Last Updated on February 5, 2024 by Admin

Currently, there are over 300 rabbit breeds globally. They come in a wide range of colors, sizes, and distinct personalities making it interesting to learn more about each bunny breed. This article looks at 40 popular breeds recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. We’ll delve into their appearance, weight, and temperament.

English Spot

The English rabbit weighs between 5 to 8 pounds and was selectively bred in the 19th century. This is one of those domestic rabbit breeds having a wide range of colors such as gold, blue, black, lilac, gray, and chocolate.

The English spot is a medium-sized rabbit with distinctive butterfly color markings on its nose and cheeks. It also colored ears, backward fur, and long front legs. This particular rabbit is quite friendly and ideal to keep as a pet.

Blanc de Hotot

Originating from France, this medium-sized rabbit has thick white fur and black rings around its eyes. This particular type of domestic rabbit breed has a short neck, wide chest, and also muscled hind and forequarters.

The Blanc de Hotot weighs roughly between 8 to 11 pounds and is usually an active rabbit breed that makes ideal pets. In addition, the Blanc de Hotot is also kept for meat and fur by most breeders.

American Rabbit

This particular rabbit is usually furry with a mandolin body shape and is naturally good-natured. This breed originates from the USA, as the name suggests. It has a uniform color that’s either rusty or dark slate blue or white.

The American rabbit has a long loin with a semi-arch body shape that is medium in size and weighs between 10 to 11 pounds. Lastly, this particular rabbit breed is an endangered species since its mainly kept for meat and fur.

Lionhead Rabbit

The Lionhead is a domesticated rabbit with a wool mane circling its head similar to a lion’s. This breed usually weighs between 2 to 3 pounds, and it has a small upright body and furred 2 to 3-inch ears.

Their legs are medium length, and they usually have an overall friendly and well-mannered personality and hence are a popular pets in the united states.

Checkered Giant Rabbit

When it comes to size, the giant checkered is one of the largest rabbit breeds—weighing about 11 to 12 pounds. This rabbit breed originated from France and has distinctive black and white coat markings on its body.

Its fur is usually medium in length and is also easy to maintain. Lastly, the giant checkered rabbit is a gentle, sweet, and actively curious breed, ideal for keeping as a pet.

 

Flemish Giant Rabbit

This particular type of domestic rabbit is one of the largest species and weighs between 15 to 22 pounds. Flemish Giant is originally from Belgium at nearly 3 feet long and is bred for meat and fur.

The Flemish comes in different color varieties: white, black, fawn, steel gray, light gray, and sandy. This particular rabbit’s personality will entirely depend on how you train or handle them.

 

Belgian Hare

This is one of those domestic rabbit breeds that resemble the wild hare, thanks to selective breeding done over the years. It’s usually large and weighs between 6-9 pounds, has a full arch body, and comes in bright tin rust, having an orange or red tint color.

This particular rabbit breed has short and glossy fur that requires minimal maintenance. When it comes to temperament, the Belgian hare is an active although highly nervous breed.

 

Californian Rabbit

Weighing between 7 to 9 pounds, the Californian rabbit has a short neck with a plump body type with short ears. Bred in the USA in the early 1920s, this particular rabbit comes in various color types that include chocolate, blue, lilac, and black.

Besides the Californian rabbit being renowned for its meat and its fur, it is also an excellent pet choice. The breed is calm and confident around people.

 

Harlequin Rabbit

This rabbit breed weighs around  6 to 10 pounds and has short fur having unique color markings that include a blend of orange with either chocolate, black, blue, or lilac.

The other color combination includes white with a mix of lilac, chocolate, blue or black. Initially originating from France, the Harlequin is a curious, affectionate, and playful bunny.

American Fuzzy Lop

The American fuzzy lop has a thick short body, fuzzy ears, a broad chest with shoulders having muscular well-rounded hindquarters short in size. This breed Weighs between 3 to 4 pounds and usually has a woolen coat that’s 2 inches lengthwise, spun into a yarn.

