new zealand white rabbit and netherland dwarf animal essay page1 of 3

A few years ago I worked at a rabbitry breeding New Zealand White rabbits. The owner had four hundred rabbits. Many different sizes were bred for food and research. Later, I had the opportunity to work with another breeder who bred the Netherland Dwarfs. This breeder bred his rabbits for pet stores. The object of this breeder was to enhance the breed. For instance, creating the smallest Netherland Dwarf rabit, and formulating a new color such as the Dalmation. Later I decided to start a rabbitry of my own. First I bred New Zealand White rabbits, but then a year later I changed over to breeding Netherland Dwarf rabbits. Breeding the Netherland Dwarf rabbit was more more interesting and challenging. The differences are so diverse between the New Zealand White rabbit and the Netherland Dwarf rabbit.

There are two main traits that distinguish the New Zealand White rabbit from the Netherland Dwarf rabbit. The first trait is the size of the two breeds. The size of the ears for instance, almost always indicates the size of the rabbit. Longer ears usually implies that the rabbit will be larger and shorter ears signifies a smaller size rabbit. New zealand White rabbits have long ears and weigh between 8 - 12 pounds as adults. In contrast, the Netherland Dwarf rabbit have very short ears(2 inches) and weigh 2 - 4 pounds. A two pound rabbit is the perfect weight for this breed.

The second trait is the colors of the two breeds. The New Zealand Whites are solid white with no markings. Their coats will never be any color except white. On the other hand the Netherland Dwarfs coats can be orange, brown, black, Himalayan(white with black nose and feet), blue or grayish with dark points on their nose and/or feet. They can even be tri-colored, which is very rare. The two main differences between the New Zealand White rabbit and the Netherland Dwarf are their weights and the colors of their coats.