Strange But Friendly Pets - Lion Rabbits

It's commonly believed that the lion rabbits originated in Belgium as a result of the interbreeding of the Swiss Fox and a Belgian Dwarf. Then crosses to a littler wool type breed were made. Later the breed was imported to England where continued crossbreeding of small breed rabbits and wool breeds was done.

Nonetheless, another opinion is that the lion breed didn't originate in Belgium. It's thought by some that when European breeders were working at the Dwarf Angora the lionhead mutation came about in a litter of bunnies and was by chance spread throughout the Dwarf Angora Breed. Whichever in reality happened, the first lion rabbits were imported to the USA in 1999.
Lion rabbits get their name from the mane they develop that looks very alike to the mane of a lion. I promise you, the similarity ends there. The manes can be double or single and naturally, the double manes are the most beautiful. Interestingly the gene that makes the mane seems to be a dominant mutation which means that only one parent is needed to have the "mane gene" to produce more lion rabbits.

The needs of rabbits are very minimal and lion rabbits are no exclusion. A cage, a food dish that can be attached to the cage and a water bottle, also attached to the cage are all that is needed. Commonly the cages have trays that slide out for easy cleaning which should be done at least every 3 or 4 days. Cages can be bought at pet stores, farm supply stores or from rabbit raisers who make their own cages as well as sell them.

Lion rabbits require no particular grooming or care though they enjoy the extra care. And, like all rabbits, the more handling they experience, the sweeter and nicer pets they make. Lion rabbits tend to be very friendly, enjoying human contact. They're easy to handle and if brought into the home at a young age they become accustomed to human contact and make excellent pets.
They're healthy overall as a breed. So if you're searching for a mini rabbit (recommended standard for the adult is 3.75 pounds) that is a bit different and unusual, lions are a good choice due to their size, temperament and ease of care.

For more information about lion rabbits and rabbits in general click on, Lion Rabbits.