If you’re interested in owning a pet rabbit, there are a wide variety of rabbit breeds to choose from. In fact, there are over 300 different breeds of pet rabbits worldwide, though many of them are quite rare and difficult to obtain.
To help narrow down your search, we’ve compiled a list of 25 common rabbit breeds that make great pets. Each breed is accompanied by a photo and some information about their temperament and care needs, so you can make an informed decision about which one is right for you.
Check out our article to learn more about these popular rabbit breeds and find the perfect pet for your home. And if you want even more detailed information about a specific breed, don’t hesitate to Google their name to uncover additional resources.
1: Alaska rabbit
If you’re looking for information on the Alaska rabbit, you’ve come to the right place. This breed is known for its stunning pure black fur, which is considered a fault if it’s any other color.
Interestingly enough, despite its name, the Alaska rabbit did not originate from Alaska. Rather, it was first bred in Germany in 1900 by crossing the Dutch, Himalayan, Champagne d’Argent, and Havana breeds in an effort to create a rabbit that resembled the Alaskan fox.
Originally bred for their fur, the Alaska rabbit was an attempt to profit from the fur industry, but the venture was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, the breed continued to thrive as a pet rabbit and was eventually imported to North America in the 1970s.
Today, these handsome rabbits can still be found as pets, beloved for their striking black fur and sweet personalities.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Alaska rabbit, check out the image source from Ailura for some cute pictures of these adorable bunnies!
Be sure to take a look at our post for more in-depth information!
2: Angora rabbit
Angora rabbit is one of the oldest domesticated rabbit breeds around. Believed to have originated from Ankara, historically known as Angora, it’s unclear exactly when this fluffy breed was created. However, we do know that it existed during the reign of King Henry VIII from 1509 to 1547.
Fast forward to the mid-18th century, when French royalty took a liking to the Angora rabbit as a pet. From there, its popularity spread across Europe, eventually making its way to America in the early 20th century.
The Angora rabbit is known for its beautiful, big, and fluffy fur, which is also the main reason why the breed was created. However, this also means that regular grooming is essential for this breed, as neglecting to do so can result in overgrowth and potential pain and infection for the rabbit. In other words, the Angora rabbit is not the easiest pet rabbit breed to care for.
But for those willing to put in the extra effort, the Angora rabbit makes for a charming and adorable companion. Just be sure to educate yourself on their specific care needs before bringing one into your home.
Be sure to take a look at our post for more in-depth information!
3: Argente de Champagne
This beautiful breed has a rich history that dates back to the 17th century, when it was first bred by French monks in the Champagne region of France.
The Argente de Champagne rabbit breed eventually made its way to England and the USA in the 1920s, where it quickly gained popularity among rabbit enthusiasts.
One of the most interesting things about this breed is its unique coat color. While newborn Argente de Champagne rabbits start out with pure black fur, their coats begin to take on a silvery hue around three weeks of age. By the time they reach six months old, their coat is completely silver in color. It’s no wonder that they’re often referred to as French Silvers!
There are six different varieties of the Argente rabbit, each with their own distinct features and characteristics. When fully grown, an Argente de Champagne typically weighs between 4.1 to 5.4 kilograms or 9.0 to 11.9 lb.
These stunning rabbits make for great pets and are sure to capture your heart with their unique beauty and charming personalities. If you’re interested in learning more about the Argente de Champagne rabbit breed, be sure to check our post for additional in-depth information.
4: British giant
These big buddies were bred from the Flemish Giants in England in the 1940s, and they certainly live up to their name! With the ability to grow up to 7 kilograms, British Giants are among the largest of all English rabbit breeds, though they are still smaller than the continental Flemish Giants.
The British Giants were bred for their larger color variety, which includes opal, white, sable, blue, grey, and black. Their medium-length, dense, and soft fur requires regular grooming in order to stay in top condition and avoid matting.
Unfortunately, the average lifespan of a British Giant is relatively short, at just 4 to 6 years. Despite this, these rabbits are still popular among enthusiasts and are mainly found in England.
