American rabbit facts for kids
The American Rabbit is a special kind of rabbit. It was officially recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) in 1917. These rabbits have a unique body shape, a bit like a mandolin musical instrument. Their fur is also very good quality. They are known for being friendly and good mothers to their babies. Like all pet rabbits, American Rabbits come from the European wild rabbit species, called Oryctolagus cuniculus.
Contents
Colors of the American Rabbit
American Rabbits first became known for their beautiful blue color. They had the darkest blue or gray fur of all rabbits. The best blue color is a deep, dark slate-blue, without any white, sandy, or rusty spots.
A white type, called the American White Rabbit, was recognized in 1925. These white rabbits were created by choosing white sports (which are like natural mutations). They also added some large white Flemish Giant rabbits into their family tree. White American Rabbits are usually albinos, meaning they have red eyes. Sometimes, blue-eyed white rabbits appear, but they are not officially recognized for shows. American Rabbits can also be black, but this color is not recognized by the ARBA.
What American Rabbits Look Like
American Rabbits have a special body shape called a "mandolin" or "semi-arch." This means they have a long back, different from the more common rounded shape seen in breeds like the New Zealand rabbit or Californian rabbit. When these rabbits are shown in competitions, they are posed in a way that highlights their long body and the highest point of their back over their hips.
Americans are a normal-sized rabbit breed, not a dwarf breed. They are considered medium-sized rabbits. Adult American Rabbits usually weigh between 4 and 5.5 kilograms (about 9 to 12 pounds). Female rabbits, called does, are usually a little bigger than males, called bucks.
History of the American Rabbit
The blue American Rabbit was first developed in Pasadena, California, by Lewis H. Salisbury in 1917. Some people think the American Rabbit was the first rabbit breed created in the United States. However, the New Zealand Red rabbit was developed a few years earlier. Mr. Salisbury never said which rabbit breeds he used to create the American Rabbit. But its body shape suggests it might have come from blue Vienna, Beveren, Imperial, and Flemish Giant rabbits. It would be very hard to create this breed again today because the Imperial breed no longer exists.
The white type of American Rabbit was officially accepted by the ARBA in 1925.
Why the Name Changed
This rabbit breed was first called the German Blue Vienna. But after World War I, its name was changed to the American Blue Rabbit. In recent years, some people have mistakenly called mixed-breed rabbits "American." This has caused some confusion about this historic breed.
A Rare Breed
American Rabbits were very popular until the 1950s. People raised them for their fur and meat. As late as 1949, American Rabbits (both Blue and White) were among the most popular rabbits for commercial meat and fur production.
However, after new commercial rabbit breeds like the Californian and New Zealand appeared, and the market for domestic fur declined, American Rabbits became less popular. Their numbers dropped a lot in the 1980s. They are now one of the rarest rabbit breeds in North America.
In 2005, the American Rabbit was listed as "Critical" on the American Livestock Breed Conservancy's Priority List. This meant they were in serious danger. The White variety was especially at risk of being removed from the ARBA's official list in 2004 because not enough of them were shown at the annual ARBA convention.
Since then, the number of American Rabbits has grown. In 2012, the American Livestock Breed Conservancy changed their status from "Critical" to "Threatened," which is less endangered. This recovery happened because dedicated breeders worked hard to send breeding rabbits across the United States. Also, a group of White American Rabbits was found among a Hutterite farming community in Alberta, Canada.
American Rabbits are also part of the Slow Food USA project, listed under their Ark of Taste for Meat and Poultry. This has made more people interested in raising American Rabbits as a heritage breed on farms or homesteads.
See Also
- List of rabbit breeds
