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Silver Marten Rabbit

Family: LeporidaeOryctolagus cuniculusPhoto Courtesy: Southern Hares Rabbitry

   The Silver Marten rabbits, though often raised for showing, also make very loveable and charming pet bunnies!

   The Silver Marten rabbit is a very hardy medium sized rabbit. They grow to be between 6 1/2 to 8 1/2 pounds and have an elegant grace. Their most striking characteristic is their beautiful soft fur. The coat of an adult has a polished look with beautifully appointed markings. The Black Silver Marten, which is the most common color seen at shows, has a wonderful contrast between its polished black coat and the silver white markings of its ears and underbelly.

Black Silver Marten (babies) Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   These bunnies make great pets, though they may be a bit more timid than some of the large breed rabbits. They are playful and love to romp around. They also like toys that they can toss about in their cage.

   At five weeks old, the Silver Marten babies shown on the right have fur that is soft and fuzzy. They have big ears too, that seem to be almost as big as their bodies!

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

Background:    The Silver Marten rabbits were developed in the United States as an offshoot from the Chinchilla rabbit in the mid 1920's. The Chinchilla breeders were reporting "strange little black rabbits" in their litters. These little black rabbits were the start of a trial breeding program that developed into the Silver Martens that we see today.

Description:    These guys are considered to be a medium breed rabbit, so they do grow up to be fair sized. They will weigh between 6.5 to 8.5 lbs. when full grown.
   These rabbits are primarily raised for showing, though they also make good pets. The fur on the Silver Marten is one of its most striking features with a beautiful polished look to it. Silver Martens display an elegant graceful beauty because of their impressive colorations and markings.

Color differences:    Color varieties include black, blue, chocolate, or sable; with silver-tipped guard hairs and silver white markings to the eyes, mouth, chin and under parts.
   The Black Silver Martens are the most common at shows and have a stunning contrast between their black and silver white fur.

Silver Marten Color Varieties
"Jewett's Mocha" - Chocolate Female	"Burant's Tatonka" - Black Male
Photos courtesy: Southern Hares Rabbitry

Lastest Comments on Silver Marten Rabbits View all 40 comments on Silver Marten Rabbits Add Your Comment

Al - 2009-09-30 We have a Silver Marten / Lop and the mix is just adorable. Peanut is his name and he is just the most affectionate rabbit I've ever had. He is very sweet. When we rescued him, he was a biter, but we read up on how to stop that and he would never bite a sole now. He had all that love inside just waiting to come out. Rabbits want to trust us so much and just need to have the chance! Yeah to my little Peanut! Reply

Jennifer Cook Weed - 2011-03-08 Our family adopted a buck last Apr. 2010 (8 wks old) and then a doe last August 2010 (6 wks old) and they are both Black/Silver Martens (I think). They had a litter of 4 between Feb. 2-14th. They have a large fenced in and covered shelter outside with a nice big, deep burrow our buck dug the moment we put them into the pen last Oct. They have the ability to free roam on our 1 acre. One baby has gone missing, possibly due to a fox. The other three are thriving! They have fat little tummies. Our buck is super friendly and litter trained. The doe has always been a little skittish. I suspect our doe has another litter on the way. Should I separate the three bunnies from her new litter when they arrive? I plan to separate our buck this week because two litters is all we want. We LOVE our smart, social rabbits! Click For Replies (1) Charlie Roche - 2011-08-18 Yes, you should separate them - just safer Reply

Barbara - 2010-03-21 i have a female silver Marten, she's free roaming inside the house n sleeps on my bed! sweetest bunny ever! Reply

janelle - 2009-11-03 I adopted a young female rabbit from a rescue. A week and a half later she had a litter of 6. The litter was a variety of colors from black to light cream, and the mother was a mixed breed. I kept one of the babies, a little black girl. I just saw a picture of a rabbit that looked EXACTLY like her, a silver marten! I could not believe that out of that litter I got a little bunny that matched the breed that perfectly!! Reply

Carlie - 2009-10-14 I have had many rabbits in the past. I've had a dutch, new Zealand, 2 mini lops, and I currently have a checkered giant which is my favorite. I have had her since she was 6 weeks old and she is now a year. I'm planning on showing a rabbit, but I have no clue what kind I want to show. Reply

Pooja - 2009-06-25 I have a silver marten called Lightning. He is my first rabbit and is so sweet. I let him out every morning and evening in our back garden and he runs around. When he has enough he just comes back to me and 'asks' me to let him back into his hutch. He is also really friendly and LOVES people. When I entered him in a pet fashion show he went straight to the judges and sat right next to them! Reply

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