Bunny Breed Guide: Rex Rabbits
78Mini Rex Babies
Rex rabbits come in two main types, Mini Rex, and the standard Rex. I will deal with each type seperately so as to avoid confusion.
Rex Rabbits
The standard Rex has a beautiful velvety fur that is popular in the fur trade (not something I recommend or support, this is merely a note for accuracy). Fortunately for the Rex rabbit, it is easier for those involved in the fur trade to take fur from larger animals, so since the mid 1980's Rex's have rarely been used for fur whatsoever. Rex rabbits were also quite often used for meat, but this is less common nowadays, with Flemish Giants being a more popular source of rabbit meat due to their larger size.
A standard rex generally weighs between seven and eleven pounds, and comes in a wide range of colors. Breeders have gained great enjoyment in breeding many different color types of Rex, and today Rexs come in: Blue, Black, Amber, Chocolate, Lilac, Sable, Opal, Red, and White solid colors, and in the following marking styles, Broken, Californian, Castor, Chinchilla, Black Otter. Their ears stand upright, and the coat requires very little grooming.
The Rex temperament is very solid and good natured, and they are known to be very maternal creatures, often accepting the young of other rabbits and raising them as their own. They are relatively calm rabbits, though they are still Rabbits, and will not do particularly well in chaotic situations.
Mini Rex Rabbits
Mini Rex Rabbits are essentially just smaller versons of the Rex rabbit, weighing in at around three to five pounds. They possess the same gorgeous fur coats, and are also friendly, although they do tend to be slightly more active than their larger cousins. I would recommend a full sized Rex if you are considering a pet for children, as they are likely to be more laid back in personality, and less fragile than the Mini Rex. Minin Rex are however, very popular with adults and children alike.
General Notes
Both the standard Rex and the Mini Rex make excellent house rabbits, that is rabbits that live inside. They are relatively easily toilet trained, and will enjoy the company of humans and other animals if introduced in a non threatening way. Their easy care coats put them ahead of some other fluffy rabbit breeds as suitable pets for children and busy adults, and they feel beautiful to stroke. Rex rabbits tend to enjoy human company, and are often described as being more catlike than anything in their personality, happily laying around in their favorite spots before suddenly dashing up and binkying around with joy.
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Litter trainng a mini rex...has become a challenge. We have a mini rex, she is now a member of our family for two weeks. She is full of personality and is so loveable...but the potty training is about to drive us crazy. She choose's to use our sofa's (we have 2) as her litter box. Can anyone help? We have a litter box in her cage which is always readily available for her at any given time.
Sleepless in the burg,
Mimi
I have a little baby Rex rabbit i got my rabbit just under two days ago i am not sure if my rabbit is a girl or a boy because it is only eight weeks old and is to young to tell. We named my rabbit Milo because of the chocolate brown colour of the fur. Milo is a beautiful rex rabbit and is calm and so soft to hold. Milo is no bigger than my hand. I suggest rex rabbits to anyone that wants a loving calm soft and active rabbit. Caitie
Can anyone give me ideas on how to teach toilet training to a Baby rabbit.
I would love to know, Thanks!!
The House Rabbit Handbook and the House Rabbit Society deals with litter box training
I have a mini rex and I was wondering if there were any foods that improve their coats. I know oats are one, are there any others?
Howdy,
Im from motana, california, and im asking to be australian even though i alreagy am!! i llove rabbits i even tried rabbit pie!~!~
I can't believe that lilly girl would do such a thing!!!!
anyway i am from the USA and i have never heard of bunny pie so there is some prove!!!
i have a rex rabbit called Mack he is black and loves food
I have a standard rex. I bought her when she was just a month old. She is quite active and loves attention. Pinky is now 5 months old. I cannot get her litter trained. Pet store advised me to buy different kind of litter to put in her liter pan. one time it worked. Please any suggestions.
can you bye these rabbits in longmont or boulder
I am in south OC CAlifornia and i am looking for a chocolate mini chocolate rex bunnny for my daughter's b-day and having no luck yet? Any info on breeders in the area or know anyone who has a choc. mini rex for sale :) Thanks Lisa
whatz up
I have 2 very beautiful mini Trex's...My male is lilac and my female is light brown. If anyone is interested in adopting when my female has her litter just email me at brandicreamer@gmail.com.
