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Mini Rex Rabbit

Family: LeporidaeSee More about FloppyOryctolagus cuniculusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Rebecca Baxter

A sweet, cuddly nature along with a plush velvety coat makes the Mini Rex a favorite pet bunny!

   Outwardly the Mini Rex rabbit looks like a miniature version of the larger Rex Rabbit. Sporting graceful proportions and that nice plush "Rex fur", this is a very good looking rabbit. It has become one of the most popular and readily available pet rabbits and is good with children.

   The Mini Rex is an adorable medium sized rabbit that makes a wonderful companion. Generally friendly and moderately active, they will enjoy playing or just relaxing and being petted. Because of its relatively small size it is easy to handle, as well as easy to house and feed.

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

Background:    The Mini Rex is accepted as a new breed in Great Britain and the United States. This breed was first recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association in 1988.

Description:    The Mini Rex grows to 3.5-4.5 lbs. They are well-muscled with good shoulder and hip widths. Their ears stand straight and erect.

   Monna R. Berryhill, who is from Texas, first bred them and has shared the following information with us:

Castor colored Mini Rex rabbit Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The main feature of Rex rabbits is their very beautiful and very soft fur. It feels just like velvet when you pet it. This is because the longest guard hairs have been bred away and the secondary guard hairs have been reduced to the same length as the undercoat hairs.

Color differences:    Though there are lots of different colors of Mini Rex, they have to be particular colors if they are going to be show bunnies rather than pets. But those that are pets are every bit as cuddly and soft.
   The Mini Rex varieties allowed for showing are: Black, Blue, Castor, Chinchilla, Chocolate, Himalayan, Lilac, Lynx, Opal, Red, Seal, Tortoise Broken color (any recognized color and white with the exception of Himalayan) and Red-eyed White.

Lastest Comments on Mini Rex Rabbits View all 404 comments on Mini Rex Rabbits Add Your Comment

TheHoneyBunnyTree - 2012-01-28 We have adorable mini rex baby rabbits for sale Himalayan bucks and Himalayan does All are litter trained Handled, several times a day They all have pedigrees And The Price is Reduced See my website for more info http://thehoneybunnytree.weebly.com/ Click For Replies (1) Dmarie Morgan - 2012-01-31 Yes I want a blue Mini Res Reply

Radhika Raj - 2012-01-17 What size 'walking vest' (harness) do you think my mini rex would fit in, he's about four pounds, and I'd really like to take him in my backyard without the chance of him running away. Here is the link: http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-22066#addtocartthing Click For Replies (1) Charlie Roche - 2012-01-17 If you scroll down the article you sent on 'walking vests' they say a large for rabbits, medium for fetets -- so if that is where you intend to purchase the harness I'd go with their recommendation. Reply

Kadiya Ireland - 2011-12-15 I have a beautiful black broken doe and she is very friendly. I have taught her how to climb stairs and toss small objects. Do you think there is anything else I can teach her? Click For Replies (4) Kadiya Ireland - 2011-12-15 She can pick up a small screwdriver and throw it to me, so I think fetching is worth a try! Charlie Roche - 2011-12-15 You can try and teach her to fetch. You should be able to teach her to come to you when you call her. Then possibly to chase something you throw. Then possibly to bring it back. Sure worth a try. Maria - 2012-01-02 How to teach to climb the stairs? I just got a baby mini rex bunnie and I want to teach to climb stars. Thanks. Kadiya Ireland - 2012-01-10 I taught her how to climb the stairs by putting her on a stair and letting her explore. When she showed interest in the next stair, I helped her up and eventually after about two hours of this, she was able to climb up. It really depends on the size of the stairs and the size of the rabbit. Reply

