Satin Rabbits: 17 Facts to Remember Before Purchasing

Satin Rabbits are among the most popular rabbits that are used for dual-purpose; domestication and meat production. The medium to large-sized rabbit is known for their docile behaviour and shiny coats. 

Satin Rabbit- In a Glimpse:

Everything About Satin Rabbit:

Satin Rabbit is considered a large-size hybrid rabbit. However, another variation of the rabbit; mini satin exists but all of them are believed to be the descendants of the European Wild Rabbit.

Domestic rabbits became popular in the USA back in 1900 but in Europe, the practice has existed for a long time. One of the most popular rabbit breeds in the USA at that time was the Havana rabbit, and the origin of the Satin rabbit is directly linked to the Havana rabbit.

Origin and Distribution:

In 1934, a famous rabbit breeder and owner Walter Huey accidentally bred a Satin rabbit while improving the coat color of the Havana rabbit. After selective and successive inbreeding, he realized that some rabbits had developed extremely shiny coats unlike Havana rabbits and hence he decided to test further. 

Later, Harvard University’s researchers studied these rabbits and confirmed that these rabbits had a recessive gene mutation, which gave them shiny glittery coats. Based on their coat colour, the National Havana Club has decided to identify them as a new breed: “Satin Rabbit”. 

Habitat:

Satin Rabbits don’t have any specific habitats. As they are often used as domestic pets, they usually live in cages or outdoors, the owner can keep them in hutches. According to ARBA, Satins are large-sized rabbits and hence the owner needs sufficient space in his ground so the rabbits can play, run, jump, and dig. 

Physical Characteristics: How do you identify Satin rabbits?

Satins are usually large-sized rabbits and are usually used for the dual purpose of show and meat production. In the USA, the size of these rabbits is bigger than the UK’s breed. In the USA, adult rabbits weigh around 8 to 11 pounds (or 3.5 to 5 kilograms) whereas in the UK, the weight is around 6 to 8 pounds (or 2.7 to 3.6 kilograms). 

The rabbits have a long, well-rounded, compact, and muscular body along with smooth and powerful hindquarters. Wedge-shaped heads, tiny reddish-brown eyes, erect ears, and wiggly noses make them very attractive. Sexual dimorphism is present in the species as females are a little larger than males.

The mini Satin rabbits are smaller in size than a standard Satin rabbit. Mini Satins are 3 to 4 inches long and weigh up to 5-6 lbs.

Fur and Color:

Initially, Satin rabbits had two colours: white and chinchilla (greyish). Today you can find different colour varieties for the rabbits. In most countries 7 colors are recognized namely: Blue, Chocolate, Siamese, White, Chinchilla, Black, and Otter. But in the USA, only four colours are recognized (Broken, Californian, Red, and Copper). Similarly, the colours recognized by the UK are Sooty-Fawn, Bronze, Himalayan, Lynx, Smoke Pearl, Orange, Fawn, Ivory, Squirrel, Castor, Lilac, Beige, Opal, Havana, Argente, Brown, Seal, Fox, Cinnamon, and Sable. 

Satin rabbits have short, thick, and glittery coats with rollback types of fur. The fur ranges from 1-4 inches in length and they are very dense. Despite having such shiny coats, the rabbits don’t need to be groomed very often. However, it is enough to groom them once every two weeks but during molting season, it is advised to groom them every week to maintain the natural and attractive sheen of their fur. 

Behaviour: Are Satin Rabbits good pets?

Satin rabbits are known for being gentle, calm, and having a docile personality. They can live both indoors and outdoors. They are intelligent, calm, and very friendly with anyone irrespective of their age and experience. They are very gentle and playful with the children, however, it is advised to teach your child how to behave with the rabbit otherwise the Satin can bite if provoked. 

The Satin rabbits are the most popular domestic rabbit breeds in the USA and in the UK. These rabbits are very easy to train due to their high intelligence but you have to train them patiently. The rabbits are also very friendly with other domestic pets and love to socialize. They are gentle, calm, and playful; they will respond if they are called by their names. Hence, if you are planning to buy a pet rabbit, you may consider a Satin rabbit as your pet.

Speed and jumps:

Despite being a large rabbit breed, Satin rabbits love to run and they can reach up to 40 mph. These rabbits can jump up to 35 inches or 89 cm.

Diets:

A full-grown Satin usually consumes 5 ounces (1 cup) of green pellets and some hay every day. However, a mini Satin also consumes about 2.5 ounces (½ cup) of food every day. It is advised to feed your rabbit twice a day, depending on your convenience. But always try to feed them at the same time, it’ll boost their nutrition and health.

Satin Rabbit’s preferred foods are grasses, oats, orchards, and hay (these constitute 80% of their diet) but they also enjoy greens, carrots, beans, broccoli, and other fresh vegetables. You can also feed them with commercially processed rabbit-formulated pellet food after consulting a verified veterinary surgeon.

Also Read: Lionhead Rabbits: Everything You Must Know Before Buying

Predators and Threats:

Satin rabbits don’t have any natural predators but if you allow your rabbit to play outdoors, then don’t leave your rabbit unsupervised. Dogs, cats, foxes, weasels, badgers, larger birds, and coyotes can harm the little rabbit for its delicious meat.

Conservation Status:

Due to the unavailability of proper data, IUCN hasn’t evaluated the Satin rabbit’s conservation status yet.

Reproduction:

The female Satins have great maternal instincts which makes them incredible mothers. The average size of their litter is usually between three to seven. Satin rabbits are very calm, gentle, and docile by nature but females can be a little aggressive and moody during the mating season. Usually, the mating takes place in buck’s (male rabbit) cage and there is no specific breeding season for the rabbits. 

Infants are blind and they open their eyes 1-2 weeks after their birth. At this point, the infants become eligible to eat solid foods and drink water. However, to boost their immunity, maintain good health, and ensure sufficient growth, the young kittens require their mother’s milk for the first eight weeks of their life despite eating solid foods. 

Satin rabbits reach sexual maturity within the first six months of their age and males become mature faster than females. The gestation period is small (31-34 days) and can give birth multiple times in a year.

Life Span:

Usually, Satin rabbits have a short life span of 5-7 years but in some cases, they can live up to 10 years. To prolong their lifespan, you need to provide them with sufficient and nutritious foods and adequate care (clean environment, regular health care, proper vaccination, etc) then the rabbit can live up to 9-10 years. 

Satin Rabbit Sales: How can you buy a rabbit?

Satin rabbits are found in many developed countries around the world including the USA, UK, and Canada. You can easily find them in your local pet shops or you can purchase them from your local rabbit breeders. Depending on your location, you can also purchase them online. In case you didn’t find any rabbit breeder in your locality, you can find the link below which consists of a list of the rabbit breeders designated by the American Rabbit Breeders Association and you can contact them through their website, email, or phone. (Click here to find a Satin rabbit breeder.)

Price of a Satin Rabbit:

The price of a satin rabbit varies depending on the location. Based on your location, the price will vary from $30-$80 US dollars but it shouldn’t cost more than $100 US dollars. Mini Satis often cost around $20-$35 US dollars.

Additionally, you need to buy a cage, litter tray, food, toys, and brush, which might cost another $150-$200. You also need to pay $30-50 US dollars for pet insurance and health care.

17 Facts You Should Remember Before Purchasing a Satin Rabbit:

Pros:

1. Satin rabbits are cuddly, even-tempered, and docile pets who can be great company for anyone irrespective of their age and experience.

2. They love to be petted and they can socialize very easily, sometimes they even communicate with strangers.

3. The rabbits are very intelligent and very easy to train. But remember, you have to train them with patience and gently. You can easily train them for litter training, and communication training so they can respond while you call their name.

4. Grass, hay, oats, etc are their favourite foods and these foods are easily available in the market. Hence, you shouldn’t worry about your rabbit’s nutrition. 

5. You must keep a litter box for the rabbits which is placed far from their eating place. You can use shredded paper to clean them as it is cheap and doesn’t absorb odour. In case, you want more convenience you should give them potty training which is easy to train but takes some time.

6. Despite having such shiny fur, you don’t need to groom it more often. If you groom them once every two weeks, it’ll be more than sufficient, and during molting season you have to groom them every week to remove stray hair and maintain the sheen of the fur. 

7. The rabbits can coexist with other domestic pets. However, if you have domestic cats or dogs, you should train your dog/cat not to harm the rabbit.

8. If you want to present your rabbit in a show, you can easily present a Satin rabbit and there is a high chance it’ll win because of the shiny coat. 

Cons:

9. Don’t bathe your rabbit because it can cause stress to them. The rabbits can self-clean their fur.

10. Rabbit’s ears control their body temperature and hence you have to make sure their ears are dirt-free.

11. You must take care of their teeth as well. Over-grown teeth can puncture their gums which causes lots of pain.

12. Never allow your rabbit to eat any meat and dairy products, it will cause their stomach problem.

13. Satin rabbits have a very bad habit of chewing everything. Hence, keep all dangerous cables and electric wires out of the rabbit’s reach. It is also advised, to keep your important documents, and fancy clothes in such a place where the rabbit cannot reach. 

14. Usually, a fly lands on a rabbit’s skin and lays their egg around the rabbit’s dirty bottom, wet fur, or wound. These eggs hatched instantly and were absorbed by the rabbit’s skin. This is known as flystrike and it can cause fatal consequences to your rabbit within hours.

15. If you allow your rabbit to play outdoors, always supervise them. Satin rabbits have very delicious meat and hence dogs, cats, badgers, foxes, coyotes, and larger birds can attack them for their meat.

16. You should take your rabbit to a veterinary surgeon every year to ensure their healthy life. After reaching five years of age, you should take them to the veterinarian twice a year as the probability of having disease increases over time.

17. The rabbits demand lots of playtime and attention. If you don’t give them attention for a long time, they might cause trouble and injure themselves. 

Ideal size for a Satin Rabbit’s cage:

The ideal area for the cage should be at least 11-15 square feet (at least 1 square foot for 1 lbs weight). The width and length of the cage should be at least 2.5-3 times their length and it’ll help them to move around the cage and play freely. 

The cage will require proper and soft bedding and you must ensure that the surface of the cage is not rough, otherwise their soft feet can be injured. Also, ensure that there are no sharp objects inside the cage, the rabbits consume almost everything that they find on the floor.

FAQs:

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