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Dutch Rabbits

Hollander Rabbits

Family: LeporidaeOryctolagus cuniculusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   Dutch Rabbits are small colorful bunnies with a great disposition. They are an excellent pet choice for children and make a great first bunny!

  The baby Dutch Rabbits pictured above are about four weeks old. They are still very small and even as adults they will stay small.

   The Dutch Rabbit is not a "dwarf" but it is a very small rabbit. Probably the most recognizable of the small breed rabbits because of its distinct markings. It is an excellent all around pet as well as a good choice for showing. Their easy going personality and their small size makes them easy to house.

For more information about Rabbits and their care see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Rabbit

Background:    Introduced into England from Holland in 1864, the Dutch Rabbit is one of the oldest of the domesticated rabbit breeds and are referred to as Hollander Rabbits in Holland. They are bred as pets, for showing, and as lab animals.

Description:    The adult size is about 4 1/2 pounds. Medium sized and large sized rabbits can get much larger than that! Dutch rabbits can be identified by their distinctive markings, which include the white blaze on their faces and the white band around their upper bodies.

Color differences:    Black is the most popular color of the Dutch Rabbits but other nice colors include blue, chocolate, tortoise, steel gray, and gray.

Lastest Comments on Dutch Rabbits View all 199 comments on Dutch Rabbits Add Your Comment

Ashlyn Gurda - 2011-11-24 Hey there. So recently my 2 year old dutch rabbit died. He was the cutest thing ever and he loved to cuddle. My boyfriend and I absolutely fell in love with the breed of rabbit and we are looking to adopt two baby dutch rabbits. Yet we have had no luck at all finding a breeder in the area. Can anyone help us? We live in the Chicago area but we are willing to travel a little bit to find these rabbits. Any info please email me at : Zombiexfish@aol.com please and thank you Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-11-24 Try calling any rabbit breeder in the Chicago area. Craigs list, newspaper. Breeders are the best souce of knowing where other breeders are located. I am sorry about your bunny cuz it is hard. You can also look for another 'type' of bunny - lops are a lot of fun but try looking for any breeder. Welcome I am from Chicago. Ashlyn Gurda - 2011-11-29 I've hunted the internet for breeders I could call. I have had a lop before she was incredibly mean. And Craigslist had nothing. :[ And we're pretty set on the dutch breed. Reply

Pam Gibbons - 2011-10-02 I have a young female dutch rabbit. can someone tell me the life span of this breed?? Click For Replies (1) Charlie Roche - 2011-10-03 The life span for the Dutch, on an average, is between 5 - 8 years. However, it is not uncommong for them to live to 10 years and some have been reported to live to 15 years. Enjoy them and they are your compnaion for quite awhile. Reply

Kumquat - 2011-07-31 My 3 year old dutch rabbit Eddie just died! It was really sad, he was probably the nicest rabbit ever not to mention brave. He would love to be held and pet and he was great with kids. He would jump into my arms when I opened his cage and I would sometimes hand feed him cheetos. Just last year when I let him run in his pen in our back yard when I was gone a hawk came down and snatched him up. He was struggling and eventually fell, he had a giant gash on his neck and an ulcer on his eye everyone thought he wouldn't make it, even the doctors, but my Eddie made it! He died 7-21-11 from my plott hound Sophie who chased him in 100 degrees and he eventually had a heart attack :( I miss him! I also have another dutch Bonnie (black and white and 2 years old) Willow (tan and white less than a year) and willow has 4 babies Pancake, Squirt, Sugar, and Pippi (pip). A white lionhead named Maisy who has 3 babies which are a dutch and lionhead mix named Pepe, Romeo, and Humpfrey (is that how you spell it?). Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-08-01 You have a houseful. Imogen - 2011-09-03 I'm very sorry to say your rabbit just died. Mine died in June and he was a really soft white rabbit called Peter. I'd had him since I was 6. I've had him a few years, more than half my life and he got cancer and we had to put him to sleep because he was in pain and suffering. We had some great times together-rabbits make great pets. Eddie sounds so nice-oh my gosh how awful! I miss my rabbit loads too, but I'm glad you have some more. Rabbits are amazing pets and I highly recommend them to everyone :) Reply

Leanne - 2011-05-13 My dutch black and white male is just ten weeks old and called Pudding. We took him for his first injection this morning and he did really well. He lives in the house with me and loves nothing better that running in and out of tunnel I make him and following me around wherever I go. He is a real pleasure to be around and I love him very much :-) Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-05-13 That is a cute name and I am glad he did well with his shots. Bunnies are so soft and lovable. I am glad you love your little friend. Kumquat - 2011-07-31 God those rabbits are super cute! Reply