This rabbit breed also has distinctive markings on its eyes, nose, and even ears. It comes in a whitish color mixed with lynx, squirrel, chestnut, opal, or chinchilla. When it comes to temperament, the American fuzzy lop is an affectionate, playful bunny.

Dutch Rabbit

Originating from Holland, the Dutch rabbit is among the oldest type of domestic rabbit breeds. It weighs between 4 to 5 pounds and has a rounded petite body and ears that are short and broad.

The rabbit has fur that’s glossy, short, and easy to maintain. Their color usually ranges although they have distinctive dark ears and rumps, not to forget a white color covering their fur from the front of their face down to their legs. The Dutch rabbit is also friendly, energetic, and calm too.

French Angora Rabbit

The French Angora is one of those angora rabbit breeds with a sturdy, strong body frame and a full coat of wool. It weighs between 7 to 10 pounds and is usually large.

When it comes to its color coat, this bunny has a wide range of colors, including blue, black, lilac, and white. This breed also has markings, specifically on the ears, nose, feet, and nails. The French angora rabbit is calm, docile, and friendly, making them ideal pets if you’re willing to spend extra time grooming them. 

Holland Lop Rabbit

Originating from the Netherlands, the Holland lop weighs between 2 to 4 pounds and has rollback fur, a short compact body, and distinctive ear lops. This rabbit breed has various colors: white, black, lilac, blue, chocolate, etc. When it comes to personality, the Holland lop is quite friendly and docile.

 

Netherland Dwarf Rabbit

This rabbit breed carries the dwarf gene and is among the smallest bunny breed category. The Netherland dwarf Weighs 2.5 pounds and has a compact body, short ears, a large head, and eyes.

Its fur length is medium-sized and comes in different colors: lilac, black, chocolate, tortoiseshell, opal, otter, etc. This rabbit’s personality varies and will entirely depend on each particular rabbit. However, they’re generally skittish by nature.

 

 

Tan Rabbit

The tan rabbit breed originated in England around the 1880s. They have a compact, fully arched body type weighing between 4 to 5 pounds. Their ears are medium erect, and they have dark eyes with a small face that’s wedge-shaped.

The Tan comes in a wide range of colors that range from blue, chocolate, lilac, and black. The tan rabbit is an amiable and affectionate rabbit breed, although it can be quite aggressive after giving birth during the mating season.

 

Alaskan

Originating from Germany, the Alaskan rabbit is a medium-sized rabbit weighing between 7 to 9 pounds. Its body is well rounded and balanced and has short upright ears rounded at the end.

The Alaskan coat is short, dense, and soft and is usually dark or deep slate blue. Lastly, they have a gentle, outgoing temperament and are generally ideal for keeping as pets.

 

American Chinchilla

Originating from France, this breed is a large-sized rabbit and usually weighs between 9 to 12 pounds. They have a commercially shaped body having a rolled-back short coat.

Their color is dark slate blue at the bottom and dark blue with a mix of light grey on top of its body. It has a gentle, laid-back, and docile temperament.

 

American Sable

This American rabbit breed is medium-sized, weighing between 8 to 10 pounds. It has a commercial body shape that has a soft, dense coat. The American stable has a dark sepia color on its back, feet, head, ears, and top of its tails, while the remainder of its coat is lighter in Tan. Lastly, this particular bunny has an affectionate and friendly temperament.

 

Argente Brun rabbit

Originally from France, the Argente Brun is also among the oldest rabbit breeds in France. This particular rabbit is a large-sized rabbit weighing between 8 to 10 pounds and is usually having a playful, good nature temperament.

Its coat is short soft and easier to maintain. The Argente Brun color varies and includes; crème, blue, brown, and also black. Lastly, it usually has colored toenails and bold brown eyes.

 

Britannia Petite

Weighing around 2 pounds and having a full arch body, the Britannia petite is indeed a dwarf-sized rabbit breed. It has a whole arch body, wide eyes, and a wedge-shaped head.

