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A pet shop owner has a litter of tiny bunnies (maybe mini lop/lion head crosses) and she is claiming that they will remain that size into adulthood. She says that they were imported from Holland. Can this be possible?

I had a pet bunny from her shop and it died suddenly a few weeks later. I'm being told that it's because it was too young and was taken from its mother too soon, but the pet shop owner claims that they are 3 months old.

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There are some Dwarf Rabbit Breeds the smallest seem to be Netherland Dwarfs at 2 - 2.5 pounds (0.907 - 1.134 kg). Though one Wikipedia article claims weights as low as 500 g (1.1 lbs) are possible, not sure I believe this is likely for an adult rabbit. With 1.5lb to 2.6lb (700 to 1.2 kilos) being more likely.

I am not finding any quality reliable references at the moment, but small rabbits usually get to full size in 5 - 7 months, with large rabbits taking up to 18 months. Rabbits are old enough to breed at in the 3 - 8 month old range, and have generally reached 80% - 90% of the full size at this time. Obviously it is important to separate by gender around 4 months, lucky the boys tend (tendency not a rule) to mature a bit slower than their sisters.

In Summary it is possible to find a "rabbit that doesn't grow more than the size of a hand". But it is unlikely to be a crossbreed, it would likely be from a dedicated show breeder. The smallest rabbits that come into the organizations that I volunteer with (see my profile) are around 3 - 4 pounds full grown.

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  • It is more difficult than you might imagine to find quality references on when a rabbit reaches adult size. In production rabbits it seems that adult size is not a requirement for healthy off spring, and in the companion animals there has not been interest in researching. If you have a good reference please point me towards it. – James Jenkins♦ May 4 '14 at 10:51
  • Do you have pictures of said tiny rabbits James? – mtanti May 8 '14 at 17:49
  • @mtanti I do not. There is definitely room for a better answer on the subject of tiny rabbits. see also related on weaning – James Jenkins♦ May 8 '14 at 18:33
  • The ARBA produces a book called the Standard of Perfection. It contains detailed descriptions of the standard physical features of each recognized breed, including weights. Here is an easy reference page that lists the current recognized breeds and their maximum weights though. There are a few that have no maximum weight listed but it is a rare rabbit that gets over 15 pounds even in the Giant breeds. I do know of a few Flemish Giants that have been over 20 though. – Critters Jul 31 '14 at 15:38

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