The Russian Ermine breed belongs to the small breed rabbits of the skin type. Russian ermine rabbits (otherwise known as Himalayan rabbit) are related to the Silver rabbit breed. The Russian ermine rabbit, a native of the Himalayas, was also known in China, where it was a sacrificial animal. The Russian ermine rabbit is named so because of the similarity of the color of the skin with the skin of an ermine. The ermine breed developed in England in the middle of the last century. In the process of breeding in our country, it was enlarged and acquired a number of new qualities, which gives reason to call it the Russian ermine rabbit.
The color of Russian ermine rabbits is similar to the color of Siamese cats. Their main color is white, and the tip of the muzzle, ears, tail and paws are brown or black. The hair is dense, elastic, thick and shiny. They have 21-22 thousand hairs per 1 cm2 of skin, 90 downy hairs per guard hair. Because of this ratio, the entire hairline is raised, and the angle of the hair to the skin increases, which gives the skin a plush appearance.
Russian ermine rabbits have a strong constitution and a proportional build. They are hardy, strong and unpretentious. They easily adapt to the climate in different zones of our country and rarely get sick. In order to increase body weight, they were infused with the blood of large rabbits, mainly the blood of the White Giant rabbit breed. After this, their weight increased, but their fur deteriorated, and this breed was famous for its thick fur. Currently, breeders have managed to return Russian ermine rabbits to their unique, silky, thick fur, while increasing their live body weight.
The average weight of Russian Ermine rabbits is 3.8 kg, some animals weigh 4.9 kilograms. Rabbits have a medium-sized head, round in shape, with straight ears; The body is compact, wide, short (length 51 centimeters). They have a wide, deep chest, without a dewlap (the top line is rounded). The back is wide, short, arched; rounded croup; The paws are straight and strong.
Female rabbits of the Russian ermine breed have good maternal qualities and are distinguished by their high fertility. For one litter, female rabbits bring about 8 rabbits, but they can feed more rabbits. Rabbits are born completely white and acquire the characteristic coloring for the breed only at the age of 7-8 months.
Russian Ermine rabbits produce tasty, tender, dietary meat and skins of various sizes.
The Russian ermine rabbit has virtually no analogues in world practice in terms of the quality, density and shine of its fur.
>> Rabbit Breeds <<
It is amazing how some of the oldest breeds have retained their uniqueness and remained unchanged to this day. Such rare lines include Silver, Danish rabbits and English Ram. The Himalayan is also from this series and it is so unique that it was even allocated to a separate category based on body type.
Blitz information
| Purpose: | universal |
| Size: | small, up to 2.5 kg |
| Color: | white with markings |
| Body type: | cylindrical |
| Fur type: | flyback |
| Temperament: | calm, friendly |
| Availability: | rare breed |
| Should a newbie start one? | Yes |
Characteristics
The Himalayan rabbit has an elongated, “snake-like” body. The shoulders and hips are in line, the legs are thin and long. The head is elongated, lean, with short, vertically set ears. The weight of an adult is 1.5-2.5 kg.
The exhibition rabbit is placed on the table lying down so that it stretches out as much as possible on its surface. If in most breeds the topline of the body should be rounded, then for this one it should be as even as possible. When viewed from above, the side lines should also run smoothly, without any special bulges, gradually expanding the ideal cylinder shape towards the back.
Flyback fur, with a characteristic white color for this breed with colored points and red eyes. Points include an egg-shaped spot on the nose, colored legs, ears and tail.
The markings can be black, chocolate, blue or purple, the main color being exclusively white.
The Himalayan color is also present in other breeds, in particular, the Mini Rex and the Netherland Dwarf. It is called Californian by Californians, Satins and Rexes, and White Pointed by Jersey Woolies, Rams and Angoras.
The color saturation can change depending on the air temperature - the colder it is, the darker the shade. In fact, a rabbit can develop a spot of color from prolonged contact with a cold surface, such as constant contact with a feeder on a winter night.
Temperament
The Himalayan is an elegant, beautiful rabbit, a representative of the smallest breed, not classified as a dwarf rabbit. Its small size and easy-going nature make it an excellent choice of pet for a child.
