Lionhead rabbits - see them roar!

November 6, 6:01 PMDayton Small Pets ExaminerPhyllis O'Beollain

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Lionhead rabbits are one of the newest breeds of domestic rabbits, and opinions differ as to their origins. One belief is that they originated in Belgium from the crossbreeding of the Swiss Fox rabbit and a Belgian Dwarf rabbit, later crossbreeding with a wool type breed. The rabbits produced were then imported into the UK where continued crossbreeding resulted in the Lionhead Rabbit of today. The other school of thought is that the Lionhead Rabbit originated in Europe as a mutation of the Dwarf Angora Rabbit (what we call Jersey Woolies here in the United States). The Lionhead Rabbit was imported into the USA in the late 1990s.

Lionheads have particularly long hair surrounding the face (a la lion’s “mane”) thus the name. They are a small breed, generally weighing 2.5 to 3.5 pounds, with a rounded head and somewhat shorter ears than most breeds. The mane itself is usually 2 or 3 inches long, forming a circle around the head and extending into a “V” at the back of the neck, with a fringe between their ears. They have longer hair on their cheeks as well. The coat is dense, medium length, and is the rollback type of fur.

Depending on their genetics, Lionheads can have a double mane, a single mane or no mane.
Single maned Lionheads have the mane around the head as described above. Double maned Lionheads have the regular mane and also a “skirt” of wool around their fannies and around their tail. No-maned Lionheads have, well, no mane. They look like an ordinary rabbit.

The breed has been recognized since 2002 by the British Rabbit Council and the North American Lionhead Rabbit Club, however as of yet it is not a fully recognized breed in the American Rabbit Breeders' Association (ARBA). (That’s what the Brits get, for not recognizing our Jersey Woolies).

Oh yeah – they roar, too. Check out the video.

Jersey Woolies

Flemish Giants

Mini Lops (scourge of the seas)

Dutch bunnies

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