Another A-Z: Rabbit Breeds (2)


D, E, F

Welcome to the second post of the series, covering an A-Z of rabbit breeds. This post will cover breeds from D-F; including some basic titbits about the breed, and some interesting facts. As per my two previous A-Z series, for Dog breeds and Cat breeds, between 1-3 breeds will be covered per letter – accompanied by photo’s of the breed.
In the follow up posts, continuing down the alphabet, I will be writing posts covering breeds from, G-I, J-L, M-O, P-R, S-V, and W-Z. If you missed the first post covering A-C, click here.

D

Dutch (a.k.a. Hollander; a.k.a. Brabander)

Origin: Despite the name, the Dutch rabbit does not actually originate in the Netherlands, but in England!
Size: Small
Weight: 1.5-2.5 kg
Lifespan: 6-9 years
Colours: All Dutch rabbits have that distinct white blaze on the face, the ‘collar’ (neck), ‘saddle’ (front section of the body) and ‘stops’ (front section of the back feet). The rest of the animal can be the following seven colours: black, blue, steel, chinchilla, grey, chocolate or tortoise.

This breed came from imported rabbits, sent over to England for the meat market, during the 1830’s – the Dutch breed is said to have been developed in the 1860’s. Dutch rabbits are easy-going, intelligent and friendly; making lovely pets. However, they are quite energetic, and therefore can be unsuitable for younger children, but more suited to families with older children, or adult-only homes.

Dwarf Hotot

Origin: Germany
Size: Dwarf
Weight: 1-1.5 kg
Lifespan: 7-10 years
Colours: White with black rings or ‘spectacles’ around the eyes, only.

The Dwarf Hotot is not specifically a dwarf version of the Blanc De Hotot, but rather a breed that came about by crossing the Blanc De Hotot with other rabbit breeds (such as the Netherland Dwarf), which resulted in the Dwarf Hotot. This breed was developed in the 1970’s in Germany – by two independent breeders, on in East Germany and one in West Germany, who came together and bred their Dwarf Hotot rabbits to give us the Dwarf Hotot we have today.

E

Enderby (Island) Rabbit

Origin: Enderby Island, New Zealand
Size: Small
Weight: 1.3-1.8 kg
Lifespan: 5-8 years
Colours: Mainly slate (under-coat; dark blue, with silvering on body), Champagne (under-coat; light blue, with silvering on body) and Crème (under-coat; orange, with creamy-white body hairs tipped with silver).

The Enderby comes from stock introduced in 1865, to Enderby Island from Australia, as food for castaways. After 130 years of being left to their own devices, natural selection had produced a distinct variety – the Enderby Rabbit. In the 1990’s they were exterminated by wildlife management aside from just under 50 individuals who were rescued by New Zealand’s Rare Breeds Conservation Society – through breeders, this breed has been preserved through to today.

English Spot

Origin: England
Size: Medium
Weight: 2.5-3.5 kg
Lifespan: 5-9 years
Colours: White body with spots, ears, eye circles, cheek spots and nose ‘butterfly’ in the following colours – Black, Blue, Grey and Chocolate.

One of the very first breeds to be established for show purposes, the English Spot tends to be friendly, docile, and comfortable with handling. It is clear by their markings where this breed got its name, and why they’ve been a popular show rabbit since the 1850’s! The English Spot is also a popular pet rabbit, due to their friendliness and active/ playful natures – however their active nature can make them unsuitable for you children.

F

Flemish Giant

Origin: Belgium
Size: Giant
Weight: 6-7 kg
Lifespan: 8-10 years
Colours: Black, blue, light grey, steel grey, sandy, white, and fawn.

Originally bred for their meat and fur, the Flemish Giant rabbits have been around since the 16th century. On 2010, a Flemish Giant rabbit named Darius became the Guinness World Record holder as the longest rabbit ever, at 4ft 3 inches. However, in 2017, Darius’ son Jeff reached 3ft 8 inches and is thought to beat his dad’s record some day!


All images are either open source, Google images, or my own – or photos donated for use by the pet owners.