History of the breed
The breed appeared so long ago that the history of its origin is not known for certain. Some believe that it actually originated in the Himalayan mountains of the Middle East, but the truth is that reports of rabbits with this coloration have been appearing in different parts of the world for hundreds of years. They bore many names - Chinese, Egyptian, Russian ermines, Black-nosed.
Since the range of possible origins of the lineage is very wide, it is likely that this mutation occurred spontaneously in different regions. The variation that is presented today was obtained in Great Britain in the mid-19th century from rabbits brought from the Himalayas by English merchant travelers.
Unusual rabbits with high-quality smooth fur quickly became popular as a commercial and show breed. First there was a version with black points, then with blue, chocolate and, finally, with lilac.
Despite their superficial resemblance to hares, rabbits have several distinctive features.
Firstly, rabbits are born blind and naked, while hares are covered with hair from birth and are able to see. Secondly, they live mainly in underground burrows. They are somewhat smaller in size than hares. Another feature is that rabbits have been tamed and can now often be seen as pets.
More than 1000 years ago, the first attempts to breed the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were made in French monasteries; since then, rabbit breeding has taken many steps forward. Today there are more than 200 different breeds of domestic rabbits.
Domestic rabbits differ from their wild ancestors in the variety of sizes, colors, and coat structure. Dwarf rabbits can weigh less than 1 kg, individuals of large breeds of rabbits reach a weight of 10-11 kg. There are breeds bred for the purpose of producing meat and skins. At the same time, decorative rabbits are becoming more and more popular every day. They are convenient to keep in apartment conditions, like pets.
The most popular popular breeds of decorative rabbits:
Himalayan rabbit– the oldest and one of the most popular breeds with a characteristic two-tone color and red eyes.
Himalayan rabbits weigh 1-2 kg.
Dutch rabbit, developed in the 1830s in England, has a contrasting two-color pattern on its coat.
Weight: 2.0-2.3 kg.
Around the same time, in the Netherlands, as a result of crossing Dutch tortoiseshell rabbits and French harlequins, Dutch tricolor rabbit
Weight: 1.7-2.5 kg.
As a result of the careful work of English breeders in the late 1850s, the breed was obtained - polish rabbit, which became the ancestor of all modern decorative breeds.
It is noteworthy that the dwarfism gene was not involved in its breeding
In the 20s of the 20th century, based on the Polish rabbit, German breeders bred an interesting breed Hermelin, which gained popularity due to its toy appearance: miniature, short ears, rounded head shape.
Shortly before World War II in Germany, a white hermelin was obtained by crossing a white hermelin with a rabbit of a different color. colored dwarf rabbit, which, like Hermelin, weighed no more than 1.3 kg.
After the war, many color variations of this breed were bred.
In the mid-1980s, the breed gained popularity among lovers of decorative rabbits.Hotot, distinguished by its white color and black rim around the eyes.
In Belgium during these years, breeding work was carried out to breed angora dwarf rabbit, which has won recognition for the quality of its wool.
Currently, standards divide the breed into several groups based on the length and quality of fur, weight and ear length.
Fox dwarf rabbit, often called the dwarf fox. It is distinguished by smooth hair on the head and long hair throughout the body, as if covering it like a cloak.
Weight - within 1-1.5 kg. Colors: brown, chinchilla, agouti.
Dwarf rex, sometimes called a teddy rabbit, is a short-haired breed.
Externally, their fur resembles velvet or plush. If you run your hand over their coat, the hairs will return to their original position. They can weigh from 1.5 to 4 kg. By character they are usually phlegmatic and calm.
A special group of decorative rabbits are breeds with floppy ears, which give them a more pretty appearance. German breeders called them " sheep rabbits».
This is the most popular breed for home keeping because they are less timid and quickly get used to people. It is believed that one of the reasons that they are not as shy is that their hearing is worse than that of rabbits with erect ears.
They are larger in weight than some other breeds of dwarf rabbits; their weight can reach up to 3 kilograms.
Various colors: gray, white, black, blue and even yellow.
All known breeds of rabbits are usually divided into meat, skin and down. This division is made depending on the use of animals for certain purposes. Of course, both the skins of meat rabbits and the meat of downy rabbits can be used for their intended purpose. There is also a decorative breed, which many are happy to keep as a pet.
