Belgian Hare rabbit
The Belgian Hare is a rabbit, not a hare. It was bred to look like one: long, fine-boned and arched, 6–9.5 lb, in a deep red coat ticked with black. It is a show breed for experienced keepers. It startles easily, needs a solid-floored cage at least 24 × 48 in, and is hard to breed.
- Temperament
- Active, Intelligent, Easily startled
- Cold tolerance
- Heat tolerance
- Space needed
- 8 sq ft
Is the Belgian Hare right for you?
Good fit if
- You want a show rabbit and already have experience keeping rabbits
- You can give each rabbit a solid-floored cage at least 24 × 48 in
- You can keep the rabbitry calm, with no sudden noises to startle them
Poor fit if
- You want a pet for a home with young children
- You want meat. This is a fine-boned show breed
- You're buying your first rabbit
- Your summers go above 90 °F and you can't cool the rabbits
Appearance and varieties
A Belgian Hare looks like a wild hare and is built like a racehorse: long, fine-boned and racy, carried in a full arch. Mature bucks and does weigh 6–9 lb, and ARBA's limit is 9.5 lb.
The classic colour is a deep, rich red with black ticking laid in waves through the fur. Tan-patterned hares in black, blue, chocolate and lilac are also recognised. The Livestock Conservancy notes that both the body type and the fur are lost when the breed is crossed with others.123910
Temperament and handling
This is an active, very intelligent rabbit that is always on the move. It is also more excitable than other breeds. The breed club warns that a hare startled by an unexpected noise can hurt itself badly, and that the long, fine frame makes broken backs and legs a real risk.
The Livestock Conservancy's advice is plain: not a good pet for a family with young children, and best kept by fanciers who understand its needs. The club's guide suggests making some noise before you open the barn door, and leaving a radio on so the hares get used to sound.14
Animals vary within a breed. Treat this as what to expect, not a promise, and meet the animal before you buy if you can.
Breeding
What to expect from a healthy doe. If two sources disagree, you see the full range.
| Measure | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Litter size | 4–8 kits1 | |
| Mothering | Fair16 | The Livestock Conservancy's chart calls it variable. |
| Weaning | About 8 weeks4 | One club breeder's practice. |
| Growth | Slow to mature1 |
Planning a litter? Use the rabbit gestation calculator.
Housing, feed and health
Housing
The breed club's minimum is a cage with a 24 × 48 in floor, 24 in high so the hare can stretch and leap. Breeding cages should be about 30 × 60 in. The floor should be solid, not wire, and bedded with clean straw or similar: the club says standard ½ × 1 in floor wire does not support a hare's front feet and can break toes and toenails.
Clean the cage and change all the bedding every 5 to 7 days. Ventilate without drafts. If you can smell ammonia when you walk in, the club says, either the cleaning or the ventilation is not good enough.
Adults seem to cope with cold down to 0 °F if they have deep bedding and are out of the wind and snow. Heat is the danger: above 90 °F you have to keep them cool. Does kindling in very cold weather need a warmed space, because their short coat gives them little fur to line a nest.4
Feed
Belgian Hares have no special feed needs. The breed club recommends a complete pelleted rabbit feed that you can buy consistently, and warns against overfeeding: a fat hare shows poorly and a fat doe has trouble conceiving. Its rule of thumb for an adult is about one and a half small tuna cans of pellets a day.
When you bring a hare home, ask the seller for some of the feed it is used to and change over gradually across several days.4
Health
The Livestock Conservancy does not count this among the hardiest breeds. The breed club puts most problems down to nerves: fright causes injuries, and it believes constant stress leaves a hare more open to disease. A calm, clean, well-aired rabbitry is the main protection.
The club advises keeping any new hare apart from your others for a week or two, to watch for illness and to let it settle after travel. Leave it alone during that time.