If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of the social media pages…
. Facebook (Ali’s Animal Answers)
. Twitter (@AlisAnswers)
. LinkedIn (Ali Lloyd)

Here’s to a better 2021…

Here’s to a better 2021…


A belated Merry Christmas, and wishing you all a Happy New Year for 2021!

2020 has been a weird one, with a lot of problems… But also a lot of joy! The website posts, the social media posts and photo’s and shares, show snippets of some of the joy I’ve experienced this year! Especially with being able to help Tilly; spending time training and walking her.

I hope you all can reflect on the joys you’ve experienced this year despite everything else that’s gone on – here’s looking forward to more joy in 2021!

Dog photography

Dog photography


Just a brief post to share some photos of Tilly and her friends, now that she’s enjoying being with other dogs again (successful but still ongoing rehabilitation with Tilly)! It’s a thrill to see her socialising well still, for the most part, and getting excited to see her friends.

My dad always told me, when I needed to take photos of animals as part of coursework for my college diploma and my university degree, that to get the best photos of animals you need to get on their level! Now that was tricky when I had an assignment about giraffes!

You may not be an avid photographer, but we all take photos of our pets! I like candid photos as much as the next person, but I also love how my animal photos look when I follow my dad’s advice and get on their level. Just thought I’d share this little tip with you all! See for yourself below…


All images are either open source, Google images, or my own – or photos donated for use by the pet owners.


If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of the social media pages…

Instagram (@alis.animal.answers)
• Facebook (Ali’s Animal Answers)
• Twitter (@AlisAnswers)
• LinkedIn (Ali Lloyd)

Another A-Z: Rabbit Breeds (1)

Another A-Z: Rabbit Breeds (1)


Welcome to the first post of the series, covering an A-Z of rabbit breeds. This first post will cover breeds from A-C; including some basic titbits about the breed, and some interesting facts. As per my two previous A-Z series, for Dog breeds and Cat breeds, between 1-3 breeds will be covered per letter – accompanied by photo’s of the breed.
In the follow up posts, continuing down the alphabet, I will be writing posts covering breeds from D-F, G-I, J-L, M-O, P-R, S-V, and W-Z.

A

Alaska

Origin: Despite the name, the Alaska rabbit does not actually originate in Alaska, but in Germany!
Size: Medium
Weight: 3-4 kg
Lifespan: 7-10 years
Colours: Black only – however they can go slightly brown around the neck and shoulders in the summer.

Alaska rabbits are friendly, good tempered and make great family pets as they are not known to be aggressive but are quite docile. They are also generally gentle and affectionate, and lovely as pets.

Argenté

Origin: France
Size: Small, except the Champagne which is Medium
Weight: 2.7-3 kg, except the Champagne which is 4.4-5.6 kg
Lifespan: 5-8 years
Colours: Top colour is always silver, it is the undercoat colours that vary and therefore (alongside weight differences) define the breed variants.

– Argenté de Champagne (slate blue/ white undercoat)
– Argenté Crème  (orange/ cream undercoat)
– Argenté Brun (dark brown/ beige undercoat)
– Argenté Clair (blue/ silver)
– Argenté Bleu (lavender blue/ dark blue)
– Argenté St Hubert (blue/ chestnut)

Argenté rabbits are known to be quite easy going and placid, and enjoy attention – providing they’re properly socialised as kits (young rabbits). Some compare the temperament of these rabbits as like a “well mannered cat”.

B

Belgian Hare

(don’t let the name fool you, it IS a rabbit!)

Origin: Belgium
Size: Medium
Weight: 2.7-4 kg
Lifespan: 7-10 years
Colours: Black and Tan, Black, Chestnut, Tan, Red – with black ticking. Black and Tan being the breed standard.

Some describe this breed as “highly-strung” as they are very active and can be easily startled and skittish. They are friendly and enjoy petting, however they are not recommended for beginners as they require a fair bit of maintenance and need someone who can handle their nervousness.

