Domestic pet rabbits are bred in a wide range of colours and shades. These can also be 'solid' where the body is a single colour (although the underside may be lighter or white), 'broken' where a colour is interrupted by white or in a 'butterfly' pattern, or the coat could contain a mix of shades or graduations.
Below is a guide to some of the most popular colours, as based on the British Rabbit Council's Breed Standards.
The Rabbit Owner's CD also illustrates, using digital video, different breeds, coat colours and patterns - see RABBIT OWNER'S CD page for details...
| COLOUR | DESCRIPTION | PHOTO |
| Black
|
A rich, lustrous, deep colour carried down to the skin with a blue under-colour. Should be free from white hairs or flecking. Black coats are usually very glossy in appearance. |  |
| Blue
|
Deep, solid slate blue
colour carried down to the skin.
Blue coats can have a poorer 'feel' than some other colours - eg glossy black and silky albino. |
|
| Agouti
|
The colour of wild rabbits. A rich chestnut shade with black ticking, an orange band and dark slate blue undercolour. |  |
| Fawn
|
Our new French Lop colour for 2005-6. Bonnie is photographed at 12 weeks of age. |  |
| Sooty-Fawn
|
Sooty-fawn
is similar to fawn (above) but there is more blue shading to the ears and
blue on the face and flanks.
Also known as Madagascar or Tortoiseshell. Rich orange saddle gradually shading to blue/black on the flanks, haunches and belly. Ears, muzzle are blueish-black. Top colour should extend far down fur to a blueish-white undercolour. Left: Daphne; right: Tinkerbell |
|
| Orange
|
The
girl photographed carries harlequin so isn't a perfect example - although
the orange shade of her coat is very clear.
New colour for 2005-6 |
 |
| Opal
(opal butterfly photographed above) |
 The top colour is
pale blue with a fawn band between the top colour and slate
blue under-colour. The underside of the tail, eye circles and belly
should be white with a slate under-colour. |
|
| Butterfly (pattern)
above: blue steel butterfly  Above: Penelope and daughter, Claudine are blue butterfly |
White with a
standardised pattern of any permitted colour.
There should be a distinct butterfly-shaped 'smut' pattern on the nose (or shading as per sooty-fawn), coloured ears and and the majority of the back should be coloured with smaller white patches around the shoulders. Above: Christabel is harlequin butterfly |
Madam Butterfly is sable butterfly
Jinty is black otter butterfly mini lop. The white on her ear tips is a fault - but she doesn't mind! |
| Harlequin
(pattern)
|
Coat pattern should be evenly
divided with on side black and the other golden orange - and this pattern
carries through from the head, face, ears and across the body.
The bunnies photographed are imperfectly marked and intended only to give an impression. |
 |
| Otter
(several colours)
|
Coloured back and sides but creamy white under-body, chin and under-tail. A tan border will divide the white and the colour and encircle the nostrils and under the chin. |  |
| Steel
|
Dark steel grey merging to a blue undercolour evenly ticked with black guard hairs. |  |
|
Albino/Ruby-Eyed White
|
Solid white fur.
Pink eyes. Albino coats are usually very soft and silky. |
 |
| Broken
(pattern) |
The
broken pattern is a mix of any colour on a white coat.
Generally there is a stripe along the spine (reminiscent of English breed) with coloured spots to each side, coloured ears, often coloured circles around the eyes and coloured spots over the nose. A 'broken' pattern has much less
colouring than a 'butterfly' pattern, below. |
 |
Our Dwarf Lop colours:
| Blue |  |
| Black |  |
| Harlequin |  |
Some of our Mini Lop colours:
|
 |
 |
| Bluebells is blue-otter with a deep slate blue coat, ginger nape, light underside & under-chin. We can also produce occasional black otter with black coat, ginger nape, light underside & under-chin. | Jezebel is sooty-fawn with a fawn coat and blue tinges to her nose, ears, flanks and underside. | Jinty is a black otter butterfly inherited from her mother, Bellis. |
 |
 |
|
| Harebell is a frosty-point mini lop with a white body and chinchilla-grey muzzle and ears. | Bella is a solid blue. |
Harlequin pattern (imperfect markings - but we're working on them!)
|
Colours we no longer produce:
| Blue-Eyed White | Solid white fur. Blue iris. |  |
| Chinchilla
|
The overall colour
effect is of a sparkling blend of black and pearl giving a mottle
appearance.
Each fur strand should be dark blue at the base followed by a narrower band of pearl, with black line edging. The top should be grey and brightly ticked with black hairs and the nape of the neck should be lighter than the rest of the body. |
 |
| Siamese Sable | Rich sepia coloured ears, face, back, outside of legs and upper side of tail - fading to a lighter under-colour. Paler than saddle on lower flanks, chest and belly. Eyes have a distinct ruby glow. |  |
| Siamese Smoke |  |
PLEASE NOTE: These colours are summarised guidelines for rabbits based on Standards set for show-rabbits. In the case of our bunnies, they are pets and bred for temperament rather than to conform to a defined show standard.
Our bunnies photographed, are for illustrative purposes only to try to show the colours described. They are not necessarily show-rabbits or marked to conform to show-standards. We no longer breed Netherland Dwarf.
