rabbit breed: English Spot?

Question

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My rabbit has black outlines around his eyes,one spot on his back,and big dot next to his mouth and black ears, i want to know if he is a mixed breed and if he is what breeds are his parents?


Answer
Dear Sophie,

Your rabbit exhibits what's sometimes called the "butterfly" (because of the shape of the black spot on his muzzle) or the "checkered" color pattern, which can occur in almost any breed of rabbit.  He's not likely an English Spot, which is a breed with a very *specific* spot pattern:  Black ears and eye rings, black muzzle, a very thin black stripe down the back, and a scattering of even, small spots along the flanks.

Your bunny is very likely a mixed breed.  That means there's no way to really know what his parents were unless you could find out from the breeder.  But the good news is that hybrid rabbits are generally much healthier than purebreds.  

You can read more about good rabbit care here:

www.rabbit.org

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/rabbithealth.html

Hope this helps!

Dana