7 Pet Rabbit Breeds That Stay Small | Cute And Small Rabbit Breeds

There are over 300+ rabbit breeds known worldwide. Some of these rabbit breeds stay small and cute for their entire life. These cute pet rabbits are a firm favorite with children and rabbit owners.

Many of these small rabbits featured in another blog we wrote called the 11 Cutest Pet Rabbits and it’s no wonder. They are simply adorable and melt your heart when you look into their eyes.

So out of 300+ rabbit breeds, which ones stay small and remain cute forever? It would be difficult for you to know which rabbits out of the 300 to choose from stay small. So we have saved you the time and narrowed it down to out 7 Favorite small rabbits.

Let us take a look at 7 Pet Rabbits That Stay Small and find you the most adorable pet rabbit to love and take care of.

Here we go, in no particular order. (Apart from the last one which is my favorite small rabbit)

• MINI PLUSH LOP
• LIONHEAD
• JERSEY WOOLY
• ENGLISH ANGORA
• BRITANNIA PETITE
• MINI REX
• NETHERLAND DWARF

There are simply loads of cute small pet rabbits that we haven’t mentioned in this article like the American fuzzy lop and the amazing Dwarf Hotot but there simply isn’t enough time to list them all.

We have listed and picked the 7 smallest and cutest pet rabbits above for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are available in more pet stores or from rabbit breeders. Secondly, there is more information and care guides out there for these rabbits to help you take care of the one that you choose.

Taking care of rabbits can be a very individual process. Some rabbits need special care and attention but most like the ones above need very similar care.

Therefore as small pet rabbits, we think these are the most suitable. Let us take a look at each one in more detail. We’ll go into the care needs and feeding/diet habits for each one.

We will also list suitable products and foods for each variety to help you take the best care possible of your chosen small rabbit.

Mini Plush Lop Rabbits

The Mini Plush Lop rabbit is a cute and small pet rabbit breed that only weighs between 2-4Lbs for the British variety and 4-5Lbs for the American variety.

These varieties of pet rabbits are very fragile and often nervous rabbits and should be cared for and handled carefully and with love. Never pick any rabbit up by their ears! Place one hand under the rabbit belly and the other hand behind the rear legs.

Mini Plush Lop rabbits have amazingly soft fur, not hair and unlike most rabbits, there’s no excessive shedding of fur. Grooming these rabbits is not only lovely and fun to do but also very important for their care and well-being.

The mini plush lop rabbit is a combination of four different types of rabbit breeds resulting in this beautiful, small and cute pet rabbit.

Mrs. D’Anniballe was the first person the breed and create the beautiful Mini Plush Lop.

Devie D’Anniballe unfortunately, passed away in 2010.  The Mini Plush Lop is mentioned in Mrs. D’Anniballe’s obituary here: Devie L. D’Anniballe Obituary

Lionhead Rabbits

There are no prizes for guessing why this variety of pet rabbit has the name of “Lionhead”. They come in lots of different colors but all have that distinctive lion main fur around their heads. Hence, the name.

Originating from Belgium, the Lionhead rabbit only weighs around 3-4Lbs fully grown.

Their mane is around 2 inches (5 cm) long and looks amazing. This breed of rabbit is perfect for kids as they have a lovely temperament and enjoy playing.

Caring for this breed of rabbit is simple, Feed them ½ cup of high-quality pellets daily, plus an unlimited amount of fresh Timothy hay and fresh, clean water. Give them plenty of safe and secure space both indoors and outdoors to run around and show them plenty of love.

This is a very new breed of rabbit compared to some other varieties. Introduced into the mainstream pet world in 1998, it wasn’t fully recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) until 2014. However, it was recognized by the British Rabbit Council (BRC) in 2002.

Jersey Wooly

There are not many colors and varieties of this rabbit and the main ones being, Agouti, Broken, Self, Shaded, Tan Pattern.

The Jersey Wooly has a super soft coat and will need grooming regularly (once a day) where possible. They suffer from wool mites, so regular checking is paramount. If not checked regularly and treated when needed, your pet rabbit will become extremely uncomfortable.

This rabbit needs extra loving care and handling. It can be mistaken for a stronger slightly bigger build than it actually is due to the large amount of fur covering their small and fragile body.