Its ears are short and pointed with a soft coat soft. The Britannia Petite is an energetic and curious rabbit breed with various colors: black, sable, chestnut agouti, and black otter.

Champagne D’Argent

 

The champagne D’Argent is a large-sized rabbit that weighs between 9 to 12 pounds and originates from France. It has a commercial body shape, deep hindquarters, full shoulders, and medium-sized ears that are usually erect. Their coat is short and undergoes molting, and is therefore advisable to comb the bunny at least once per week. The Champagne D’ Argent is a gentle and affectionate bunny that makes an ideal pet.

Cinnamon

This medium-sized rabbit weighs between 9 to 11 pounds and usually has upright ears and a head proportional to their bodies. They have short coat that is light brown with a mix of smoky gray shades around their snout, ears, and paws. The cinnamon has a calm, docile, and friendly temperament.

 

Continental Giant

The continental giant rabbit can weigh between 13 to 25 pounds on average and is among the largest rabbit breeds. It has a semi-arch body shape that’s strong and has powerful broad hindquarters.

This domestic rabbit breed coat is thicker, denser, and glossy, typically colored either in black, white, sandy, fawn, steel gray, or light grey. The temperament is that of a docile, intelligent, friendly, gentle giant.

 

Crème d’Argent

The crème d’Argent is a large-sized domestic rabbit breed weighing between 8 to 11 pounds. It also has a commercial-sized body having full shoulders, deep hindquarters, and medium-sized ears.

It also has a short rolled-back coat that comes in an orange–fawn or orange-silver shade. This breed is quite friendly and is also well-mannered by nature.

 

 

Dwarf Hotot

Weighing between 2 to 4 pounds, the dwarf Hotot is a playful, energetic, and affectionate rabbit breed. It has a compact body type having a short neck and a well-filled head. Its ears are short and thick, and it has a dense short, and shiny coat. This rabbit breed comes in a whitish color having a black ring around its eyes.

 

French Lop

 

The French lop is a giant rabbit breed that originates from France and weighs between 10 to 15 pounds. Despite being large rabbits, their front legs are short and straight and run parallel to their body.

Their ears, on the other hand, are about 8 inches and hang below their jaws. The French lop usually has a short soft laid-back coat that’s dense and comes in different colors such as opal, black, brown, white, cream, blue, and fawn. Lastly, this particular rabbit has a gentle, affectionate, and docile temperament.

 

Florida White

 

The Florida white is a small-sized rabbit that weighs between 4 to 6 pounds. It has a compact body, a soft and short coat that’s white. It has small thick ears with well-muscled hindquarters, shoulders, and also back. The Florida white has eyes that have a bright red color. Finally, this rabbit breed is docile, relaxed, and quite friendly.

 

Fauve de Bourgogne

 

This particular rabbit is a medium-sized rabbit that originates from France. Weighing between 7 to 8 pounds, the Fauve de Bourgogne has a muscular thickset and round body. It also has a large, broad head and upright ears with rounded tips.

The Fauve de Bourgogne has medium-length fur that is usually orange in color. Lastly, this particular rabbit breed is active, and gentle while also having a docile temperament.

 

Havana

Having a compact and medium-sized body, the Havana rabbit originates from Holland and usually has a brown coat that resembles the Cuban cigars from Havana.

This particular breed has a short rounded body with dark-colored toenails weighing between 4 to 6 pounds. It comes in various colors that include black, chocolate, blue, and a coat with a color mixture. When it comes to temperament, this particular rabbit is calm, affectionate, and very playful.

 

Himalayan

The Himalayan rabbit is a small-sized rabbit that originates from the Himalayan mountains. This specific rabbit has a white coat having different markings that include either lilac, blue, black, or chocolate, with a cylindrical body shape.

This particular rabbit usually weighs between 3 to 6 pounds and is docile, affectionate, and also quite energetic to have as a pet.

 

Jersey Wooly

When talking about dwarf rabbits, then the Jersey woolly comes to mind. This particular rabbit breed is a crossbreed between the Netherlands dwarf and the French Angora rabbit and Weighs between 2 to 3 pounds.