If you’re considering bringing a British Giant into your home, be prepared for their large size and grooming needs. With the right care and attention, these gentle giants can make wonderful and loving pets. Check out our post for more in-depth information on this fascinating breed!
5: Flemish giant
While we are looking at giant rabbits, the breed that is considered the largest is the Flemish giant. These gentle giants originates from Belgium and dates back to the 16th century. Unfortually these rabbits are commonly bred for meat and fur, but their calm nature and patience in being handled makes them suitable as pets too. The average Flemish giant weighs 15 pounds, or 6.8 kilos, but they can grow up to as much as 22 pounds, or 10 kilos. Due to their big size they obviously needs much space to roam around on, so if you live in a small flat without any possibilities for having an outdoor area as well, this breed might not be the one for you
6: Dutch rabbit
Dutch rabbits are known for their unique cut-off fur patterns, suddenly going from one color on the back part to white on the front, with a two colored head. A new variety have also been made in the USA, the Tri Colored Dutch. Even thou it got the name Dutch, these rabbits actually originate from England. Once upon a time, this breed was the most popular of all rabbit breeds. This however changed when the dwarf rabbits was created, yet it is still among the top 10 popular breeds worldwide. Dutch rabbits are generally calm in nature, easy to handle and easy to train, wich makes them a good choice for pets. Average lifespan is 5-8 years
7: Cashmere lop
Cashmere lops are a medium sized rabbit breed that originates from dwarf lops. They were discovered in 1980 in England in a nest of dwarf lop kits, but these guys had longer and thicker fur than the rest, and a new breed saw the light of day. They soon began to gain popularity, and in the 90s they started to appear in shows, wich made them gain more popularity and the breeding of them picked up. Cashmere lops are social, playful and friendly creatures with an average lifespan of 8 to 12 years, wich is actually quite a lot for rabbits. These little guys requires regular grooming in order to prevent their long fur from becoming wooly and matted
8: Dwarf hotot
Dwarf hotots are energetic, playful and affectionate rabbits that was made by crossing several breeds with the hotot in the 1970s Germany. These rabbits have a unique look with their short ears and black borders around the eyes on the white rabbits. Dwarf hotos was first brought to USA in the beginning of the 1980s and they are now a favoured pet breed due to their small size, making them require less room and food, yet as with all rabbits, they should be free roaming and not locked up in cages. The expected life span of dwarf hotos range from 7 to 10 years, the fur is short and dense and requires very little attention from the owner
9: Dwarf lop
Dwarf lop is another popular tiny rabbit breed. Adult rabbits weighs around 2 to 2.5 kilos when fully grown, their fur is dense, soft and have a medium length wich requires some grooming in order to keep it in top shape. The average life span of the dwarf lop rabbit breed is from 5 to 8 years. Dwarf lops gained popularity in England during the 1980s and 1990s, after being recognized as a rabbit breed by the British Rabbit Council in the end of the 1970s. In USA this breed goes under the name mini lop, while the mini lop in England is called Holland lop in USA. Yes we know, quite confusing. These rabbits comes in lots of different colors
10: English lop
The English lop’s main characteristic is obviously the insanely big ears, that also makes them need large space to move around on so that they don’t step on their ears. English lops was created through selective breeding in England during the 19th century, in order to create a fancy breed of pets. The ears can grow up to 32 inches long, wich is 81 in centimetres. They come in both solid color and mixed, in several different color combinations. English lops are quite large rabbits, the average adult rabbit weigh 11 pounds, or 5.5 kg. These rabbits are quite inactive and calm creatures, with an expected life span ranging from 5 to 7 years
11: French lop
The French lop is a very popular pet rabbit breed that was created in France in the 19th century by crossing the flemish giant and the English lop. The French lop is quite similar to the English lop, but heavier built, more sturdy, and don’t have the crazy ear lenght as the English lops. The expected life span for these rabbits are an average of 5 years, wich is quite low when it comes to rabbits. This is also quite a big breed, where the adult rabbit weigh around 4.5 kilos, or 9.9 lbs. The first French lops was exported to England in 1933, by the 1960’s it was a mainstream breed in the UK and was later imported to the United States during the 70’s
