Long Hair Bunnies - What Breeds Have Long Hair

What are the Long Hair Bunnies?

If you are thinking about having a bunny or two or perhaps raising rabbits on a homestead, then you have to decide what kind of rabbit you want. The primary decisions include:

Size: Small or Large;
Ears: Lop or Erect;

Hair: Short or Long; and
Color scheme.

If you’re looking for Long Hair Bunnies, and asking what type of rabbit has long hair, then please read on: We cover all the basics, including some characteristics of the long hair rabbit breeds and some important grooming tips for these beautiful long hair bunnies.

The most popular long haired rabbit breeds are the Angora and the Lop. There are several other breeds of long hair bunnies as well.

The Angora – Long Hair Bunnies & Long Haired Rabbit Breeds

Angora rabbits provide fur that can be spun into yarn. The angora yarn has wonderful insulating properties. As such, it has and may be used to make sweaters, hats, and other cold weather clothing.

Some Angora owners say their rabbit hair is 8 inches long.

Angora rabbits have been bred into several different varieties of Angora. Here is a list of long hair Angora breeds to consider.

Giant Angora Rabbit –

Giant Angora rabbits are unique in that they are (obviously) the largest of the Angora rabbit breeds. They usually mature to weigh at least 10 pounds. Additionally, Giant Angora rabbits are unique in that their fur is white and does not shed.

French Angora Rabbit –

The French Angora rabbits are almost as big as their cousins the Giant Angoras. Although clearly long haired, their hair is often a bit shorter than their cousins’, which makes them easier to groom and care for.

Satin Angora Rabbit –

The Satin Angora rabbit originated in Canada in the 1970s as a product of breeding French Angoras with rabbits that have the satin coat gene; hence the name Satin Angora.

Satin Angora bunnies are medium-sized rabbits weighing in at 4 to 6.5 pounds and true to their name, they have a shiny coat that reminds many of a satin sheen.

The fur the Satin Angora is said to be very prone to matting, so frequent grooming is part of the care regimen for these favorites.

English Angora Rabbit –

The English Angora rabbit is the smallest of the Angora Breeds, usually maturing to weigh in at 4.5 to 7.5 pounds. Additionally, English Angora rabbits come in many beautiful colors and are known for very agreeable temperament.

The Lop – Long Hair Bunnies

Lop eared rabbits have been bred into several different varieties. Here is a list of the more popular and established long haired Lop breeds to consider.

Cashmere Lop Rabbit –

Cashmere Lop bunnies are popular in the USA. Here’s the list of Cashmere Lop superlatives:

Soft and Luxurious – Their undercoat is short and dense, while their outer coat is long (sometimes 2 inches long) and soft. Their fur seems silky to the touch; who wouldn’t like that..
Wide Range of Colors – The fur occurs in a wide range of beautiful colors.

A Standard Size & More Robust – Cashmere lops weigh in at 2 to 4 pounds when fully grown. This makes them a tad more hardy than some of the 2 pound long hair bunnies.

If you’re looking for a rabbit with long silky fur, then the Cashmere Lop may be the breed for you.

Holland Lop Rabbit –

For sure Holland Lop bunnies are a USA national favorite. Here’s the list of Holland Lop superlatives:

Rollback Characteristic – Their medium-long coat has a soft “rollback” characteristic – this means it slowly returns to its natural position rather than springing back instantly.
Luxurious depth – Many people perceive this “rollback” characteristic to provide “luxurious depth” to the holland lop fur.
Easier to Groom – The medium-long coat makes them a bit easier to groom and maintain.

Great Disposition – Holland Lops bunnies are renowned for their calm and friendliness.
Top 5 Breed – Holland Lops are a top 5 breed by number registered with the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) each year.

Mini Lop Rabbit –

Mini Lops are a dwarf rabbit breed with a medium length, lustrous coat.

Short coats are penalized in the breed standard, which means Mini Lop breeders err towards producing bunnies with longer coats.

These small rabbits rarely weigh more than 6 pounds in healthy adult condition. But they pack a lot of playful personality into a small bundle. Like most rabbit breeds they’re also clever enough to respond to basic clicker training.

Despite being small and cute, this long haired bunny is not recommended for young children. They have a reputation for being skittish and nervous, and may bite or kick a child who handles them clumsily, or frightens them with loud noises or rapid movements.

Other – Long Hair Bunnies H2

There certainly are other long hair bunny breeds available. Here is an overview of the most popular long haired bunny breeds other than the Angoras and the Lops.

Jersey Wooly Rabbit –

Jersey Wooly rabbits showed up on the bunny scene in the 1980s when US breeders crossed Netherland Dwarf rabbits with French Angora rabbits.

Jersey Woolies have a wooly-textured coat. Furthermore, they are usually very amiable. Lastly, they mature to weigh in at only 2.5 to 3.5 pounds so extra care in handling and grooming is required.

