By Rabbit is often imagined as white-colored small, cute type animal but actually, they come in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and personalities. The different types of bunnies make it difficult for the owner to pick the best pet for them.
According to the American Rabbit Breeders Association, there are officially 50 rabbit animal breeds that can range from sweet-natured American rabbit to playful California rabbits.
For those who are considering getting domestic rabbit breeds, then this guide is going to help you. Here in this guide, we are listing the best domestic rabbit breeds with their top characteristics that might help you select the best domestic rabbit animal as a pet for you.
Best Types of Rabbit Breeds
Rabbit, one of the small mammal breed which belongs to the Leporidae family. The male rabbit has termed bucks while the doe term is used for the female rabbits.
These days’ people used to call a rabbit a bunny but in actuality, it is not a formal term for the rabbit. A female rabbit can give birth to multiple rabbits at one time and the term litter is used for the group of newborn rabbits
For those who are planning to adopt a domestic rabbit as a pet, this guide will help you. Following we are going to list the best domestic rabbit breeds and thus help you select the best bunny for you and your family.
Californian Rabbit Breed
This is one of the oldest pet rabbit breeds which was discovered in 1923. This breed was developed by crossing Himalayan white bunny and chinchillas. In the beginning, it was developed for the excellent quality meat and its incredible coat.
When this breed was developed, it was used for commercial purposes only. But with time, the Californian rabbit emerges as a beautiful breed and amazing pet with a flexible body.
Read also: What Do Wild Rabbits Eat? Rabbit Health and Lifespan
The color of the California rabbit breed is white with black marking on the nose, legs, and ears. This breed weighs between 8 to 10 pounds. They are thick muscular bodies with dense fur. The lifespan of this breed varies between 5 to 10 years.
Pros:
- With their snowy white color and black markings, the breed looks amazing.
- This breed is great for show purposes.
- They are a friendly breed and when handled well, can be a good friend of you.
- They are even-tempered and have calm nature.
Cons:
- They cannot handle much fluctuation in temperature and may get ill soon.
- The breed can show discoloration in cold weather.
New Zealand White Rabbit Breed
The new Zealand white meat rabbit breeds is among the large domestic rabbit breed. This American-based domestic rabbit breed is one of the representative species of rabbit.
According to the American rabbit breeders association, this breed is one of the best domestic rabbit breeds in America as well as the world. Like the California rabbit, in the beginning, this breed was used as a commercial rabbit breed for meat purposes. But later it emerged as an amazing beautiful pet.
Pros:
- In this species, the owner will get the option to select from five color varieties including blue, black, red, white, and broken.
- For those who love heavy rabbit breed, they are the perfect option.
- They are calm-natured rabbit breeds.
Cons:
- This breed is more prone to genetic deviation namely albinism.
Harlequin Rabbit Breed
This is France based on domestic rabbit breeds which is often called as Japanese rabbit. It weighs between 6.5 to 7 pounds. This breed is having more variety of rabbits and they are classified on the basis of coloration and markings. They come in a variety of colors including blue, black, chocolate, lilac, etc. Since the breed comes in different color variations, they are nicknamed royal jester and clown of rabbit.
Pros:
- They are playful, docile, intelligent, and exotic rabbits that can be handled easily.
- They come in different colors and sizes thus providing the owner to choose from a variety of options.
- They are friendly-natured harlequin rabbit breeds.
Cons:
- They are not so healthy rabbit breed.
- The lifespan of this domestic rabbit is generally less compared to other rabbit animal breeds which are less than 5 years.
- This rabbit breed is not recognized by ARBA (American Rabbit Breed Association)
Mini Rex Rabbit Breed
This is the first registered pet rabbit breeds by ARBA and it was developed in 1984. They are a cute bunny breed with dense fur, a smooth appearance, a plush-like effect that can make anyone desire to touch this bunny.
This breed also comes in a variety of colors including blue, black, castor, chocolate, chinchilla, lilac, Himalayan, lynx, otter, opal, silver marten, sable, red, sable point, blue-eyed white, red-eyed white, and many more.
Pros:
- This breed, as mentioned, comes in different varieties of colors, thus providing the pet owner with an option to select from large options.
- They are a healthy type rabbit breed with a lifespan of more than 10 years.
- They are small, rounded, cute bunny with plush-like lustrous and smooth touch and thus an attractive mini rex rabbit breed option for rabbit lovers.
Cons:
- This breed is more prone to mutation.
- They are having shedding issues and might require the owner to invest some time in the grooming of this breed.
Angora Rabbit Breed
When talking about the best domestic rabbit breeds, how can one not mention the Angora rabbit breed? They are large rabbit breeds having long fibers which are popular as Angora wool.
This rabbit breed is having 11 different varieties out of which 4 are recognized by ARBA. The weighs in between 2 to 5 kg and are mainly bred for the wool purpose.
Pros:
- They come in different varieties.
- The fur of this breed is very smooth and fine and thus often compared with the pashmina.
- They are a healthy rabbit breeds with having a lifespan of 7 to 12 years.
Cons:
- They are not popular as the pet rabbit breed.
- They are also having shedding issues.
Dutch Rabbit Breed
Hollander/ Brabander rabbits are popularly known as the dutch rabbit breed. The rabbit lovers are having a great craze for this bunny breed and are distinct from other bunnies because of their unique color patterns and appearance.
Read also: Can Rabbits Eat Tomatoes?
They are balanced rabbit breed and it comes in a variety of colors including blue, black, chinchilla, grey, chocolate, tortoise, steel, and many more. The breed looks different from other rabbits because of their distinctive markings.