All known breeds of rabbits are usually divided into meat, skin and down.
Depending on the needs of his family or in order to profit from a particular product obtained from rabbits, the breeder must determine the breed suitable for his purposes. With cage housing and artificial regulation of animal reproduction, you can simultaneously keep all types of rabbits that your budget allows. If the rabbits will live in a common enclosure or pit, it is best to settle on one breed that ideally satisfies the owner’s needs.
Meat rabbits have a higher live weight than other varieties. The breeding of these breeds was carried out by selecting larger and more muscular animals with well-developed hind legs and powerful chests. These indicators increase the yield of meat products up to 60%. Among the new breeds of meat rabbits, broiler crosses have also appeared. The skins of such animals do not have any special advantages, but they can be used in furriery.
Skin lines imply the presence of fur with high decorative characteristics: dense hair, beautiful coloring, reminiscent of valuable varieties of fur raw materials, strength and wear resistance. In such rabbits, selection was carried out precisely for these characteristics, without particularly focusing on the size of the carcass and its slaughter weight. The skin breed is most often represented by animals of medium size and weight, but these are always the most beautiful rabbits in any farm.
Depending on the needs of his family or in order to profit from a particular product obtained from rabbits, the breeder must determine the breed suitable for his purposes
Angora rabbits are kept to produce soft, warm and expensive down. The animal does not have to be slaughtered; the fluff is simply combed out with brushes during the molting period. These varieties have a characteristic appearance: they are covered with long and abundant down, are completely devoid of guard hairs and give the impression of lush fur balls. Their body weight is close to average, so when slaughtered it is possible to obtain meat products, although in smaller quantities compared to specialized breeds. Down is used to produce Angora yarn.
The decorative breed is valued not for its fur and meat, but for its small size. Dwarf rabbits also have an unusual appearance: they have a large head, relatively short ears and a compact body. In general, such an animal gives the impression of a baby or a cartoon character. A variety of colors allows you to choose a pet to suit your taste. Adult animals whose weight does not exceed 2 kg are allowed to participate in exhibitions.
You should not try to buy rare breeds of rabbits for economic purposes. Most often it is a product of selection in a certain country or region, bred for certain conditions. By purchasing a newly emerged breed, an inexperienced breeder risks having many problems associated with keeping the animals. A similar story happened at one time with Flanders meat rabbits, which turned out to be poorly adapted to the cold winters of the middle zone. Rabbit breeders had to install heaters, which entailed additional maintenance costs. The result of the experiment was the development of a Soviet breed that is still popular today: the gray giant. Slightly inferior in live weight, the animals turned out to be adapted to local conditions and food.
Gallery: modern breeds of rabbits (25 photos)
The most popular meat rabbit breeds (video)
Which breed should I choose for breeding?
It is best to purchase animals from specialized farms or from experienced breeders. In some cases, profit depends on the purity of the breed, so serious producers do not allow themselves to keep outbred rabbits, which rarely reach the desired body weight. The fur of hybrid animals may not be the same as that of their purebred parents.
Most often, pure lines are distinguished within one breed: these are animals that have been kept on the same farm for some time. The breeder leaves for the tribe individuals with the most pronounced qualities of the breed, and as a result of inbreeding and a timely influx of blood from other pure lines, these characteristics are fixed in the offspring. When purchasing such animals for home use, it is best to purchase pairs that come from different lines to ensure greater genetic diversity and avoid degeneration.
Despite the emergence of new breeds, traditional varieties remain the most popular among Russian rabbit breeders. Having learned what breeds there are, novice rabbit breeders will be able to make the right choice.
The largest
As already noted, the USSR developed its own meat breed. These are large rabbits, with an average live weight of about 5 kg. Some individuals reach a weight of 6.5 kg. Each breed of large rabbit has its own name and standard characteristics:
- The white giant is a large meat animal. They are true albinos and have pure white fur, pink ears and clear red eyes. All deviations are non-compliance with the standard and may be a sign of hybridization with another white breed. The fur is thick and can be used as furrier's raw material. A characteristic feature of rabbits is a wide chest with a slight dewlap. They are bred in pure lines and used as parents in hybridization to produce larger offspring. The original Belgian breed was greatly improved by Soviet breeders and became more fertile and larger by crossing with the Soviet chinchilla and the gray giant.
