Blanc de Hotot Rabbit

1 Blanc de Hotot Rabbit Breed Overview

Blanc de Hotot Rabbit (details)

The Blanc de Hotot Rabbit comes in large and dwarf forms; the large is also called the Hoda Rabbit, the dwarf the Panda Rabbit. Both are pet breeds, but prices differ greatly—the large costs only tens of yuan while the dwarf costs hundreds; dwarf numbers are low in China and hard to identify when buying.

I. Large Blanc de Hotot Rabbit

Chinese name: Large Blanc de Hotot Rabbit

Common alias: Hoda Rabbit

English name: Hotot, Blanc de Hotot

Origin: France

Size: Large

Weight: 8–11 kg

Reproduction: Viviparous

Recognized by: British Rabbit Council (BRC); American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA).

II. Dwarf Blanc de Hotot Rabbit

Chinese name: Dwarf Hotot

Alias: Panda Rabbit

English: Dwarf Hotot

Origin: France

Size: Small

Weight: 1–1.4 kg

Recognized by: British Rabbit Council (BRC); American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA).

2 Blanc de Hotot Rabbit Physical Characteristics

Blanc de Hotot Rabbit (details)

The large and dwarf Blanc de Hotot Rabbits look alike; the only difference is size. The large is common, while the dwarf is rare in China. The Blanc de Hotot is cute, with upright ears (not drooping like lops), and a strong body.

I. Appearance of the Blanc de Hotot Rabbit

The body is pure white, with only the fur around the eyes black, like black eye-rings, and ‘V’-shaped ears, sturdy body. The black-and-white eye lines make it look like a panda, very lovable. Some have black ears or just a black edge; the biggest identifying feature is ‘one white, two blacks’: all white body, black eye-rings and ears—that is the Blanc de Hotot.

II. Weight of the Blanc de Hotot Rabbit

Weight varies greatly: the dwarf is 1–2 kg, the large adult 7–8 kg, but as babies they are hard to tell apart, so be careful when buying—some sellers pass cheap large babies off as expensive dwarfs.

Some think starving controls weight to make a small breed, but that is wrong; the dwarf is inherently small and will not grow bigger no matter how much it eats. Blind diet control can cause disease and over-fast tooth growth, leading to stomatitis.

3 Blanc de Hotot Rabbit Care Tips

Blanc de Hotot Rabbit (details)

The Blanc de Hotot is a cute pet rabbit living closely with humans at home, so care differs from farm rabbits—details like combing, nail trimming, hygiene, bathing need attentive care.

I. How to groom the Blanc de Hotot Rabbit

The Blanc de Hotot needs regular combing, frequency by coat length and shedding season. Because it constantly licks itself, prevent swallowing too much fur and hairball disease. At least 1–2 times weekly off-shed, daily during shedding. Buy a special comb or small dog pin-brush with white safety tips, suited to rabbits.

II. Nail trimming for the Blanc de Hotot Rabbit

The nail structure is like a cat’s or dog’s, with a blood vessel inside—do not cut it (the red part is the vessel), or it bleeds and hurts. Leave about 1.5 mm white above the vessel, cut the rest.

III. Clean the cage daily?

If litter-trained, clean the toilet 1–2 times daily. If it goes in the cage, clean the tray daily. Some use bedding, then clean every 2 days.

IV. Does the Blanc de Hotot Rabbit need baths?

It can go its whole life without a bath; it grooms itself, just keep its environment clean. It can be bathed, but never bathe babies, sick, or just-recovered rabbits.

4 Blanc de Hotot Rabbit Living Environment

Blanc de Hotot Rabbit (details)

A pet Blanc de Hotot has modest environmental needs, but breeding stock on farms need high standards, because many rabbits together easily spread disease. Requirements follow.

I. Temperature control

Build hutches by local climate—open, semi-open, or indoor. Note insulation; plant trees and flowers around. In summer, install cooling/ventilation or spray well water on the ground, and lower density.

II. Humidity control

Relative humidity 60%–65%, generally not below 55% or above 70%. Too high invites mange, coccidiosis, eczema; too low dries the respiratory mucosa, causing bacterial/viral infection. Ventilate, lower density, clean waste and bedding promptly to reduce humidity.

III. Noise control

The Blanc de Hotot is timid and startles easily; sudden noise causes does to abort, refuse nursing, or show neurological symptoms and collision injuries. So site farms away from highways and industry; keep feed processing away from the production area; choose low-noise fans; handle rabbits gently; avoid gas/oil blowtorches for disinfection late in pregnancy; forbid fireworks near hutches.

5 Blanc de Hotot Rabbit Feeding Guidelines

Blanc de Hotot Rabbit (details)

The Blanc de Hotot Rabbit eats oddly—not only grass and water but its own droppings, usually in the morning; if you do not watch closely you will miss it. But eating droppings is not illness; rather, it shows normal bodily function.

I. What the Blanc de Hotot Rabbit eats

The Blanc de Hotot is almost entirely herbivorous. It loves carrots, potatoes, radish leaves, and vegetables, plus dandelion and plantain. The market now has pelleted artificial feed with balanced nutrition and teeth-friendly hardness; future feeding can be mainly artificial feed plus a little vegetable or wild grass.

II. Can the Blanc de Hotot Rabbit drink water?

Like any animal, without water it will die. But formerly it ate water-rich vegetables and grass supplying enough moisture; too much water harms the gut and causes diarrhea, and a wet cage makes it sick—that is why people say it cannot drink. If fed dry artificial feed, of course it needs water.

III. Signs of a healthy Blanc de Hotot Rabbit

Droppings are usually hard, round, black pellets; sometimes soft ones appear, which the rabbit may eat at once. These soft droppings contain indigestible plant fiber; re-eaten and absorbed, they become round pellets. Without them, some rabbits may die of malnutrition.