Vienna White

The Vienna White is the result of long efforts made by some rabbit breeders to obtain white-coated rabbits but with eyes of a color other than reddish, a tint they take systematically in albino rabbits. An attempt made in Germany by Hermann Ziemer starting with Dutch rabbits ends in failure. He obtains white rabbits with blue eyes, but with some spots on the croup and ears, and sometimes the area around the eyes colored. These animals disappeared during the First World War. Around 1900, a Vienna railway worker managed to achieve this objective by also working on very bleached Dutch rabbits. A Ratingen breeder also appears to have achieved the desired tint, but his herd disappeared during the war. In 1912, two Vienna Whites were presented among the "other breeds" at Utrecht. Descended from the selection of Dutch rabbits, the Vienna White is a small breed when it first appears. However, breeders quickly become interested in increasing its size, which causes some heterogeneity in the animals in terms of size.

The Vienna White is a medium-sized rabbit, weighing between 3 and 5 kg. It has a cylindrical and well-muscled body, with a well-developed front, a full chest, a thick loin and a rounded croup. The head is connected to the body by a short neck. It is strong and wide, and bears upright ears, closely set, well open, and measuring between 10.5 and 13 cm. A dewlap is tolerated by the breed standard in the female. The coat of the Vienna White, entirely white, is very dense, supple and fine, with the presence of guard hairs that favor its shiny appearance. The eyes are light blue.