American Britannia Petite Rabbit Society
The Elite of the Fancy
Chartered with ARBA on 4-16-1990

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Britannia Petite Articles
History of the Britannia Petite

The American Britannia Petite originated in England and is known there as the Polish. When they were brought to the United States and accepted by the American Rabbit Breeders Association they were given the name Britannia Petites as there was already a recognized breed known by the name Polish. In England colored Petites have been shown with the Ruby Eyed Whites for many years. Originally, the American Rabbit Breeders Association only recognized the Ruby Eyed White, but since that time has accepted the Black Otter, Chestnut Agouti, Black, and Sable Marten.

There are 5 showable colors......Black, Black Otter, Chestnut Agouti, Ruby Eyed White & Sable Marten.

Ruby Eyed White was the original color, Warren & Wendy Pocha got the (REW) Britannia Petite accepted in ARBA in 1977.

Rene Goedderz got the following Varieties approved Black Otters in 1992, Black & Chestnut Agouti in 1995, and Sable Marten in 1997.
Many dedicated breeders are working hard to insure that the Britannia Petites become a strong influence in the rabbit world.

The Britannia Petites are a very old breed, and at one time they were near the point of extinction, but a few dedicated breeders were able to save these sprightly little rabbits from extinction. The Britannia Petites were once a much larger animal than they are now. The ideal weight of the Britannia Petite is 2 1/4 pounds, fully grown. They are one of the smallest breeds of domestic rabbits.

The Britannia Petites are sprightly upright little show offs. With patience and proper handling, a judge experienced in handling Britannia Petites should be able to get the animal to pose naturally. However, after working with them and giving them the opportunity to show themselves in an upright pose, they should only be mildly faulted if they fail to do so. Because they are an active rabbit by nature, they do not require much prodding to show off. They require a lot of handling and table training to ready them for show presentation. A commitment of time and patience is required to guide one of these lovely animals to show themselves off to their best advantage.

One of the first things you hear about the Britannia Petites is, “how pretty but aren't they mean little rabbits?”. They have earned somewhat of an unjust reputation from a few of the wild and seldom handled specimens being shown. The Britannia Petite is a naturally high strung animal that is very lively and very intelligent. Consequently, they require a patient attitude on your part to successfully work with them. A responsive and interacting relationship is a must if you want to enjoy this active little rabbit.

When the does are in heat and ready to breed, they can become very aggressive as can bucks intent on breeding.. Most new mothers are very protective of their young and resent intrusions, especially from a stranger. This is a common practice for most breeds of domestic rabbit, but the high strung nature of the Britannia Petites with their quickness and agility can sometimes require special attention in order to perform your usual cage duties. A small treat sometimes will distract the doe temporarily, allowing you to check the nest quietly and easily.

Young Britannia Petites, with careful handling and a reassuring tone of voice soon become very responsive to your wishes. They have an abundance of energy, which when redirected properly should allow you to be able to handle them without fear for your fingers. In short treat them right and you'll reap the reward of having a unique little rabbit that is awed by most who see them. Once they have become used to your handling, they may be trained to assume the show pose. This requires patience and repetitive placement for short periods every day. Praise them when they do well and soon they will eagerly perform for you.

Housing for the Britannia Petite, doesn't need to be overly large or extravagant. If kept in a cage too large, they can easily be startled, sometimes even resulting in injury. I have found the ideal size cage for Does to be 18" W X 24" D X 14" H . I keep my Bucks in cages 18" D X 18" W X 14" H...they seem to feel more secure in a smaller cage. I have found that if you can get floor wire that is 1/2" X 1/2" instead of the standard 1/2" X 1" , the baby Britannia Petites have less trouble moving around in the cage, and being so tiny I have seen them break a leg if they get startled. Some breeders use solid bottom cages, constructed of wood, but you should consider one very important factor...cage cleaning... if you use wooden bottoms you will have a lot more cleaning to do.

Feed Requirements are the same as most other domestic rabbits as quality of feed is very important. I have found they do well on rabbit pellets, oats and hay. Using 1/3 to 1/2 measuring cup of pellets a day should be adequate, and adjust it accordingly to each individual rabbit, more if it's a doe with a litter. Of course they do a little better with a variety of treats such as alfalfa cubes, shredded wheat biscuits, cheerios breakfast cereal, dry toast, carrots, green leafy vegetables. Be very careful when giving them treats as changes in their diet can cause digestive upsets. Plenty of fresh water is a mandatory requirement with any breed of rabbit.

