Rex Rabbit

Rex Rabbit Breed Profile

Photo: aSuruwataRi/Shutterstock

Characteristics

Together with the Netherland Dwarf, Holland Lop and Lionhead, the Rex Rabbit is among the most popular rabbit breeds. They have a very special feature: their fur is as velvety soft and fluffy as a mole! Dwarf Rexes are particularly popular.

Photo: The Bohemian Lens/Shutterstock

Personality

Rex Rabbits are good for beginners. They’re even-tempered, docile, calm, loving, friendly and gentle. But they also have a very playful side, so it’s really fun to watch them.

Health and Care

Rex fur doesn’t take much care. On the contrary, “too much of a good thing” can damage their fur. Nevertheless, you should regularly check your rabbit so that infections and illnesses can be treated early on.

Appearance

Rex Rabbits have a fluffy, velvety coat that looks like a mole’s coat, as the kemp fur is just as long as the main coat. Their necks are short and their backs round.

Fur

• Length

The fur of the Rex Rabbit is just 0.5.-0.8 inches (14-20 mm) long, so significantly shorter than that of other breeds.

• Texture

The secret behind their soft fur lies in the kemp. This is considerably longer than the normal fur of regular rabbits. This makes it easy to see the direction of growth, i.e. whether the hair grows towards the hind quarters or downwards on either side. The Rex is different. Its kemp coat is almost as long as its normal fur. That’s why the fur stands on end from the body, forming an extremely dense, even coat. Think about your own hair: if you cut it to just 0.1 inches (3 mm), it would stand on end. The longer it got, it would get heavier and heavier until it “fell” and started to hang down from your head.

Whiskers

Even the Rex’s whiskers are often half as long as those of other breeds. And they tend to be wavy. This isn’t exactly ideal for the animals, as they aren’t as good at perceiving things around them. They find it more difficult to orient themselves.

Ears

Their ears are upright and measure up to 2 inches (5-6 cm). 

Color

Rex Rabbits come in various colors, for example chinchilla, blue, red, black, tan, white, chocolate, lilac. They can also be two-tone or multi-colored or even have Dalmatian-like spots.

History and Origin

The first Rex Rabbits were discovered by chance in France in 1919. Dwarf Rexes were bred, starting in Germany in 1967.

Breeds

There are lots of Rex Rabbit breeds: the Standard Rex (7-10 pounds or 3.5 to 4.5 kg), Rex (3.7-4.4 pounds or 1.7-2 kg) , Dwarf Rex (3 pounds or 1.3-1.5 kg) and even the Lop Rex, a type of Rex with floppy ears.

Fun Facts

There are also Rex guinea pigs and Rex cats!