mm.