What do you know about the rex rabbit? There are many breeds of rabbits, however, many agree that the rex rabbit is probably one of the most affectionate and intelligent lagomorphs. Sharing a name with the Cornish Rex or Devon Rex cat, all these animals whose nomenclature includes the term "rex" are characterized by having a wavy or curly coat, somewhat which is not very frequent in the animal kingdom as a whole, since it is a benign genetic mutation, which should not be a cause for concern since it only affects the characteristics of the coat. However, not all rex have curly hair, but we will tell you about that later with all the details to get to know the beautiful rex rabbit better.
In this breed file on our site we will show you everything you need to know about the rex rabbit, such as its origins, characteristics, he alth, care… And much more! If you want to know more about the breed, don't miss it, keep reading!
Origin of the rex rabbit
Rex rabbits emerged relatively recently, as it is estimated that it was in the 20s of the last century when they were born the first specimens of the breed. These bunnies are natives of France , but it didn't take long for them to reach places as far away as the United States, because their character made many appreciate them as a pet. Already in 1924 rabbits were presented at the International Exhibition held in Paris, where they triumphed due to their characteristic velvety touch fur.
Unfortunately, this same wonderful coat meant that for years millions of rabbits were bred solely and exclusively for how appreciated their skins were in the market, something that luckily is no longer being done today.
Physical Characteristics of the Rex Rabbit
A rex rabbit usually has a weight of between 3 and 4.5 kilograms, the European variant being smaller, which It does not usually exceed 3.5 kilograms, while the American is usually within the range of 3.5 - 4.5 kilos. In all cases, the rex is considered to be one of the large size rabbit breeds
Rex are rabbits with a flat back and a very long, rounded body, with strongly muscled legs. The head is broad and shows sexual dimorphism, since the head of males is longer and more robust than that of females. Not only is the coat of the rex curly, because their mustaches are also wavy or curly, something that is far from common. The hair of the rex is soft and velvety, without presenting an undercoat and having a surprising uniformity throughout the body, being about 1.25 centimeters long.
For coat color, a total of 17 colors and patterns are accepted, including tan, white, red, blue, speckled, marbled, spotted… There is an immense variety of combinations between colors and patterns.
Rex rabbit character
Along with the particular coat of these rabbits, what most distinguishes them from other breeds is their friendly and affectionate character These Rabbits are really affectionate and love to be with their owners, pamper them and play with them. In addition, rex are calm and peaceful, being quite patient and tolerant, so they get along very well with children, because they also love games and activities.
If we add to this the marked maternal instinct of the breed, we find many cases in which rex rabbits have come to take care of bunnies of other breeds or even other animals. They are also rabbits intelligent and attentive, so if we are very, very persistent we can teach them tricks and actions, although we will surely need a lot of time and patience for them to carry them out when we ask for it. For this we can use the clicker, in the same way that we would use it to train dogs, cats or other animals.
Rex rabbit care
As with all rabbits, we must keep our rex's nails at an adequate length, so we will have to trim them at least once a month. If we don't know how to do it, it's best that the first time we go to a veterinarian so that he can teach us how to do it correctly.
Given the characteristics of the fur of these rabbits, which is quite delicate, we should not brush them very frequently, being brushed at most once a weekBaths must also be limited to the minimum possible and, if it is necessary for us to bathe them, we must do so with specific products for use in rabbits, making sure that our lagomorph does not have traces of soap and finishing the bath with a thorough drying. Therefore, a good option to keep our rabbit clean is to use a damp cloth and pass it over its body as if we were caressing it.
Another relevant factor is that we have to provide our rabbit with a wide cage to move freely and that is not overwhelming for him. In addition, we have to let my rabbit loose several hours a day so that he can exercise and stay he althy. At this time we recommend keeping an eye on them, as they are lagomorphs, and it is totally normal for them to tend to chew on everything, including cables, which leads to a risk of electrocution, so we must extreme precautionsand try to move the wires out of reach.
Discover more about rabbit care on our site.
Feeding the rex rabbit
Rex rabbits need, like all rabbits, to have available at all times clean and fresh water, along with a large amount of fresh, dry hay. We have to make sure that the hay does not get wet with the water or the urination of our rex rabbit, as this would cause it to rot, being a possible source of infection and a nest of bacteria.
As for the feed or the pellets that we give these, they must have around 18% protein, in addition to be high in fiber content. We can also supplement your diet with vegetables and some fruit, the latter in small quantities and very sporadically. It is recommended to give them leafy vegetables in large quantities due to the high content of water and fiber that these types of vegetables have.
Also discover our complete guide on rabbit feeding.
Rex rabbit he alth
Rex rabbits may show a certain tendency to develop some pathologies, one of them is the development of sores or wounds when their legs are in contact with hard surfaces for a long time, such as the metal bars of cages, because their extremities do not have, as they do with other breeds of rabbits, enough hair to to act as a barrier.
Like other rabbits, the rex is sensitive to cold and above all to air currents and humidity, so although we must keep them in a well-ventilated place, especially in summer, when the low temperatures arrive we have to check that the space in which our rex lives is at a pleasant temperature and does not get cold. Otherwise you could develop diseases such as pneumonia. We also have to take care that our rabbit drinks and eats enough, fiber consumption being vital in order to avoid the dreaded intestinal obstructions, which are very serious and can lead our rabbit to death even if they receive veterinary attention.
It is also advisable to clean their ears, visit the vet every 6 or 12 months, keep them vaccinated and dewormed and make sure that exercise daily.