- The gray giant is distinguished by its fur color. The most common variant is “agouti” - with a reddish-gray back and sides. The abdomen and the inside of the paws are white. The guard hairs and down are colored zonally, creating beautiful color shifts. The “kangaroo” variation has a dark gray color on the back and sides, the belly and paws are smoky. There are also dark individuals with lighter guard hairs and dark down. The fur is dense and looks good in furriers.
Female gray and white giants give birth to 7-8 cubs, which by the age of 4 months reach a live weight of 2.5 kg. Breeds can be crossed with each other to obtain interesting color variations without losing meat quality.
The progenitor of the gray and white giants, Flanders, has much worse fertility. A female is capable of producing only 3-4 little rabbits per litter, and this also affects income from the farm. There are few purebred Flanders in Russia, since the breed could not withstand competition with the gray and white giants and other meat varieties.
The gray giant differs in fur color
The silver rabbit (Soviet silver) is another traditional breed that both new and experienced breeders will be pleased with. Live weight is 5.5-6.5 kg. The color of the fur is very remarkable: dark, with a silver veil. The fur of these rabbits is highly valued because of its decorative qualities and density - it is second only to the Soviet chinchilla. The fertility of rabbits is not bad: 6-8 babies per litter, which makes them quite profitable to keep.
Recently, large breeds such as California and New Zealand rabbits have become very popular. Their average live weight is approximately 4.5 kg, but they are very fertile (8-9 cubs) and quickly gain weight. Thus, at 3 months of age, a young rabbit already weighs 3 kg, which makes it possible to obtain high-quality meat products earlier.
The disadvantage of these relatively new breeds is their demanding feeding requirements. They are more adapted to eating ready-made mixed feed in granules, while industrial Soviet breeds eat grain, vegetables, coarse branch feed, and low-quality hay well. Saving on expensive concentrates is not the last factor that is taken into account when choosing a breed for breeding in households.
Medium breeds
Some experts classify Californian and New Zealand rabbits as medium-large breeds, since they reach the lower limit in live weight for giants, but are slightly superior to fur-bearing rabbit breeds, which produce beautiful skins but are small in size.
The breeds of the skin direction include the following:
- The royal rabbit, or rex, reaches a live weight of 4.5-5 kg. This is a German breed that has an unusual color: black and red round spots are evenly scattered across the white field. The fur is very dense, with shiny and elastic hair, wear-resistant.
- The Butterfly breed of rabbits, popular in Russia, are also similar to them. The difference is that the black spots are grouped in the back area and often merge, forming a characteristic pattern in the form of butterfly wings. The pile is distinguished by its elasticity and uniform length of hairs, which makes the skin very neat and elegant.
- Black-brown rabbits have bluish down and a dark veil of guard hairs, the skin is very similar to the fur of a black-brown fox. The average weight reaches 4.5 kg, a purebred female gives birth to 8-10 rabbits, they quickly reach marketable condition. They acquire their characteristic color only at the age of 7-8 months.
- The description of the Viennese Blue rabbit makes it clear why the breed was named that way: the animals have unusually dense, bluish-blue fur. With a relatively small weight (up to 4.3 kg), they are fertile and early ripening, which makes their maintenance very profitable.
- The Soviet chinchilla was bred in the 50s of the last century as a specialized breed for the production of fur raw materials. Hair coloring has clear zoning. This is especially noticeable if you blow on the fur: a rounded rosette is formed with concentric stripes of dark and lighter shades of gray. The popularity of the breed is due to its strong constitution, unpretentiousness and fertility.
- The Himalayan rabbit is an example of the smallest of the medium-sized rabbits. The weight of the animal reaches 2.5-3 kg. Its coloring is interesting: white fur on the body and legs is contrasted with black ears, muzzle and tail. Sometimes this breed is called ermine for its resemblance to a valuable fur-bearing animal.
A distinctive feature of all animals is their beautiful fur of unusual colors. It is not dyed before sewing, as the natural look is very attractive even without it.
New breeds of rabbits (video)
Broiler rabbits: does this happen?
