Lionhead Rabbit: Relatively New House-hold Pet

The Lionhead Rabbit which is a relatively new house-hold pet is extremely adorable with its features with a friendly, gentle nature. They have only been recently introduced as a new breed of house-pet; more information on them can be found at CentralPets.

Lionhead Rabbits are said to originate from Belgium, and is a mixed breed from the Belgian Dwarf, Miniature Swiss Fox, and possibly the Jersey Woolie. This breed of rabbit is bred mainly in France and the United Kingdom. Being a new breed, their standards and requirements are still fairly flexible to accommodate the breeders.

Lionhead rabbits have cobby, short bodies, and weight at about three pounds in average. They have medium-length coats, and come in colors of white, fawn and harlequin; however, since the breeding and standards of this breed is rather loose, there are still quite a lot of changes that can be made. Both genders have an incredible mane which is probably where their name derived from. The Lionhead rabbits have long hair that extends over their cheeks, and they have erect ears. They also have bright colored eyes either red or blue.

The Lionhead rabbits have been known to make great house-pets because of their docile and gentle nature. They love attention, and cuddling up to their owners, and are attractive. They will enjoy the attention given to them, and are best for children. On top of those qualities, the Lionhead rabbit is easy to care for. Also, the Lionhead rabbits enjoy being groomed, which is healthy for their fur. They do not require a lot of grooming as their hair do not seem to mat, and the rest of their body has rather short hair nonetheless.

One of the most interesting qualities of these rabbits is the fact that they are wonderful at mating, and wonderful mothers.

The Lionhead mothers have quite an elaborate mating ritual. For one, the does will make it obvious when they are ready to mate as they will rub their heads on just about anything in addition to spraying them; also, when introduced to males, they will carry hay in their mouths as a sign that they are ready to build nests. Before submitting to mating, both genders will flirt and tease on another; it really is quite the sight to see!

One of the problems that they do encounter is that some of the females will re-grow their manes after they breed; and some will begin to molt. Also, at times, the kits will not grow full manes. Still, while they are a new breed, they have still been entered in shows and competitions and there are strict criteria on the ideal rabbit.