I have to standard rex's. Smores and Milly. They are amazing animals but are meant to be outside in the barn with the rest of the animals for company. now how would you feel if your little baby rabbit was all alone inside while you were living it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For those experiencing litter training issues, my first suggestion is to immediately run, don't walk, to the vet and as soon as the rabbit is old enough, have him or her neutered or spayed. This is CRITICAL. It will improve your litter training 100% and will improve the health and behavior of the rabbit. Female rabbits have an over 50% chance of developing reproductive cancers and both male and female rabbits will mark their territories with urine if not altered. Male and female rabbits will live longer, healthier lives and your life will be much less stressfull.
Please consult www.rabbit.org for more information.
to those who have a problem litter training mini rex:
Mine took a while, but I figured it out. Rabbits are not stupid. They're actually really smart. If you provide what he/she needs in a proximity that he/she can get to without getting too excited and perhaps "missing" the box or even just deciding to make the couch or bed a box of their own, then it should work. I have a HUGE cage for my rabbit. We simply, bought him a cat litter box (way bigger and easier for them to turn around in) and filled it with hay. If he would slip up, we'd put him in his box and lock the cage for a while. And continue. Put your rabbit in the cage whenever you're not right there with him/her until they get the hint. I know they will. It really just takes time.
As I rabbit owner I would recommend to following to make the process easier: get a smaller cat box instead of a corner one, get a cage big enough for a box to fit, use only hay in the box, spend time with the rabbit and make sure you don't leave him/her alone before knowing to use the box!
hope this helps
i have 2 mini rex bunnies male one constantly chases and bites the other what can i do
Barney separate them. They could fatally hurt each other. Some bunnies like companionship others don't. They could also be the same sex which would be the reason the one chases and bites the other. Females will also kill the male if they are housed together. SEPARATE! Also check out Bunniez other hubs. She has a lot of very useful info here!
i have two male mini rex bunnies around 5 months old one keeps chasing the other one and biteing him the poor thing has been bitten on several occasions but most recently very close to his eye.
Both bunnies were bought at the same time i think from the same litter i dont have the room to keep them seperated and i am at a loss of what to do PLEASE HELP.
The one that bites has a tatoo in his her of numbers and letters what does this mean? the bunnies were bought through a 4-H Club and we werent given any info on them or about them.
To cathleen:
I have the same issue. two females, tried to indroduce them in March. They were ripping eachother's fur out & biting instantly. The vet I went to suggested getting them fixed spent the money on that. Waited until their hormones leveled out and they still "hate" eachother months later. So I have bought a divided hutch and just have to alternate playtimes for them. I guess sometimes they just dont get along. I am tired of trying to introduce them I have scars on my arms from where I have gotten caught in the cross-fire of their fights. Good luck.
iam pretty sure that my rabbit is a rex but he does not weigh 7 to 11 pounds
to anyone one with litter traing problems:
i have discovered recently a few things that should help, first lay hey of bedding in their litter box then you should take some of their droppings and put them in the litter box so that the rabbit understands what it is supposed to be used for next stay with them if they go in where else stop them put them in their cage with the litter box, lastly be patient
hope that helps
'first lay hay or bedding'
'if they go anywhere else'
'in their cage(with the litter box)'
we've just had our first rex, can anybody tell me what is there favorite thing to eat is there anything paticular this breed loves to eat
I think Rex rabbit are so cute like my rabbit Thumper.
My Mini Rex is very vocal as if she is trying to talk to me. She is extremely maternal towards her dwarf companion, even ripping out her fur and making a nest for him!
iv just bought three little rabbits and the women we bought them off said that there rex. there coat feels how a rex rabbit is discribed but i dont know what sort of rex rabbits they are can any body tell me how to tell the diffrence? the lady never told us if there boys or girls neither but all come from same hut will all 3 get along ok or do they need spliting up? thanx x
I've recently adopted a male rex which I keep indoors. He's adorable, but sprays a lot. Because of this I've had him neutered (2 days ago), but he's still spraying!! Does this take a while after the operation to stop, or is there anything I can do to help stop him? Also, on the subject of toilet training - he is great in his cage but as soon as he's out he wee's and poo's everywhere!! Again, I hoped that having him neutered would help, but hasn't yet. Everytime I go to pick up his poo to put it in his toilet, he goes mental and tries to attack!! I've read that picking him up and putting him back in his cage as punishment should work, but he hates being picked up!! I've never owned a rabbit before but am determined to get these problems sorted as he's sooo cute!!! Any advice much appreciated.
