Know Your RabbitWho wouldn't adore these tiny, furry and easy on the eyes creatures?
Well, rabbits are indeed one of the cutest things in this world. Not only is it evident in the way they look but it's also through the way we raise them. They're like a cotton candy - coated puppy - very sweet, puffy and warm. Just like the Easter bunny, rabbits are very affectionate animals. Although you might find it hard at first since they have that prey fear response, it would surely become a wonderful indoor companion once it gets used to you. But just as how a rabbit needs to know you well, do you really know what kind of rabbit are you raising? |
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Most recorded rabbits are the domesticated ones, since the wild rabbits are very dodgy.
Is Your Rabbit Wild or Not?
Just like the other types of animals, rabbits are also classified as either a domestic breed or a wild rabbit. From the word itself, domestic rabbits are those that are tamed by us. So practically, these are the rabbits that you would most likely want to pet. On the other hand, wild rabbits are those which have grown in the wild without any human interference. So most likely, these are the ones that you can see in the forests and act as what rabbits are in the wild. So don’t expect it to be easy to tame. With regards to this, the kinds of rabbit being recorded and are classified are mostly those that have been domesticated, although there are some who patiently classify the wild ones. These wild ones are really hard to catch since, as mentioned above, rabbit’s natural response is that of a prey animal. So not only that they have a good sense of what’s happening within their surroundings, they are also equipped with natural reflexes in order to avoid and escape. So for practicality sake, the domesticated ones were the focus of rabbit taxonomy. |
There are different organizations that had carefully grouped the rabbits such as ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association).
But even if the scope has been bounded to those domesticated ones, grouping it has been found to be difficult as well. So to further know these types, we rely on the classification made by different rabbit organizations. These organizations, such as the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association), Rabbit Welfare Association & fund in UK, British Rabbit Council and a lot more have created their own methods as to how we can tell the difference between each breed.
Most of these organizations classify them according to their origin, body type, fur type, size and expected weight. When it comes to their body type, most of these rabbits recorded have a cylindrical, commercial (the usual rabbit body-type), compact, semi-arch and full-arch body shape. Also, according to fur type the classes are: Click on the photo for more description |
Cross Breeding is no Surprise in Rabbits
Well, using these data would surely create a well-organized list that would be easy for us to look for the kind of rabbit that we are owning or about to pet since most of our domesticated rabbits originated from the European breed. The dawn of their classification has been initiated when the concept of selective and genetic crossbreeding have been introduced to those rabbit breeders.
Such techniques are used so that these breeders can carefully select the desirable traits of each breed and cross it to the other rabbit, hence resulting into a well-rounded one. Well, it’s really no surprise that these concept is also applied to rabbit since all domesticated animals have also encountered this cross breeding. As a result, the rabbits that have been recorded by this different organizations are a product of their cross breeding endeavors. Thus, these breeders have the control over its different traits and appearance.
Well, using these data would surely create a well-organized list that would be easy for us to look for the kind of rabbit that we are owning or about to pet since most of our domesticated rabbits originated from the European breed. The dawn of their classification has been initiated when the concept of selective and genetic crossbreeding have been introduced to those rabbit breeders.
Such techniques are used so that these breeders can carefully select the desirable traits of each breed and cross it to the other rabbit, hence resulting into a well-rounded one. Well, it’s really no surprise that these concept is also applied to rabbit since all domesticated animals have also encountered this cross breeding. As a result, the rabbits that have been recorded by this different organizations are a product of their cross breeding endeavors. Thus, these breeders have the control over its different traits and appearance.
There are 47 different kinds of rabbit breeds recorded by ARBA.
Heard of ARBA?
For this site, the types of rabbits that we have listed are according to the breeds recorded by ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association). ARBA is one of the well-recognized and organized rabbit associations throughout the world. Although the breeds presented in their records are in America, other countries can also use their own data since rabbit breeds have already crossed the boarders of the world and it’s no surprise to find an ARBA recognized rabbit in Asia.
For this site, the types of rabbits that we have listed are according to the breeds recorded by ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association). ARBA is one of the well-recognized and organized rabbit associations throughout the world. Although the breeds presented in their records are in America, other countries can also use their own data since rabbit breeds have already crossed the boarders of the world and it’s no surprise to find an ARBA recognized rabbit in Asia.
So if you’re ready to know your rabbit well, go on “THE DIFFERENT BREEDS” page and start reading upon the different descriptions as to how each of them differ from the other.
A piece of reminder: When you've clicked on the "THE DIFFERENT BREEDS" tab, you'll be redirected on the rabbit grid page. Just click on the thumbnail to enlarge the photo and click again on the photo to see the description. Within the description, you can see the link as to where the full description of the rabbit is. Feel free to click on it and you'll be redirected again to the description page. Click now on the "THE DIFFERENT BREEDS" tab or click on the button below. |
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