Netherland dwarf rabbit

Description

The Netherland Dwarf is a breed of domestic rabbit that originated in the Netherlands. Weighing 1.1–2.5 pounds (0.50–1.13 kg), the Netherland Dwarf is one of the smallest rabbit breeds. Its popularity as a pet or show rabbit may stem from its neotenic appearance. The Netherland Dwarf is recognised by both the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) and the British Rabbit Council (BRC). The Netherland Dwarf is often confused with the Polish breed of rabbit, but the latter has longer ears, a non-brachycephalic head and less cobbiness. There are also different groups within the breed, such as: true dwarfs, false dwarfs and a group with a nickname “Peanuts”. True dwarfs have one allele for dwarfism out of the two which makes it smaller than a false dwarf, true dwarfs are the ideal Netherland dwarf. False dwarfs have zero alleles for dwarfism out of the two which makes them larger than usual. Peanuts have two alleles for dwarfism, which can only happen if you breed two true dwarfs together. This causes the rabbit to be abnormally small and often die as in nearly all cases they can not drink their mother’s milk.