It has a bold square head and small erect ears and comes in various coats such as chinchilla, chestnut, squirrel, opal, and broken colors.

The mixed jersey woolly coat includes white with blue, black, chocolate, lilac, blue, or red-eyed white. Lastly, this bunny has a docile, sweet, and playful temperament.

 

Palomino

This one is among the category of domestic rabbit breeds that are medium-sized and weigh between 8 to 10 pounds. They have a commercial body type with well-rounded hindquarters, while their coat is short, having fur that’s rolled back.

This breed has brown eyes and erect ears. It has two types of color coats: golden with a white undercoat and lynx with a grey /silver combination. Overly, this particular rabbit has a docile and friendly temperament.

 

Rhinelander

Weighing between 6 to 10 pounds and having an arch body, the Rhinelander is indeed a large-sized rabbit breed. Its limbs have the same width from the shoulders to the hip area.

This rabbit breed coat usually has a white base having colored markings on its ears, nose, and eye section. Generally, the Rhinelander has a gentle, friendly, and docile temperament.

 

New Zealand Rabbit

This bunny is one of those giant-sized domestic rabbit breeds that weigh between 10 to 12 pounds. They are typically a crossbreed between the Flemish giant and the Belgian hair. New Zealand rabbits have a rounded commercial-shaped body, with a medium-sized head and erect ears that have rounded tips that are overly well-furred.

This rabbit breed has flyback soft fur and usually comes in an array of white, black, blue, red, and broken colors. The New Zealand rabbit is a docile, affectionate, and even-tempered rabbit breed.

 

Silver Fox

The silver fox weighs between 9 to 12 pounds and has a commercial-sized body that’s medium-sized with well-built shoulders and hindquarters. Its coat is usually dense and short that stands up when being stroked.

The solver fox rabbit comes in three colors that include chocolate, lilac, and blue. This particular bunny is usually gentle, docile, and even-tempered by nature.

 

 

Silver Marten

Weighing between 6 to 9 pounds, the silver marten is a medium-sized rabbit with a commercial body type. This breed has a flyback coat that’s shiny dark at the top and silver at the bottom.

It comes in different color varieties such as blue, black, chocolate, and sable, with distinctive markings on its chin, tail, ears, belly, and eyes. When it comes to temperament, this bunny is sweet, playful, and timid.

Lilac

This particular rabbit weighs between 6 to 8 pounds and is medium-sized, with a compact body. Lilacs have moderately straight and upright ears, short heads, and broad haunches.

Its coat comprises short fur that typically requires less grooming, and comes in lavender or lilac color. When we talk about temperament, this particular bunny is docile and friendly by nature.

 

 

Mini Lop

 

Weighing between 5 to 6 pounds with a compact body shape, this specific domestic rabbit breed is medium-sized with rolled-back fur. Generally, the Mini lop requires less care and is also an indoor and outdoor type of rabbit.

This breed also comes in various colors such as agouti, broken, self, shaded, ticked, and pointed white. Lastly, this bunny is ideal for keeping as a pet as it usually has a playful, affectionate, and friendly nature.

 

Polish

 

This rabbit is dwarf in size, generally weighing between 2 to 4 pounds. It originated in England in the early 1800s. The polish has a short head, large eyes, short ears, and full cheeks.

This breed comes in various colors, including chocolate, blue, black, and broken (a combination of white with any other color). This particular rabbit is also better suited for indoors because of its dwarf nature. When it comes to temperament, the Polish rabbit is a docile, friendly, and calm breed.

 

Rex Rabbit

 

This is one of those domestic rabbit breeds that are large-sized weighing between 7 to 11 pounds. Originating from France, the rex rabbit has a commercial-sized body, having medium-thick erect ears.

Their legs, on the other hand, are short and straight, and their coats dense. This breed comes in colors such as amber, black, castor, white, seal, opal, and broken. Lastly, the rex rabbit is an affectionate, intelligent, and calm breed.

 

Frequently asked questions

 

Do rabbits make good indoor pets?

