The Cinnamon rabbit is a breed of domesticated rabbit created "accidentally" in 1962 [1] and named for its coat color. The Cinnamon is currently recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) [2] but not by the British Rabbit Council (BRC). [3]
The Cinnamon rabbit was created accidentally by two children, Belle and Fred Houseman, during the Easter season of 1962 in Missoula, Montana. After crossbreeding their Chinchilla doe and their New Zealand buck, the children's father, Ellis Houseman, let the children keep one crossbred buck. [4] After joining their local 4-H group, the children were given a Checkered Giant doe and a crossed Californian doe. After mating the crossed buck with each doe, the Californian doe produced one russet-colored bunny in its litter and the Checkered Giant eventually produced two bunnies with this russet-colored fur (one doe and one buck). [5] Ellis Houseman believed that only purebred rabbits should be kept for show, but he reluctantly allowed his children to keep the pair of russet-colored bunnies from the Checkered Giant's last litter. The children mated this pair together, and 70 percent of the litter had this new auburn shade of fur, which they began calling Cinnamon.
Ellis noticed this new color and the fur's excellent sheen, and proceeded to present the rabbits to J. Cyril Lowett, Oregon ARBA Judge and board member at the time. Lowett declared that there was a strong possibility of the rabbits' becoming an official breed, as there was no other breed like them in the United States. In order to have the breed officially recognized by the ARBA, the Housemans needed to have their rabbits "passed" by three different ARBA conventions. The Housemans first took their Cinnamons to the ARBA convention in Calgary, Canada in 1969. The Cinnamons were immediately approved, so the family sent them to the 1970 convention in Syracuse, New York. Unfortunately, the family could not attend and therefore sent the rabbits to Syracuse by air freight. During this trip the rabbits contracted a virus, leaving some sick and some dead, and they were not passed by the convention due to their poor form and condition.
In 1971, the Housemans continued their efforts for the Cinnamons to become an official breed, and the family took the rabbits to the 1971 convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Again there were some obstacles: the family hit a severe storm and had to abandon their trailer, and a dog broke into their rabbitry, killing three of their best does. However, the rabbits managed to pass the convention with good comments. The family finally reached their goal in 1972, when the rabbits passed their third convention in Tacoma, Washington and were officially recognized and accepted by the ARBA's Book of Standards.
Named for its distinct coloration, the Cinnamon rabbit's coat is ideally rust or ground cinnamon with a uniform gray ticking across the back, smoky grey coloring on its sides, a dark underbelly, and an orange under-color all over. Rust-colored spots appear inside the hind legs and often also on the feet and face. The hind legs, feet, and face are generally darker than the rest of the body, producing a butterfly effect on the nose and small circles around each eye. The Cinnamon, weighing 8.5–11 pounds (3.9–5.0 kg), is medium in length and has a commercial body. The hips are deeper and wider than the shoulders, the head is proportionate to the body, and the ears are erect. [6] [7]
The ARBA standard for the Cinnamon rabbit awards, of the total 100 points, 58 points for body type: ideally a good, medium-sized body with smooth bone structure and good filled in flesh. The overall coloring and coat quality is awarded 11 points, with another 11 points for desired markings and color variations, including varying shades of rust and brown on the body and belly, plus a lighter gray dusting along the back. [8]
The Cinnamon is adapted and suitable to be kept as a pet, and is large enough for children, who are advised against keeping smaller breeds due to their delicate nature, but also advised against keeping giant breeds as they may be too large to handle.