I have a mini rex he loves my children. kisses and licks them very sweet. Potty trained in about 2 days. loves being in the livingroom with the family. He doesnt like being held much but loves to lay by us or be rubbed. Also we have a jackrussell terrier that the bunny loves.
I hav 2 cute rex rabbits, they hav got to be abt 5 months. It only took us two weeks to litter train them. we use cat litter trays we hav 0ne in the cage and another in the front room. we put newspaper and normal cat litter. we used to put some of there wee paper in there and there poo, so they new they had to use it. Our rabbits are brother. they do get on, but we hav had to serperate them as there hormones are high and they keep trying to mate with each other. I cant afford to get them done at the minute. They dont like being handled the only time you get to stroke them is if ur feeding them
The Tattoo means it's pedigree and has been or is meant to be shown usually. Sometimes it's just permanent marker used to ID them when with a lot of others that look similar.
I love rex rabbits. They are the calmest of all the rabbit breeds.
I had a litter yesterday . looks like a blue, black, and 4 broken blacks. They are so fun to watch grow.
Okay so if anyone knows more details about these bunnys pls email me at nikkiashley89@hotmail.com I live in the us I'm looking to find more about the allergins of them because I really want one but my mom says that my allergies would be a problem if anyone has any advice please email me thanks
I have not tried to raise rex rabbits yet, so far I have only been raising californians.
I just got a Rex and she is the sweetest thing ever! I would defenatly get this rabbit as a frist time owner they are perfect for kids and they do great inside or outside as long as they have protection
I have a 7 week old mini-rex and she always runs from me and hides under the couch she wont like lay still with me she is hyper active, what can I do?
for questions on potty training, I have a mini rex rabbit, black otter, and she was very hyper as a small bunny, the only way that I got her to go in a litter box was to place her food, hay, and water in 3 seperate corners of the cage, and the litter box in the fourth. Rabbits tend to never go where they eat so it forced her to use the litter box.
I have a 5 year old female mini rex, she is the cutest thing on earth. I am proud to say that she is potty trained so well that when we let her out to run around, she will hop back in her cage just to pee, and then will hop right back out!! It only took a few weeks before she was potty trained to her cage, but it took a couple of years before she was potty trained to her current skills.
I have a pet Rex Rabit, Angel, beautiful 4 week year old. Pure whit with a hint of nice color gold, but she has an eye problem all watery and icky....... what do I do?
potty training: you should keep you buuny in a dog playpen with a litterbox, some toys and a little house. Use some hay on top of your litter (add some droppings). Keep him/her confined to this until he/she is using the litterbox for at least a week (7 to 10 days) and then you can let him/her out with supervision and set the litterbox outside the pen so it's easier to get to. Never let your rabbits have full run until the are using the litterbox in the confined area successfully. Have your rabbits spay/neutered at the appropriate time which is usually around 4 mos. old. Hope this helps anyone having litter training issues.
I got a skidish rex because his owners got a dog. It took 2 years before Rygal would take treats from my hand. Now he enjoys taking showers with me and my wife, and has become a lick monster.I often come home and find D'Argo "my cat"and Rygal Sleeping in the cage. Rabbits are smart and have a memory. be patient
Grow a wabbit garden. Till a small space, dump your cage cleanings,till in, let it grow. in a short time you will have plenty of fresh rabbit munchies. I don't know where the seeds come from, but they grow.
Just took ownership of two rex rabbits one has a bald spot above the front leg.the other is fully furred.Both males neutered.
This may be of use for potty training.Our other rabbit a
dwarf, has a large hutch (made from a door frame)with screen floor.He does
almost all his businesses on a folded sheet 1 by 1.
I just recently purchased a mini-rex from a pet store three days ago. He (I think it's a boy, but I'm not 100%) poos like crazy. I can't believe how much he does it. The first day I had to clean the litter alot. The second day not as much and the third day it was like the first day.