Eileen - 2011-07-14 My male Dutch Rabbit did a weird thing to his companion the (13 weeks 1/2 old Mini Rex) yesterday. He first did give her a bath on her face then he somehow put his paws on top of her face as if he was digging on her head and I pulled him away and he did the same thing twice. I couldn't understand why he did that to her. Why did he do that to her? I was really puzzled when I saw him do that to her twice. Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-07-14 I don't understand what you mean by bathing. Rabbits keep themselves extremely clean (like a cat) by licking their paws and then rubbing their fur with the paws. Frequently one bunny with wash another - especially the face. The one bunny would just lick thother bunnies face and clean it and the ears. Probably pawing is part of that cleaning ritual. Just putting the fur aside to furthur clean the bunny. It is just how they clean themselves and each other. Eileen - 2011-07-14 Yeah. That's what I meant of bathing "cleaning or washing". I was puzzled that he pawed on her face because it looked like he was pawing on her pretty hard and she didn't like it. I guess you're right that it probably part of the bathing ritual that they do. I am still learning more everyday since I own two rabbits and I love them both bunches to pieces even though I'm an adult with "little children in heart" inside. Thanks again for your advice. :-) Reply

Eileen - 2011-07-08 Hi. I have a male Dutch Rabbit with the blackness on his face and he's 5 months old. We had two Dutch Rabbits which were brother and sister from the same liter. His sister had a white marking while he had blackness on his face. I had their surgeries set up to prevent them to reproduce babies and my male Dutch Rabbit survived and his sister didn't survive and they were almost 4 months old. Really broke my heart to lose my female rabbit then about two weeks later, we brought home a female of different breed (a Mini Rex) rabbit and my male Rabbit did bond with this female rabbit very rapidly which really surprised us all. Since we have both of them, my male rabbit doesn't really like to be held and I do not know if he will allow me to hold him as he gets older. My Mini Rex female (three months old), lets me hold her and I would love for my male to do the same. Click For Replies (6) Charlie Roche - 2011-07-08 That is strange. Dutch rabbits normally are very affectionate, love their humans and want their humans attention. Let's get him interested first. You get on the floor and play with both of them. You can do things like place a piece of peper towel over his head and lift it going "Peek" You can roll a ball. You can reach over and tickle his ears say "tickle". Just get loose and have fun with him. Turn the music on. Boys are boys. They like the football, the baseball, the running, the whatever boys like. This is true of us humans but I have found it to be true of many pets. My boy birds are more active, goofy than my gals. Play with him. Let him enjoy the fun, the play and being with you. After he gets the PLAY out of his system, I think he will go back and cuddle. Eileen - 2011-07-09 Thanks for the advice as I was hoping that you would reply back to me. But one problem is for me to turn on the music, I am deaf and my husband is deaf as well. Our four children can hear so I mostly spend my time with them when our children are doing their own things sometimes both of my girls like to come in and spend time with me and my rabbits. I will try to play with him of the paper towel roll to get him to have fun and with my Mini Rex as well. About the ball, I am not sure what kind of ball to use because I only not own rabbits, I own two dogs with two different breeds and sizes. I do keep my dogs and rabbits apart by putting the dog gate by the end of our den where my rabbits reside. Charlie Roche - 2011-07-09 I am not trying to be funny. The music is not for you - it is for the bunny. The bunny needs to play, kick about, have some fun and they hear the music. They feel the beat. You play with the towel and the ball. Put down a paper bag. Move with the bunny. He needs to know you all over agin. He needs to play and he wants some frolick and siliiness. You want a cuddle and when he has played and gets some energy out of his sytem, I think he will want the cuddle. Like a human little boy. Once they have gotten their energy out of their system, they become such hugable sweet hearts once again. Think of the bunny boy as a two year old human boy. Charlie Roche - 2011-07-09 Whoops use any ball. A plastic ball is good. A dixie cup is good. Sounds like you have a wonderful house. I am jealous. Enjoy. Eileen - 2011-07-09 Yeah. I kind of figured that about music thing. My children can help me pick a good music for my rabbits to enjoy and I get it about them---- need to get to know me all over again. Ok. I'll try that and of what you gave me of the advice. Thanks again. :-) Eileen - 2011-07-13 My male Dutch Rabbit did a weird thing to his companion the (13 weeks 1/2 old Mini Rex). He first did give her a bath on her face then he somehow put his paws on top of her face as if he was digging on her head and I pulled him away and he did the same thing twice. I couldn't understand why he did that to her. Why did he do that to her? I was really puzzled when I saw him do that to her twice. Reply

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