Dutch Rabbit

Facts about Dutch Rabbits. The Dutch Rabbit is a breed of domestic rabbit that is native to the Netherlands. Though it hails from the Netherlands, the Dutch Rabbit was, in fact, developed in England.

Dutch Rabbit."Scientific name for Dutch Rabbit is Oryctolagus cuniculus". "Fear of Rabbits Leporiphobia". All rabbit breeds are "lagomorphs" various plant-eating mammal of the order Lagomorpha ; a hare, rabbit, or pika.

Once, the Dutch Rabbit breed was the most popular among all rabbit breeds. However, subsequent to the development of dwarf rabbits, the fame of the Dutch rabbit declined. Nevertheless, the Dutch rabbit stays one among the top ten most admired rabbit breeds in the world. The Dutch Rabbit can be easily identified by its feature color pattern and it is an admired rabbit breed both as pets and amongst show breeders.

Features of Dutch Rabbit

The Dutch Rabbit is a small to average breed of rabbit, which is a four class breed. Both female and male rabbits, which are below the age of six months are considered junior rabbits and they will have a minimum body weight of 1.75 lbs (0.9 kg). Dutch Rabbits that are more than six months of age are considered senior rabbits. Both male and female Dutch Rabbits of this category will have a body weight between 3.5 lbs and 5.5 lbs (1.6 kg and 2.0 kg).

The Dutch Rabbit has a solid, well-rounded body, with rounded head and small, sturdy, well-furred ears, with a small, shiny fly back fur. The Dutch Rabbit breed comes in six coat colors in combination with white color and their physical features will differ according to the color.
Dutch Rabbits with a black color coat will have thick, silky black hair and they have dark brown eyes and their under color will be in slate blue.
The blue Dutch Rabbits will have an average blue-gray body with blue-gray eyes and their under color will be in slate blue.
An agouti colored Dutch Rabbit will have pearl white and black bands and their under color will be in slate blue. The Dutch Rabbit have brown color eyes and their ears will have black color lacing.
A chocolate color Dutch Rabbit will have brown color eyes, and their under color will be in dove-gray.
The gray colored Dutch Rabbits will have an Agouti color, with dark brown eyes and colored bands on their hair shaft that create a ring result when blown into. The groups of color should be a light chocolate, a slight charcoal band then a darker chocolate above a slate blue under color.
The Steel colored Dutch Rabbits will have dark brown eyes, a black color body with off-white on some hair tips to their hair shaft. They have a slate blue under color.
Dutch Rabbits that assume the color of a tortoiseshell will have dark brown eyes and a brilliant, clean orange with slate blue shades along their ears, whisker hindquarters and beds, and they have a dark cream under color.

The Dutch Rabbit breeds have well rounded cheeks and they are carried around their whisker bed, meeting the neckline, or dragging into their throat or mouth. The blaze is the mark down the Dutch Rabbit face, and it will be in the shape of a wedge, with an average width, covering the whisker bed, nose, and tapering up to their ears.

Dutch Rabbits have long ears which can be as long as 4 in" (10.2 cm). Dutch Rabbits are herbivores (a herbivore, eats leaves, grass, hay and furns (plant eaters) and also mammal.

Dutch Rabbits are born without fur and its eyes are closed. Half of the rabbits in the world live in North America. Dutch Rabbits are comfortable living in groups. European rabbits like to live in burrows underground. Warren is known as a group of burrows. Cottontail Rabbits are the only rabbit that does not live under ground.

Diet of Dutch Rabbit

Dutch Rabbits as pets enjoy wet food, carrots, pellets, hay or lettuce, dark leaf lettuce is good. (Iceberg lettuce contains too much water and too little fiber to be suitable.) Limit giving them fruit with sugar in it. Alfalfa provides the high caloric content necessary for baby bunnies development. Once rabbits reach seven months of age, gradually switch them over to timothy hay, oat hay, or orchard grass. Avoid giving them yard clippings, since grass is often sprayed with fertilizer, insecticides, pesticides, and other chemicals rabbits should not be eating. Their diet should consist of 70% of timothy hay and make sure they have fresh water every day.

Usually, the development period of a Dutch Rabbit is from 28 to 32 days. The female Dutch Rabbit is capable of producing 6 kits per litter. Kits are born sightless and their eyes will open after 7 to 14 days of their birth.

The male Dutch Rabbit is called a buck and a female Dutch Rabbit is called a doe, also both known as a bunny. A young rabbit is called a kit "kitten" or baby bunny.

Dutch Rabbits have an outstanding sense of vision, smell and hearing. Having eyes on the side of their head and being so big, gives them nearly 360 degrees vision, allowing them to see predators from all directions. The Dutch Rabbit can see everything behind and in front of them and have just a small blind-spot in front of their nose.

Pet Dutch Rabbits should be kept in pairs for Companionship, its important for a Dutch Rabbits happiness and it can live longer with a companion. In the wild, rabbits are very social. Female Dutch Rabbits can produce about 2 to 4 litters of bunnies per year with 4 to 6 babies.

Dutch Rabbits love to run and can reach speeds of 30 to 40 mph. The average lifespan of a Dutch Rabbit is around 5 to 8 years and in captivity can live up to 10 years. Dutch Rabbits have 28 teeth and an incredible fact, a Dutch Rabbits teeth never stop growing throughout its life.
Dutch Rabbits can jump up to 36 inches (91.4 cm) and sometimes higher.

Dutch Rabbits are very clean animals and will groom themselves and also each other. Dutch Rabbits are crepuscular-(meaning the are most active at morning and evening) and do most of there feeding in the evening. Dutch Rabbits on average sleep about 8 hours.

De-worming is a major concern and should be done in the spring and fall. A pea sized amount of de-worming paste in the rabbit's mouth is sufficient for the Dutch Rabbit.

For bedding, give Dutch Rabbits wood pellets or aspen. You can use pelleted horse bedding. Do not give them pine or cedar. Clean the cage with either white vinegar or a cage safe cleaner; don’t use bathroom cleaner or other things that are toxic for the pet cage.