I love him so much and he is adorable. He loves to cuddle, but he doesn't like to be picked up and he scratches me alot.
His cage is an all metal cage with a tray for bedding which is sawdust underneath which the metal cage lays on top of.
Today I've noticed that he has begun to centralize his poo piles and I know he's a smart rabbit because of how he acts (he pushes his alfalfa dish out of the corner it's usually in and poos & pees there, also he testing the structure of the cage, and he pushes the alfalfa dish to the center when he is hungry), but I'm having a hard time of potty training him. I tried to use a towel to put under him while I have him out of the cage so if he pees or poos it won't get all over, but I don't know what to do. I don't know if it's been neutered or spayed and I don't have access to an English speaking vet as I am living in South Korea.
hello all. nice hub!
i have 19 dutch rabbits and will be getting a black mini rex on sunday. this will be our first mini rex and we are excited. my oldest dutch is 6yrs old. i have superpet cages so the door opens out like a ramp. my oldest dutch trained himself to go in his cage when he has to pee. when i let him out he plays ,follows me around and when hes needs to rest he goes back in on his own. i have never had him pee outside his cage i havent had to littertain him he did it on his own. he's peed on me lol! but not anywhere in the house.
i also wanted to answer the one who wanted to know what the tattoo was for. all show rabbits have to have a tattoo in their ear. the 4her probably bought it from a breeder who shows them. its alot easier to littertrain them to pee in the box then to poop in it. not saying it cant be done but it takes time.
guys,how much will a rex weigh when fully grown??Cos im getting one and i need to know
thank you for the infomation.
with toilet training my rex rabbit, i had to pick a corner far away from his food (rabbits will not go to the bathroom next to their food), they will most often pick their own corner. put the litter stuff down and put any "happenings" and put it in the corner. every 15 minutes put the rabbit in that corner. i suggest that when first starting this you keep the rabbit in the cage for about 30 - 60 minutes. so every 15 minutes put the bunny in the corner you want it to use. be patient. this will not work the first time. its much like litter box training your cat or potty training a kid
Rex's or any rabbit for that matter, can't be litter trained until after being spayed or neutered.
i just got a mini rex, he is about 3 months old, if your looking to potty train them i went and got him a corner litter box made for rabbits, rabbits love to stay clean so i got one with a cap on top, then bought him some critter liter, made for small animals, he loves it!!!
We had a mini rex, and she was the best rabbit I've ever had. Very tame and affectionate, easily litter trained and easy to teach tricks. Unfortunately she passed away recently at the age of 8 years. I highly recommend the mini rex.
I just bought two female Mini Rex bunnies; one gray and the other a blackish-blue. They LOVE each other! They keep cuddling and playing. I recommend them as pets to anyone! They are so mello and adorable
We are now the proud owners of a Standard Rex buck. We've had him only 1 1/2 weeks and I can't believe how tame he is. He returns to his cage to use the litter box, and will come to me when I whistle or call him to return to his cage. What more could you expect for only a week and a half.
Years ago, we had an intact male Rex that was absolutely litter trained. He was very young when we got him and it was so easy to train. We used a large dog crate and had a large cat litter tray in it and he would hop in and use it. When we began giving him supervised outings, he would always go back into the cage, use the litter box, and go back out to explore. He was great with the cats and dogs but would get territorial when they got near his cage. He never bit anyone or anything but would growl and scare them out of his house. I made sure we held and petted him everyday when he was little so he would get used to us. When he died we rescued a drawf bunny and she was not litter trained. It was really annoying. She was a sweetie though but I do prefer the Rex.
This was very helpful. Thanks!
I can't wait I'm getting a Rex Rabbit this Tuesday which is Moe... Because our old rabbit Snickers past away 2 days ago! :(
I cried so much!!!
I have a lovely female mini rex that I love dearly. She's my first indoor rabbit, after my others were killed by some animal. She's cheeky but also very affectionate, and she does exactly as described - lounges, then runs about with energy, then I turn around and she's lounging again.
I do have a question - for those that've gotten their rabbits spayed/neutered, how much did it cost, and did you seek out a vet good with rabbits? I inquired at a place with a recommended vet for rabbits, but I'm a college student and thus far I haven't been able to spare hundreds of dollars to get my bunny spayed.