The Cinnamon is a hardy breed—it tends to live between 5 and 8 years—and is laidback, fairly calm, well disposed, and enjoys attention. Its coat is short and easy to care for, so weekly grooming with a slicker brush should be adequate for the majority of the year. However, biweekly grooming may be necessary during the shedding season. The Cinnamon, like any breed of rabbit, will benefit from a well-balanced diet, plenty of room to exercise, various toys to chew on, and plenty of time spent with its owner. [7] [9]
Rabbits tend to be bred for one of four things: meat, fur, show, or pet use. The Cinnamon rabbit is referred to as the "All-Purpose Rabbit", because it fulfills all four of these purposes. [10]
Cinnamons were originally bred as meat rabbits. Of the four parent breeds of the Cinnamon, the New Zealand, Checkered Giant and Californian are largely used meat rabbits (the New Zealand is the most popular meat rabbit in the country, followed by the Californian), [11] [12] giving the Cinnamon a high potential as a meat rabbit as well. [10]
Cinnamons have been bred to achieve a specific coloring, which does not vary much between rabbits of the breed. This unique and appealing color makes it an ideal fur rabbit, but because it is a rare breed it is not used often. [10]
Cinnamons have become a popular breed in competitive showing as well. [10] Some experienced rabbit breeders enjoy the challenge of breeding the cinnamon rabbit because acquiring them is difficult due to their low numbers. However, the cinnamon is also suited for the amateur shower who is not interested in breeding. The rabbit itself is a great specimen for show because it is a commercially designed rabbit with good musculature and size.
As pets, Cinnamons are a great option. They require a balanced diet, but little grooming and care. [9] They are large rabbits, making them too difficult for a small child to handle on their own, which keeps both the rabbit and child from injury. The Cinnamon's large size and sturdiness also allows older children to handle the breed without fear of injuring it. The naturally calm temperament of a Cinnamon suits families who are looking for a pet rabbit, as the breed enjoys human attention. [10]
Cuniculture is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising domestic rabbits as livestock for their meat, fur, or wool. Cuniculture is also employed by rabbit fanciers and hobbyists in the development and betterment of rabbit breeds and the exhibition of those efforts. Scientists practice cuniculture in the use and management of rabbits as model organisms in research. Cuniculture has been practiced all over the world since at least the 5th century.
The Angora rabbit, which is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, is bred for the long fibers of its coat, known as Angora wool, which are gathered by shearing, combing or plucking. Because rabbits do not possess the same allergy-causing qualities as many other animals, their wool is an important alternative. There are at least 11 distinct breeds of Angora rabbit, four of which are currently recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA): English Angora, French Angora, Giant Angora and Satin Angora. Others include German Angora, Chinese Angora, Finnish Angora, Japanese Angora, Korean Angora, Russian Angora, St Lucian Angora and Swiss Angora.
The Netherland Dwarf is a breed of domestic rabbit that originated in the Netherlands. Weighing 1.1–2.5 pounds (0.50–1.13 kg), the Netherland Dwarf is one of the smallest rabbit breeds. Its popularity as a pet or show rabbit may stem from its neotenic appearance. The Netherland Dwarf is recognised by both the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) and the British Rabbit Council (BRC). The Netherland Dwarf is often confused with the Polish breed of rabbit, but the latter has longer ears, a non-brachycephalic head and less cobbiness.
The Jersey Wooly is a breed of domestic rabbit weighing about 3 pounds with a bold head and easy-care wool fur on their body. They are noted for their docile nature, and gentle disposition.
The Californian, also known as the California White, is a breed of domestic rabbit originally developed for the fur and meat industries by George S. West of Lynwood, California, starting in 1923. West maintained a herd of 300 genetically pure New Zealand Whites, which he began crossing with Standard Chinchilla rabbits for their dense coat, and Himalayan rabbits. This new breed, named for the state of its origin, was first shown in 1928 and a standard was accepted by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) in 1939.
The Holland Lop is a breed of lop-eared rabbit that was recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) in 1979. The Holland Lop, with a maximum weight of 1.8 kg (4 lb), is one of the smallest lop-eared breeds.
Chinchilla rabbits are a group of three rabbit breeds that have been bred for a coat that resembles that of chinchillas. Despite their name, they are not related to and cannot interbreed with chinchillas, which are a species of rodent. Rabbits are lagomorphs. A mutation diluted the yellow pigment in the hairs to almost white, changing in this way the color of the fur of the wild rabbit (agouti) into chinchilla.
The American Fuzzy Lop is a rabbit breed recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA). It is similar in appearance to a Holland Lop. However, the American Fuzzy Lop is a wool breed and will have wool similar to the Angora breeds although the wool will be shorter than that of a commercial Angora. The American fuzzy lop has to weigh up to four pounds in order to be shown.
