Last Updated on May 30, 2023 by
If you have a lot of space for your rabbits to wander around, then a Palomino rabbit may be perfect for you. This is not a rabbit that likes to be cooped up all of the time.
If it isn’t wandering around, it isn’t having fun! Let’s take a little look at this breed in more depth, shall we?
Contents
The Origins of the Palomino Rabbit
The story of the Palomino rabbit starts in Washington state. It was at Lone Pines Rabbitry (which is still in operation to this day) back in the 40s. This company had been breeding rabbits for a little while, but that wasn’t doing enough to put the name of the company ‘on the map’.
As a result, the owner of the company decided that he wanted to create a new breed of rabbits in a bid to getting it recognized by ARBA.
Over the years, he started to crossbreed many different rabbits.
So many, that there isn’t actually a list of everything that went into creating the Palomino rabbit. Eventually, he hit upon a fur color that he liked.
He named this breed the Tawnie and kept going to refine the breed. This breed eventually became the Washingtonian. When the rabbit was recognized by ARBA, the breed got its final name; the Palomino rabbit.
Honestly, there is no indication as to what the purpose of this rabbit was. One would assume that since the guy was breeding rabbits anyway, he just wanted to ‘give it a go’ and see what he could accomplish when he tried to make his own breed.
However, because he was a commercial rabbitry, and because the Palomino rabbit has a commercial body, it is likely that the main intention of the breeding was to create something that could be bred for meat.
However, if this did end up happening, it never really happened at a level where the rabbit took a hold of the meat industry. It was (mostly) for those who wanted a good show-quality rabbit, or those who wanted an awesome pet.
The Look of the Palomino Rabbit
As we mentioned before; this is a commercial rabbit shape. When it is fully-grown, it will weigh somewhere in the region of 8-10lbs, which puts it firmly in the medium-sized rabbit category.
Since this is likely a rabbit that was originally intended to be a meat rabbit, it is ‘fleshy’ in all the right places, just not overly so (i.e. this rabbit is not going to be overweight!).
The fur comes in two different colors. Well, it comes in more, but none of these have been officially recognized as being a Palomino rabbit. Golden and Lynx are the two colors here, both of which have a white undercoat.
This particular rabbit breed is always going to have brown eyes.
In terms of fur length, the Palomino rabbit has short to medium length hair that is dreadfully simple to maintain, but we are going to take a little look at that in more depth soon.
Palomino Rabbit Lifespan
You can expect a Palomino rabbit to live somewhere between 5 and 8 years old. Which is the average Palomino rabbit lifespan.
Since this is a breed that doesn’t have too many issues in the health department, in fact, there are no major causes for concern when it comes to the health of this breed. So, it is likely that the rabbit will live until the upper end of the spectrum.
The Personality of the Palomino
The Palomino is an explorer. It loves to wander about any space that it has available to it. So, if you are not willing to give it this space, then this is likely not going to be the right rabbit breed for you.
It is also a calm and docile animal. Like most rabbits, it is going to take a little while to warm up to you, but as long as you maintain regular social contact with your pet (i.e. interacting with it every day), then it is likely going to trust you quite quickly.
Most Palomino owners find that it works a little bit better to get a few of these rabbits at the same time (if you have the space) because, once again, like most rabbits it does crave that social interaction that other rabbits can provide.
Caring for your Palomino Rabbit
The care requirements for the Palomino rabbit are not that much different from your typical rabbit. Just make sure that they have a balanced diet.
Make sure that your rabbit have constant access to hay (24/7), vegetables (especially leafy greens), pellets and fruits as a treat.
You will also need to remember to brush them on occasion.
However, one of the wonderful things about the Palomino rabbit is that you do not need to brush them all that much when they are not in the midst of a molt. In fact, even people who take their Palomino to shows won’t be brushing them all that much.
This is a rabbit that can thrive both outdoors and indoors too. However, no matter where you are planning to keep your rabbit, you want to ensure that it has a lot of space to roam about.
This is one of those rabbit breeds that really likes to explore the world around it.
Who is the Palomino Rabbit For?
We feel that with the personality of this rabbit, it is going to be ideal for families and maybe older couples. It is fine with being handled on occasion. It is just going to take a little bit of time to get used to.
We also believe that this rabbit is going to be a lot better for people with space inside of their home for a rabbit. While we did state that this rabbit can easily live outside, people underestimate just how much the Palomino rabbit wants to roam about.
This means that it needs constant access to a larger space to roam.
The only way in which you can guarantee this, and ensure that the rabbit stays safe at the same time, is to open up your home to it. It will probably love the warmth too.
Palomino Rabbit for Sale and Price
You may not be lucky enough to live near a Palomino rabbitry, so if you want to find Palomino Rabbit for sale, then check the links bellow. We encourage you to buy your rabbit from an official breeder, as you will have better idea of the rabbit.
You may be able to find Palomino rabbit for sale in your local pet store, but you will not have any background information about the rabbit.
- Palomino Rabbit Co-Breeders Association
- Palomino Rabbit for sale – Breeders for each individual US State.
- Breeders list of Palomino – Official American Rabbit Breeders Association.
The Palomino rabbit price could however vary significantly depending of the purpose. If you want to keep the rabbit as a pet then you can find Palomino rabbit for sale as low as $30. But if you want to show it and breed it, a show quality bunny can sell from $100-$400.