My rabbit is not aggressive towards me and she was a doll to litterbox train, but I do worry about her developing one of the reproductive diseases I hear are common to unspayed females. She's nearly 2.5 years old and we live in the US.
I have introduced baby bunnys to the ones I have already, they are always very nosie when new comers come ago and I think the best way to introduce them is to make sure they have clean bedding and to be introdued maybe in a outside run to give them space to get use to there new comer and have space to run round and you may find that your new comer is staying close to the ground when the others sniff round there new friend they might get a litter pushes but that is just part of them getting to know there new friend and them being in the right packing order! They should not be drawing blood by anyones standand! I hope this helps
I breed rex rabbits, and there so loving. I play with them from 1 day old and they turn out to be the nicest of rabbits. I once breed a castor girl who I thaught to climb, so now she jumps up her cage. Yesterday night one of my does gave birth to nine beautiful kits, shes black and I breed her with a broken ginger buck, and the kits are white [pink, going to be white] with black spots, and white, and only one of them is black. The next day another doe gave birth, and she did it in front of me! But unlike the other doe she didn't make a proper nest and pulled out fur everwhere, and had the firt baby in a stupid spot, so I toke it and gave it to the other female, and she didn't mind taking care of it. But the other female had another baby and I dont know weather to give her other baby back or not to keep it warm, I dont think shes a very good mum [shes a first time mum].Thanks for reading.
I'm questioning what kind of breed my bunny is.. Uhm. it so looks like this Mini Rex but Grey. but I dunno what to do to find out what kind it is!! :D
I have a mini Rex. He thinks he is a Doberman pinscher and is not afraid of dogs.
how long are mini rexes when full grown? i have looked it up everyvwhere but i can NOT find it! help please.
In live in northern Vermont. By sheer accident my Mine Rex and my daughters Standard Rex had an encounter. We now have 3 beautiful baby Rex bunnies. We are selling them for $40.00 each. 2 of them are Standard, The first 1 is 2 tones of brown (the darker on its back) with white feet the other 1 is completely white with 2 tone dark ears, a 2 tone dark spot on the side of its nose and 2 tones around its eyes. It looks like shes wearing make-up. The third 1 is a Mini and mostly black. It has a white star on its fore head, white and black specks around its neck and 4 white feet. They will be ready for new homes by Valentines Day. I believe they are all girls, as I've read my bunny handbook and their private parts resemble girls. If anyone knows of anybody looking for a beautiful bunny please e-mail me. My e-mail address is hssm4lax2@hotmail.com. Remember these bunnies are in northern Vermont, about 20 minutes north of Burlington,VT.
i have a mini rex named oreo and i am having trouble litter training her. any thing you can think of that can help me please say. also i have a sister and she has a male named freckles and he made a bed out of his litter box is there any way to stop him from sleeping on it and get him to start peeing and pooping on it. if so please tell me.
i have a rax and it is sooooo cute
My Mini-Rex will go through periods where she will pee on the carpet. Anyway, for what it is worth, if you go to the hardware store, they sell rubber matting 36" wide and will cut it to whatever length you desire. The ones we got have grooves,which make it easier to sweep or vaccum clean. When we let her out, we have that matting down on the carpeting where she plays as a safeguard. Also, to prevent spraying the carpet when she is on the second level of her cage, we clothes pinned sheets of paper grocery bag and that has proved to be an effective barrier against any pee that might otherwise exit the cage. I know it doesn't litter train, but I hope this will help with the main purpose of litter training: avoiding bunny calling cards on the carpet.
OMG!!! I have a mini rex rabbit and she's so cute! do you think she's like the rex breed? the name is simular.
hey guys,
i've had two mini rex rabbits (nutmeg and ginger) for the past 8 - 9 months. They dont mind when i hold them and pat them, but when i put them out into the yard for a run they refuse to be caught and i spend generally at least 30 mins every time trying to cath them, this also scares them a bit. Has anyone got any stratergies that I could use to get them to be a bit more friendly, affectionate and easier to catch?
Thanks for the information. My wife just fell in love with a Rex Rabbit today, and I was curious to know more about them. So far I can already tell that it likes being social. Much more so than any other rabbit I have seen. I still cannot get over how soft it's coat is. Unlike any other mammal I have touched.