The Britannia Petites are a fascinating little rabbit which provide an interesting challenge. Sleek and stylish, independent and alert, they are truly a "fancier's fancy", deserving the title the "Elite of the Fancy". Britannia Petites are not for everyone, but with perseverance and patience, they will reward your time and effort, providing you with an eye catching show animal. Watching this little rabbit respond to your training and handling is well worth it. It is truly a sight to see when you have a Britannia Petite hold the show pose as if it were a statue.
Britannia Petite exhibitors are a small, but select group of dedicated breeders. It is very disheartening to see the vast inconsistencies in the judging of Britannia Petites. Be it lack of knowledge or simple disregard for the standard, Petites are not being evaluated in an equitable manner. In an effort to offer a little assistance in this area, I will attempt to explain.

One considerable oversight committed in judging Petites is evident in the selection of the large, wide-hipped, heavily-boned animals. Most of these larger animals pose wonderfully, and therefore impress judges. I have seen animals of this type make the cut all the way to Best of Breed. I realize that posing is necessary for the best evaluation, but this alone should not be the determining factor in choosing a good Petite. Britannia Petites are to be as the name implies, petite. They should not be huge, non-dwarf horses with hooves, or have small pig eyes, or ears between which one could drive a truck. Large Petites are not Petites for the show room, they are culls. Neither the exhibitor nor the breed gains with the high placing of these larger, non-dwarf type animals. Rather, the breed, as a whole suffers.

Petites are a fully arched animal. The arch starts at the neck (the neck should appear as miniscule as possible--almost nonexistent) and should be a smooth continual curve from the neck to the tail base. The body, when viewed from the side, is to show a good amount of daylight, so to speak, from the belly to the table. Viewed from the top, one should see a slight taper in the body from the shoulders to the hips. This does not mean that the hips of a Petite should be wide. A well-balanced Petite is one that has a very minimal widening of the hips, not one that has hips twice the size of the shoulders. Slightly wider does not mean broad. Petites are not meat producers. Obviously it would be nice if the pin bones were well covered in flesh, but severely faulting a Petite for protruding pin bones is not appropriate. A Petite can have rough hips and still be balanced. Wide or large hipped Petites are not balanced.

The Petites head is to be wedge-shaped. This means that it should not be rounded like the head of a dwarf. A wedge could be defined as a triangular shape with an angle similar to a 1/8 to 1/4 piece of pie. One should be realistic and think of balance. A long-legged, long-eared, long-bodied animal would sport a head that is long and narrow also. Balance is the key. A well-balanced, wedge-shaped head with the addition of large bold eyes will give the proper wedge shape naturally. The eyes make up the widest part of the wedge. Proper bold Petite eyes will give a concave appearance to the middle of the forehead, resembling those of an alligator, thus the expression, “...eye like an alligator.” The eyes are very important. If the rabbit has small pig eyes, the head will not have a good wedge shape.

Petite ears, when viewed from the front, are to be held close together in an upright position. Flanges should not be visible. Ears should be held tightly together with nary any daylight visible. Ear tips are to be rounded with substantial substance, not paper thin. Ears should be set on the head in a manner that gives the appearance of balance, they should not be wide spread. They should sit upright in a very stiff stance.

A Petites front feet should be as narrow and as in-line (straight) with the legs as possible. Toes are not to flare out, nor should they present they appearance of hooves. Small narrow Petite feet are to be connected to fine boned straight front legs. The hind feet are to be in line with the body, not cow hocked. Ideally, the hind feet are to hold the body off the ground.

I will only touch base on handling and posing, as there are numerous methods, and to cover all would take too much space. First and foremost, please do not use the rabbits’ ears as a means to pose them. The ear grabbing technique only serves to make most Britannia Petites crouch down, and certainty prompts them to pull away and refuse to hold their ears upright. After one has the animal posed, it is permissible and sometimes helpful to stoke or tap the ears on the back side. However, unless one feels confident that one knows how to do this, it is better to leave the ears alone. There is another important item to be mentioned in a discussion of Petite judging. Petites are not to run on the table. Petite breeders do not spend hours training a Petite to pose and take them to a show only to have an unknowing judge run them up and down the table. A judge should be able to see if the animal has bad legs when the animal is picked up and turned over for the initial examination. Petites are not scored on their tracking abilities, the reason being that a Petite free to run wherever is a Petite out of control. They will leap in the air, sometimes jumping off the table, with absolutely no regard for their own safety. Broken legs, toes or worse can happen. Judging the Petite is more time consuming than some breeds, but when the animals are well-behaved and trained to pose, Petite judging is a pleasure, not a chore.

