D&D'SBUNNY HUTCH

THE POLISH RABBIT

The Polish Rabbit is known as the "Little Aristocrat". They are recognized in six colors pictured below; black, blue(dark gray), chocolate (brown), broken (white with one of the last three colors), ruby-eyed white and blue-eyed white. Lilac (a light gray) is being worked on to be a new accepted variety. Polish are the second smallest breed of rabbit with a top weight of 3.8lbs. Polish are not "dwarf rabbits". They are naturally small and usually do not carry a "dwarfing gene".

HISTORY AND ORIGIN

Despite the name, Polish rabbits are thought to have originated in Belgium and have been exhibited in England since 1844. It is believed they were developed from Dutch and Himalayan rabbits in the 1600s. They were originally developed as a meat breed and were larger than the Polish of today. In the 1900s Polish rabbits were one of the most popular meat breeds in Europe, especially in Belgium.

APPEARANCE

Polish are a very compact type of rabbit with a flyback coat. They have a short head with well filled cheeks. Their ear length should not exceed 3"and touch each other all the way up to the tips. They should have a bold, bright eye. Until the 1950s most polish were white and has either blue or red eyes. The ruby-eyed white is a true albino and is thought to have rather poor vision. The blue-eyed white has the Vienna gene and are not albinos. Since the 1950s colored polish have been recognized by rabbit clubs. In 1957 the American Rabbit Breeders Association approved black and chocolate polish as accepted varieties. In 1982 blue was approved and in 1998 the broken variety was approved for showing.

TRAITS AND TEMPERAMENT

The best trait of the Polish rabbit is their personality. Although they are small, they are very gentle and loving rabbits. Polish are also very intelligent little bunnies. They can follow voice commands and hand signals, which they learn through repetition. They are the most common of the small breeds that are used by magicians for their magic acts. This is because they are not only smart, but are not afraid of small children and enjoy being petted by them. They are ideal for children to handle with their smaller hands, as well as for people with coordination difficulties.

HOUSING AND CARE

Due to their small size, they do fine in a 24"X 18" cage. They are perfect for apartments. They are surprisingly hardy and do well in a wide range of climates. They seem to tolerate heat and cold equally well. They do quite well on a 1/3 cup of alfalfa based pellets per day. Timothy hay or timothy hay cubes should also be given. They can live indoors or out equally well. The average life span of Polish rabbits is 5-6 years, but many live longer. They are considered low maintainance as far as ease of caring for. They love to be brushed and cuddled.

VARIETIES