anne - 2011-04-14 i have had rabbits for 3 to 4 years now and if you have any questions, just ask me. Click For Replies (19) Charlie Roche - 2011-04-15 Stay with us. You have EXPERIENCE. Thank you. Emily Willis - 2011-05-08 I have had rabbits for seven years and own 24 but I never stop learning and getting advice along the way. The longer you have them the more you know. leslie - 2011-05-26 How many bunnies can a Californian rabbit give birth to? Anonymous - 2011-06-06 How much do mini rex rabbits cost when they are babies? Tayler - 2011-07-01 What would you prefer better a netherland dwarf or a mini rex ? LUVURBUNS - 2011-07-16 @Tayler A netherland dwarf are cute, lovable little bunnys. But they can be very nasty. And a mini rex, well, they can grow pretty big, so if you have a small house, I would recommend a netherland dwarf. doris - 2011-09-17 I have a mini rex that I believe may be preg. When I was petting her nose, she bit my finger. Then about 1wk. later,I reached in to get a food dish, she bit me and held on. I knocked her off but she got me again. I've only had her about 3wks. Jamie Hughes - 2011-09-23 Will they use a roll around ball. My rabbit is very hyper and I'm trying to figure out a way for her to get some of her energy out. Jeanette - 2011-10-04 i was wondering if you thought the mini rex is one of the tougher breeds to breed? Someone told me it was very hard to get these rabbits to breed. Is that true? thanks Jeanette Anonymous - 2011-10-11 Does the breed of a rabbit effect how much it jumps? Hannah - 2011-10-15 I just got a mini rex today, and we bought food, and a cage and everything else, but is there anything I shouldn't do? Like, is it safe to give him a bath? (I'd only put water up to his legs) and what is this about lettuce that I hear? Is that bad to give him? Please let me know. Thanks(: Emily Willis - 2011-10-17 Mini Rexes have somewhere between 2 to four babies on an average all the smaller breed are the same. Californians have somewhere between 6 to 11. so do most breeds that are over 10 pounds. Kelling - 2011-11-16 Some breeds are more hyper and so might jump more. @ Hannah Lettuce can be toxic to domestic rabbits and you should not feed them it though you can feed them dark red or dark green leaf lettuce. Mine happen to love Kale (great for vitamin a, though do not give them too much), green leaf, collard greens, romaine, and the house rabbit society has a wonderful guidebook which you should look into because they list all acceptable foods for domestic rabbits. Bathing a rabbit is a no no. They clean themselves and should be groomed by you at least once a week or more depending on the type of coat. Domestic rabbits are not able to control their temperature as well as others and if they become ten to fifteen degrees warmer or cooler than their environment might put them into shock! Also, their fur is hard to dry quickly and if they stay wet for too long, the above would be able to happen and it would be harder to help them. As that is being said, if you ever discipline them with a spray bottle, you have to make sure that they do not become drenched by it. I hope that this helps. Do please make sure to visit the house rabbit society's webpage (you can view the handbook there). Kelling - 2011-11-16 I must state that generally mini rex rabbits do not need much grooming (this is due to the fact that their primary guard hairs have been bred out, their secondary guard hairs are as short as their undercoat [this is what gives their coat the velvet feel]) while holland lops with agouti coats will need it more frequently. This is due to the differences in their coats. Grooming a rabbit can range from just wetting your hands enough to run it over their hair and collect the excess and using gloves with rubber dots to help in case you would rather not do the first to using the smallest furminator (pink) to really get the loose hair that they cannot get themselves. Also, grooming is possibly needed more among bonded rabbits because they groom themselves and their partner and are at a higher risk of getting GI stasis. So, I hope that this elaboration might help explain more. Erica - 2011-11-17 why should you not feed your bunny lettuce? jess - 2011-11-22 How long do rabbits live for Anonymous - 2011-11-21 Thank you. That was very helpful. I also have another question, my bunny has had I guess you could say runny poop... Like, he has normal poop too, but he has runny poop too... Is this normal? Anonymous - 2011-12-17 Diahrea is dangerous for a rabbit and can kill it very quickly if you do not take certain percautions. If you change the brand of food that you give it make sure you gradually change it and it doesnt have more than 16% protein. This can cause digestion problems and can kill it. Also if digestion is a problem put a little handful of oak leaves in with it one or two times a week. grason - 2012-01-10 I have had a jersey wooly for not even a year & I was wondering if there is any way to get his hind legs clean. Reply

