Britannia Petites - opinions, experience with the breed

[dobergoat]

Hi

So I've fallen in love with Britannia Petites, but only one person close to me breeds them. And I cant find out much about them other then they are small, slightly nutty, I really like their look but I've never meet any yes that would be step one. But I have people that think I should get Mini Rex' instead because they are friendlier. But I don't really need friendly as I have Argentes and their friendly enough for all the patting, and cuddles we can give out here. I'm not looking to breed these alot, just a little for show maybe. We have a steady flow or Argente's and they will always be our main breed. Sorry for the drawn out explination...

So can anyone give me some info on Brit's?

and what about MiniRex's, Mini Satins or Polish in comparison?

 

[Secuono]

'The American Britannia Petite originated in England and is known there as the Polish. '


They look just like NDs to me....

 

[Dood]

I was switching from ND to BP in the 1980's because I also liked the look and hated getting peanuts from my dwarfs. I only had two for a few months before I quit rabbits and sold most of my stock. They were pretty delicate little things, their breeder also shared horror stories of their legs getting caught in 1/4 inch wire and de-gloved or broken so I lined their cages with plexiglass. My two had a nicer temperament than my ND (but my stock mostly came from pets who turned nasty)

I have no idea how the breed is doing now and agree that you should check out some shows or a rabbitry that has them.

If you are just looking for a pet, I have found that maneless Lionheads and their crosses can have a similar racy body type. One of my rescues was a LH x ND and she looked quite a bit like a BP

 

[Peach]

These guys are awesome My friend raised these here in Ga and she could probably get you more info. Their club is very broken, due to a lot of people being power hungry and wanting it their way or the highway, but the breed itself is really great. If someone says they are looking like ND, it is because some are breeding towards that look, when they should really stay away. It was a breed that branched from the Polish rabbit, and generally if you see a polish, you can see the resemblance.

I'm working on getting a pair from my friend to work on them, since they are a small, but rewarding breed. Some people breed them mean, and others do cull for it and have many sweet ones. I think that's what I enjoy my friend's so much is because they do have a very energetic personality, but they are really nice rabbits over all. They don't do well with timid people. You have to be very confident with the breed.

http://looking-glass-rabbits.weebly.com/

 

[dobergoat]

Thanks for the info. Okay so I'm getting excited again!!!

I don't really want them as a "pet" to pat, more to look at, watch, house etc. I don't like the big head breeds, I'm not into that look, like the ND, mini rex's look okay, but they are so common here.

I can see the resemblance to the Polish in the UK, but the Polish here are less arch like and less racy looking. I really like that look, so different from my tubby Argente's. I was getting the impression that the Brit's are dracula bunnies, so little written about them, except that they bite....not good promotion for the breed. Obviously not your average pet rabbit, but still.

Any other information would be great. Like litter size, are their issues? I've ready that their can be problems in dwarf breeds but brits aren't dwarfs right?
Do they really need daily handling and training? When I read daily, I interpret that as DAILY, frequent I can handle but committing to daily seems extream for me at the moment, don't have enough time for that.
What is the best way to keep them, cage size, largest cage size that is safe ( read somewhere that bigger is not better?) wire size, wire? Can they live in a colony of Brits? or are they to crazy and need individual cages?

so many quetions
And how hard is it to import rabbits into Canada? I guess it's just like a dog?

thanks<br /><br />__________ Sat Nov 30, 2013 12:50 am __________<br /><br />Well a few days after my last post. I chanced on a pair of Black otter Brits. The doe is a nice looking but Very timid, but she is getting more accustom to handling. And the buck is really nice type, but Big.

I think with more handling they should get better. I was told the buck is a bitter, but so far no problems. He does get to go out and exercise - which I think helps him be less aggitated and aggressive. When the doe is let out to play, she just hovers in a corner. But if I let them out together she comes out of her shell and starts to follow him around, get interested in stuff etc. I'm in love with them. So freaken cute and I love the activity. I wouldn't want a larger breed that was this active though!!!!

picture of the buck "Ben" couldn't get a good one of kelly, runs around to fast and comes out a blur.

 

[Jackelope]

I use to raise Brits. I had a terrific experience with them! But, I was also very lucky. I looked into getting new stock at convention and found that most of them were extremely flighty/aggressive. The whites in particular that I looked at kicked and clawed so hard the breeder was bleeding profusely. He also warned that they bit. I would advice always meeting Brits in person before buying them, unless you don't mind having an animal that is pretty much feral. They combine the possible aggressive tendencies of dwarf breeds with the high energy of a full arch breed x2 because of their small weight making it easy for them to jump around.

Mine were great, though! They were very animated, inquisitive, and intelligent. Probably the most intelligent rabbits I've had. They can be hard to handle not because of scratching or biting (which can be a problem in some lines,too), but because they'll jump and escape, and are nearly impossible to catch. I don't recommend ever letting a kid handle one outside because you may never see your rabbit again.

And it's true, they don't produce peanuts, but you need to be careful about that too. Some lines were crossbred with Netherland Dwarfs and contain the dwarf gene. Make sure to avoid those in your breeding program.