Lionhead Rabbit –

Lionhead rabbits are named for the long hair mane that they sport around their neck and flanks. The long hair on their flanks (or sides) is sometimes referred to as a skirt.

Not all of the lionhead rabbit’s fur is long, they have a mix of long and short hair. This mix of long and short hair makes their grooming a bit easier, and seems to be appealing to many people.

Additionally, these lionhead bunnies are very popular so breeders have tried to continue to breed for an amiable temperament.

Swiss Fox Rabbit –

Swiss Fox rabbits showed up on the bunny scene in Switzerland in the 1920s as a breeding mix between Angora and Havana rabbits. The story goes that the breeders were trying to breed a rabbit with a foxlike coat. We’ll let you be the judge as to their level of success.

The swiss fox bunny has a medium-long fluffy coat, that seems to require a bit less grooming than the typical angora coat. Further swiss fox bunnies are known for being very calm and gentle.

Teddy Dwarf Rabbit –

Teddy Dwarf rabbits showed up on the bunny scene in the early 2000s as a breeding mix between Angora and Lionhead rabbits. They’re gaining popularity in Europe, and still seem to be a bit rare in the USA.

They have a dense, medium-long coat that seems to grow straight out, no laying down. When properly cared for and groomed, this gives them a very puffy look.

Often weighing in near 2 pounds when fully grown, these Teddy Dwarf rabbits are very small and therefore require extra care in handling and grooming.

Big credit to the American Rabbit Breeders Association for much of the information we present here.

Why Raise Long Haired Bunnies?

Healthy and happy long haired bunnies shed their lovely hair. You can ethically use that wooly hair to make some cash, moola, money, jack, dough, shillings, loot, lolly… you get the idea.

The lavish long hair from these beautiful bunnies may be:

Sold as is to people who wish to spin it into a beautiful yarn.
Spun into Yarn and sold.

Spun into Yarn and used to make clothing and crafts for you and your friends and family.
Used to make and sell clothing and crafts, providing an income stream.

As with all raw materials, each time you refine the product, you add value to it, and it may therefore be sold for a higher premium.

Here at Hobby Farm Heaven we like the long hair rabbit breeds, however we’ve never raised the long hair breeds. We’ve always raised the short haired meat breeds.

That said, harvesting and then selling the hair from the long hair rabbit breeds can provide an income. Consider it as a side hustle.

If you want to up the ante on the angora wool, then you can learn how to spin the long hair wool into a highly sought after angora wool yarn. Selling rabbit wool yarn can be very profitable. The homespun yarn is considered a unique, skilled craft, artisan product and therefore demands a high premium.

Additionally, the rabbit’s lavish long hair and the products that can be made from it are light-weight and therefore easy and affordable to ship.

Again, consider it as a side hustle that can help pay for bunny feed, veterinarian bills… or even your hobby farm mortgage while you grow some interesting and rewarding skill sets!

How To Groom A Long Haired Rabbit

Grooming a long haired rabbit takes time and commitment. If you’re too busy to spend a considerable amount of time grooming your long haired bunnies, then you may want to opt for a short haired bunny breed.

Here are two great videos that emphasize the significant commitment and “how to” required for the proper care of long hair bunnies.

Lennon The Bunny Video showing the large commitment needed to care for the long haired bunny

Great video about how to groom a long haired bunny rabbit like an Angora or a Cashmere.

Thermal Properties of Fur – What Fur is the Warmest?

The warmest furs are considered to be:

Beaver
Arctic Fox

Deer
Silver Fix
Sheepskin

Sable
Rabbit

Considering there are many furs in the animal kingdom, the rabbit ranking in the top ten for warmth is notable.

Further, the rabbit wool market in the USA is not large. Actually, marginal may be a good descriptor. However, the USA is also a great market for unique artisan goods such as rabbit wool. Meaning a small cottage industry in rabbit wool and rabbit wool products exists and hobbyists can thrive.

Rabbit Sense of Touch? Do rabbits feel with their fur?

This article Rabbit Sense of Touch provides more information about rabbit fur and how rabbits feel touch via their very sensitive hair follicles and skin.

Final Thoughts on Long Hair Bunnies

Here are the bullet points:

Long haired bunnies definitely require some extra care, mostly in terms of grooming.

The Angoras and the Lops are the most popular or primary long hair rabbit breeds, however some other long hair breeds like the Jersey Wooly and the Lionhead are also gaining in popularity.
The American Rabbit Breeders Association provides a wealth of information about rabbit breed: size, ears, hair length, color, care and temperament.
There is a market for unique artisan rabbit fur or rabbit wool products. So, ethically harvesting and selling rabbit fur can be a rewarding hobby and provide some income.

Alternatively, if you want to learn about Hairless Bunnies you can click here: Bunnies With No Hair!