American Sable
The only history available, at this time, on the American Sable is that it originated from the Chinchilla rabbit, possibly in France. It has also been stated that at some point in time some angora was mixed in the breed.
The American Sable's color is shaded, varying from a deep sepia brown on the ears, face, and over the top of the back to a paler shade of brown on the lower part of the body. It is a beautiful and popular color which has also been developed in other breeds of rabbits. The American Sable is a larger rabbit, weighing between 7 and 10 pounds.
The American Sable has a commercial type body. The head should not be long and narrow but broad and well shaped. The ears are carried erect. If purchasing an American Sable for show, check the eyes for a ruby glow. If the ruby glow is missing it will be disqualified when shown.
The American Fuzzy Lop
The American Fuzzy Lop is a breed which was originated in the 1980's by Patty Green-Karl. The original fuzzy lops were sports of Holland Lops. Apparently, some rabbits in this breed retained the gene necessary to produce long wool from breedings to Angoras to improve fur quality back before Hollands were an official breed. It is said that broken to broken breedings tend to produce Hollands with long hair, but that is not substantiated. Today, the breeds are seperate, with distinct physical characteristics and standards, and should no longer be bred together. However, most bucks cannot tell the difference between the two breeds, so it seems to be up to us breeders to keep it from happening!
Fuzzies have a short body that should be about as deep as it is wide. Hips should be SLIGHTLY wider than the shoulders, and the rise should be mid- to- back of the rabbit. The latest standard insists that the rise should be directly over the hips of the rabbit. However, If depth is to be approxamately equal throughout the body, this is a direct contradiction! Sometimes, in fact, I wonder if the U.S. Government made up this standard! Time will tell how judges and future standard committees view this problem.
The head of a Fuzzy should be round and wide between the eyes. Eyes should appear to be on the sides of the head.Ears should fall to the side of the head, and be held down well unless the bunny is under stress. The crown does not have to be prominant, but the new standard says that a prominant crown is "desireable."
American Fuzzy Lops come in all sorts of colors. Wool is to be somewhere in between course and silky; not quite Angora, but not short by any means. You might want to consult the American Rabbit Breeders Association Standard of Perfection book for more details.
Generally, Fuzzy Lops are very sweet, affectionate animals that love to play and hop. Since they are animals, though, if they are treated in an inappropriate manner, they can turn mean, sorta like the bunny in that Monty Python flick. Remember that if you buy your Fuzzy from a reputable breeder, they should have no personality problems
Angora
It is believed the Angora rabbit originated in Ankara, Turkey. It is also believed the long-haired goats and cats also originated here.
The French were among the first to raise the Angora rabbit. They were kept as house pets until after the Revolution. At this time they were more noted for their beautiful wool.
The Angora was imported to England in 1777. Royalty had the peasants raise the animals to spin their wool into yarn. The English royalty regarded the Angora as a "fancy rabbit" or pet. The English formed clubs that specialized in the Angora.
The Angora was brought to the United States sometime after World War I. Here too, a specialty club was formed in 1932. The United States considered the Angora rabbit to be a multipurpose animal. It was known for its wool production, fancy show animal, and as a pet.
It is extremely important to protect your Angora from the outside elements. I have mine in a building that is well ventilated. One needs to make sure the rabbits are not in a direct draft. If you must house your rabbit outside be sure to have the cages covered to protect the rabbits.
Angoras can withstand various temperatures, however, extreme heat can be fatal. If your rabbit is used to being outside be sure it is in a shaded area. If temperatures are above 80 degrees you need to place a frozen water bottle ( a two liter soda bottle works well) in the cage so the rabbit may lay against it to cool off. A rabbits ears are its thermostat so I suggest you lightly mist the ears to help cool it down.
In winter temperatures it is best to shield the rabbit cage from the winter winds, snow, etc. The hardest part of having your rabbit outside in the winter months is trying to supply enough fresh water as it will freeze quickly.
Treats are always enjoyed by rabbits, however, too much of a good thing can cause diarrhea. Various treats can consist of: carrots, dried bread, crackers, apples, corn, corn stalks, grass, banana, dried pineapple, etc.
If you have several rabbits you may want to invest in a pet blower, however, they are not cheap! Before I purchased my pet blower I used the exhaust on my wet/dry vac to blow the loose wool from the rabbit before I brushed it. If you don't have a wet/dry vac, you may want to use a hair dryer. Be sure not to use a heat hair dryer as it will dry the rabbits skin and cause dander.
I find most people who only have one or two rabbits usually just brush their rabbit and don't do any blowing and that is fine too, however you will find the rabbits wool will be less dense.
You will find that your rabbit will shed its coat anywhere from 7 to 12 months. Your first indication of them shedding their coat will be when you are grooming large amounts of wool will brush out. At that time you will need to either clip or pluck the wool from the rabbit. Clipping (cutting the wool) is the fastest way to remove the wool from the rabbit. Plucking can take several days before the rabbit is completely done.
Holland Lop
The Holland Lop was originated in the 1940's and 50's, and is generally attributed to Adrian DeCock, of the Netherlands. He bred Netherland Dwarfs to French Lops in attempt to produce a miniature French Lop. He succeeded in producing one of the most popular breeds of rabbits currently available, and plenty of Netherland Does who are glad it is over (just kidding, I am certain he used French Lop does)!
A Holland Lop should have a bone structure that gives the illusion of massivity, but in actuality is small and light. Its body should be of equal width from shoulder to hips, with approxamately equal depth to its width. The animal should be short in body legnth, and the standard says that an upright pose on the show table is desirable. This is to show off the "massive" chest and short front legs of the rabbit (think Fabio with Joe Pesci's arms).
The Holland's head should be round when viewed from any angle. In fact, the animal should have a general look of "roundness" about its entire appearance (this does NOT excuse fat animals though, folks:). Good width is necessary in the head, and the head should be in a good proportion to the body. A Holland's crown is very important. When felt, it should be uniformly wide to match the head, and have good depth and flesh (think Sharon Stone).
Fur and color on a Holland do not carry many points, but that does not mean that one should ignore them like a speed limit sign. It can be very rewarding to place an "odd" colored rabbit on the table and win with it. Fur should have a slow rollback, and be dense (think Bill Clinton).
A Holland Lop's ideal weight is between 3 and 3.5 pounds. Generally, Holland Lops are very sweet, affectionate animals that love to play and hop. Since they are animals, though, if they are treated in an inappropriate manner, they can turn mean, sorta like the bunny in that Monty Python flick. Remember that if you buy your Holland from a reputable breeder, they should have no personality problems.
