Dutch Rabbits

Everything you need to know about the Dutch Rabbit breed

The Dutch Rabbit is a common breed of domestic pet rabbit. They have very distinct markings consisting of two colours, such as black, with a thick white band over the shoulders and chest, white feet and a white stripe down the centre of the face and over the nose to the chin. Dutch Rabbits also often have blue eyes. Despite the name, the breed was originally developed in England in the 1800s.

Appearance

They are most commonly black and white, but can also come in agouti, orange, harlequin, blue, chocolate and grey. The white markings can vary slightly in pet rabbits too, and indeed the traditional Dutch colouring can turn up in other rabbit breeds through crossbreeding including Netherland Dwarf.

They are a small to medium sized rabbit, usually around 2.5kg in weight, and usually very athletic in build. Their head shape should be similar to that of a wild rabbit with a natural longer snout rather than the flatter face of Lops or Netherland Dwarves. They should have lovely upright ears, not lop ears.

Behaviour

The behaviour of any rabbit will vary depending on their history which must always be considered. With good husbandry, we usually find Dutch Rabbits to be very active, curious and friendly rabbits. As all rabbits do, they benefit from lots of space, lots of different places to hide and may also enjoy having “look outs” in safe high spots to spot the snacks coming when you go to see them!

Health

Health of any rabbit will depend on their history and breeding. In general, however, Dutch Rabbits do tend to be one of the healthier rabbit breeds.