Jessica - 2010-09-21 My family raised rabbits for 25 years. When I turned 18 I decided to get a rabbit. I found a baby mini rex and the missouri state fair and fell in love with her. She was such a sweet rabbit. Recently she died. I'm not sure how and my family never raised mini rex's. When she was about 4 months I went to feed her and realized she was barely breathing and not moving she had pooped all over herself and was not cleaning it off. (My rabbit normally kept herself VERY clean) I carefully picked her up supporting her head the whole time. After about 10 minutes of seizures and gasping she finally passed. Does anyone know what could have happened to her? She was not exposed to any kind of toxin. Click For Replies (7) Tyler - 2010-09-27 Maybe it was cuz one of the rabbits that your parents raised might of had a disease and it might of got a disease. Or it might of had a disease of some sort and they did not tell you. Or you might of fed it some molded food like from a Serfed Feed. Ms. Lilly - 2010-12-25 Hello Jessica, We had 5 mini rex, 3 recently died. I asked the pet store, they stated maybe they died because I gave them lettuce, instead of cabbage. They stated that rabbit strange more with lettuce. sarah - 2011-01-06 I've had rabbits for a couple of years now and I have had that same thing happen to 2 of my rabbits so when we went to the vet to get the rabbits' daily check-ups, we asked the vet and he said that the first thing you need to know about rabbits is that rabbits can kick so hard that they can break their backs. It is not toxic or any of that. My second rabbit was a mini rex and we found it one morning and it was doing the same thing and for about 15 minutes it was doing the same thing and then it died. Lori - 2011-10-07 It sounds like she had a blockage. You mention pooping all over herself. Usual rabbit droppings are hard little balls, they don't stick to their fur or skin. The fact that her poop was on her sounds like it may have been softer or more liquid. This is often a sign of an intestinal blockage, which to my understanding is the most common cause of death for house rabbits. It happens when they don't get a regular diet of hay/ grass. Their intestinal system is very finely balanced, and they need hay roughage to keep it in check. I'm not a vet, and there's a lot more info about this out there, I'd encourage you to read up on it. It's possible she chewed on something she shouldn't have, also, this can cause a block as well. One of my bunnies got this after a week of feeding her oats with no grass. It was awful. Kelling - 2011-11-16 Listen to Lori. What happened to your mini rex can happen with all breeds and is a common cause of death. GI stasis can occur for many reasons and there are warning signs to know. Rabbits are very good at keeping their illnesses secret so you should study up on the symptoms because after you would notice something was up would be the time to take your rabbit to the vet (an exotic vet). A great guide is the House Rabbit Society handbook. I hope that this helps and I am sorry for your loss. Erica - 2011-11-17 your rabbit might of had a hairball block. some hairballs are prone to bunnies and can cause serious health problems.I recommend giving your rabbit a weekly dose of dried papaya. It works for my bunny! Erica,age 9 (I know a lot more than you think) jess - 2011-12-12 thats so sad :( Reply

dustin latimer - 2011-12-05 hello is there away where you can make a mini rex sleep at night not the day? also can you litter train? and my mini sneezes all the time do i need to worry? Click For Replies (3) Charlie Roche - 2011-12-06 I wouldn't worry about your Rex sneezing but I sure would look into it. Could be allergy to bedding or something in his safe area. If his nose is warm or running then possibly repiratory infection and you would need some antibiotics. Sounds silly but chek his nose and make sure he doesn't have something in nostril. Unless you completely change the room lighting - I doubt you can change his sleeping habits. They usually start getting active around 4 pm, so you should have evenings. Doesn't that work? Yes, you can train a rex. Easiest way to start is take the bunny and place him in the room you want to use for the litter. Spread papers on the floor. Close the door. The bunny will usually always go to one spot in the room. After he has done this a couple of times put the litter there and take some of the dirty papers and rip it up and put it on the bottom of the litter with whatever you are using for litter on the top of the dirty paper. Kailyn - 2011-12-18 Hello. Rabbits are more active at night since I believe that they are mainly nocturnal. You can train a rabbit to use the litter box. I have one in her cage and I put one out when she is running around free in my apartment. I just put litter in the box (the one out for her freeness) and I put her droppings in the litter and set her in the box. It only took that one time and she has never had an accident. Rabbits are very smart! cassie - 2012-01-08 My mini (Bambi) sleeps from about 1 am to 10 am, with the occasional waking up, she sleeps when the light gets turned off but when I see her drifting off to sleep I turn the light off for her, she is very well litter trained all I did was put in a rabbit litter tray in her cage, needs to be cleaned every few days but as long as she thinks it's okay to go in she won't go in the cage itself, she chews the tray but only out of boredom, she also uses it as her safe place to go when she's scared, hope this helps! :) Reply

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