I too have two Standard Rexs'. They love hay and salt blocks that are intended for them. I can't figure out why Smokey (my male rabbit) and Ash (my female rabit) aren't potty trained. Well, Smoley is, sort of. Thay just can't be trained! It's driving me CRAZY! But they are like the stuffed animal you never had. They are so soft and cuddly!
how do u sex them rex rabbits
If you want to Potty trained your Rex Bunny, take a look where he/she pees (do not clean the area). Forget where poops. and put a litter box or a open shoe or bigger carboard box with a absorbent paper or diaper inside on the site of the pee. He/She will smell and he realizes is a right area to pee, The bunnies do not poops in a designated area but will do mostly near to the litter box or around.
if a rex rabbit has her first litter,will she eat the babies?:(
To litter train a rex bunny let them choose where they want to pee then put the tray in that spot. pick up toddys and put inside tray, they will soon realise that is where they want to go. If bunny is making bed in litter tray the tray needs to be moved to where they pee & poop, you are putting the tray in their bedroom, they choose where they want to eat sleep and go to toilet. To get bunnies to bed when they have had a lovely play outside I get them used to having a treat when they do go into hutch. I used to catch my bunnies and carry them to the hutch but this was a very stressful bed time, but when they got in bed i gave them a little food treat maybe fruit or dried fruit ie dried bananas. I always rattled the box I had the treat in and they then get used to the noise and associate that with bed and a treat. it took about 4 weeks to get them to do it and now all i have to do is open door and show them te treat box and they go straight to bed. no stress for me and a fun time for the bunnies. Hope this helps remember you need to be consistant and have patiance.
To litter train a rex bunny let them choose where they want to pee then put the tray in that spot. pick up toddys and put inside tray, they will soon realise that is where they want to go. If bunny is making bed in litter tray the tray needs to be moved to where they pee & poop, you are putting the tray in their bedroom, they choose where they want to eat sleep and go to toilet. To get bunnies to bed when they have had a lovely play outside I get them used to having a treat when they do go into hutch. I used to catch my bunnies and carry them to the hutch but this was a very stressful bed time, but when they got in bed i gave them a little food treat maybe fruit or dried fruit ie dried bananas. I always rattled the box I had the treat in and they then get used to the noise and associate that with bed and a treat. it took about 4 weeks to get them to do it and now all i have to do is open door and show them te treat box and they go straight to bed. no stress for me and a fun time for the bunnies. Hope this helps remember you need to be consistant and have patiance.
u never added the himi, tri color harliquin an missed out MANY more colors
...one more note NEVER EVER breed a castro to any other color besides castro
Okay i just bought my Rex rabbit (jewel) and i had another rabbit (holland) rabbit and she ran away so i got another one. But my rex rabbit seems to pee in her food dish and looks like she is grinding up her food? i take her to my boyfriends house with me for a few days and she doesent do it but as soon as i take her home she pees in her bowl and grinds up her food? HELP i cant afford to keep giving her new food every time she does this
I have a 8 month old boy mini-rex named Pebbles and a 6 month old girl standard rex named Coco. I keep them in separate cages in separate rooms. My girl rabbit always pees in her bowl so we have to dump it out and put fresh food in there. My boy rabbit is lovable and cuddle-able the girl one not so much but she loves to be petted. Both of my rabbits are so cute.
my rabbit is a rex and he has white fur it is so soft and he has a blak noese he is 4 months he has a red eye he has blak paws and feet his name is kirby
i had a rabbit they just kept on leaving and peeing on other peoples lawn
I have a black female Rex named sunshine and she is amazing we tried to potty train her and she caught on right away we put the litter in and she used it right from the get-go and when we take her out we leave her cage door open so she can hop back in and use it when she needs to, but for people that need help it helps when you put a few of there feces and urine soaked paper towels inside the new litter box in the area where they usually go inside there cage and to be patient :)
I had a siver rex that was a house rabbit i found her so easy to toilet train her to go in her litter tray, she loved to sit on my lap and even climb and sit on my neck, it wasnt unusual for her to lick me either, unfortunatley she died of a fit recently
SaDiablo 3 years ago
That last paragraph describes my Mini Rex to a "t." I'm liking your bunny articles! Well done!