Choose the Right Breed of Bunny Rabbit for Your Pet – An Exhaustive List

The scope of this article will primary address people looking to choose the best breed of rabbit for a pet. Although, many people do raise rabbits for the meat, which is a healthy source, they will also glean some information as well, although for this purpose, they will want to focus more on the larger breeds of rabbits.

As a former breeder and show competitor on a state and national level in past years, I learned much about rabbits and the different breeds, that was truly a fascinating experience.

One thing that surprised me most about raising rabbits is how much they can, and do bond with people, and how social they are. They will even lick humans they are bonded to with their ‘bunny kisses’. Their lifespan expectancy averages 7 – 9 years, give or take. They are quiet for the most part, however if they are hurt or get extremely scared, they can scream very loudly. They can also grunt, and nearly growl.

When people are considering buying a dog for a pet, usually quite a lot of forethought is put into what breed they will get. They are looking for the best fit of breed traits to their situations. However, people typically do not consider this same issue when it comes to getting a pet bunny. They should however; rabbits have definite breed traits to be mindful of, to get the best pet match. With that said, of course there are always exceptions to the general breed traits.

Rabbits can be trained to use a litter box indoors, although chewing on furniture and cords will be an issue. Be sure to read up on proper bunny and rabbit care for your pet, before you bring her or him home. They are territorial animals, so don’t plan on putting two in the same cage together, you could have problems (or babies).

Which is Best Male or Female Pet Rabbits?

There is some debate whether a male or female makes a better pet. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The common consensus is that males make better pets, because you aren’t dealing with reproductive hormonal issues, so they are less moody (bunny PMS).

I did find the males to be very friendly, but they also had some downsides. The worst of them being, some ‘sprayed’ urine and marked territory, including sometimes their human owner, which was gross. However, without a female bunny around, that reduced the incident greatly. I found that only some of the males had this tendency however, and it was actually a low number of them. The drawback was you never knew which one would develop this habit, and which one wouldn't.

Back to the issue of bunny PMS in the females, I had many female rabbits that were amazing pets, loving and sweet tempered and didn’t notice any of the moodiness I was told about in those. However, there were a few (very few) that had varying degrees of a mean streak, and they were all females. The other negative factor with a female is that sometimes they had something called a false pregnancy. An obvious consideration with a female is if you have a male around, you will get babies. There is a joke about “quick as a rabbit” in regards to reproduction. This cliché is true.

In general I would not recommend rabbits as pets to very young children, wait until they are a bit older for the best experience. Rabbits are fairly fragile animals and stress is hard on them. They also have sharp nails that scratch deeply and are painful. If you do have a young child, consider not allowing them hold the animal in their arms, instead to play gently on the floor or the ground, petting the bunny there, so they aren’t scratched. Alternatively, the adult could hold the rabbit and the child pet it. Kids nearly always drop the rabbit the second a scratch starts, and it usually does, because the animal is trying to simply get their balance and footing while being held, or they are trying to get down.

I’ve dealt with many new rabbit pet owners and found a few very common misconceptions. The first being that people tend to think there should be two or three in a cage together so they don’t get lonely. Rabbits are territorial animals, and putting two or three in a cage will cause problems in most cases, unless they are already bonded. They each should have their own cage. As long as the humans are spending time with them, they aren’t going to get lonely. A single rabbit makes a better pet anyways, over two or three. Two males or two females most likely will fight, and a male and female you’ll battle more the males spraying and female cyclical crankiness more frequently. If you do decide to let them have a litter of kits, the male shouldn’t be in with the female and babies anyways.

The other very common misperception people had was about the actual size of rabbits. Usually folks have seen the smaller breeds, and assume this is the size that rabbits are. In reality, many people have never seen the larger breeds, and have no idea how truly big they can be. Some are bigger than dogs and cats, depending of course on the breed.

We’ll be show casing the breeds accepted by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA). There are other breeds out there that are not yet recognized by ARBA. These will be categorized by large, medium, small, lops, and fur breeds.

Large Rabbit Breeds

This section we’ll look at the larger of the breeds of rabbits. Many of these are the breeds people use who want to raise rabbits for the meat. In a very general broad brush stroke, these are by and large, gentle and docile animals, most making awesome pets.

American – This breed gets 9-12 lbs, usually found in blue (gray) and white colors with a narrow head and medium build.

American Chinchilla – These will get 9-12 lbs and always be the chinchilla coloring, which is a blend of gray, white and black pattern that is very striking. They have dense, fine fur that is smooth and glossy, and a more round shaped body.