The Flemish Giant rabbit is the largest breed of domestic rabbit. Flemish Giants are historically a utility breed used for their fur and meat. They are often kept as pets as they are known for being docile and patient when being handled.
The English Spot is a breed of domestic rabbit that was developed in England in the 19th century through selective breeding. Averaging 5 to 8 pounds in weight, the English Spot is a medium-sized breed that is most noted by the distinctive colored markings on its body, including the butterfly nose marking, eye circles, cheek spots, herringbone, colored ears, and a chain of spots. The English Spot's fur type is flyback. The breed comes in seven different varieties, including black, blue, chocolate, lilac, tortoise, gray, and gold. English Spots have a full arch body, with long front legs that carry them off the table. English Spots are most known for their curious and fun loving nature.
The term rex rabbit refers informally to one of at least eight breeds of domestic rabbit. One such breed is the Rex, which is recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) and by the British Rabbit Council (BRC). Other modern-day rex rabbit breeds are listed below. Care must be taken to distinguish the rex rabbit breeds from the three types of rex rabbit fur for which they are known.
The American Rabbit is a breed of rabbit, recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) in 1917. By the ARBA standard, American rabbits have a mandolin body shape. It has also been noted for a good 'sweet' temperament and good mothering abilities. As with all domestic rabbits, the American breed is of the species Oryctolagus cuniculus, the European wild rabbit.
The Beveren is one of the oldest and largest breeds of fur rabbits. It was first bred in Beveren, a small town near Antwerp in Belgium. Their coats can be blue, white, black, brown and lilac, though not all of these varieties are ARBA-recognized. There is a rare variety called the Pointed Beveren, which comes in the same colors but has white tipped hairs. The blue variety is the original.
The Checkered Giant, known as Géant Papillon in French, is a breed of domestic rabbit that originated in France. One of the largest rabbit breeds, the Checkered Giant is recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA). The Checkered Giant is one of the minority of rabbit breeds with specific coat markings. The markings defined in the breed standard of the Checkered Giant differ somewhat from those in the breed standard of the Giant Papillon. For ARBA show purposes, a mature Checkered Giant buck must weigh a minimum of 11 pounds (5.0 kg), and a mature doe must weigh a minimum of 12 pounds (5.4 kg). ARBA does not specify a maximum weight for Checkered Giants.
Plush Lop is a breed of domestic rabbit with two varieties: Miniature and Standard. There is also a Canadian Plush Lop breed in development. Similar in appearance, the Velveteen Lop breed is also in development. Miniature Plush Lops were the first to be developed. Devie D'anniballe began creating this breed in 1995 in the United States. She succeeded in developing them by combining the previously existing breeds of Holland Lop, Mini Rex, and Mini Lop. Her aim was to create the perfect pet by retaining the good qualities of these breeds, while "breeding out" all the problems existing in these breeds.
The Silver Fox rabbit is a rare breed of domestic rabbit developed by Walter B. Garland of North Canton, Ohio, and bred for meat, show, and its unique fur. The breed is recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association.
The New Zealand is a breed of rabbit, which despite the name, is American in origin. The breed originated in California, possibly from rabbits imported from New Zealand. New Zealand rabbits are available in five colors recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders' Association (ARBA): white, red, black, blue, and broken. Crossbreeding can result in many other variations, such as gold tipped steel and chestnut agouti. They average 10–12 lb (4.5–5.4 kg) with the does being slightly larger than the bucks. New Zealands are bred for meat, pelts, show, and laboratory uses, being the most commonly used breed of rabbit both for testing and meat production. They are also bred as pet rabbits but mostly breed for meat.
The Rhinelander is a medium-sized breed of domestic rabbit that originated in Germany. Rhinelanders are known for their distinctive facial "butterfly markings", a spine marking, colored ears, cheek spots, eye circles and side markings of black with orange or of blue with fawn. The Rhinelander breed is recognized by the British Rabbit Council (BRC) and by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA).
Dwarf Hotot is a breed of domestic rabbit characterized by an entirely white coat, except for a circle of another color around each eye.