This article was written by me expressing my viewpoints as a breeder/exhibitor of the Britannia Petite. Only constructive criticism of this article will be accepted, non-constructive comments should be sent elsewhere.
Body type is the most important factor in the Britannia Petite breed. There is, I think, a tendency to judge Britannia Petites as if they were miniature Belgian Hares; nothing, however, could be further from the truth. A good Britannia Petite is a bit more compact in body type than a Belgian Hare, with a wedge-shaped head and a shorter, rounder ear. These two breeds should resemble each other only in their fineness of bone and their striking pose.
Britannia Petites are a full-arched breed. When properly posed, the arch should start at the base of the neck--not behind the shoulders--and continue down, in a smooth, unbroken line, to the base of the tail. The arch should not be spoiled by protruding hip or pin bones. In other words, when viewed in profile, the back should be round, like a quarter circle. The belly of the Britannia Petite should be well tucked up. This means that, when properly posed, the "line of the abdomen" should start where the front legs join the body and form another smaller quarter circle from the chest to the pelvis. A properly posed Britannia Petite, when viewed from the front, should display a somewhat narrow chest that broadens gradually down the flanks to a well-rounded hindquarter. A good Britannia Petite should NOT be undercut, and this is a very prominent breed fault that is seldom commented on.
Eyes carry 15 points, and so are the second most important factor when judging a Britannia Petite. The eyes should be round and VERY bold, almost to the point where they seem to bulge right out of the head. Many of the whites that I have judged are much too pale in eye color. Their eyes should be a deep ruby-red all over, not pale pink.
Head, ears, and feet and legs carry 10 points each. The head of a good Britannia Petite should be wedge-shaped! When judging Britannia Petites, be sure to note the length of the head between the eyes and the nose. Many Britannia Petites are too long in head and too snipey through the muzzle. A wedge-shaped head is a bit short and nicely tapered. It should not resemble that of a Netherland Dwarf, but should have enough width between the eyes and through the muzzle to give it a more balanced look.
The ears should balance with the head, body, and legs. The tips of the ears should be nicely rounded, not pointed. Remember that pointed tips can make the ears look longer than they actually are. The ears should not be paper-thin; rather, they should have some substance to them. They should be well set on top of the head and should have a strong ear base. The ears should touch all the way up from the ear base to the tip of the ear. There should be no scissoring at the tips and no bowing! This will only be achieved if the ears are of the correct shape and substance. The ARBA Standard of Perfection calls for the ears to be well-furred. This means that if you are judging a ruby-eyed white, the ears will be white, not pink. Ears poorly covered with fur are a fault, and a very common one at that.
The feet and legs of the Britannia Petite are to be STRAIGHT, SLENDER, and FINE-BONED. This holds true for the hind feet as well as the front feet. If the hind feet appear to be splayed outward, then the animal is either undercut or improperly posed. The front legs should be perfectly straight; they should not bow AT ALL, but especially at the ankle. Be sure to stand back and evaluate the animal's straightness of limb both from the front and in profile. The front legs should be fine in bone. Many times, they are not. On a good Britannia Petite, the front feet will be nearly indistinguishable from the front leg. This is as it should be. These animals display proper bone and straightness of leg. A Britannia Petite should NOT appear to be wearing cowboy boots on its front feet.
Fur is worth 15 points. The fur of the Britannia Petite is "to be sleek and smooth in
appearance." It will only appear this way if it is SHORT, about 1/2 inch in length. It should be very dense and somewhat fine in texture. A longer guard hair will give the coat a harsher texture. This is very undesirable. A good Britannia Petite coat will display a quick, snappy flyback; a rollback coat is a disqualification.
Condition is worth 5 points. Britannia Petites should feel solid when handled and should be firm in flesh. Although slender by nature, a good Britannia Petite will appear to "feel"
well-muscled. Protruding bones and soft, flabby flesh will do nothing for the physical
appearance of this striking little rabbit.
Note: Portions of this article were taken from the "Britannia Petite Rabbit Fanciers" official guidebook and a very good standard analysis written by Ron Doughty and Ed Slater.