American Sable – Have a maximum weight of 10 pounds, it’s most unique attribute is its distinct coloring, and the ruby red glow in its eyes.

Beverens – Are an older breed originating in Europe and are fairly rare in the U.S. The max weight should be 12 pounds. Colors are black, blue, and blue eyed whites.

Blanc de Hotot –Get up to 11 pounds. These are pure white and black rings around their eyes, as if someone drew eyeliner on them.

Californian – This breed is 8-12 lbs with coloring that is always a solid white body, with black nose, ears, feet and tail. They have a rounded body, medium build, and short smooth coat. Some breeds will call a similar coloring pattern a California or Himalayan, but not to be confused with those two breeds.

Champagne d'Argent – Will get in size 9-12 lbs with a unique color of bluish white with black hairs interspersed, with a slate blue undercolor. They have a plump body type, and are black at birth with color changing at about 2 months of age.

Checkered Giant – Gets to 11 lbs or greater. They have unique patterned fur that is mainly white with black or blue markings along spine, body spots, cheek spots, colored ears, eye circles and butterfly mark on nose. They also have a different body shape, much more arched under the belly, more of an athletic build. These tend to be more rambunctious as a breed, and mixed reviews on their temperament. They are probably not a great meat rabbit.

Cinnamon– The breed is 8.5-11 lbs and rust or cinnamon color with grey ticking on back and grey on belly. Rust colored spots inside hind legs as well as butterfly mark on nose and eye rings.

Creme d'Argent – Found in weight to be 8-11 lbs, with creamy white with orange undercoat, and butterfly marking on nose for coloring.

Flemish Giant (Patagonian) – This is the largest rabbit of the breeds, sometimes known as the ‘Gentle Giant’ they reach 13 lbs and over. They come in black, blue, fawn, light grey, sandy, steel grey, and white colors. Long body type, heavy build, but shouldn't be fat for body type. They are truly a wonder to see close up, their tails are enormous!

Giant Chinchilla – These are very large rabbits at 12-16 lbs, with the standard chinchilla coloration. These are larger than the American Chinchilla.

New ZealandRabbits - They are mostly pure white with pink eyes, and 9-12 pounds. They are popular for both a meat breed rabbit, and also for the wonderful temperaments as pets.

Palomino – They weigh in just less than 9.5 lbs and are a beautiful golden and lynx color.

Silver Fox - Are jet black in coloring with silver markings and weigh 9-12.

Overall, the medium sized breeds tend to have good dispositions.

American Sable – Range from 7-10 lbs, are beautiful sepia brown and have a medium build with soft, dense fine coat with coarse guard hairs.

Belgian Hare – These are 6-9.5 lbs and have a red tan or chestnut color with slate blue under coloring. Slender build, fairly stiff coat. They have an athletic type build and tend to be pretty active.

Chinchilla– Come in around 5.5-6.5 lbs in weight, and have the classic chinchilla coloring. These are smaller than the American Chinchilla breed.

English Spot – These weight 5-8 lbs. They have distinctive markings white, with black, blue, chocolate, gold, grey, lilac or tortoise. Marking include butterfly mark on nose, colored ears, eye rings, spine marking (called a herringboned) and a spot on the cheek and a chain of spots along the body. Long arched body shape similar to the Belgian Hare.

Florida White – These have a rounded body type and are always pure white and weigh 4-6 lbs.

Harlequin – Weigh 6.5-9.5 lbs and possess striking patterns alternating bands of color and white, with half the face white, and the other half colored, and the ear on the white side colored, and vice versa. The come in black, blue, chocolate, and lilac varieties.

Lilac – These are always lilac (a soft blue gray color) with a compact body and dense fur. They weigh 5.5-8 lbs.

Rhinelander – The breed weighs 6.5-10 lbs, with unique colorings of white bodies, with black and bright golden orange markings 6-8 round markings on each side of the back part of the body, as well as a spine marking, butterfly mark on the nose, eye circles, colored ears, and round cheek spots.

Satin – These weigh 8.5-11 lbs and come in the colors of black, blue, broken group, Californian (remember not the breed), chinchilla, chocolate, copper, red, Siamese, white. These are known for the very shiny, satin fur.

Silver– This breed comes in black, brown, fawn with silver/white guard hairs, and weigh 4-7 lbs.

Silver Marten – Are beautifully marked in a unique pattern with black, blue, chocolate, sable with silver-tipped guard hairs and weigh 6-9.5 lbs.

