If you are interested in having a pet rabbit it is important to learn about the different types of rabbits that exist and which ones make good pets. The different types of rabbits that exist today have come about through the process of selective breeding. Rabbit breeds are different based upon their size, their coat and many other factors. Let’s look at the different types of rabbits and rabbit breeds recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA).

Types Of Rabbits - Rabbit Breeds:
Angora Rabbit:
This rabbit breed is domesticated and is one of the oldest types of rabbits on record. The Angora has long soft hair, which needs lots of grooming if it is kept as a pet. There are four types of Angora rabbits recognized by the ARBA: 1) English 2) Giant 3) Satin and 4) French.

American Sable:
The American sable is a very sociable breed and is a cross breed of the Chinchilla. The American sable is almost identical to the Chinchilla except for the differences in the colors of their coats. The Chinchilla rabbits are generally dark where as the American sable’s coat is a lighter tan and the head, feet, ears, back, and top of the tail are dark sepia.

Blue of Sint-Niklaas:
Of the different types of rabbits this breed is almost extinct. This Flemish rabbit bred near the city of Sint-Niklaas since the 19th century is one of the oldest fur-rabbit breeds in the world. With the decline of fur sales around the world only a few breeders in Belgium and France still exist.

Beveren:
The Beveren rabbit, quite rare today, is one of the oldest and largest breeds of fur rabbits. It gets its name from Beveren, a small town near the city of Antwerp in Belgium. Their coats can be blue, white, black, brown, lilac and a very rare variety called the Pointed Beveren, can come in the same colors except it has white tipped hairs. The blue variety is the original color and the ARBA only recognizes the Black, Blue, and White varieties.  Beverens have lots of energy, are well tempered, clean and smart.

Californian Rabbits:
In the early 1920s, George West developed the Californian breed types of rabbits. This rabbit breed is a cross between Himalayan breeds and the standard Chinchilla. Californian rabbit breed’s original coloration is similar to that of the Himalayan rabbit; primarily a white body with shades of black on the nose and ears along with the tail and feet. These types of rabbits require daily grooming to remove loose hair and to prevent hairball obstructions and matted coats.

Chinchilla Rabbits:
The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes three types of rabbits that belong to the Chinchilla rabbit breeds.

American Chinchilla: Chinchilla Rabbits originally came from France and were bred to standard by M. J. Dybowsk. Weighing 9-12 lb., this large rabbit breed makes a good pet without the need for daily grooming.

Standard Chinchilla: Originally from France, this breed came to the US after the First World War. They weigh 5-7 1/2 lb. and have a distinctive coat color. The under color of the fur is slate blue at the base, pearl grey in the middle, merging into white and tipped with black.

Giant Chinchilla: These types of rabbits originate in the US and are a cross between Chinchilla breeds and Flemish Giants. They are called giants because they weigh between 12-16 lb.

Other than the above mention types of rabbits, many others exist that do not fall into the category of ARBA approved breeds.