Interestingly, despite common claim that the Netherland Dwarf is the smallest breed, Britannia Petites' body type makes them smaller. They aren't fluffy and compact.

 

[DogCatMom]

Are Britannia Petites related to Tans, or are they simply of the same body type? Tans are judged running on the table, and they bear quite a resemblance to the photo'd buck here. (Who, BTW, is very cute!)

 

[Jackelope]

Are Britannia Petites related to Tans, or are they simply of the same body type? Tans are judged running on the table, and they bear quite a resemblance to the photo'd buck here. (Who, BTW, is very cute!)

I'm pretty sure they're not. The Britannia Petite is one of the oldest breeds and the Tan wasn't developed from it.

 

[dobergoat]

I'm a bit worried that I bought into a dwarf gene line. I was wondering why the buck was so large, he's 3.5 lbs, doe is 1.5ish, tiny. So she's normall and he's a giant?

The are squigly, trying to catch them can be hard if they don't want to be caught. But when Ben is done investigating he will come up to you and let you pick him up - of course then he tries to jump, but settles for the walk back to the barn.

I did buy sight unseen and had someone transport them from a show. There isn't anyone around here that I can find that breeds them, it was an aquatance picking up from her friend that breeds them. But that breeder has not answered any of my emails etc. very annoying. I feel like I was a little dooped. Also the pedigree is only 2 gen and mostly empty....Might have to go to some shows in the states and see if I can find any there. I was reading that they shouldn't have the dwarfism gene but that it's been bred in, is there a way to bred that out? ( might sound like a stupid question, sorry don't know anything about the small breeds.)

 

[Dood]

You can test breed them to a true dwarf Nethie or Lionhead and if you get peanuts then both parents are dwarf.

25% of the litter from two dwarf rabbits should be peanuts, unfortunately it may take a couple litters to know for certain as they usually have small litters.

Not all false dwarfs are big, but 1.5 pounds is crazy small and she likely is a dwarf

 

[JDWest]

Oh my gosh! They are so pretty and cute looking.

 

[Peach]

I just got my black otter BP about a week ago! She is VERY smart, so she requires a whole lot more enrichment compared to my Mini Lops. She gets nippy if I try to work with her too long. So I've been keeping the training sessions short sweet and to the point. I probably wouldn't recommend this breed to small kids since she is just so energetic and you could lose her in a second if she ever touched the ground. I have to say my Minis are more forgiving. I'm excited about this project though. A project that eats very little!

 

[dobergoat]

lol, yes they are very economical eaters. Almost like not having a rabbit in the cage.

I might be off with the 1.5 lbs, that might be an under estimate. Kelly ( weird name for a rabbit) seems like she has no weight, so tiny. I'll bring them in a weigh them tonight. I know the male is to big he's the same size as my 7 weeks old Brun kits. This week I should get the first litter, and I'll see what we have. Since the male is large he would be a false dwarf right? so no peanuts in the litter, but could get dwarf and Uglies or whatever they are called? I don't have access to any dwarf bucks and don't really want to get one just for testing. I guess I'll see how kelly does before I start test breeding. She is such a nervous doe I'm not sure how she is goin going to do with kits.

Now the buck doesn't carry the dwarf gene since he is large or an "ugly" right? So theoretically if I got a non dwarf doe none of the off spring would be dwarf or carry the dwarf gene?

Peach can you post some pics of yours? They are super squirmy, but very cute. I bring mine in and they get to run around in the bathroom. Only place I trust letting them go and catching them again. I find if I do that and then try to work with them they are much calmer. They need to burn some crazy energy before working. I would love for them to have something large to live/run in. Not sure what will work. They are in 24x30 cages right now.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

cool rabbit

 

[Dood]

Now the buck doesn't carry the dwarf gene since he is large or an "ugly" right?

they arent always 'ugly'. Non dwarf Lionheads, Mini Rex and Mini Satins can be pretty cute and it can be difficult to tell true and false dwarfs apart in these breeds since they are finer boned and not bred to be cobby like the Netherlands and Hollands who do tend to look ugly if not a dwarf.

So theoretically if I got a non dwarf doe none of the off spring would be dwarf or carry the dwarf gene?

Correct, and assuming the male doesn't carry the dwarf gene.

 

[dobergoat]

I read somewhere the non dwarfs were called "uglies" or something like that. I didn't mean to be offensive to non dwarfs or anything

I just weighed them. Kelly is 1.75 lbs, and Ben ( who is over weight at the moment) is almost 2.75 lbs. So not as small or heavy as I thought and told they were. I'm going to try and contact the breeder again and see if she will respond about the dwarf gene stuff.

I took pic, I'll attach them later tonight.

thanks

 

[Jackelope]

You can usually tell by the body type as well.

 

[dobergoat]

Okay so here are some pictures.

A shot of the pair for size comparison. They move so fast my camera could hardly keep up, 20 pictures and only 1 that came out clear.
First is Kelly, she wouldn't hold the "up" position, but shows her fairly well I think, she is due in the next few days so not as racy as she normally looks.
Second is Ben I think I got him to pose properly, he's a bit portly at the moment.

tell me what you think.