Standard Chinchilla – Not to be confused with the American Chinchilla breed. This has the classic chinchilla coloring, round body and weighs 5-7.5 lbs.

Tan– This breed weighs 4-6 lbs and has a unique color pattern of black, blue, chocolate, or lilac with tan (eye circles, nostrils, jowls, ears, backs of legs, toes, chest, belly, tail and neck collar). They have a more arched body type and mixed reviews about personalities.

Thrianta – Weigh in about 6 pounds. One of the newest accepted breeds of the ARBA. Known as the "Fire of the Fancy," it has a brilliant red-orange coat and brown eyes, which really stand out from other breeds. They have good temperaments.

Here is where you really need to watch dispositions. All the small breeds of bunnies can derail you in by their ‘cute factor’ especially the babies! However, with the dwarfing gene that most possess, sometimes it can compromise personality. I also reiterate that there are exceptions that can go both ways in the rabbit world.

Britannia Petite – These are less than 2.5 lbs and come in the following colors and patterns: ruby eyed white, black otter, black, chestnut agouti. They are fine boned and slender with sleek silky coats. They tend to be high strung and not great pets.

Dutch – Weigh in at 3.5-5.5 lbs with unique patterns of color known only to this breed. The body is white with black, blue or brown, chocolate, steel or tortoise. The front of the face, body, and the back feet are white; the rest is colored. These are known to be a very calm pet. I have seen many children carrying them around with their tummies up like a baby doll and even some sleeping in their arms.

Dwarf Hotot - These look just like their larger counterparts but weigh less than 3 lbs. They have the white rounded bodies, with black eye rings. Mixed reviews about their personality, be cautious.

Havana– Have a compact, rounded body, come in black, blue, chocolate varieties and weigh 4.5-6.5 lbs. They are known to be gentle, good pets.

Himalayan – These are the ‘wiener dogs’ in the rabbit world with very long, skinny bodies. The have the same California color pattern that sometimes get interchanged in describing pattern markings, but this is a breed of its own right. The points can be black, blue, chocolate, lilac. Coloration develops extremities - ears, nose, tail, feet and legs. They weigh 2.5-4.5 lbs and have a reputation for being gentle and good pets.

Mini Satin – Also one of the newest accepted breeds of the ARBA. It has the beautiful fur of the full size Satin, but in a much smaller size, weighing in at 3.25 to 4.75 pounds. They have very soft, shiny fur, and good dispositions.

Netherland Dwarf – One of the smallest of the bunny world, weigh in at less than 2.5 lbs they have a rounder shaped head and pretty short ears. They come in a very wide range of colors and are cute, cute, cute! Although I know there are some nice personality Netherland Dwarfs out there, this is one breed I would never own. Far too many of them are just flat out mean.

Rabbit bites can be very bad (they can chew wood after all), you don’t want a rabbit attack.

Polish – These weigh less than 3.5 lbs and come in black, blue, chocolate, blue-eyed white, ruby-eyed white colors and also have very short ears. They have a rounder body type than the Netherland Dwarf. Polish also have mixed reviews to temperament.

Lop Bunny Breeds

Lop bunnies are those whose ears hang down, not stand up. They are very popular and loved by most everyone. Some of their ears instead of fully hanging down as they are supposed to, sort of stick straight out, which is cute too. There is much confusion however about the lop breeds, so read carefully.

American Fuzzy Lop – These weigh at 3.5-4 lbs and come in a large range of colors. They have a compact muscular body, dense, long fluffy fur, and of course, ears folded over to slightly below the jaw. These could have been listed in the fur category as well. American fuzzy lops are mellow and have wonderful personalities. They are about the same size as the Holland Lops, so they tie for being the smallest of the lop breeds. The babies fur mats very easily so you’ll need to be diligent in grooming, but the adult fur doesn’t need extensive grooming, however you will need to do some to ensure the fur is matt free.

English Lop – These are one of the largest lop breeds weighing in at over 9 lbs and a wide variety of colors. They are a very unique, one of a kind breed and fairly rare. They have a mandolin shaped body and super long ears that drag on the ground. In very cold temperatures, during the winter, it is recommended that socks be put over their ears and gently tied up. Diligence is needed to keep their ears dry and from frost bite. They are very gentle, sweet animals.

French Lop – This is the largest of the lop breeds, at 10 lbs and over. They come in a wide variety of colors with a muscular, heavy build. They are known to be gentle and sweet.

