Polish rabbit

The Polish Rabbit is a breed of rabbit. It is a compact breed with a lot of personality. The breed was developed in Belgium as food; however as time progressed, it became more popular as a pet.

History and origin

Despite the name, the Polish rabbit is thought to have originated in England from the common white hutch rabbit. They were first exhibited in England in 1884. Many believe that they were developed from Dutch and Himalayan rabbits in the 1860s. The Polish rabbit was originally developed as a meat breed and was larger than the contemporary Polish. In the 1900s, the Polish rabbit was one of the most popular meat breeds in Europe, especially Belgium. When brought to America they did not carry the dwarf gene and were the smallest breed around. Back in England breeders selected for a different body type, until the British "polish" of today is the same breed as the American's "Britannia Petite".

Appearance

Today, the Polish rabbit is used as a fancy exhibition breed.They make great pets as they are hardly EVER 'mean'! They are small rabbits with short ears that touch each other all the way to the tips. Due to their small size, the Polish rabbit is often confused with the Netherland dwarf, although the Polish is a little larger and the head is not rounded. (There are many other differences between the two breeds, such as coat structure and colors.) The accepted weights of the polish are two to three and 1/2 pounds. The ideal weight is 2.5.

Until the 1950s, most Polish rabbits were white with either red eyes or blue eyes. The red-eyed white is a true albino. The blue-eyed white has the Vienna white gene and is not a true albino. Since the 1950s, colored Polish breeds have been recognized by rabbit clubs. In 1957, the American Rabbit Breeder’s Association approved the black and chocolate Polish. In 1982, the blue variety was approved and in 1998 the broken variety was allowed.

In the UK, the National Polish Rabbit Club accepts any colour of Polish rabbit as long as it is accepted by another breed in it's standard. REWs are the most popular and the most successful at shows, while in the Coloureds, sables tend to dominate.

Personality & care

Because of their small size, Polish rabbits need less space in cage and barn facilities, and take up less space in apartments than some of the larger bunnies. As with other small breed rabbits, they tend to be higher strung than their larger counterparts. They are also not ideal pets for small children as they are easily dropped, injured and stepped on. Their high-strung nature makes them more suited for a mature, rabbit-loving, adult home. However, the polish rabbit is not usually mean. Bucks are little clowns and are extremely fast if you let it loose good luck catching it, but they generally calm down at about two years of age. Does tend to be reserved in personality.

Feeding

Feed about 1/4 cup of pellet feed every day.Feed unlimited or limited timothy or grass hay to your bunny every day.You can also feed treats,fruits,veggies,oats and grains too.Just make sure that if your rabbit is over 3 pound or flabby, he needs a better diet and more exersize.

BY: Janessa Mitchell

Health concerns

Polish have a bad reputation for being difficult-to-care-for, but this is not true. In general they are very hardy rabbits, and do relatively well in high or low teperatures. They have a short coat that requires no daily grooming, and they are not prone to hairballs. Other health concerns that can affect any breed include earmites, Pasteurella, respiratory disease, dental problems, urinary bladder stones and fractured backs. Be quick to notice any changes in diet or litter box habits and contact a rabbit veterinarian immediately.

The average life span of a breeding Polish rabbit is 6 to 8 years. By spaying or neutering your Polish early in life, you can increase their life expectancy to around 10 years.

ee also

*Rabbit
*Domestic rabbit
*List of rabbit breeds

External links

* [http://www.arba.net American Rabbit Breeder's Association]
* [http://www.polishrabbitclub.com/]