The Argenté rabbit is one of the oldest

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

s of French show

rabbits Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated form ...

. The

British Rabbit Council The British Rabbit Council (BRC) is an organisation for rabbit enthusiasts in the United Kingdom. Rabbits are the UK's third most popular pet. History The British Rabbit Council was formed in 1934 when the British Rabbit Society and the National ...

(BRC) recognises six varieties: Argenté Bleu, Argenté Brun, Argenté Crème, Argenté de Champagne, Argenté Noir, and Argenté St Hubert. The

American Rabbit Breeders Association The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) is a national club for domestic rabbits and cavy breeders. The ARBA is headquartered in Knox, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Its membership is composed of rabbit and cavy exhibitors, commer ...

(ARBA) recognises the Champagne d'Argent, the Crème d'Argent and the Argenté Brun. A rare variety, the Argenté Clair, is not currently recognised by either the BRC or ARBA. The names of the Argenté breeds (''Brun, Noir, etc.)'' refer not to the top-colour (which is always silver), but rather to the lower portions of the hair shaft. At birth, Argentés are of a solid color, with adult colouring beginning to show as early as six weeks and as late as four months of age. Argenté rabbits are small and neat with well-developed hind quarters and slightly arched backs. Strong traits of being cobby or racy are undesirable in Argentés. With broad heads and straight front legs, Argentés are short and fine in bone. Due to their good nature, they are known as excellent

pet A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/ cute appearances, inte ...

Argenté Bleu

The Argenté Bleu has erect ears that are short, rounded, and proportionate in breadth. Bleus weigh approximately and their coats, which lie close to their bodies, are very dense, glossy, and silky. The undercolour of the Argenté Bleu is lavender blue. In shows, it is desirable for the colour to be even and moderately interspersed with longer dark blue

hairs Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fin ...

to give a distinct bluish effect when viewed from a distance.

Eyes An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

are bold and blue, and toenails are coloured. In rabbit shows, the following are considered faults in the Argenté Bleu: dark or too long

ear In vertebrates, an ear is the organ that enables hearing and (in mammals) body balance using the vestibular system. In humans, the ear is described as having three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear co ...

s, too dark muzzle, and/or washy undercolour. Creamy or yellow

tint In color theory, a tint is a mixture of a color with white, which increases lightness, while a shade is a mixture with black, which increases darkness. A tone is produced either by mixing a color with gray, or by both tinting and shading. ...

(especially around the

neck The neck is the part of the body in many vertebrates that connects the head to the torso. It supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that transmit sensory and motor information between the brain and the rest of the body. Addition ...

and

cheeks The cheeks () constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. ''Buccal'' means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the inside of the che ...

), a large paunch, a bony or angular frame, or

fur A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an ...

that is too harsh, thin, wooly, or short is frowned upon. Dewlaps in either sex are considered a serious fault. White-topped or very dark exhibits are discouraged. White toenails are a minor fault.

Argenté Brun

The Argenté Brun is recognised by the BRC Argente Brun (UK)"and by ARBA Argente Brun (US)" Their differences are noted below. The Argenté Brun (UK) weighs approximately . The BRC standard states: "Undercolour as deep brown as possible, body colour brownish-white, the whole evenly and moderately interspersed with longer dark brown hairs to give a distinct brownish effect when viewed from a distance." The coat is described as "Very dense, glossy, silky and lying close to the body. Desired length between ." The Argente Brun (UK) originated in England. The Argenté Brun (US) may be a maximum of . The ARBA standard states: "Surface color is to be an even silvered or frosted chocolate brown throughout. While evenness is stressed, slightly darker muzzle butterfly, ears and feet are desirable. Longer, dark brown guard hairs are to be evenly interspersed over the entire pelt. The under color is to be a rich chocolate ideally carried right to the skin." The Argente Brun (US) originated in Canada.

Argenté Clair

The Argenté Clair, called ''Light Groot Silver'' in Germany, is a rare breed that is not currently recognised by the BRC or ARBA. It is similar in appearance to the Champagne d'Argent, but heavily silvered and with recessive dilute blue as an undercoat (instead of black).