Typically the Jersey Wooly rabbit weighs a tiny 2-4lbs making them one of the smallest pet rabbits.

These rabbits do not fair well living outdoors and are more suited to a quiet life indoors. They do not like too much fuss and noisy and rough handling. They are therefore best suited to young children and adults that have had some experience with pet rabbits before.

This breed of dwarf rabbit was first bred by Bonnie Seeley of New Jersey (United States) in the early 1970s.

Another common name for the Jersey Wooly is Dwarf Angora Rabbit. They love companionship and enjoy being petted and handled which makes them suitable as family pets and are fine with smaller children.

They need plenty of good quality hay and rabbit pellets and plenty of fresh clean water. Combine this with regular grooming and they will reward you with plenty of love and happy times.

English Angora

The English Angora rabbit originating from Ankara, Turkey (historically known as Angora). There are two types of Angora Rabbits, French Angora and English Angora.

These pet rabbits have amazing fur and look like a ball of fluff. They are very peaceful and sociable rabbits making them perfect family pets.

There are many different colors to choose from and all have long fluffy fur. One point to mention like any pet with long fur or hair, you’ll need to pay lots of attention to their coat/fur and ensure it is kept trimmed and clean.

They need regular brushings (1-3 times a weekly) with a suitable wire-bristled comb and their fur will need trimming approximately five times a year to keep their coat healthy and knot-free. 

The only issue these rabbits face is the health issue of ‘wool block’ This can happen to rabbits with long fur that clean themselves. Normally the excess hair that they accidentally swallow whilst self-grooming passes through their digestive system and out through their droppings.

However, just like cats, the fur can sometimes build up inside them and cause an issue. The symptoms to look out for are lack of diet and fewer droppings.

Thankfully there is a treatment and a way of preventing this from occurring in the first place.

Ensure your rabbit’s diet is high in fiber and groom your rabbit regularly. People often add pineapple chunks or papaya tablets to their diet once or twice a week to prevent wool block.

Brittania Petite

Britannia Petite Rabbits are another breed of rabbit that is very small and only weighs between 1-5lbs Maximum.

This rabbit has a lot of energy for such a small creature. You’ll need to make sure you have some outdoor space where it can run around in complete safety. Their living environment does not need to be huge but having some space for them to run around and be free is important for their care.

Britannia Petites are distinctive for their elegant, upright poise. These fine-boned and slender rabbits, with an arched, hare-like body look regal and posh.

However, their name is derived from Britain in the mid 19th century and is known there as the Polish. Despite their name, these amazing looking, small and cute rabbits did not come from Poland but were named for the ‘polish’ of their shiny coats. 

These rabbits need careful rearing from birth. They do not take well to rough handling and from being small, any incidents can have a lasting effect on their temperament.

We do not recommend the Britannia Petite as suitable pet rabbits for smaller children and toddlers. More understanding from older children will be better suited.

Mini Rex

The Mini Rex rabbit is one of the most popular pet rabbits in the USA and Europe. It was first bred by Monna Berryhill of Texas, in Florida in 1984.

It has gone on from then to become one of the most popular pet rabbits, partly due to their small size (3.5 to 4.5 pounds when fully grown) and partly due to their velvet-textured fur.

They are also available in an array of beautiful colors and patterns which is very appealing to families looking for a small pet rabbit breed.

The British Rabbit Council only considers rabbits to be true dwarf rabbits if they remain under 2.5 lbs. These rabbits are small but not under 2.5lbs. They weigh around 3-4lbs on average. It’s their size that enters into our 7 Best Small Rabbit Breeds even though they are not in the classification of dwarf rabbits.

These rabbits can suffer from a few health issues like most other dwarf or small rabbits. These can include, myxomatosis, head tilt and dental issues to name a few. We would say in our experience with these rabbits they are slightly more prone to diseases than others.

Don’t let that put you off owning one of these amazing pets. You’ll just need to make sure you provide the very best diet and care possible to reduce the risk of illness.

Netherland Dwarf

Last but not least on our small pet rabbit breeds list is the Netherland Dwarf rabbit. This truly is a small rabbit breed weighing in at just 1-3lbs.

