Breed Differences

There are currently 48 recognized breeds of rabbits in the ARBA, and several that are not yet recognized.

Here is a link with pictures of all the recognized breeds:

www.arba.net/Breeds.htm

There are many breeds with many different characteristics from tiny rabbits (2lbs) to giant rabbits (+15lbs).

There personalities are as varied as their shapes and sizes.

Most breeds have a general temperament.

Many of the large breeds of rabbits are very docile, these can make great pets. Many are like small dogs.

These are good bunnies for little kids, since the kids cannot pick them up and hurt them, they can just play with them on the ground.

The smaller breeds often have more spunk to them.

Here is lots of great information on breed differences, it is from a great site on pet care, Precious Pet Rabbits (who's website is no longer working).

Size

Although the individual personality of the pet rabbit your choose should be the final deciding factor, size and weight always seems to be a huge factor in selecting pet rabbits. If you want a tiny indoor rabbit, a huge breed just won't do. Here's the breakdown of breeds by weight:

Size	Breed
Tiny 2-4lbs	Britannia Petite Dwarf Hotot Jersey Wooly Netherland Dwarf Polish
Small 3-5lbs	American Fuzzy Lop Dutch Himalayan Holland Lop Mini Rex Lionhead
Medium 4-7lbs	Angora - English Chinchilla English Spot Florida White Havana Mini Lop Silver Tan
Large 6-10 lbs	American Sable Belgian Hare Californian Cinnamon Creme D'Argent French Angora Harlequin Hotot Lilac Palomino Rex Rhinelander Satin Angora Silver Marten
Giant 9+lbs	American American Chinchilla Beveren Champagne D'Argent Checkered Giant English Lop Flemish Giant French Lop Giant Angora Giant Chinchilla New Zealand Satin Silver Fox

Personality

Individual rabbits have personalities as individual as they are. But there are tendencies within breeds. Breeds are listed below as either being relaxed, curious, or excitable. Please note that excitable rabbits can still be great pets for those who are comfortable and experienced with animals. The excitable breeds can be a lot of fun to watch. I prefer the curios breeds; I find them to have good balance between calm and excitement. Others only want calm breeds and enjoy them immensely.

Relaxed	Curious	Exciteable
Dutch Mini Lops* New Zealands Californians Jersey Wooly Himalayan English Angora Satin Angora French Angora Giant Angora American Chinchilla Giant Chinchilla American Sable Californian Cinnamon Creme D'Argent Harlequin Lilac Palomino American (rare breed) Beveren English Lop Flemish Giant Satin Silver Fox	Holland Lops Thriantas Polish American Fuzzy Lop Mini Rex Rex Tan Belgian Hare Silver Marten Champagne French Lop New Zealand Lionheads D'Argent Hotot Havana Florida White	Britannia Petite Netherland Dwarf Dwarf Hotot English Spot Silver Rhinelander Checkered Giant***

* Some reports of higher than average biting, others report very calm

** Highly variable

*** Reputation for biting

Fur Type

All rabbits molt from time to time. Different fur requires different care. Be sure to consider the fur type of your new pet rabbit.

Rex fur is the shortest type of rabbit fur, approximately 5/8". It is much like velvet and a joy to feel.

Flyback fur is short enough to snap back into place when you rub your hand from rump to shoulder.

Rollback full gently rolls back into place when rubbed backwards.

Wool breeds have fur that is several inches long.

Flyback	Rollback	Wool	Rex
American Belgian Hare Britannia Petite Californian Champagne D'Argent Checkered Giant Giant Chinchilla Cinnamon Creme D'Argent Dutch English Spot Florida White Harlequin Havana Himalayan English Lop French Lop New Zealand Palomino Polish Rhinelander Silver Silver marten Tan	American Sable Beveren American Chinchilla Standard Chinchilla Dwarf Hotot Flemish Giant Holland Lop Hotot Lilac Mini Lop Netherland Dwarf Satin Silver Fox*	American Fuzzy Lop English Angora* French Angora* Giant Angora* Satin Angora* Jersey Wooly	Rex Mini Rex

*Not recommended for the inexperienced due to care of wool

**Satin fur is finer and denser than other fur; approximately 1" to 1 1/8" long.

***Standing fur, approximately 1 1/2" long

Basic Body Type

Once you've chosen the basic size and personality of the rabbit, you will want to consider the looks of the bunny. Different body type rabbits can look dramatically different from each other.

Rabbits come in four basic body types: Semi-arch (also called Mandolin), compact, full arch, and commercial type. There is actually a fifth type, but it is comprised solely of Himalayans which are cylindrical in type.

Semi-arched rabbit breeds arch from the shoulders over the hips. They are lower at the shoulder and higher at the hips when they lie down naturally. Some semi-arched breeds are American, Flemish Giant and Giant Chinchilla.

Compact rabbits are generally lighter and shorter than commercial types and have full massive-looking bodies, compared to their actual size. Holland lops, Netherland dwarfs, and Dutch are part of this group.

Full arch type rabbits have a very dramatic, dignified look to them. They are generally narrow, very upright, and have long front legs. Belgian Hares, Britannia Petite and Tans are examples of full arch type rabbits.

Commercial types were developed for meat, but often the rabbits make great pets because of their personalities. Their type is wide and not too long, similar to compact rabbits, but larger and heavier. Harlequins, Giant Angora, Satins, and Rex are part of this group.

Other Considerations

Larger rabbits require larger cages, eat more, and produce larger amounts of waste. They do tend to be calmer in personality, however.

Mini Rex tend to have long, sharp toe nails or at least they seem that way because of the shorter fur which exposes the nails more.

Checkered Giants, Britannia Petites, and Mini Lops have reputations as biters.

Belgian Hares should be housed in a solid-bottom rather than wire-bottom cages. Their spines are delicate. I do not recommend Belgian Hares for beginners.

Dutch and Himalayan are good choices for younger children both due to their size and to their very calm personalities.

Jersey Wooly may be the best choice of wool breeds for a pet rabbit. American Fuzzy Lop is another good choice if you want a long-haired pet rabbit.

English lops are also extremely calm. Their nails must be kept short to keep them from damaging their long ears. Their ears need special care in cold weather since as putting tube socks on them!

Lionheads are just beginning to be developed, so their makeup is still highly variable and not well established. Thrianta, a red rabbit, is also a new breed and may be difficult to locate.

Some of the more popular breeds for pets include Holland Lops, Netherland Dwarfs, Mini Rex, Dutch, Jersey Wooly, Mini Lops, and