12: Holland lop
The Holland lop is another highly popular rabbit breed for pets, these rabbits are smaller than the ones above. The average adult Holland lop weigh no more than 4 pounds, or 1.8 kg. Holland lops was created by crossing the breed Netherland dwarf with French lops. These rabbits are easy to deal with, the males can be friendlier than the females thou, as the males loves to be pets, while the females are a bit more shy. Holland lops are available in a wide variety of colors and patterns, a common trait for this breed can be the flat face, some more than others. The expected life span of pet dwarf rabbits seems to range from 7 to 12 years
13: Fauve de Bourgogne
Fauve de Bourgogne is a medium sized breed that originates from the Burgundy region in France, it was officially recognized in 1928. Allthoug they are a bit rare outside of France, they are still popular there. The fur is medium in lenght and should have an orange red color, and that is the only color this gorgeous rabbit breed comes in. The average weight for these rabbits in the adult stage is around 8 lbs, or 3.6 kilos, they make great pets and are popular at shows. They also have a pretty long expected life span, up to 12 years, wich is quite a lot for rabbits. Fauve de Bourgogne rabbits are known for their being docile and gentle bunnies
14: Russian rabbits
The Russian rabbit is a beautiful breed that also goes under the name Himalayan rabbit, i guess somebody is arguing over the origin of this creature. These rabbits are medium sized and can easily be mistaken for Californian rabbits, wich is quite similar. According to WikiPedia there are no records of where this breed actually originates from, so i guess that is why it goes under both Russian and Himalayan names. A fun fact about this breed is that it’s the only one with a set of extra nipples. The main purpose of this breed is for rabbit shows, but it was bred for the white fur in the past, yet it has never been bred as a pure meat rabbit
15: Rex rabbit
The Rex rabbit breed is one of my favourites, these gorgeous companions have a short extremely dense smooth fur that feels plushy to the touch. This is a quite large rabbit breed that was created in France in 1919, they can weigh up to 10.5 lg, or 4.7 kilo and have an expected life span of 6 to 7 years. They are considered intelligent and calm rabbits with an affectionate and playful temperament, wich makes them great as pet rabbits. They first appeared in a Paris rabbit show in 1924, where they gained interest amongst breeders, the same year they were exported to the United States. Rex rabbits comes in a variety of colors
16: Havana rabbit
The Havana rabbit breed is actually not from Cuba, but from the Netherlands. The name came from the chocolate colored rabbits resembling the Havana cigars that came from Cuba. So in other words, these beautiful bunnies are named after cigars. They were first started bred in 1898 and were in the following years exported to Germany, Britain and then USA. The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes this breed in five color types: chocolate, lilac, black, blue, and broken. If you wonder what kind of color broken is, then that is a mix of other colors. So basicly the ARBA recognizes 4 colors as well as rabbits with mixed ones
17: Jersey Wooly
Jersey wooly is a fluffy little rabbit breed that was introduced at a rabbit convention in Orlando in 1984 by Bonnie Seeley from New Jersey. The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognized this as a breed in 1988. Jersey wooly are one of the most widely exhibited bunnies at local and national shows in the USA today. They are also renowned as highly submissive pets. This breed was made by crossing the fur-rich French angora with the tiny Netherland dwarf. The ideal weight of an adult Jersey wooly is mere 3 pounds, or 1.3 kilos, and the expected life span of these creatures are 7 to 10 years, more if they are properly cared for
18: Lionhead rabbit
Lionhead rabbits are a highly popular rabbit breed as pets. These funny looking guys have their name from lions, due to their wool mane encircling their heads. It also kinda reminds me of the huge sideburns men had in the 1800’s. These rabbits have their origin in Belgium, where breeders tried to cross the miniature Swiss fox with the Netherland dwarf in order to create a long coated dwarf rabbit. Lionheads are intelligent well mannered friendly pets wich can understand simple orders like play, come and eat. Due to the large amount of fur on these guys, they will need regular combing in order to prevent their fur from clumping
