Mini Satin Rabbit was originated in the United States of America. It is a new breed generated by breeding standard-sized satin with Netherland or polish Dwarfs. This miniature was popularized due to its size and coat. They are the adorable mini rabbits with the beautiful and soft coat and pretty cute little faces. The most unique characteristic is their satin sheen with a complex structure coat.
History of the Mini Satin Rabbits
Mini Satin Rabbit is an American breed like standard Satins. It took a long journey before becoming an established and widely recognized breed. Mrs. Ariel Hyes of Michigan got the tribute of creating a compact size satinized breed in 1970. She created a new breed by crossing between Satin and Polish and titled it “Satinetts”. later on, she worked on Sattinetts for twelve more years. After that a well known Netherland Dwarf breeder, Mr. Pettit began sanitizing Netherland Dwarfs.
A Michigan man was located in 1990 for breeding satinettes. He made a partnership with Sue and Verle Castle that they will represent Satinetts in nine different colors under the name ‘Castles’ but they broke their partnership due to some rift in colors. These castles later in 1994, were purchased by Jim Krahulec.
He started to develop the breed and when he noticed that they are much like ‘Satin coated Netherland Dwarfs’ he titled them “Mini Satins” for the first time. He proposed five varieties i.e black, chocolate, Himalayan, copper, and red. He was given a certificate for the development of Mini Satin in September 1995 by ARBA’s standard committee but unfortunately, this considerable effort ultimately failed to pass its final attempt in 1999.
J. Leo Collins, of Salem, Ohio, presented two varieties; Ruby-Eyed White and Red, in 2003 at Wichita Kansas ARBA convention. They were accepted by the committee and the man was certified for ‘Certificate of Development for the Mini Satins’. So it has completed its journey in becoming a recognized breed in America. White mini satins were accepted in Indiana in 2005. Mini Satin became ARBA’s 47th new breed in February 2006 and now its 16 new varieties have been developed.
The Physical Characteristics of The Mini Satin Rabbit
Height & Weight
The Mini Satin Rabbit is a small to medium miniature having a compact body that weighs approximately 3 to 4.5 lbs once it is fully grown.
Life Span
Mini Satin Rabbit can live up to 5 to 8 years. In some exceptional cases, they can live up to 10 years but with much greater care.
Breed Slogan
Satins and Mini Satins shared a common elegant shimmering coat therefore both are known as ” Team with the sheen”.
Physical Appearance
Body Features
These dwarf rabbits have a standard body shape except for their weight. Their body is compact and well rounded covered with distinctive fur and their top line peaks over their hips. The rounded body slides down to their tail.
Their big eyes allow them to make an angle of 360 degrees. These miniatures have two pairs of cute and sharp incisors at their front and bottom and two peg teeth behind the top incisors.
Erect Ears
They have a small wedge-shaped head and have long and erect ears. The ears of the Mini Satin should not be more than 3 ½ inches. Additionally, the ears of this cutest breed should be erect, upright, and covered with the unique fur.
Coat
They are famous for their peculiar coat. They have a thick and silky medium length hair and have a particular ‘satin’ texture.
Mini Satin rabbits have translucent hair shell. This allows the light to pass through it making their coat sheen or satin. Most importantly the fur has air bubbles that reflect the light around it making the coat eye-catching.
Their gleaming sheen of the coat looks metallic due to the mutation in the air shaft which causes it to be transparent. This allows the light to enter and illuminate the pigments.
Available Color Variety
Mini Satin was accepted as a single variety REW i.e. ‘white’ as a 47th breed in 2006. After some years, five different colors had been accepted. In 2014, Red-Eyed-White, Red, Chinchilla, Opal, and Siamese were accepted in the USA.
Another variety of colors including black, blue, chinchilla, broken; a color mixed with white, otter, red, copper, silver marten, and a tortoise have also been recognized.
Litter size
The Mini Satins give birth to a litter of size between 2 and 4 bunnies.
Personality and Temperament of the Mini Satin Rabbits
Generally, Mini Satin are known for their cool and gentle temperament. They are gentle, friendly, and good-natured but they need a lot of your time to play and exercise to soothe their sense of curiosity and boredom.
Mini Satins are social animals. They will be happy if you put them in pairs. Paired rabbits make inseparable bonds with each other. They enjoy each other’s company.
Rabbits that are kept singly needs a lot of time and attention of their owner and also want free access to their caretakers for cuddling and playing.
Health Issues of the Mini Satin Rabbits
Like other mammals and household pets, Mini rabbits should be taken care of on a regular basis. This cutest mini package can be susceptible to different health issues owing to the changes in climate. They can be vulnerable to ear mites and flystrike.
Rabbits’ teeth never stop growing so there should be a regular check of overgrown teeth. They can project into the rabbit’s face and jaws and create a lot of pain. The symptoms include less activity, loss of appetite, and drooping. Hay is a natural teeth filer so it will be very helpful in filing down rabbit’s overgrown teeth. In this condition, mini rabbits should be given food that constitutes almost 70% of hay.
Due to unhygienic care urine or debris gets contacted with the coat of rabbit so the flies that sit there lay eggs. Once these eggs are hatched they will burrow into your rabbit’s coat and deliver him a lot of pain.
Nutrition of the Mini Satin Rabbits
Mini Satin rabbits are herbivores, they need approximately 70% hay of their total nutriment. They should have fresh water every day. They will also enjoy ¼ cup of high fiber pallets as their daily nourishment. Besides hay and pallets, the rabbit’s food must contain fresh vegetables, corn, seeds, and dry fruits.
Care Instructions of Mini Satin Rabbits
Mini Satin rabbits are cute enough to be loved at home or in an apartment. Due to their small size, they should be retained indoors for safety. The rabbit’s hutch should be kept clean and it should have a reasonable exposure to sunlight and fresh air.
Their nails should be clipped once in a month and anal glands should be cleaned once in a weak. The hutch floor should have a bedding of hay to make the mini rabbit quiet comfortable. Their health issues should have a proper check.
Water in their bottles should be refilled twice a day. Most importantly the size of the cage should be at least 4 times greater than the size of the rabbit to give them enough space to play and sleep peacefully.
Final Words
Mini Satin rabbits are the best indoor buddies that need your time to play. Mini Satins would be a great companion with a little grooming and hygiene care. If you don’t have much time just keep them in pairs and they will be the happiest pet.
