The Fee de Marbourg is a breed of rabbit that originated in Germany [1] where it became known as the Fee de Marbourg, literally "Fairy from Marbourg." [2] The British Rabbit Council recognizes this breed as the Marburger Fee [3] and in the UK it is sometimes referred to as the Marburger.
This is a medium-sized rabbit, almost lilac, sometimes pinkish in color, with the Havana breed in its heritage.
F. Joppich, a German man who was a prominent figure in rabbit-breeding, had written a book titled, "Unsere Kaninchenrassen," (Our Rabbit Breeds) that he himself often discovered at the beginning of the century, the presence of light-colored rabbits in some litters, among rabbits breeders. Judges would consider this color as faulty and systematically eliminated these subjects in breeding shows.
In 1912, Marie Sandemann offered a young rabbit with the 'wrong' color born in a range of Havana rabbit to the concierge of a school attended by her nephew, L. Peter. Marie Sandemann, who also had a Havana, raised it to adulthood and bred it with a silvery male. The whole litter of Sandemann's rabbit and the silver male was black, and the original Havana mother had died when the offspring were ten weeks old. Sandemann later selected a black female from the litter that she breed with another male Havana rabbit. The descendants of these rabbits consisted mainly of black and silver. After some time, the first subject was a young male had the desired lilac-pink-like hue.
She exhibited her first "Fairy" rabbits in 1915 at the group exhibition in Limbach at der Lahn. These rabbits of plain lilac pink hue, covered with a light russet veil, aroused considerable interest.
Extremely impressed, the judge of the exhibition, Judge Kemp, who had appraised these rabbits, pledged to support this new creation for recognition by the Federation of Rabbit Breeders.
In 1917, the DLP and in 1924 the Reichsverband Deutscher Kaninchenzüchter (Rich Association of German Rabbit Breeders) recognized the race under the name of Fee de Marburg and published the federal standard.
In 1918, a Dutch breeder named Spruya, who was previously known for his pigeon breeds, found young rabbits in a litter of a Havana, whose color was unusual for the breed itself. He informed his friend J. Van Piggelen, and the two friends therefore decided to raise and work with these unusual colored rabbits, and with the help of other breeders from the region of Gouda and Utrecht, they ended up creating the Gouwenaar breed.
It was a few years later, in 1922, that an English curator, G. Lathan, crossed Beveren Blue rabbits with Havanas and ended up with darker offspring. By continuously working with these black rabbits, she later discovered the "blue bunny with a pink reflection" after generations of offspring, which she found very pleasing. The creation of this spectacular result, led to Lathan selectively breeding rabbit offspring into creating the Lilac Rabbit.
The introduction of the Fee de Marbourg in France had made a confusing start among rabbit breeders and enthusiasts. The breed was accepted in the collection of standards, but under a bilingual format for its name. It was officially called 'Petit Gris' in French (Little Grey) and 'Rabbit Fairy' in the German text, with both containing a description of the inconsistent color that is used to describe the rabbit's fur. [4]
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, one of the most ancient groups of domestic rabbit breeds, which is bred for the long fibers of its coat, known as Angora wool. They 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): the English Angora, the French Angora, the Giant Angora and the Satin Angora. Other unrecognized breeds include the German Angora, the Finnish Angora, the Chinese Angora, the Japanese Angora, the Korean Angora, the Russian Angora, the St Lucian Angora and the Swiss Angora.
The Havana Brown was the result of a planned breeding between Siamese and domestic black cats, by a group of cat fanciers in England, in the 1950s. Early breeders introduced a Siamese type Russian Blue into their breeding. However, using current genetic testing, it is believed that almost none remain in the gene pool.
The Oriental Shorthair is a breed of domestic cat that is developed from and closely related to the Siamese cat. It maintains the modern Siamese head and body type but appears in a wide range of coat colors and patterns. Like the Siamese, Orientals have almond-shaped eyes, a triangular head shape, large ears, and an elongated, slender, and muscular body. Their personalities are also very similar. Orientals are social, intelligent, and many are rather vocal. They often remain playful into adulthood, with many enjoying playing fetch. Despite their slender appearance, they are athletic and can leap into high places. They prefer to live in pairs or groups and also seek human interaction. Unlike the breed's blue-eyed forebear, Orientals are usually green-eyed. The Oriental Longhair differs only with respect to coat length.
A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders while they are young. The terms studbook and register are also used to refer to lists of male animals "standing at stud", that is, those animals actively breeding, as opposed to every known specimen of that breed. Such registries usually issue certificates for each recorded animal, called a pedigree, pedigreed animal documentation, or most commonly, an animal's "papers". Registration papers may consist of a simple certificate or a listing of ancestors in the animal's background, sometimes with a chart showing the lineage.
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 Mini Lop is a breed of domestic rabbit that is recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA). It is different from the Miniature Lop breed that is recognized by the British Rabbit Council (BRC). The Mini Lop [US] and the Miniature Lop [UK] are different from the Dwarf Lop breed that is recognized by the BRC. The Mini Lop is similar to several other small rabbit breeds, such as the Dwarf rabbit.
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.
Mini Rex is a breed of domestic rabbit that was created in 1984 in Florida by the late Monna Berryhill of Texas. The Rex mutation, derived in France in the 19th century, is recessive and causes the hair to protrude outwards from the body, instead of lying flat, and the guard hairs to be shortened to the length of the undercoat, or a bit longer.
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 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 Havana is a breed of rabbit that first appeared in the Netherlands in 1898. The breed is ancestral to several others, including the Fee de Marbourg, Perlefee and Gris Perle de Hal. Havanas are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association in five color types: chocolate, lilac, black, blue, and broken. Their average weight is between 4.5 pounds (2.0 kg) and 6.5 pounds (2.9 kg).
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 Tan rabbit is a small fancy breed of rabbit shown throughout the world. While originally from England, it has gained popularity in the United States. Tans come in four varieties: black, blue, chocolate and lilac. Full grown Tans weigh 4-6 pounds.
The Harlequin is a colourful breed of rabbit originating from France. It is a breed based around the coloration and markings, rather than fur and body type. The ideal weight of a standard Harlequin is 6.5-9.5 lb (2–3 kg), with bucks (males) weighing 6.5-9 lb, and does (females) weighing 7-9.5 lb.
The Lilac rabbit is a dove-blue coloured breed of domestic rabbit. A uniform pink shade of dove is called for by the breed standard, with matching eyes. Lilacs are mid-sized, docile and hardy rabbits. Developed in Great Britain in the early 20th century, the breed spread to the United States in 1922. Population numbers remain low enough that it is currently listed by The Livestock Conservancy as a breed to watch. The Lilac breed is recognized by the British Rabbit Council (BRC) and the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA).
The Himalayan rabbit is a small breed of rabbit with similar markings to the Californian rabbit. The body is white with colored points, recognized colors are black, blue, chocolate and lilac.
The Blue Imperial rabbit was an English breed of domestic rabbit that is now extinct. It was originally bred by Miss Mabel Illingworth (1879-1955), who was the first woman to create a rabbit breed. It was used to create several modern breeds, including the American rabbit.