This is a starting point, not veterinary advice. If a rabbit stops eating, is injured or seems unwell, call a vet who treats rabbits, or your county extension office.14
Price and where to buy
Prices are per rabbit, read from two breeder pages on 8 October 2026. The $150 listings are for rabbits born in 2019, so that figure is old. Breeders are few, so expect to pay for transport as well.
Where to look
Start with a breeder you can visit. Nobody pays to be on this list.
| Seller or directory | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| American Belgian Hare Club breeders list | Breed club | Lists club members; the club does not endorse any breeder |
| ARBA Find a Breeder | Directory | |
| The Livestock Conservancy breeders directory | Directory | |
| Trickster Hares | Breeder | Black and tan, show quality, $250–400 |
| Miracle Rabbits Rabbitry | Breeder | Rufus; listings dated 2019 |
Budgeting for housing and feed as well? See the rabbit cost guide.
Similar breeds
| Breed | Adult weight | Litter size | Beginner | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgian Hare (this breed) | 6–9.5 lb | 4–8 kits | $150–$400 | |
| Checkered Giant | 11 lb or more |
History
The breed began with rabbits from Belgium, but British breeders made it what it is. Winter Lumb and Benjamin Greaves imported stock from Antwerp in 1873 and bred it to look like the wild English hare. Some people claimed it was a rabbit–hare cross. Lumb held that it was a rabbit, and it is.
E. M. Hughes of Albany, New York, brought the first Belgian Hares to America in 1888. Between 1898 and 1901 the country went through a Belgian Hare boom. Thousands were imported, one buck sold for $5,000 in 1900, and Los Angeles County alone had more than 60,000. Then the market flooded and a fine show animal fetched less than $25.
Heavier meat breeds took over, and by the 1940s the Belgian Hare was scarce in American showrooms. The American Belgian Hare Club was chartered in 1972. The breed club says the hare is still one of the less popular breeds, partly because it is so hard to breed.110
Common questions
Is a Belgian Hare a hare or a rabbit?
A rabbit. It is a domestic breed that was selected in England from the 1870s to look like the wild hare. Early claims that it was a rabbit–hare cross were wrong.110
Are Belgian Hares good pets?
For most homes, no. They are intelligent and active but startle easily and can injure themselves. The Livestock Conservancy says they are not a good pet for a family with young children and are best kept by experienced fanciers.14
What size cage does a Belgian Hare need?
At least 24 × 48 in of floor and 24 in of height, according to the breed club, with a solid floor bedded in straw rather than wire. Breeding cages should be about 30 × 60 in.4
What colours do Belgian Hares come in?
ARBA recognises two varieties. Rufus is the traditional deep red with wavy black ticking. Tan comes in black, blue, chocolate and lilac.91
How much does a Belgian Hare cost?
On the two breeder pages we found, show-bred hares were listed at $150 (in 2019) and $250–400. There is no price here for pet-quality stock.78
Are Belgian Hares rare?
Yes. They were the subject of a nationwide boom from 1898 to 1901 and scarce in showrooms by the 1940s. The Livestock Conservancy now lists the breed as Recovering.1
Can Belgian Hares live outside in winter?
The breed club says adults seem to cope down to 0 °F if they have deep bedding and are sheltered from wind and snow. Litters born in very cold weather need a warmed space, because the doe's short coat gives little fur for the nest.4
Sources
The small numbers beside each fact point to one of these.
- The Livestock Conservancy, Belgian Hare.
- American Rabbit Breeders Association, Belgian Hare.
- Ohio State University Extension, Ashtabula County, Study Tips for Rabbit Breeds, revised 2016 (PDF).
- American Belgian Hare Club, Breeding and Raising Hares.
- BreedBarn, Editorial rating, method on the editorial policy page.
- The Livestock Conservancy, Heritage Rabbit Breed Comparison Chart (PDF).
- Miracle Rabbits Rabbitry, For Sale.
- Trickster Hares, Sales.
- University of Illinois Extension, ARBA rabbit breed identification guide: breeds, varieties and showroom classes (PDF).
- American Belgian Hare Club, Belgian Hare History.
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