The breed is a small rabbit breeds that generally weighs between 3 to 5 pounds. It is only a rabbit breed with a white saddle on the back, a white blaze on the nose, and a white-collar surrounding the neck.
Pros:
- They are a friendly-natured rabbit breed that loves going outside and meeting new people.
- They are an intelligent breed and thus one can train them as well.
Cons:
- They are having more shedding issues and thus require more handling of the fur.
Lionhead Rabbit Breed
This rabbit breed is counted among the brown bunnies and these days people are having a trend to domesticate this breed as well. The name of this breed is lionhead because they have a wool mane, which gives them the appearance of lions.
Pros:
- The breed gained much popularity for its unique personality and friendly behavior.
- They can be a lovable companion.
- With their calm nature, it can be handled easily.
- They are an intelligent rabbit breed that can be trained and make them learn to follow some of the regular commands.
- This breed is counted as the best fur rabbit breed with their mane as pride and joy for this domestic rabbit breeds.
- It also comes in a variety of colors.
Cons:
No cons.
Rex Rabbit Breed
This rex rabbit breeds is alternatively known as Castor and is an amazing addition to someone’s family. It is among the 9 domesticated rabbit breeds which were originated from France.
They are a large rabbit breed that weighs between 7 to 11 pounds and can go up to 3 feet in height. The rex rabbit breeds is having dense, plush-like fur giving the rabbit an amazing look.
Pros:
- They are a docile and friendly rabbit breed.
- They can a lovable companions because of their incredible nature and lovable behavior.
- They are good for show purposes as well.
- They come in different color varieties including blue, black, broken, chocolate, camber, caster, Californian, iliac, lynx, opal, sable, red, otter, seal, and white providing the owner to choose from wide options.
- Because of their high intelligence, they can be trained easily.
Cons:
- They might have shedding issues and require more grooming needs.
- When they are 5 to 6 month old, they might have more aggressive nature and thus requires proper training and more care.
- The breed because of their wild instinct may go aggressive and harm you and thus need to be handle with care.
Florida White Rabbit Breed
This is the smallest domestic rabbit breed having a white-colored body and red eyes. This breed weighs around 5 pounds and is a compacted small rabbit breed with a round head and ears.
The females in this breed are excellent mothers. This breed shows many similarities with the White New Zealand rabbit breed. The rabbit of this breed lives averagely for 5 to eight years and is considered s amazing addition for the families.
Pros:
- They are excellent pet rabbit breeds for people.
- They are having friendly nature and they love playing.
- They are a highly energetic breed and will be a great companion for you.
- The breed might require some grooming needs and the need may increase during the molting season.
Belgian Hare Rabbit
This breed was first discovered in Belgium and it resembles much of the wild hare. In the beginning, this breed was mostly used for meat purposes only but later they emerged as a great pet as well.
The Belgian hare domestic rabbit is having a muscular strong body and glossy fur. They are among brown bunnies with a color resembling bright tin rust and having a bit of orange and red tint.
Pros:
- The breed is energetic and playful in nature.
- They are very intelligent and thus can be trained easily. They respond well to their name and one can teach them to follow more of the regular commands also.
- For breeders, this is an amazing breed and they can produce a very large litter.
Cons:
- The breed is having the tendency to flee and thus require more care.
- Since this breed is near extinction and thus cannot be found easily.
- So these are the best 10 domestic rabbit breeds that one can consider adopting in adding to their families.
How to Care for a Domestic Rabbit?
In the above section, we have mentioned different types of rabbits and most of them are great as pets. The cute bunnies are a great addition to a family but require some care.
For the best care of your domestic rabbit, here is the best guide:
In order to pamper and care for bunny breeds, one needs to take care of their housing, food, grooming, and many more.
Housing
Before bringing your domestic rabbit animal as pet to home, first set up proper housing for your bunny breeds. The caze for the rabbit breeds should be large enough. It should be averagely four times the size of the bunny breeds. For the flooring in the case, follow the guide:
The Best (and Worst) Rabbit Cage Flooring for Your Rabbit
Also, while setting up the caze for the bunny breeds, make sure it is not isolated from the rest of the house. It is the best idea to install the housing of your cute bunny in the living room or the family room.
Feeding
The bunnies in their natural condition were mostly dependent on hay, grasses, wild vegetables, fruits, etc. So in a domestic condition also, the owner should provide their domestic rabbit animal breeds with hay as the major portion of their diet. Along with hay, vegetables, fruits, etc can be added to their diet.
For further information related to domestic rabbit animal feeding, get more details from the below-mentioned link:
Grooming
As mentioned, many of the domestic rabbit breeds are having dense hair. They in order to stop falling stray hairs here and there in the house require weekly or daily grooming depending on the type of rabbits.
Litter box
The good part with the above-mentioned domestic rabbit animal breeds is that they are having the natural tendency to pee and poop in one area. So from the beginning, one should provide these bunnies with a litter box where they can poop and pee.
The litter box for the cute bunnies should be having a thin layer of either newspaper or soft material. Avoid using wood shaving or other harsh bedding as it might be not safe for your cute rabbits.
Best Bunny Names
When anyone adopts a domestic rabbit animal breeds, their first step is to name their cute rabbit. If you are also confused about the naming of your bunny, here we are listing some great bunny name ideas:
- Snowball
- Thumper
- Bun-bun
- Oreo
- Champ
- Bella
- Coco
- Cinna-bun
- Bella, etc
The Bottom Line
So this was a complete guide on bets domestic rabbit breeds, their caring guide, and best bunny names. I hope this guide helps you get helpful information for your rabbit. If you have any pet-related queries, do not hesitate to ask us via the comment section below.