Yes, rabbits make great house pets considering that they are affectionate, smart, and playful animals. However, it’s worth pointing out that prior to adopting your indoor bunny, make sure that their living space is rabbit proofed. This entails protecting your rabbits from indoor hazards such as electrical cords they might chew on. Additionally, you’ll also need to ensure that the safety of your valuables is out of bounds for your bunny. Lastly, bunnies need a quiet secluded area they can retreat to and at least a 32 square ft. play area.

What are the best rabbit breeds for indoors?

If you live in an apartment or want to adopt a house rabbit, below are the 20 indoor breeds that will perfectly adapt to an indoor setup.

 

 

• American rabbit
• American Fuzzy Lop
• Blanc de Hotot
• Californian
• Dutch
• Dwarf Hotot
• English Lop
• Florida White
• Harlequin Rabbit
• Havana
• Holland Lop
• Himalayan
• Jersey Wooly
• Lionhead
• Mini Lop
• Rex Rabbit
• Mini Rex
• Netherland Dwarf
• Satin
• Polish Rabbit

 

What rabbit breeds are better suited for living outdoors?

If you prefer to keep your rabbit outdoors in a secure living space, below are some of the breeds that definitely thrive living outside.

• Belgian Hare
• Californian rabbit
• Checkered Giant
• Silver fox rabbit
• Dutch
• Fauve de Bourgogne
• French Lop
• Flemish Giant
• Havana
• New Zealand Rabbit
• English Lop
• Rhinelander
• Satin

 

 

Are rabbits good pets for kids?

Yes, rabbits are good pets for gentle kids older than 7 years old. Nevertheless, it’s always advisable to supervise your child’s interaction with a bunny to avoid any potential injuries. Below are the different rabbit breeds that are good pets for kids.

• Flemish Giants
• French Lop
• Checkered Giant
• Sussex rabbit
• Californian rabbit
• Chinchilla rabbit
• Himalayan rabbit

Rabbit breeds are better suited for first-time owners

If you’re considering adopting a rabbit for the first time, you’ll want a pet that’s easy to handle and maintain. Below are the popular rabbit breeds suited for first-time owners.

 

• American Chinchilla
• American Rabbit
• Dutch
• English Spot
• Flemish Giant
• Mini Lop
• Mini Rex
• Polish
• Rex
• Satin

 

Are rabbit breeds suited for families?

If you happen to have a large family and want a rabbit as a companion, you’ll need a bunny that’s friendly and likes to be the center of attention. Below are some of the popular rabbit breeds ideal for families.

• Mini Lop
• Holland Lop
• Netherland Dwarf
• Lionhead
• Flemish Giant
• American Fuzzy Lop
• Californian
• Dutch
• Rex
• Satin

 

What rabbit breeds get along with dogs?

If you have a dog and are probably considering adopting a rabbit or the other way around. Firstly, make sure that your dog breed is docile, calm, and has a low prey drive. Your bunny on the other hand should be a confident and friendly breed. Below are some of the rabbit breeds that get along with dogs.

 

• British Giant
• Californian
• Checkered
• Continental giant
• Dutch
• Flemish
• Giant Chinchilla
• Harlequin
• Havana
• Himalayan
• Holland Lop
• Sussex
• Lionhead 
• Polish
• Rex rabbit

 

 

Calmest rabbit breeds that make great pets

If you’re looking for a calm and docile rabbit breed regardless of size, then below are some of the calmest rabbit breeds that are great companions.

• American Rabbit
• Alaska Rabbit
• Crème d’Argent
• English Angora
• English Spot 
• Fauve de Bourgogne
• French Lop
• Jersey Wooly Rabbit
• Polish Rabbit
• Rex Rabbit
• Siberian Rabbit

 

Which rabbit breed is better suited for me?

As you have seen above, each breed has its unique characteristics, making the bunny better suitable for different households. As a result, choosing the best rabbit breed for you entails taking into consideration your lifestyle, a bunny’s temperament, grooming needs, size, and compatibility with other family members and household pets.