American Tan Rabbit Specialty Club

The original color of the Tan rabbit was black. The first known examples of the breed date back to 1887 in Derbyshire, England. The original Tans were a good deal larger than our English type Tans of today. The Blue Tan was developed at the turn of the century and these two colors held the field until the 1920’s when the Chocolate Tan was developed. It was suspected it came about by crossing a black Tan and a chocolate Havana. It wasn't long after that the Lilac Tan came into being by blending the chocolate factor with the blue. The Tan fanciers formed the National Tan Rabbit Specialty Club and recognize all four colors in the Tan - these being Black, Blue, Chocolate and Lilac. No greater challenge can be had than working with the “Aristocrat of the Fancy”. For exquisite, beautiful color and pattern, he has no superior. The contrast of the rich, fiery tan with bright lustrous body color charms the eye of the beholder. He is a very friendly little fellow. The does mother litters of satisfactory size. A large number of offspring in each litter of Tans of fine breeding can and will compete very well on the show table. The Tan possesses a neat, compact, well-knit body. Head, ears and limbs balance with the body length and bone structure. The coat should possess a sheen designed to enhance the color and pattern.

The Tan is a hardy little rabbit and does well indoors and out. They require no special feeding and are not heavy consumers, which is a desired factor in today's high cost of feed. At the ideal weight of 4-1/2 lbs, the Tan requires average space. Mature bucks and does may be cooped in 24“ x 24” cages and do quite well. The does and litters need a 30” x 30” or 30” x 36” cage. The ideal daily feeding ration is 3 to 3-1/2 ounces of pellets and forget the greens. Although the Tan type is not that of a meat animal, the Tan produces a fleshy carcass of 2 - 2-1/2 lbs weight in a very short time. The pelts are most attractive and the black Tan is the only pelt that retains its black color and luster. Other black pelts turn a deep sepia or brown after death. The Tan rabbit falls into the medium class of fancy breeds, maturing between 4 - 6 pounds at six months of age. They are shown in four classes: senior bucks, senior does, and junior bucks and junior does. They are considered juniors up to the age of six months. The American Tan Rabbit Specialty Club (ATRSC) is a very friendly national club, chartered by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA). The club was organized to unite all Tan breeders in a closer bond of cooperation and to advance the interests of the breeder and the breed.The ATRSC is there to furnish all possible help to its members. Membership in the ATRSC includes our Guide Book and Standard, your membership identification card and a one year's subscription to our bimonthly newsletter. In addition to local, state and national shows, we have our Annual All Tan show, held somewhere in the United States. Many, many official Tan sanctioned show permits are issued each year by our club secretary and the results are handled by our Sweepstakes Chairman.

The ATRSC is the only club to offer the “Tan Triangle Award” for an outstanding member of it’s organization each year. BREEDING SUGGESTIONS: Two methods of breeding blacks are by using black to black only or by using black to blue. This can be done fairly continuously or as intermittently as every third or fifth generation. Each method has its advantages and has produced excellent offspring. Much is contingent on the quality of stock to begin with and the knowledge of the breeder. Blue to blue breeding is not encouraged as the blue Tan is already a dilute of the black and only continues to dilute the Tan color. The two methods of breeding chocolates are chocolate to chocolate or chocolate to a lilac Tan. Again, breeding two lilacs together is not encouraged for the same reasons given to the blue breeding. For the new breeder just getting started, it is a challenge. For those who are “hooked” on Tans, it is both a challenge and a never ending climb towards perfection in type and color. Many people get very excited over the attractiveness of Tans as a breed. In the same period, lots of breeders try Tans and give up after a year or two. The fact of the matter is that successful raising and showing Tans takes more than just liking them. The first requirement of raising any breed, and especially Tans, should be one of attitude. The second requirement is patience! As the saying goes, “All good things come in time” and that is more than true with Tans.

One of the most common sources of confusion among new breeders comes from trying to differentiate the lilac from the blue. A lilac is going to be a medium dove gray with a pink tint. Blues on the other hand, as the name implies, appear more blue.

 

Seeing the two varieties side by side usually helps alleviate confusion. The picture to the right shows a litter with both a lilac and a blue (as well as some blacks). The lilac appears towards the top of the picture and the blue towards the bottom. Although their color will darken as they age, in this picture the pink tint is noticeable on the lilac and the blue tint is noticable on the blue.

 

Please consult the American Rabbit Breeders Association's Standard of Perfection for a full description of the breed. It is available for purchase on the ARBA website.

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