Blanc de Hotot
The Blanc de Hotot was developed in Normandy by Eugénie Bernhard in the early 1900s, and is defined by a single striking feature: a pure white coat with a narrow band of black around each eye, like spectacles.
Achieving that marking without any other coloured hair took years of selection.
It is a large rabbit of around four kilograms, of rounded commercial type, with a dense glossy coat that has good shine. The breed nearly died out in Europe after the Second World War and remains rare. Temperament is generally reported as calm and friendly, and the does are noted as good mothers.
- Origin
- Normandy, France, early 1900s
- Size
- 3.5–5 kg
- Lifespan
- 7–10 years
- Coat
- Dense, glossy white with black eye bands
- Temperament
- Calm, friendly, good-natured
- Recognition
- Rare; conservation priority breed
3 blanc de hotot photos, newest first
Living with a blanc de hotot
Weekly grooming for the dense coat, daily during a moult.
A white rabbit shows soiling immediately, which is genuinely useful — a dirty rear end is the earliest sign of a diet problem, obesity or dental pain, and in warm months it is the precursor to flystrike, which kills rabbits quickly. Check the rear daily in summer.
As with all rabbits: neutered pairs, generous space, hay as the bulk of the diet, annual vaccination against myxomatosis and both RHD strains. Pale skin around the eyes offers little sun protection, so provide shade.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual rabbits vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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