Recently, new breeds of early maturing rabbits have appeared. These include the French cross hycole. These are white rabbits with red eyes. By the age of 5-6 months, adult rabbits acquire dark colored ears, but in baby rabbits they are always pure white. For 1 litter, the female brings up to 14 cubs and is capable of giving 6-8 litters per year. Baby rabbits are weaned from their mother at 30-40 days, at which time they can already eat any food. By 2.5 months of age, the carcass weight can reach 1.7 kg.
Recently, new breeds of early maturing rabbits have appeared.
Another complex hybrid, hy-plus, comes from a Californian and New Zealand breed. The color is white, with reddish eyes and dark ears. Crossing was carried out with the aim of obtaining a highly productive hybrid. Females bring 10-12 cubs per litter and feed them well. Usually the litter is homogeneous, there are no stunted or puny rabbits in it. At the age of 35 days, the rabbits are able to feed themselves and quickly gain weight. You can purchase such rabbits only at the representative offices of the French company Hypharm, which breeds these crosses.
Due to the fact that broiler rabbits are not a breed, but are a complex hybrid of 3 generations, their properties may not be passed on to offspring when bred in households. For domestic rabbit breeders, especially beginners, to save money spent on the annual purchase of rabbits for raising, it is best to use standard, time-tested breeds.
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We know very little about the time of the appearance of the first domestic animals; there is practically no confirmed information about them. There are no legends or chronicles preserved about that period of human life when we were able to tame wild animals. It is believed that already in the Stone Age, ancient people had domesticated animals, the ancestors of today's domestic animals. The time when man got modern domestic animals remains unknown to science, and the formation of today's domestic animals as a species is also unknown.
Scientists assume that every domestic animal has its wild ancestor. Proof of this is archaeological excavations carried out on the ruins of ancient human settlements. During excavations, bones were found belonging to domestic animals of the ancient world. So it can be argued that even in such a distant era of human life, domesticated animals accompanied us. Today there are species of domestic animals that are no longer found in the wild.
Many of today's wild animals are feral animals caused by humans. For example, let's take America or Australia as clear evidence of this theory. Almost all domestic animals were brought to these continents from Europe. These animals have found fertile soil for life and development. An example of this is hares or rabbits in Australia. Due to the fact that there are no natural predators dangerous for this species on this continent, they multiplied in huge numbers and went wild. Since all rabbits were domesticated and brought by Europeans for their needs. Therefore, we can say with confidence that more than half of wild domesticated animals are former domestic animals. For example, wild city cats and dogs.
Be that as it may, the question of the origin of domestic animals should be considered open. As for our pets. The first confirmations in chronicles and legends we meet are a dog and a cat. In Egypt, the cat was a sacred animal, and dogs were actively used by humanity in the ancient era. There is plenty of evidence for this. In Europe, the cat appeared in large numbers after the Crusade, but firmly and quickly occupied the niche of a pet and mouse hunter. Before them, Europeans used various animals to catch mice, such as weasels or genets.
Domestic animals are divided into two unequal species.
The first type of domestic animal is farm animals that directly benefit humans. Meat, wool, fur and many other useful things, goods, and are also used by us for food. But they do not live directly in the same room with a person.
The second type is pet animals (companions), which we see every day in our houses or apartments. They brighten up our leisure time, entertain us and give us pleasure. And most of them are almost useless for practical purposes in the modern world, such as hamsters, guinea pigs, parrots and many others.
Animals of the same species can often belong to both species, both farm animals and pets. A prime example of this is that rabbits and ferrets are kept at home as pets, but are also bred for their meat and fur. Also, some waste from pets can be used, for example, the hair of cats and dogs for knitting various items or as insulation. For example, belts made of dog hair.
Many doctors note the positive impact of pets on human health and well-being. We can notice that many families who keep animals at home note that these animals create comfort, calm, and relieve stress.
This encyclopedia was created by us to help pet lovers. We hope that our encyclopedia will help you in choosing a pet and caring for it.
If you have interesting observations of your pet’s behavior or would like to share information about some pet. Or you have a nursery, veterinary clinic, or animal hotel near your home, write to us about them at , so that we can add this information to the database on our website.
