The Polish rabbit is one of the smallest breeds and mainly raised as pets and for show purpose. Although it’s name is Polish, but it’s not a breed from Poland. The Polish rabbit originated in England in the 19th Century. The breed was named Polish mainly because of the ‘polish’ of it’s glossy fur.
The exact origins of the Polish rabbit is unknown. But they are thought to have wild, silver and Albino Dutch rabbits in their heritage. The breed was originally developed as a meat breed.
Although they are smaller in size, but they were considered a great delicacy. The Polish rabbit was exported from Britain to the United States in around 1912. The breed is one of the few very small rabbit breeds recognized by the American Rabbit Breeder’s Association.
Polish Rabbit Characteristics
The Polish rabbit is compact, short and round in appearance. They have short ears and have a short head with full cheeks and bold eyes. They have short and fine hair. This breed come in a wide variety of colors.
The color varieties are agouti, black, blue, broken pattern, chocolate and white (red or blue-eyed). Previously only the white rabbits with red eyes were recognized.
But today, most of the color varieties are recognized by the breed standard. As a very smaller breed, the average body weight of this breed is between 1.1 and 1.6 kg. Photo from Wikipedia.
Uses
This breed was mainly developed as a meat breed. But today, the breed is very popular as a show animal and also widely raised as pets.
Special Notes
Polish rabbits are calm in temperament than most other compact rabbit breeds. They are known to be curious, intelligent and playful and also enjoy attention. They are very friendly and even considered as safe for children.
Although they can become aggressive sometimes if something goes wrong. And they usually don’t tolerate another animals or rabbit in the same hutch. The average lifespan of a Polish rabbit is about 5 to 6 years. But can live longer in proper care. Review full breed profile in the chart below.
| Breed Name | Polish |
| Other Name | n/a |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly kept as a show animal, also suitable as pets. |
| Breed Size | Small |
| Weight | Average body weight is between 1.1 and 1.6 kg |
| Suitable for Commercial Production | No |
| Good as Pets | Yes |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Color Varieties | The common color varieties are agouti, black, blue, broken pattern, chocolate and white (red or blue-eyed). |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