Argenté Crème (UK)

The breed that is recognised by the BRC as the ''Argenté Crème'' is similar to the breed that is recognised by ARBA as the ''Crème d'Argent'' The Argenté Crème (much smaller than the Crème d'Argent) weighs approximately and, like the Bleus and Bruns, has a very dense, glossy, silky coat that lies close to the body. Argenté Crèmes have an orange undercolour that go down to the skin and their outer color is a silver giving them a creamy complexion. In shows, it is desirable for the whole body to be evenly and moderately interspersed with longer orange hairs to give a distinct creamy effect when viewed from a distance. A white underbelly is permissible but a coloured underbelly is encouraged. Their eyes are bold and dark brown, and their toenails should be horn coloured. In shows, Crèmes follow the same guidelines for faults as Bleus and Bruns with the addition of: light soiling of the feet, ears and genital organs, bare pads, fur slightly soiled or matted, and/or long toe nails.

Argenté de Champagne (UK)

The breed that is recognised by the BRC as the ''Argenté de Champagne'' is similar to the breed that is recognised by ARBA as the ''Champagne d'Argent.'' The Argenté de Champagne weighs . Its undercolour is described as dark slate blue, with a bluish white body. It is preferred that they have long jet black hairs interspersed in their fur to create a silvery tone when viewed from a distance. It can also be all black. In show judging, the following are considered faults: dark ears, creamy or yellow tint, especially noticeable around the neck and cheeks. A large paunch, or a bony or angular frame are discouraged. Fur should not be harsh, thin, wooly or too short. Dewlaps in either sex are a serious fault. White topped or too dark exhibits are discouraged. White toe-nails are a minor fault. The Argenté de Champagne is one of the oldest known rabbit breeds. At that time known as the ''French Silver'' for its silvery coat, it was once prized for its pelt in spite of the fact that it was a common breed. Kits are born pure black and begin turning silver gray at about 3 weeks. By 6 months old they are typically a shade of silver grey.

Argenté Noir

The Argenté Noir weighs approximately . Its coat is grayish white, with deep slate blue undertones to create a silvery effect from a distance. The eyes are a distinctive bold brown. In show judging, the following are considered faults: dark or too long ears, too dark muzzle, or washy undercolour. Creamy or yellow tint is discouraged, most noticeably around the neck and cheeks. A large paunch or bony or angular frame are discouraged. Fur should not be harsh, thin, wooly or too short. Dewlaps in either sex are a serious fault. White topped or too dark exhibits are discouraged. White toenails are a minor fault.

Argenté St Hubert

Argenté Saint Hubert The Argenté St Hubert weighs approximately . Its under colour is dark blue at the base with an orange intermediate band with narrow top chestnut band. Body colour is creamy white interspersed with black guard hairs to give a creamy chestnut shade.

Champagne d'Argent (US)

The breed that is recognised by ARBA as the ''Champagne d'Argent'' is similar to the breed that is recognised by the BRC as the ''Argenté de Champagne.'' The Champagne d'Argent weighs . Color is described thus: "The surface color should be as near the color of skimmed milk, old silver (white/light gray with a slight dark grey tinge), as is possible. Fur over entire body should carry a liberal sprinkling of longer black guard hairs. It was to have a rich sheen and surface color that was uniform over the usable pelt, with no tinge of brassiness or foreign color."

Crème d'Argent (US)

The breed that is recognised by ARBA as the ''Crème d'Argent'' is similar to the breed that is recognised by the BRC as the ''Argenté Crème.'' The Crème d'Argent (much larger than the Argenté Crème) weighs . Its coat is "creamy-white in color with an orange cast carried throughout the fur of the body. The undercoat is bright orange and this color carries to the skin. The entire coat is interspersed with orange guard hairs." The Crème d'Argent's origins are in France in the mid- to late-nineteenth century, where its unusual fur was quite popular. In the 1920s and 1930s, some specimens were imported to the United States from France, Germany and England. (The first rabbits of the breed were brought to the US in 1924 or shortly before.) Although the breed struggled at first, its lovely coloration appealed to American fanciers. Today, the Crème d'Argent is a rare breed. The

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy The Livestock Conservancy, formerly known as the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and prior to that, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy, is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting rare breeds, also known as ...

, an organization devoted to breed preservation, lists the Crème d'Argent on its "Watch" list. At the time of this writing, fewer than 100 Crème d'Argents are being registered each year in the United States. Only 43 specimens were shown at the 2006 ARBA National Convention & Show.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Argente Rabbit Rabbit breeds Rabbits as pets Rabbit breeds originating in France