Florida White

Breed History/Origin

Judge Orville Miliken wanted to develop an “all-purpose” rabbit, which meant the rabbit had to be show-worthy, have a high-quality coat, ample meat as well as have the docile qualities of a good pet rabbit. The judge mated an albino Dutch, a red-eyed-white Polish rabbit and a white New Zealand rabbit back in the 1960s in order to create a new breed he aptly named after his home state of Florida. It was accepted into the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) in 1967 and ten years later, the Florida White won its first “Best in Show” (BIS) at an ARBA convention.

Florida White rabbits are wonderful pets for practically any stage of a person’s life.

Overall Description

The Florida White is a relatively small rabbit with a  round, compact body and a short neck. Their thick ears are not large and generally stand upright, but can fall on either side of their small, round heads. Their hindquarters back and shoulders are well muscled, especially for such a small rabbit.

Coat

This rabbit’s coat is short and soft, and they do not tend to shed much, so weekly grooming with a bristled brush should be fine. If you find your Florida White is shedding more than usual, it may be because it is shedding season. If this is the case, increase your brushings to twice or three times a week.

Colors

The only coat color this rabbit comes in is white, with its eyes a bright red hue. There are no markings or patterns.

Florida Whites are perfect pets for singles, couples and seniors who would like some furry company.

Care Requirements

A well-balanced rabbit diet consists of 70 percent hay with the remaining 30 percent being lefty greens, fruits and vegetables. There are many different kinds of hay available to feed your rabbit, however most pet parents opt to purchase timothy hay as it has a high percentage of crude protein, calcium and fiber, is more readily available in stores and isn’t too expensive. Others kinds of acceptable hay to feed your rabbit includes orchard grass, oat hay, meadow hay or alfalfa. You should also always have water readily available for your rabbit to drink either in a bowl or bottle attached to their enclosure.

This rabbit’s small size makes it an ideal apartment dweller, however they will benefit from some outdoor time as well (a trip to a fenced backyard is the perfect place to let your bunny hop freely). If their enclosure is indoors, it should be large enough to allow them to stretch out and contain bedding (wire enclosures tend to hurt their feet). Their bedding should be kept tidy by cleaning the surface of the bedding daily and completely changing the bedding 1-2 twice a week (depending on how often they are kept inside). Only clean their cage with pet-safe products, as household products usually contain toxic ingredients that can be harmful to your pet.

The more time a rabbit spends out of its enclosure to explore the world around them, the more its personality will flourish. Most Florida Whites are docile, laid-back animals who like to check out their surroundings on their own time and occasionally check on their human parents for the occasional head scratch and back pat.

Health

The Florida White is not susceptible to any particular health problems, but as with any animal, preventative measures must be taken to ensure they are happy and healthy. Rabbits that are indoor for most of their lives sometimes develop Vitamin D deficiency, which can lead to a host of problems. To ensure your rabbit doesn’t develop this deficiency, either take them outdoors for some fresh air and sunshine or bring them to an indoor room that has plenty of windows where they can roam in the sunshine.

Be sure to check out rabbit’s ears for any earwax buildup and/or mites, and bring them to the veterinarian should you see anything worrisome or out of the ordinary. Also monitor the inside of their mouth for overgrown teeth, as this can happen when a rabbit does not have a proper hay diet (hay is important not only to their general health, but also because it wears down their teeth which continuously grow throughout their entire lives).

Most Florida Whites are docile, laid-back animals who like to check out their surroundings on their own clock.

Temperament/Behavior

Be sure to socialize your rabbit as soon as you can, preferably when they are still young kits. Socializing animals means taking the time to bring them out of their enclosures, petting them and introducing them to young children and other animals. Because of the sweet, docile natures, rabbits tend to do best when they are the only animal in the house.

Florida White rabbits are wonderful pets for practically any stage of a person’s life. Parents can teach their young children how to care and love for a small animal, as they learn what it means to responsible for a pet. This rabbit is relatively quiet and depending on their personality, may be on the slightly lazier or slightly more active side. Florida Whites are perfect pets for singles, couples and seniors who would like some furry company. While they do not require an abundance of toys like other pets, they do enjoy the occasional play thing to chew on.

Rabbits tend to be a little harder to litter train than other animals such as cats, dogs and birds, however it is possible. Unlike cats, rabbits may need to have a few litter boxes spread out across the house but with some patience and rewarding, they should be able to understand that there are some places where it is acceptable to do the deed.

Photo credit: chelmicki/Bigstock; mr. Smith/Bigstock; nikitos77/Bigstock