British Giant

Origin: United Kingdom
Size: Giant
Weight: 5.5-7 kg
Lifespan: 4-6 years

Bred in the UK as a new breed, from varying colours of Flemish Giant stock from the US in the 1940’s, the British Giant is a friendly and calm rabbit; docile and laid back. They are not as active as smaller breeds of rabbit and are quite happy to chill and laze around. They are generally good-natured, and are good family pets.

Blanc de Hotot

Origin: France – Hotot en Auge (Normandy)
Size: Medium
Weight: 5.5-7 kg
Lifespan: 4-6 years
Colours: White with black rings or ‘spectacles’ around the eyes, only.

Originally raised for meat, but now kept as pets. A breed not known for being overly active, yet still enjoy exploring and spending time outside – they are friendly and make good pets.

C

Californian

Origin: California
Size: Medium
Weight: 3.4-5.8 kg
Lifespan: 5-10 years
Colours: In the US, the only accepted colour is white with black (only) points (ears, nose, tail and feet) and pink eyes. In the UK the points can be black, blue, chocolate or lilac.

Calm, friendly and playful! These good-natured rabbits make good family pets, and enjoy exploring – but can become skittish if not handled regularly.


All images are either open source, Google images, or my own – or photos donated for use by the pet owners.


If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of the social media pages…
. Facebook (Ali’s Animal Answers)
. Twitter (@AlisAnswers)
. LinkedIn (Ali Lloyd)

Happy International Dog Day

Happy International Dog Day


Also known as World Dog Day – a post under this title can be found on the website from a couple or so years ago!

Why not check out some of our doggy related posts in the spirit of International Dog Day?! Click the following links:

Titbit: Tilly the mix-breed rescue

Titbit: Tilly the mix-breed rescue


AMIDST THE CRAZINESS of the world right now, in times of lock-down (for many countries), there are a lot of people crying out for help. With people being made jobless, or being furloughed, or too unwell to help themselves – whatever the reason – we need to stand together (2 m/ 6 ft apart) until this is all over. I am based in England, UK and I noticed that Facebook (at least on my app) has a COVID-19 help centre, for people to offer and/ or request help during these uncertain times… this is how I came to meet Tilly! Her owner cannot walk her all the time at the moment, so I have the privilege of walking her when I am needed.

Tilly is a beautiful 10 year old mix-breed, who was rescued by her owner at age 5. She can be nervy of bigger dogs, due to previous bad experiences; overall she is a happy, well-behaved, loving girly living her ‘golden years’. She has been a breath of fresh to me during lock-down, as she is my four-legged (almost) daily exercise companion – being an animal lover, going for a walk is just that little bit better with an animal by my side!

Tilly

It’s always fun (i.m.o.) getting to know a new animal; getting to know their personality and who they are! As her hearing and sight are not what they used to be, I have had to learn to adapt some of my normal dog walking style to fit in with her.

As regular readers of my website posts (if there are any) will know, my little Barney crossed the rainbow bridge September 2019, aged 15. His eyes were getting cloudy, but his hearing was still pretty decent. I often use a ‘click’ sound to encourage a dog to keep close/ up and to ‘whistle’ to recall a dog from a distance; with Tilly being harder of hearing, I have learned to give a ‘whistle’ in lieu of a ‘click’ and she responds well.

As she can be nervous of bigger dogs (especially if they are over-excited or lunge (even in play)), I have become more vigilant with taking stock of any dogs in the area; noting size, behaviour, and whether or not they are off-leash. In terms of her deteriorating eye-sight, she can definitely find her way with her nose if she is struggling to see; I am ensuring to talk to her and/ or allow her to smell me before going in to fuss and pet her – just so she is aware I’m there, and avoid startling her!

I am sure Tilly is adapting to me, as much as I am to her; as we continue to get to know each other better, and learn to be out together in the current climate, I am enjoying her company and hope I prove to be an enjoyable exercise companion to her too!


All images are either open source, Google images, or my own – or photos donated for use by the pet owners.


If you have any questions or comments; please post a comment below, or contact Ali’s Answers via one of the social media pages…
. Facebook (Ali’s Animal Answers)
. Twitter (@AlisAnswers)
. LinkedIn (Ali Lloyd)

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