19: Mini lop
This handsome little guy is of the breed mini lop, the ideal weight for adult mini lops are 5.5 pounds, or 2.5 kilo. These rabbits come in a variety of colors, both solid and broken, and have a compact body type. They originate from Germany and was created by crossing the German lop with the Chinchilla rabbit, it’s original name is Klein Widder, but this was later changed to mini lop. This is a generally friendly and playful breed that can be taught tricks, commands and respond to clicker training. The average life span for mini lops are 5 to 10 years, wich is quite a gap. I have had one of these myself, and it’s the best creature i have known
20: New Zealand rabbit
New Zealand rabbits is another breed with a misleading name, they originate from California in the United States, however they may have been bred by crossing rabbits imported from New Zealand, hence the name. This is a large rabbit breed, where the average adult rabbit weighs from 9 to 12 pounds, wich is 4 to 5.5 kilos. The males, or bucks, are smaller than the females, or doe’s as females are called. The New Zealand rabbit breed was created in 1919, wich actually makes them 100 years as of 2019. These gorgeous creatures are recognized in 4 different colors as well as mixed, and have an expected life span of around 5 to 8 years
21: Polish rabbit
The Polish rabbit is a popular exhibition and pet breed in the USA, where they first appeared in 1912. It is a small rabbit breed yet it’s not a dwarf because it actually lacks the dwarf gene. These rabbits grow up to be a maximum of 3.8lbs or 1.6 kg, if they are above that then they are obese and in bad health. Polish rabbits are generally considered calm and friendly, the bucks more than the doe’s, as the doe’s can be territorial if they are not sprayed. These rabbits are easy to handle, wich makes them one of the easiest breeds to care for, as their fur requires very little grooming too. Expected life span for this cute breed is 5 to 6 years
22: Satin rabbit
The Satin rabbit breed is a medium sized one, tipping to large, where the average adult rabbit weighs from 8.5 to 11lb, or 3.8 to 4.9 kg. As with most rabbit breeds, the doe’s usually weighs more than the bucks. These rabbits comes in 11 different colors, some of them are white, black, blue and red. They are generally considered friendly, calm and submissive, wich makes them suitable as pets. The name comes from it’s fur, wich is silky smooth, short, and got a shiny look to it. These rabbits don’t require much work from the owner to keep the fur in shape, brushing it now and then is enough. Expected life span for Satin rabbits are 7 to 9 years
23: Silver rabbit
The Silver rabbit breed is another of the oldest breeds on record, these guys date back all the way to the 1500’s. According to the Silver Rabbit Club, this breed is only found in USA, Canada and the United Kingdom, however there are lots of other breeds worldwide with silvering fur that descends from the silver rabbit. These rabbits have one of the densest furs of all rabbit breeds, wich snaps right back into place after you run your hand through it. Even with all this dense fur, they don’t require much grooming, one brushing every other week is fine. They are recognized in 3 different color varieties, black, brown and fawn
24: Chinchilla rabbit
This cute little guy belongs to the chinchilla rabbit breed, it’s a large rabbit that can grow up to 12 pounds, wich is around 5.5 kilos. This rabbit was bred to resemble the fur of a chinchilla, and there are 3 varieties of it. You have the standard chinchilla, then the American chinchilla and the giant chinchilla. Unfortually this rabbit breed is mainly bred to produce meat and fur, as the chinchilla rabbit fur is a cheaper alternative to the rodent chinchilla’s fur. The American chinchilla is the most common to be kept as pets, their expected life span ranges from around 5 to 8 years, and they are considered to be submissive and gentle rabbits
25: Florida white rabbit
Florida white is a quite small rabbit breed, where the average weight of an adult rabbit is around 4 to 6 lb, or 1.8 to 2.7 kilos. This rabbit breed only comes in the color white, hence the name, and their eyes are albino red. This breed was created by crossing albino Dutch, Albino Polish and a white New Zealander. The Florida white rabbit was accepted as a breed by the ARBA in 1967, the purpose for its creation was to be used in laboratories, and as a smaller meat rabbit. This rabbit is also a popular show rabbit and pet, due to its calm friendly nature and submissiveness. Average life span for the Florida white breed is around 5 to 8 years
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