Don’t get this rabbit confused with the Polish breed of rabbit which people often do. The polish rabbit has much longer ears.

These cute and very small rabbits were first introduced to the public in the mid-1900s by a breeder in Holland and went on to be a very popular dwarf rabbit choice. They come in a vast array of colors and patterns to choose from.

Netherland Dwarf rabbits are very energetic and require lots of outdoor space to run around and burn off some energy. They can be a little skittish but once they become used to their owners and visitors, they are perfect pet rabbits and love attention.

The Netherland Dwarf originates from the Netherlands and first came to light in the 1930s from white Polish (UK) and a selected strain of wild rabbits.

Weighing only 1-2lbs this is a true dwarf rabbit and one of the smallest pet rabbit breeds. When breeders apply careful breeding and handling, these rabbits become very good pets.

These rabbits (with training from young) can become perfectly at home when being handled and played with by smaller children. Buy from a reputable breeder which has taken the time to raise the young rabbits to become tame pet rabbits from the start of their lives.

Why Buy And Keep A Small Pet Rabbit?

When buying a rabbit, the main thing you should consider is their temperament and personality. Yes, they are cute but they also need to have the right personality.

Personality and behavior originate from the breeder from a young age. All dwarf rabbits if cared for when young can make good family pets.

When buying a small pet rabbit think about why you actually want a small rabbit. Is it because you have limited space or no yard for them to play in? If this is the case then you need to consider if owning a rabbit in such a small environment is the best idea. Yes, smaller rabbits need less space but some of them are very energetic and need plenty of room even more so than some bigger breeds which just sit around all day.

Child-friendly pet rabbits

You should, however, buy a small rabbit breed if you want a cute and fluffy pet rabbit that will show you love and will entertain you.

Children look for rabbits and small cute ones especially. They don’t need to be taken for a walk. Although I have seen people walking bigger rabbits on leads! They are easy to care for and inexpensive to buy and keep.

You should buy a pet rabbit if you have the time to care for them and clean their hutch out every 5-7 days without fail. You should also buy a small cute pet rabbit if you have the time to groom their fur and look after their general care.

How Big Do Small Pet Rabbit Breeds Grow To?

There are many varieties of small or dwarf rabbits starting with the smallest, the Netherland Dwarf at just 2lbs for an adult and going up to the Plush Lop at 4lbs.

Remember that 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) is the maximum weight allowed by the British Rabbit Council (BRC) to be classed as a dwarf rabbit.

The award for the smallest rabbit in the world goes to the wild Pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) In contrast, a rabbit weighing 55 pounds (25 kg) received the Guinness World Record in 2013.

What Size Cage Do You Need For A Small Pet Rabbit?

The rule of thumb is the more space the better. However, for sleeping rabbits like a warm, dark and snug compartment to sleep in.

The minimum recommended living space is 11-12 square feet (1.1 square meters), which is a hutch around 6’x2′ (1.8mx0.6m), with a play area which is usually outdoors (32 sq. ft.) for exercise.

Are Cute And Small Pet Rabbits Easier To Keep?

Don’t be fooled dwarf rabbits take just as much care as as their larger counterparts. In fact, dwarf rabbits are often more active than larger pet rabbits and often need more attention and playtime.

Make sure your rabbit gets at least five hours of exercise time out of his or her hutch each day. If you allow your rabbit to play indoors ensure you remove all phone cables and reachable plugs and leads.

Dwarf rabbits are very sociable pets and will demand lots of your attention and love. If you give them plenty of playtime you will be rewarded with a pet rabbit that will show you lots love and affection.

Conclusion: Pet Rabbit Breeds That Stay Small

There are many reasons why you should keep small pet rabbits. Firstly, they are very cute and fluffy. Secondly, they don’t need as much room as larger breeds like the Flemish Giant Rabbit.

This is not to say that they should be kept in a small and cramped confined space, on the contrary. Small pet rabbits are often more active and run and jump much more than their larger counterparts.

Therefore a spacious main hutch and then a suitable large outdoor rabbit run is vital for their care and well being.

The hutch and outdoor run below would be perfect for any of the small pet rabbit breeds listed above. Go check the prices on Amazon.

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