English Spot - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The English Spot is a breed

Breed

A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...

of domestic rabbit

Domestic rabbit

A domestic rabbit, or more commonly known as simply the rabbit, is any of the several varieties of European rabbit that have been domesticated....

that was developed in England in the 19th century through selective breeding

Selective breeding

Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...

. Averaging 5 to 8 pounds in weight, the English Spot is a medium-sized breed that is most noted by the distinctive colored markings on its body, including the butterfly, eye circles, cheek spots, herringbone, colored ears, and a chain of spots. The breed comes in seven varieties of colors: black, blue, chocolate, gray, gold, lilac, and tortoise. English Spots have a full arch body, with long front legs that carry them off the table. English Spots are most known for their curious and fun loving nature.

History

The English Spot is believed to be one of the oldest breeds of fancy rabbit. The exact origin of the English Spot is not known, but is thought to have come from the English Butterfly. It is thought to be a relative of the Checkered Giant

Checkered Giant

The Checkered Giant rabbit is a breed of rabbit developed in Europe.In the UK the breed is known as Giant Papillon. Checkered Giants are one of 47 breeds of domestic rabbits recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Mature Checkered Giant bucks should weigh at least , and mature...

due to their shared physical features, such as cheek spots, butterflies, eye circles, colored ears, and a herringbone. The Checkered Giant

Checkered Giant

is a larger breed, weighing on average 10-14 pounds.

The breed has been common in England since the 1850s, and was imported to North America at around 1910. The American English Spot Rabbit Club was established in 1924. The French named the breed "Lapin Papillon Anglais", or the English Butterfly Rabbit from the butterfly marking on the nose. Previous generations of the breed entailed a white rabbit with patches of color and through the years has acquired clearly defined markings.

Description

The English Spot is a medium sized breed, averaging 5-8 pounds. They are known for their arched body type, with two front paws

Paws

Paws Incorporated. was founded in 1981 by Jim Davis, it is an American comic book studio and production company. It was founded to support the Garfield comic strip and its licensing. It is located in Muncie, Indiana and has a staff of nearly 50 artists and licensing administrators...

that lift them off the table showing daylight under the belly. The hips should be well rounded and slightly broader than the shoulders. The legs are long and slender; the hind legs are parallel

Parallel (geometry)

Parallelism is a term in geometry and in everyday life that refers to a property in Euclidean space of two or more lines or planes, or a combination of these. The assumed existence and properties of parallel lines are the basis of Euclid's parallel postulate. Two lines in a plane that do not...

with the body. The ears are to be vertical

Vertical direction

In astronomy, geography, geometry and related sciences and contexts, a direction passing by a given point is said to be vertical if it is locally aligned with the gradient of the gravity field, i.e., with the direction of the gravitational force at that point...

. An English Spot that is well marked "will not show off the markings without the correct body type."

An English Spot is known by its six types of body markings: butterfly, cheek spots, eye circles, colored ears, herringbone, and chain of spots. The butterfly is a butterfly marking around the nose; if looking straight at the rabbit's nose, the butterfly will peak in the middle and have a wing on both sides. The cheek spots are a colored dots below the eye on both sides of the rabbit. Eye circles are solid colored circles around both eyes of the rabbit. The herringbone

Herringbone

Herringbone can refer to:*A layout of airline seating – see Herringbone seating*A bonding pattern of brickwork, also known as opus spicatum*A weaving pattern of tweed or twill cloth – see Herringbone *A cross-stitch pattern...

is a straight, solid line that runs from the base of the ears to the tip of the tail along the rabbit's backbone. The most known feature of the English Spot is the chain of individual spots that sweeps both sides of the rabbit's body, running from the base of the neck to the hind legs.

Lifestyle

The English Spot is an active rabbit needing an hour or two to run around each day. They are most active in the morning and night and sleep during the day. Due to its arched body type, the English Spot is judged while it runs the length of a table, which allows the animals body type to be fully assessed.

With an active lifestyle, comes a hearty appetite. Like the majority of rabbits, the most important component of the diet of an English Spot rabbit is hay

Hay

Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...

, a roughage that reduces the chance of blockages and malocclusion whilst providing indigestible fiber necessary to keep the gut moving. Grass hays such as timothy are generally preferred over legume hays like clover

Clover

Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...

and alfalfa

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...

. Legume hays are higher in protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

, calories, and calcium

Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...

, which in excess can cause kidney stones and loose stool. This type of hay should be reserved for young kits or lactating does.

Some of the vegetables that rabbits enjoy are parsley

Parsley

Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...

, thyme

Thyme

Thyme is a culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus.-History:Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing it was a source of courage...

, cilantro, dandelion, and basil

Basil

Basil, or Sweet Basil, is a common name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum , of the family Lamiaceae , sometimes known as Saint Joseph's Wort in some English-speaking countries....

. The green, leafy tops of radishes and carrots also are excellent sources of nutrients—more than the vegetable itself. New vegetables should be introduced slowly due to the delicate digestive systems of rabbits. It is recommended that cauliflower

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed...

, broccoli

Broccoli

Broccoli is a plant in the cabbage family, whose large flower head is used as a vegetable.-General:The word broccoli, from the Italian plural of , refers to "the flowering top of a cabbage"....

, lettuce and cabbage be avoided, as they cause gas and can lead to gastrointestinal stasis, which can be fatal. Vegetables such as potatoes and corn

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

should also avoided due to their high starch

Starch

Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...

content. All breeds of rabbits also require an unlimited amount of fresh water, usually provided for in a water crock, tip-proof ceramic pet dish, or hanging water bottle.

Breeding

The English Spot doe, female, will foster young easily, often raising her young with the litter of other breeds. A normal litter is on average, 5-7 young with a gestation period of 30–32 days. Of a normal litter, 25% will be a solid color, 25% will have partial markings, and 50% will have all the required markings. The partially marked babies "typically have a mustache similar to Charlie Chaplin" and therefore are called 'charlies'.

A pregnant English Spot will require adequate food to support her and her young. Four weeks into the pregnancy, it is common for breeders to provide the doe with a nest box filled with straw. The doe will burrow in the straw and begin lining the nest with hair she pulls from her stomach, in order to insulate her litter and keep them warm, and when ready, she will have her young in the nest. When the kits are 8 weeks of age, it is advised for the young to be separated from their mother.

Information

Organizations

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