Champagne D’Argent Rabbit – Everything You Need to Know

The Champagne D’Argent is one of the oldest French show breeds and recognized rabbits. There is evidence that they date back to somewhere in the mid-1600s. They are named for the town in France Champagne with the word D’Argent meaning sliver. There are quite a few d’Argent rabbit breeds including the Argente Crème, Argente Clair, Argente Brun, Argente Bleu, Argente Noir and Argente St Hubert. Only a few are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association.
These beautiful little rabbits have a fun, energetic, friendly and truly great nature which make them great pets and companion animals for the elderly.

BREED PROFILE OVERVIEW
Breed Name:	Champagne D’Argent
Other Names:	None
Country of Origin:	France
Breed Purpose:	Fur, meat, pets, and exhibition
Breed Size:	Large
Breed Weight:	Female/Doe: 5.5 kgs Male/Buck: 4.3 kgs
Breed Color(s):	Champagne – their overcoats are called bluish white and their undersides dark slate blue.
Physical Appearance:	Strong hind-quarters, good shoulders, a wedge-shaped face, and ears that are medium to long, erect, rounded at the tips and close together buy not touching on their heads. They have close-lying flyback, soft short fur and cotton tail
Temperament:	They are a calm and even-tempered rabbit that are quite friendly and do not mind human company

BREED CHARACTERISTICS

They are born black and as they grow their coats start to take on a silver color.
They have good sized litters with the females making great mothers with good maternal instincts. Mother rabbits can get a little aggressive when protecting their young or around mating season.
They have an average lifespan of 7 to 9 years old but some live to over 10 years old in captivity if cared for properly.

Good Pets?	They make great pets for families that have older children and are great companion rabbits for seniors and singles.
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:	Not listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity:Not listed by the ALC
Recognized by the ARBA?	Yes – they were recognized as a breed by the American Rabbit Breeders Association in the mid to late 1950s.
Rabbit Associations/Clubs:	Champagne D’Argent Website
Where to buy them?	Please contact the Champagne D’Argent Website for more information on where to obtain the Champagne D’Argent rabbit breed.
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

GENERAL INFORMATION

They are dubbed the “silver plated” rabbits as some say they look like they are wearing a coat of armor.

They are born completely black and by 3 to 6 weeks their underbellies will start to light up. From there the silver hair will gradually start to cover their body and face. By 6 to 8 months of age, most of their face and back with have turned silver. Their muzzle, tail, and feet usually stay a darker shade than the rest of their body.

The Champagne is a good meat rabbit breed as it has a wide midsection, the loin is deep both carry a good amount of meat. Their fine bone structure gives better meat to the bone ratio in favor of the meat.

They are very sociable with other rabbits and do love to be in a group of rabbits. They need company and stimulation such as toys to play with like small balls with bells in or some sort of obstacle course.

A good diet of quality pellets balanced with some fruit and vegetables for treats will go a long way in keeping the rabbit healthy.
They should have enough space in a run that is safe and secure to spend a few hours a day playing and hopping about. With some good shelter and lots of fresh water and food.

Each week the rabbit should be checked for various critters and to ensure that they do not have any injuries, their nails do not need clipping and that they are not ill. When doing weekly health checks their teeth must be checked to ensure that they are not too long as this can cause discomfort to the rabbit as well as health issues.

As rabbits’ teeth never stop growing it is imperative that they are given substances like fresh hay every day to help them grind down their teeth.

Their cages should be cleaned at least once a week and checked to make sure they are still intact and secure so that predators cannot get in.

Although a lot of rabbits are quite calm in nature, they are still animals that can spook relatively easily so you should try not to alarm them. And never ever try and bath rabbits as they are not too keen on water and it could stress them so badly, they could have a heart attack.

If you need grooming advice always check with your local vet, animal shelters or even pet stores as they should be able to advise you on the best way to keep the animal’s fur well-groomed and healthy. Some products can cause skin irritations on the animal which could lead to serious skin issues.

At rabbit shows if a Champagne rabbit has dark ears, creamy of yellow tint anywhere on the body, white toe-nails it is considered a fault. Their fur should not be wooly, thin or too short and neither to male or female of the breed should have a dewlap.

HISTORY

The Champagne variety of the Argente rabbit is the oldest of the Argente rabbit breeds. They are also one of the oldest exhibition rabbit breeds in France. There is no proper documentation as to their actual origins but it has been stated that the breed started in France probably around the mid-1600s.

The breed was at first known as the French Silver rabbit named for its slivery coat and even though it was thought to be a common rabbit its pelts were prized commodity.

When they were first imported to America in around 1912, they have long loose coats sort of resembling the coats of the Silver Fox rabbit breed. Breeders took it upon themselves to improve on the breeds standards and soon the standard for the breed became a short soft coat.

The breed became accepted into the American Rabbit Breeders Association in the mid-1950s and is usually called Champagne.