HollandLop – This breed ties with the American Fuzzy Lop as the smallest of the lop breeds at under 4 lbs. They have compact, round muscular bodies and a large variety of colors. Usually when people typically think of a lop bunny, it’s a Holland Lop they are referring to. Holland Lops are known to be gentle and sweet pets.

Mini Lop – This is where the most confusion happens. By the name of Mini Lop, you would think it is the smallest of the lop breeds, but it is not. They are quite a bit larger than the Hollands or American Fuzzy Lops, weighing 4.5-6.5 lbs. They also have compact, muscular bodies and come in a huge variety of colors. Of the lop breeds, these tend to have the least desirable of personalities.

Fur Breeds

These are the breeds known mostly for the attributes of their fur. Some are the long haired, fluffy fur, and other are the very smooth, short haired, velveteen type fur. The long furred breeds will need extra care in regards to grooming. They need to be watched more closely for potential problems with hairballs, which can be fatal in rabbits. Also, matting of the fur isn’t just a cosmetic issue, the skin under dense mattes, can actually start to decay, it’s a health issue.

The Angora long fur is known for is super soft properties, and widely popular for being spun into yarn. Most of the rabbits enjoy the grooming, which is a thorough combing out of all snarls and mats on a regular basis. If you are unprepared for this upkeep, please, don’t get a long haired rabbit.

American Fuzzy Lop – I put this breed in here because it can go both in this category, for its long, fluffy fur, and the lop category. Read more above.

English Angoras –They weigh a maximum of 7 1/2 pounds, and are a massive poof ball of fur, with long fur even upon their ears. Sometimes you can barely see their eyes. They are a large breed, but their fur makes them look even larger. They are known to be very gentle.

French Angora - The French Angora is one of the large Angora breeds at 7.5 to 10 lbs, with a commercial body type. It differs from the English and Giant Angoras in that it possesses a clean face and front feet, with only minor tufting on the rear legs. They are reputed to have good personalities.

Giant Angora - This is the largest of the four ARBA recognized Angora breeds. These are found mostly in ruby eyed white colors, the only one accepted by ARBA. The Giant Angora produces more wool than the French, Satin or English Angora. The fur needs to be harvested at least once every 90 days. Personally, I think these are the most amazing looking of the angoras. There have been some I’ve seen that I thought were dogs at first.

SatinAngora - This breed is known for the extremely soft texture of its wool. has no furnishings on the face, ears, or feet, and it is also easy to groom compared to the English variety. Satin Angora's wool is said to be stronger for spinning than other varieties of Angora. Comes in many colors and weighs 3.0–4 lbs, also known for a gentle personality.

Jersey Woolly – When I think of ‘bunny foo foo’, this is the breed I imagine. They weigh less than 3.5 lbs, come in a wide variety of colors and have long fluffy fur. They have ‘major cute’ written all over them. However, this breed has very mixed reviews of personality for pets. I witnessed the worse ever rabbit attack by a Jersey Woolly that left a 6’4” man bleeding a trail of blood on his way to the ER for stitches.

Mini Rex - This is one of the short furred, velveteen type breeds. When you touch their fur for the first time, all I can say is ‘wow’. They weigh 3-4.5 lbs and come in a very wide range of colors including black, blue, broken group, castor, chinchilla, chocolate, Himalayan, lilac, lynx, opal, red, seal tortoise, white. I may be biased, because this was the breed I raised and showed. They have wonderful personalities on the whole, but you may on occasion get one with attitude problems, but those tend to be rare.

Rex –Similar to the Mini Rex, these are the larger version coming in at 7.5-10.5 and found in black, black otter, blue, broken group, Californian, castor, chinchilla, chocolate, lilac, lynx, opal, red, sable, seal, white. They also have the amazing velveteen fur, and are known to be gentle animals and good pets.

If you find a breed that seems like a good fit for you, try to find a reputable breeder in your area or close by that specializes in that breed. You can try to locate breeders through the ARBA website or a web search.

Rabbits are also great animals for kids to participate in 4-H with (some 4-H clubs offer this fun and inspiring program that encourages science and technology for teens and children) you may want to look into as well. They will learn much about animal husbandry, how to handle and show their rabbits, and how to care for them responsibly. In the ARBA show circuit, there are both youth and adult divisions which can be an amazing experience, and chance to meet new friends with common interests.

For anyone who has rabbits, take look at another article about how to Begin a Worm Farm, How and Why, as they hit together closely like a hand and a glove. For those choosing to have their rabbits as indoor pets, read about eliminating pet smells from your home and carpets.