Californian Rabbit: Breed Details, Care & For Sale Info (2023)

Last Updated on May 30, 2023 by

While the Californian Rabbit is used mostly as a pet nowadays, it wasn’t originally bred for that purpose. Back in the 1920s, the purpose of the Californian Rabbit (sometimes referred to as the Californian White) was to create a rabbit that had a lot of meat and fur on it.

The result? A fairly chunky and hairy rabbit!

You may fall in love with the beauty of Californians, so we have provided links for you to find Californian rabbits for sale in US (more about this soon). Let’s take a look in a bit more depth, shall we?

Californian Rabbit
Californian Rabbit for sale

The Origins

The Californian bunny came to be in the 1920s. George West decided to cross his New Zealand Whites with a few other breeds. The first was the Standard Chinchilla Rabbit.

This was ideal because at the time they were among the fluffiest around. He wanted a bit of that fur inside of his new rabbit breed. He then brought in the Himalayan Rabbit, which added the coloring that the Californian Rabbit is known for, as well as a bit of extra meat on the animal.

As you can probably guess; all of this was done in the state of California… hence the name of the rabbit breed!

The Look of the Rabbit

The rabbit’s body shape is defined as ‘commercial’. So, this is pretty much your typical rabbit shape. Due to the way in which they are bred, the Californian Rabbit has quite a bit of muscle on it.

A lot of this is going to be focused around the shoulder area. The color will always be white (in the United States), with maybe the nose, ears, and feet being black (similar to the Himalayan Rabbit).

However, the black markings are not always guaranteed. There are still some rabbits out there that are pure white. It is really going to be the luck of the draw when you get one of these rabbits.

As we mentioned before; the Californian bunny was pretty much developed for fur. As a result, you would expect the fur to be nice and soft. It isn’t.

This isn’t what makes a decent fur rabbit. Instead, it feels a little bit on the coarser side. Some people have said that this results in the rabbit not being that great to pet.

So, if you want a rabbit that you can pet all the time, then it may feel weird having the Californian rabbit run between your fingers!

California white Rabbit

Californian Rabbit Care

The Californian White Rabbit is rather calm and docile. As a result, it is going to make a fantastic family pet!

It does just as well indoors as it does outdoors. Although, do bear in mind that rabbits shouldn’t really be left outdoors ‘long term’, mostly because it is tough to regulate their temperature.

So, if you are going to get a Californian Rabbit, then make sure you have space inside of your home to look after it. You can check our review of the best indoor rabbit hutches and find the one that is best suited for you and your rabbits.

Remember; this is a rabbit with an incredibly thick coat. As a result, you need to be aware that it will molt on occasion. So, when you do have it in your home, you are going to need to be brushing it regularly.

This will help to loosen up most of the hairs. However, even then, it is still going to get hair all over your home. We hope that you have a decent pet hair vacuum cleaner!

Apart from this, there aren’t really that many special considerations that you need to take into account when you are raising a Californian Rabbit.

Perhaps the big suggestion that many people make with regards to this animal is that you give it time. There are some rabbits which can be a little bit on the skittish side.

Some owners have suggested that letting the Californian bunny out to explore the surroundings is more than enough to counter this.

Once the rabbit has done this for a few weeks, then it is going to become a whole lot easier for you to approach and interact with. After a while, you will find that the Californian Rabbit is a rabbit which absolutely thrives on human interaction!

If you can, then you should try and get two California Rabbits, or maybe more if you have the space. As with all rabbits, this breed is highly sociable. If a rabbit were in the wild, it would live in a herd, after all.

As said earlier the California Whites were bred to be meat rabbits, so it is wort noting that they gain weight very rapidly. Just like the Flemish Giant rabbit they can easily become obese on a wrong diet. According to the American Rabbit Breeders Association, accepted maximum weight of this breed should be 10.5 pounds (4.8 kg).

Keep in mind that the staple of the Californian White’s daily diet should be hay. Some vegetables (especially leafy greens) should take 15% of its daily diet and fruits as a treat occasionally.

Californian Rabbit For Sale

We encourage you to get your rabbit from a reputable rabbitry and reputable breeder, as you will have a better idea of ​​the temperament and any health problems that may arise.

In the lists below you will surely find Californian Rabbits for sale near you, just scroll down thru the lists to find your state: