Lionhead Rabbit Types, Varieties & Colors

When lionhead rabbit types are mentioned, it mostly makes us think about those with either single or double manes around their heads. However, if you decide to get yours from a certified and professional breeder, you will often be offered to choose among several sub-breeds.

To help you choosing the most suitable lionhead bunny, we are sharing all you need to know about different lionhead rabbit types, varieties and colors.

Lionhead sub-breeds are peculiar because lionheads are generally a relatively new rabbit breed around the world, and especially across the USA.

This means that some countries have already approved and declared the different types that we are going to share below, but not all countries have adopted them all so far.

For instance, the British Rabbit Council has already approved and categorized all the different color and pattern styles, but the American Rabbit Breeders Association is still keeping most of these types under the certification development process.

Agouti Lionhead Rabbit

The agouti group includes such lionheads which feature hair shafts in three (or sometimes more) color bands, with a distinctive break line between each of the colors.

Their tail undersides, bellies, and eye circles are usually in somewhat lighter colors and feature no ticking. Agouti lionheads have feet, ears, and heads which are ticked and mostly in slightly darker colors.

Depending on the various color patterns, there are eight different sub-types of agouti lionhead rabbits:

• Chestnut
• Chocolate Chestnut
• Chinchilla
• Chocolate Chinchilla
• Opal
• Sable Agouti
• Squirrel or Blue Chinchilla
• Lynx

Tan Lionhead Rabbit

Tan lionheads are such type which have a solid light coloration across the entire bodies, with the exception of some brighter patterns over their heads and their backs.

There are seven color variations available until now:

• Black Otter
• Blue Otter
• Chocolate Otter
• Fox or Tortoise Otter
• Smoke Pearl Marten
• Silver Marten
• Sable Marten

Marked Lionhead Rabbit

As the name itself implies, marked lionheads feature some visible “marks”. These are usually found around their eyes and across ears, but there can also be marks across the entire body length.

Such rabbits usually feature two fur colors: one which is lighter and acts as a base, and another which is visibly darker and of which marks are made. The patterns of such marks can come in different shapes. Some of them come as simple spots, others as irregular lines.

Depending on the color variations and on the different mark shapes, lionheads can be:

• Broken or Butterfly
• Vienna Marked
• Harlequin

Self-Colored Lionhead Rabbit

This particular sub-type of lionheads consists of those rabbits which have a unique, evenly spread color all over their bodies.

There are many variations available, and they are all related to the color type:

• Black
• Blue
• Chocolate
• Chocolate Tort
• Blue Tort
• Black Tort
• Lilac Tort
• Blue-Eyed White
• Ruby-Eyed White

Shaded Lionhead Rabbit

Shaded bunnies feature furs of a single color, but such color becomes gradually lighter when heading from top downwards. Their bellies and side bodies are therefore lighter from the upper body parts.

There are seven different versions of shaded lionhead rabbits available:

• Chocolate Point
• Sable Point
• Smoke Pearl Point
• Smoke Pearl
• Seal
• Siamese Sable
• Pointed White

Wideband Lionhead Rabbit

Similar to the self-colored lionheads, wideband rabbits also feature one basic color which is evenly spread across their entire bodies. However, this peculiar type is characterized by mostly light colors only.

Additionally, they may often have even lighter colored areas around their eyes, underneath their tails, as well as under the bellies and inside their ears.

So far there have been three main wideband colorations recorded:

• Fawn
• Frosty or Frosted Pearl
• Orange

Other Classifications of Lionhead Rabbits

After providing a brief overview on the main color sub-breeds of lionhead rabbits around the world, there is still another classification of this breed.

Indeed, as already mentioned, the most popular and widely-known classification of lionhead rabbit types is according to their mane type and there are only two available.

Single-Maned Lionhead Rabbit

Single-maned lionheads have just one copy of the mane gene. This usually happens when breeders decide to breed one double-maned lionhead with a completely different rabbit breed.

Such breeding combinations mostly happen with the goal of either strengthening some particular characteristics in the new breed or with the purpose of creating a new color type of fur, such as the ones we described above.

Lionhead rabbits which feature single manes often do not manage to keep their mane for the entire duration of their life, but they sometimes tend to lose it once they reach a certain age in their adulthood. On top of that, single manes can sometimes look a bit thinner.

Double-Maned Lionhead Rabbit

Lionheads which own two copies of the mane gene are always the product of two lionhead parents. Double manes look quite thick and they mostly encircle their entire heads, but not only. Additionally, they can often have wool even across their flanks, making them sometimes resemble to skirts.

Rarely, it can happen that baby lionheads are born with no mane gene at all when breeding two different types of rabbits. In that case, they are classified as No Maned Lionhead Rabbits.

Varieties and Colors

In addition to the two main types, there are many different varieties and colors of Lionhead rabbits. The British Rabbit Council has approved and categorized all the different color and pattern styles, but the American Rabbit Breeders Association is still in the process of certifying most of these types.

Wrapping Up

Even if we are keeping them as pets for several years already, lionhead rabbits are still considered to be a relatively new rabbit breed. That is why, unfortunately, the sub-species classification and the recognized color variations of such rabbits are still not equal around all countries of the world.

The color variations which we presented above are (for now) only officially approved across the UK. In the USA, however, there have been just five different sub-breeds recognized until today.

Whatever your choice may be, it is important to always get your pet either from a rescue shelter or from an officially authorized breeder.