Rabbit Breeds
When looking into rabbit breeds you might be surprised at the large amount of recognized rabbit breeds in the USA alone. Add to that all the varieties offered by those rabbit breeds and let’s not forget new breeds and varieties under development. Without even considering crossbreeds the amount of options is staggering.
Raising rabbits can be a rewarding experience for young and old. Whatever your purpose for having a rabbit there is definitely a breed out there for you.
What is your reason for having a rabbit? Are you looking for a small pet? Does the idea of showing rabbits interest you? Maybe you have learned about the various uses of a rabbit as a fur, wool and meat source. Whatever your reason let’s take a look at the various breeds currently recognized in the USA.
Lets start by dividing the breeds by body types. There are five distinct rabbit body types compact, commercial, cylindrical, full arch and semi-arch.
Compact Rabbit Breeds
Compact type rabbits are small in size and weight compared to the other larger body types. Some of the rabbit breeds that fall into this category have larger counterparts in the commercial group. For example the Mini Satin and Satin or the Mini Rex and the Rex.
- American Fuzzy Lop
- English Angora
- Standard Chinchilla
- Dwarf Hotot
- Dutch
- Florida White
- Havana
- Holland Lop
- Jersey Wooly
- Lilac
- Lionhead
- Mini Lop
- Mini Rex
- Mini Satin
- Netherland Dwarf
- Polish
- Silver
- Thrianta
Commercial Rabbit Breeds
Commercial rabbit breeds are larger than the compact breeds, of medium length with proportioned depth and width of body. Meat breeds and many heritage breeds fall into this category.
- American Chinchilla
- American Sable
- Angora, French
- Angora, Giant
- Angora, Satin
- Blanc de Hotot
- Californian
- Champagne D’Argent
- Cinnamon
- Crème D’Argent
- French Lop
- Harlequin
- New Zealand
- Palomino
- Rex
- Satin
- Silver Fox
- Silver Marten
Cylindrical Rabbit Breed
The cylindrical group is a solo act with only one breed falling into this category. The Himalayan with its long round cylindrical shaped body shows no distinct arching to the back or hindquarters. It is posed flat on the table unlike any others.
Full Arch Rabbit Breeds
Rabbits in the full arch group have an arch starting at the nape of the neck that smoothly continues down and rounds out at the base of the tail. Full arch rabbits typically show more depth of body than width. All rabbits in the full arch group, with the exception of the Britannia Petite, are allowed to move naturally on the show table. This allows the judges to better judge body type.
Semi-Arch Rabbit Breeds
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