A lion's mane
A ruff of wool five centimetres long stands out round its head.
Rabbits and friends · Time every day
Lionhead rabbit
Rabbit · from Belgium
A small rabbit with short upright ears and a mane of long, woolly fur all round its head.
- Size
- About 1.3 to 1.7kg
- Lives for
- 7 to 10 years
- Suits
- Owners happy to brush as well as feed
Hops after you, mane bouncing. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the lionhead
One gene, or two
A rabbit with one copy of the mane gene has a thin mane. With two copies it has a thick one, and a woolly skirt as well.
A new arrival
The breed reached Britain in the 1990s and was only officially recognised in 2002.
A small rabbit
It weighs about a kilo and a half: the same as a bag and a half of sugar.
It sheds its mane
Some lose much of the mane as they grow up, or moult it out in summer.
Knots
The wool tangles and mats if it is not combed.
The real thing
Photos of the lionhead
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
Looking after one
Comb the mane two or three times a week, and daily when it is moulting. Otherwise it needs what every rabbit needs: a friend, space and hay.
Before you get one
Lionheads are lively and friendly. The extra grooming is the only real difference from other rabbits.
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