When does a rabbit stop growing? [10+ Breeds Covered]
Rabbits are fluffy animals that grow quickly right in the first 6 months. The growth phase varies from one breed to the other based on several factors.
Let’s dive right into specifications on when different types of rabbit breeds would stop growing.
When does a rabbit stop growing?
Upon raising over 7 breeds of rabbits in the last 10 years, I have found that the growth of a rabbit is influenced by climatic condition, genetics, health condition, and diet.
Small rabbits like Netherland Dwarf, Dwarf Hotot, and Britannia Petite grow up to 3lbs in 6 months while medium breeds like American Sable, Harlequin, Belgian Hare, and English Angora grow up to 8lbs in 10 months. Large breeds including Giant Angora, Flemish Giant, and Checkered Giant grow up to 15lbs in 1.5 years.
Perhaps, the weight can vary based on the diet given at the moment. Sometimes, a crossbreed of rabbits can also end up in different growth levels. If I were asked to answer just one statement to the question, I would say 1 year.
To help you better understand this topic, I have provided a table right here to compare the size and weight of your rabbit based on the breed.
Breed | Weight | Duration for growth |
Netherland Dwarf | ~2lbs | 6 months |
Dwarf Hotot | ~3lbs | 6 months |
Britannia Petite | ~3lbs | 6-8 months |
Lionhead | ~3lbs | 6-8 months |
Mini Holland lops | ~3-4lbs | 8 months |
Dutch | ~5lbs | 6-7 months |
English spot | ~3-8lbs | 6-12 months |
American Sable | ~6-8lbs | 10-12 months |
English Angora | ~8lbs | 10 months |
Harlequin | ~8lbs | 10 months |
Lilac | ~6-10lbs | 8-12 months |
Rex | ~8-10lbs | 10 months |
New Zealand | ~9-12lbs | 9 months |
Giant Angora | ~15lbs | 1.5 years |
Giant Chinchilla | ~15lbs | 1.5 years |
Flemish Giant | ~15-17lbs | 1.5 years |
At what age is a rabbit fully grown?
1 year. Irrespective of the rabbit breed, the growth stage hits 90% by 1 year and completes by 1.5 years.
When you nurture your rabbit with sufficient nutrition, the weight can increase even after 1.5 years making them grow in long run.
How big is a full-grown rabbit?
A fully grown rabbit lies anywhere between 8 inches and 20 inches in length and 3lbs-20lbs in weight. If you are domesticating a rabbit, you can expect the rabbit to attain 6lbs in 3-5 months.
What is the normal weight for a rabbit?
About 6 years ago, I was raising a rex rabbit which was deemed to weigh not more than 3lbs. Perhaps, rabbits are tiny and cute but I was astonished by the weight when he was 4 years of age.
He weighed around 8lbs. That was when I decided to check what the normal weight of a rabbit is. This is important because you need to maintain this weight for the rest of his/her life. Malnutrition and obesity are two zones of weight that a rabbit should never enter into.
The normal weight for a rabbit is 6lbs and a giant breed of rabbit can weigh up to 20lbs.
As we raise rabbits at home, we need to maintain the borderline of 6lbs as rabbits can size down up to 2lbs which can be life-threatening at some point.
What is the average height of a rabbit?
The average height of a rabbit is 12 inches. Based on the breed, a rabbit can be as tall as 5 inches up to 18 inches while domesticated rabbits raised at home are about 10 inches in height.
If you are raising a rabbit exclusively for rabbit shows, you may have to go with giant breeds that grow up to 18 inches and sometimes, even beyond this value.
Growth Comparison Chart
When do Rex rabbits stop growing?
Rex rabbits are commonly adored for their fur and erect ears. Falling under the medium-sized rabbit category, rex rabbits stop growing in 10 months upon weighing 7-10lbs while mini rex rabbits stop growing in 7 months upon weighing 4lbs.
While standard and mini rex breeds differ by size, their tenets are quite similar.
When do Dutch rabbits stop growing?
Dutch rabbits are adored for their miniature sizes with unique coating. They are unique and can easily be spotted even in a crowd as their backends have a dark coat while the front half is usually white.
Usually falling under the small breed category, Dutch rabbits stop growing when they weigh 5lbs in 6-7 months of age.
Some Dutch rabbits grow slightly bigger falling under medium-sized breeds but they are just exceptions.
When do Harlequin rabbits stop growing?
Looking similar to tortoiseshell cats, the breed is unique for its color, overcoat, and shape. Harlequin rabbits are medium-sized breeds growing up to 8lbs in 10 months.
While they are not widely seen these days, they look terribly cute and are usually in black/white combinations.
When do dwarf rabbits stop growing?
As the name goes, Netherland dwarf rabbits stop growing when they weigh 2lbs in 6 months.
Originating from the Netherlands, they are known for short skulls and are widely preferred as pets as they are easily trainable and consume limited space. If you are raising dwarf rabbits, you must note that they are the smallest breed of rabbits that are also easily sociable.
When do English spot rabbits stop growing?
Small-breed English spot rabbits stop growing when they weigh 3-4lbs in 6 months while medium-breed English spot rabbits stop growing when they weigh 6-8lbs in 10-12 months.
While they are not widely seen as pets, they are still considered due to their unique spots and coats.
When do mini-Holland lops stop growing?
Mini-Holland lops stop growing around 8 months when they weigh 3-4lbs.
The uniqueness about this breed is that the growth is unimaginably faster and some grow even after the first year. Falling under a medium-sized rabbit, you should be happy when they weigh 5lbs at the end of the first year as this is the average value.
When do Angora rabbits stop growing?
Angora rabbits are adored for their luxurious coats that grow rapidly. Unlike other breeds, Angora rabbits tend to have outstanding thick fur but it also needs regular brushing. Otherwise, it is hard to maintain the fur of an Angora rabbit.
If you look at the table presented above, you may notice Angora in different breed sections. In general, Angora rabbits stop growing when they weigh 8lbs in 10 months. If you raise a giant Angora, the rabbit reaches complete shape in 1.5 years at a weight of 15lbs. Sometimes, they can even grow bigger.
When do New Zealand rabbits stop growing?
Although this rabbit has New Zealand as its former name, the breed originates from California and is widely used for rabbit shows.
A female New Zealand rabbit stops growing in 9 months while weighing 10-12lbs while the male counterpart stops growing in 9 months while weighing 9lbs.
The specialty of this breed is the internal genetic defect due to which rabbits have pink eyes. Males are usually smaller while females weigh from medium to large size.
When do lion head rabbits stop growing?
A lionhead rabbit, as the name goes, is known for the shape of the head and arrangement of fur which resembles the head of a lion.
A lionhead rabbit is fully grown in 6-8 months while weighing 3lbs at a length of 8 inches.
The downside of raising a lionhead rabbit lies in the need to constantly monitor weight as a heavy lionhead rabbit undergoes various health complications when they grow bigger in size.
When do Flemish giant rabbits stop growing?
Talk about a large-sized rabbit breed, Flemish Giant is widely suggested and probably would strike you as well. That’s how they are famous for their sizes.
Flemish giant rabbits stop growing in 1.5 years while weighing 15-17lbs.
If you look at the history of the Flemish giant rabbit, the breed dates back to the 1500s when these rabbits were treated as livestock for meat and fur. Although a big-sized breed, they are lovable and sociable but need enough space to move around.
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