Beveren Rabbit – Everything You Need to Know

The beautiful Beveren rabbit was originally raised as a meat rabbit. They are a relatively large breed of rabbit that also makes excellent show rabbits as well as pets. They have good intelligence and are lively active rabbits with a good temperament that do not spook too easily.

BREED PROFILE OVERVIEW
Breed Name:	Beveren
Other Names:	Beverin, Blue Rabbit of Beveren and Giant Beveren
Country of Origin:	Belgium
Breed Purpose:	Meat, fur, pets, and show
Breed Size:	Large
Breed Weight:	Female/Doe: 9 to 12 lbs. Male/Buck: 8 to 11 lbs.
Breed Color(s):	Black, Blue, and White – there are other colors, but they are not recognized by the ARBA such as the brown and lilac color variety.
Physical Appearance:	They have a semi-arched body type that is referred to by most as a “mandolin-shape”. As they have a gradual slope from their neck that peaks at around their hips and then arches around their rumps to their cotton tails. Their chests are sort of more puffed out with the back feet being a lot larger than the front ones. They have large ears that are erect and close together on their heads. Their ears can reach up to 5 inches or more as an adult. They have brown eyes and medium length muzzle. Their fur is glossy, dense and thick with rollback when patted. The length of their fur is on average 1 ¼ to 1 ½ inch long.
Temperament:	They have a rather placid and gentle nature they also exhibit quite a bit of intelligence. They are also very curious rabbits.

BREED CHARACTERISTICS

1. They are active and like to play to it is a good idea to give them some toys and obstacles to play with and exercise on.
2. They have a lifespan of around 5 to 8 years but could live longer with the proper care and attention.
3. They are sociable rabbits and like to have a companion or two with them.
4. They have large litters with the females being good mothers with excellent maternal instincts.
5. Their young grow quite fast reaching marketable weights at a decent age.

Good Pets?	They make good pets and companion animal for families with kids, the elderly, singles and can be outdoor or indoor pets.
Child Friendly?	Children should be supervised around animals and properly taught how to look after them and handle them. Rabbits can bite and scratch
Ideal Climate:	All climates – rabbits should never be left outside without proper shelter and housing that must be raised off the ground and predator safe.
Conservation Status:	Listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity: Watch
Recognized by the ARBA?	Yes – Only the black, blue and white varieties are accepted by the American Rabbit Breeders Association.
Rabbit Associations/Clubs:	American Beveren Rabbit Club
Where to buy them?	Check with the American Beveren Rabbit Club for the nearest breeder(s).
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Beveren breed of rabbit is not a very popular breed in the USA and never really took off although there are quite a few breed fanciers.

They come in various varieties with one, in particular, that is extremely rare called the Pointed Beveren that comes in the same shade of colors as the normal Beveren rabbit, but the tips of their hair have white points on it.

The Blue Beveren variety of the breed is the original variety.

Their does not require any extra special attention but as with most rabbits it is good to gently brush their fur in order to get rid of any excess hairs that they may be shedding.

All rabbits should have a regular healthy check by their owners in order to check for various infestations of mites, etc. It is also a good idea to check their ears and teeth. Their teeth never stop growing so it is important to ensure they are getting a good amount of fresh hay every day. They hay helps to control their teeth growth so that they do not grow into their jaw and cause both health issues and discomfort to the rabbit.

Rabbits need a good balanced diet of both good quality rabbit pellets mixed with nice fresh fruit and vegetable on a daily basis with fresh water every day.

Most rabbits are quite active and love to stretch their legs outdoors in a nice safe and secure environment. They also enjoy toys such as ball with bells in and various obstacle courses to burrow through, under or over.

HISTORY

The Beveren Rabbit breed is one of the largest and oldest of fur rabbit breeds and was first bred in Beveren. Beveren is a small town in Belgium near Antwerp. The Rabbit breed was named after Beveren with a few different color varieties that are not all recognized by the ARBA.

The breed was first recognized in 1898 with the original color being the blue variety. The first of the blue Beveren had varying shades of blue but the breeders preferred the light lavender blue Beveren.
They are thought to have originated from St. Nicolas Blue, Brabancon and Blue Vienna breeds of rabbit.

There was not a lot of standardization for the breed in its first years and they came out in a few different shades of blue. They also came in different sized from medium to a large size. An agreement as to their size conformation could never really be established and thus Beveren rabbits were separated into two different groups. There were the regular Beveren rabbits that were of medium size and then there were the Giant Beveren rabbits that tended to be larger and meatier in stature. With furriers of the time preferring the light blue coats of the rabbits with the hue of light lavender.

The first standards for the breed were written up in 1902 and the breed was then known as “Blue Rabbit of Beveren”. This was the same name they were first shown under in England.

Beveren rabbits were once the most popular fur rabbits in the United Kingdom having been imported there by Mrs. A. M. Martin who showed them for the first time at Norwich in 1905.

After a breeder’s club was founded in England in 1918 the breed fast became popular and spread throughout England as the most popular fur breed of rabbit.

The standard sized and giant sized Beveren rabbits were first imported to the United States of America in around 1915. They were listed as Beverin by the American standards there are a few varieties of the breed in America, but they never really became too popular in the USA.

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