The Mini Rex rabbit is the smallest of the Rex furred breeds. As a dwarf breed, they reach anywhere from 3-4 1/2 pounds once fully grown. Their thick, plush-like coats make them one of the most popular breeds across the world, especially in America. Ideally a Mini Rex should be short, wide, and cobby in body with short well furred ears accompanying a short but dense coat with texture (how the coat feels) that isn’t too harsh but also not too soft. This is what breeders who strive towards the Standard set forth by the American Rabbit Breeders Association try to achieve.
The Mini Rex breed has 6 color groups which are then broken down into varieties; Self, Shaded, Agouti, Tan, AOV, and Broken. The breed currently has 20 accepted varieties, which means all of these varieties are showable. I will have another article on here discussing those varieties. Unlike some breeds Mini Rex are judged by individual varieties rather than breaking them down into the two color patterns, solid and broken. Just recently in January 2021 was the group judging voted into effect by the members of the National Mini Rex Rabbit Club. This means that Mini Rex are first judged by class, then variety, and the variety winners go up for group judging and then the group winners move on to breed judging.
Mini Rex are a beloved breed among many rabbit fanciers and non rabbit fanciers. Not only do people thoroughly enjoy them due to how amazingly their coats feel, but they are also adored for their small size and friendly, outgoing personalities. Their small size makes them easy to handle and keep as pets or show animals through 4H and ARBA. Year after year, Mini Rex typically have the highest number of entries out of all 49 recognized breeds at the ARBA Conventions as well as the highest number of recorded ARBA registrations, grand champions, and best in show wins. Which is a testament to their popularity. Another plus for the breed is due to the way their coats are structured and how they molt, they are considered great for people with allergies compared to other breeds.
The Mini Rex breed’s history starts with a wonderful woman named Monna R Berryhill from Texas although she later moved to Louisiana. Ms. Monna won a pair of Dwarf Rex at the 1984 ARBA Convention, which were donated by Marylouise Cowan. The buck was then bred to a Lynx Rex doe and the does out of that litter became the foundation for the breed. The original variety established for the breed was Castor, which was heavily influenced by the incorporation of Linda Thompson in the making of the breed. Linda is known for having the first and second Best in Show at ARBA convention with Mini Rex in 1994 and 1995. In 1986, Monna Berryhill presented the breed to the Standards Committee for the first time and the standard for the breed was passed. In 1987 shaded varieties started popping up in litters due to the Netherland Dwarf influence behind the breed. More breeders such as Virginia Minden and Bill and Laurie Turner joined the presentation process in 1987. With that came the further incorporation of Rex being crossed into the Mini Rex breed which added 15 new varieties to the process for acceptance. In Madison Wisconsin at the 1988 ARBA Convention, Mini Rex presented for the second time and were officially accepted as a breed in all varieties that were presented excluding blacks and chocolates which failed. The journey to acceptance was such a testament to how working together can get a breed accepted in no time.
Over the years many have taken the leap into developing and presenting new varieties within the breed, making them one of the most widely known and loved breeds among all but we owe Ms. Monna Berryhill for the creation of the breed we have all come to love. Although she is no longer with us, her spirit lives on in all of those dedicated to the breed and I hope that she is proud of the success we have made and will continue to make her proud. I know that I am grateful for all of the advice she gave me in my younger years.
The Mini Rex breed has 6 color groups which are then broken down into varieties; Self, Shaded, Agouti, Tan, AOV, and Broken. The breed currently has 20 accepted varieties, which means all of these varieties are showable. I will have another article on here discussing those varieties. Unlike some breeds Mini Rex are judged by individual varieties rather than breaking them down into the two color patterns, solid and broken. Just recently in January 2021 was the group judging voted into effect by the members of the National Mini Rex Rabbit Club. This means that Mini Rex are first judged by class, then variety, and the variety winners go up for group judging and then the group winners move on to breed judging.
Mini Rex are a beloved breed among many rabbit fanciers and non rabbit fanciers. Not only do people thoroughly enjoy them due to how amazingly their coats feel, but they are also adored for their small size and friendly, outgoing personalities. Their small size makes them easy to handle and keep as pets or show animals through 4H and ARBA. Year after year, Mini Rex typically have the highest number of entries out of all 49 recognized breeds at the ARBA Conventions as well as the highest number of recorded ARBA registrations, grand champions, and best in show wins. Which is a testament to their popularity. Another plus for the breed is due to the way their coats are structured and how they molt, they are considered great for people with allergies compared to other breeds.
The Mini Rex breed’s history starts with a wonderful woman named Monna R Berryhill from Texas although she later moved to Louisiana. Ms. Monna won a pair of Dwarf Rex at the 1984 ARBA Convention, which were donated by Marylouise Cowan. The buck was then bred to a Lynx Rex doe and the does out of that litter became the foundation for the breed. The original variety established for the breed was Castor, which was heavily influenced by the incorporation of Linda Thompson in the making of the breed. Linda is known for having the first and second Best in Show at ARBA convention with Mini Rex in 1994 and 1995. In 1986, Monna Berryhill presented the breed to the Standards Committee for the first time and the standard for the breed was passed. In 1987 shaded varieties started popping up in litters due to the Netherland Dwarf influence behind the breed. More breeders such as Virginia Minden and Bill and Laurie Turner joined the presentation process in 1987. With that came the further incorporation of Rex being crossed into the Mini Rex breed which added 15 new varieties to the process for acceptance. In Madison Wisconsin at the 1988 ARBA Convention, Mini Rex presented for the second time and were officially accepted as a breed in all varieties that were presented excluding blacks and chocolates which failed. The journey to acceptance was such a testament to how working together can get a breed accepted in no time.
Over the years many have taken the leap into developing and presenting new varieties within the breed, making them one of the most widely known and loved breeds among all but we owe Ms. Monna Berryhill for the creation of the breed we have all come to love. Although she is no longer with us, her spirit lives on in all of those dedicated to the breed and I hope that she is proud of the success we have made and will continue to make her proud. I know that I am grateful for all of the advice she gave me in my younger years.
The late Ms. Monna Berryhill anxiously awaiting results from the ARBA Standards Committee