English Spot

The English Spot is a breed of domestic rabbit. The English Spot is a medium-sized breed, on average 5-8 pounds. Most noted by the markings on its body: butterfly, eye circles, cheek spots, herringbone, colored ears, and chain of spots; the English Spot is considered a fancy breed of rabbit. The English Spot comes in seven varieties of colors: black, blue, chocolate, gray, gold, lilac, and tortoise. 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.

Although the breed history is not known, it is thought that they are related to the English Butterfly. The English Spot made its first appearance in America in 1910, but have been common in Britain since the 1850s.

If you were to "Combine beauty of markings, a graceful body, a hearty constitution, a gentle disposition, a touch of curiosity and wrap it up in a 5 to 8 pound rabbit and you have the English Spot." [American English Spot Rabbit Club [http://www.aesrc.com/thebreed.htm] ]

History

The English Spot is one of the oldest breed of fancy rabbit. [The Spotted Beauty [http://www.geocities.com/englishspotlover/] ] The exact origin of the English Spot is not known, but is thought to have come from the English Butterfly. It is thought to be a relative of the Checkered Giant; both breeds have cheek spots, butterflies, eye circles, colored ears, and a herringbone. The Checkered Giant is a larger breed, weighing on average 10-14 pounds.

The breed has been common in England since the 1850s, and made its way to America around 1910. [American English Spot Rabbit Club: Breed Information [http://www.aesrc.com/thebreed.htm] ] The American English Spot Rabbit Club was established in 1924. The French named the breed "Lapin Papillon Angalias", or the English Butterfly Rabbit from the butterfly marking on the nose. [Critter Collection: Rabbit Breeds [http://www.animalnetwork.com/Critters/profiles/rabbit/species.asp] ] Previous generations of the breed entailed a white rabbit with patches of color and through the years has acquired clearly defined markings. [American English Spot Rabbit Club: Breed Information [http://www.aesrc.com/thebreed.htm] ]

Description

The English Spot is a medium sized breed, averaging 5-8 pounds. They are known for their arched body type, with two front paws that lift them off the table showing daylight under the belly. The hips should be well rounded and slightly broader than the shoulders. The legs are long and slender; the hind legs are parallel with the body. The ears are to be vertical. [American English Spot Rabbit Club: Breed Information [http://www.aesrc.com/thebreed.htm] ] An English Spot that is well marked "will not show off the markings without the correct body type." [American English Spot Rabbit Club: Breed Information [http://www.aesrc.com/thebreed.htm] ]

An English Spot is known by its six types of body markings: butterfly, cheek spots, eye circles, colored ears, herringbone, and chain of spots. The butterfly is a butterfly marking around the nose; if looking straight at the rabbit's nose, the butterfly will peak in the middle and have a wing on both sides. The cheek spots are a colored dots below the eye on both sides of the rabbit. Eye circles are solid colored circles around both eyes of the rabbit. The cheek spots and eye circles can not be touching and both need to be distinctly defined. An English Spot must also have solid colored ears and ear base. The herringbone is a straight, solid line that runs from the base of the ears to the tip of the tail along the rabbit's backbone. The most known feature of the English Spot is the chain of individual spots that sweeps both sides of the rabbit's body, running from the base of the neck to the hind legs. "The sweep will be balanced and look similar to a comma with a narrow start." [American English Spot Rabbit Club: Breed Information [http://www.aesrc.com/thebreed.htm] ] There should be no stray spots near the hearing bone and both sides should look similar.

Lifestyle

The English Spot is an active rabbit; needing an hour or two to run around each day. English Spots are active in the morning and night and sleep during the day. Due to its arched body type, the English Spot is judged while it runs the length of a table, which allows the animals body type to be fully assessed.

With an active lifestyle, comes a hearty appetite. English Spots, like most domestic rabbits; eat hay, hay cubes, oats or barley, rabbit food pellets, and carrots. As a treat, they really enjoy a piece of plain toast, which also helps prevent hair balls. English Spots also require a constant supply of fresh water to drink. [Pet Planet [http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/breeds/Rabbit_-_English.htm] ]

Breeding

The English Spot doe, female, will foster young easily, often raising her young with other breeds young. A normal litter is on average, 3-6 young with a gestation period of 28-31 days. Of a normal litter, 25% will be a solid color, 25% will have partial markings, and 50% will have all the required markings. The partially marked babies "typically have a mustache similar to Charlie Chaplin" and therefore are called 'charlies'. [American English Spot Rabbit Club: Breed Information [http://www.aesrc.com/thebreed.htm] ]

To care for a pregnant English Spot be sure to feed her adequate food to support her and her young. Three weeks into the pregnancy, provide the doe with a nest box filled with straw. The doe will borrow in the straw and begin lining the nest with hair she pulls from her stomach. When she is ready she will have her young in the nest, with the straw and hair keeping the young warm. As the young grow, one to two months old, remove the nest box from the cage. Within three to four months the young should be separated from their mother. [American English Spot Rabbit Club [http://www.aesrc.com/thebreed.htm] ]

Citations

External links

* [http://www.aesrc.com The American English Spot Rabbit Club (AESRC)]
* [http://www.arba.net/ The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA)]