 Posing the Britannia Petite
by Scott Wiebensohn, ARBA Judge

In my years of showing Brits, I have seen a variety of approaches on how to handle these active animals. Although some of the most unique strategies have come from judges. I have seen everything from a compact pose, similar to that of the Netherland Dwarf to dangling them from the tips of their ears. Also, such comments as “Sharp Teeth” or “Excellent Jumper” are not that infrequent and do not bother me, but like any other breed that is supposed to be posed, whether flat on the table or up on its feet, an exhibitor should become dissatisfied with the judge’s opinion when their animal is not properly posed. In this article, I will help you become more confident and knowledgeable in posing and handling these sprightly two-pound rabbits.
First off, a judge has to realize that Brits are extremely intelligent and genetically high-strung animals that have a lot of energy to burn. Knowing this, it is also essential to understand the ideal type the Standard of Perfection describes for Brits. Even though they are described at times as miniature Belgian Hares, nothing could come farther from the truth. As a full-arched breed, when properly posed and viewed from the side, a straight continuous line should be formed from the top of the ears, through the head and chest, and down through the front legs. A Brit should pose with its forefeet fully extended on the tips of the toes. The topline is to resemble a quarter circle and should not spoiled by flat shoulders or protruding pin bones. Their belly is to be well tucked up and reveal plenty of daylight. In ideal position, the distance between the front feet and the hind feet should not exceed two inches, otherwise the animal is being stretched out and essentially distorting the topline. A Brit can never be posed too high or never have too much extension of limb. Please remember, a Brit should be posed with its hindquarters resting just slightly off of the table. When you strictly focus on these aspects, their body type can be compared to the lower case ‘h’. A properly posed Brit, when viewed from the front, should display a somewhat narrow chest that gradually broadens down the flanks into a well-rounded hindquarter. On the contrary, an incorrectly posed Brit will distort the assets of a great animal and may even improve the characteristics of a poor example of the breed. So be on the look out for undercut and pinched animals as it is a highly missed and a very prominent breed fault. All in all, the overlying theme involved when judging rabbits, especially Brits is the phrase properly posed.
Due to the irregularity of this breed at shows, a judge should not be faulted for at times being unfamiliar in handling the breed. Being an educator, I know that one of the best ways to learn about a breed is by getting your hands on them and often. Since most judges do not raise them, the breeders have to be the educators and each judge should take advantage of these opportunities by utilizing their animals as hands-on resources. Many exhibitors would be more than willing to spend time after judging or on an off day to further educate a judge about this breed they adore.
Since Brits are posed by many different methods, you as a judge have to be able to be versatile and patient with each animal to find out which method each animal reacts to best. There are three main types of posing that are popular with Brit breeders, although, some are safer than others. Two of which are described and illustrated in the standard.
The first, safest and preferred method is called the shoulder lift. Begin by having the Brit’s side facing you. Then place your dominant hand just behind and under the shoulders. If you are doing this correctly you will be able to manipulate the Brit’s front limbs with your thumb and forefinger as if you were its marionette. Make sure you have a light, but controlling grip, so that the animal does not back up or slide out. You can even use your free hand to keep them from flying off the table. Now lightly and gently start raising the Brit’s forequarter until the front legs are fully extended and in line with the eye and ear. Be sure to loosen and lighten your grip with each positive reaction to the lift. Finish the pose by making sure the animal’s ears meet all the way up. Brits generally like their backs to be stoked and this combined with gentle persuasion to lift their front legs into the required position helps to reassure and relax them. This method works excellent for animals that have been worked with a great deal. More experienced judges may even use their free hand to pose another animal in this same manner allowing them to evaluate both specimens simultaneously.
The second, a more controlling pose is called the chin lift. Start off with the animal facing you. Place your hand over the Brit’s back and your thumb under its chin. You should place your free hand on the hindquarters to prevent the Brit from backing up. Begin raising the forequarter of the animal off the table with your thumb until the front legs are fully extended and form a straight line with the eye and ear. If the Brit continually tries to move backwards try lightly tapping its rear end with your fingers. Because of the control this method provides you, it tends to work well with temperamental or young animals.
The third, commonly seen, but less effective on the inexperienced Brit is called the praying lift. Begin with the animal facing you and cup your hands around the animal as if you were praying. With your thumbs extended begin lightly raising the forequarter of the animal off the table with your palms in a rolling motion until the front legs are fully extended and create a continuous line with the eye and ear. An alternative option will be to nudge the sides of the animal with the ball of each hand into position. Some of the animals will strike up into the pose, while others will need a lot more prompting. It might also help to press your abdomen towards the animal, as it will typically cause them to want to back up. Since you have control of the Brit it will not back up, but instead strike a pose. The main downfall is your wrists are easy targets for nibbling from those assertive Brits. I have even seen a few animals jump straight up, right into the judge’s face, so beware that this can happen. I must note that I have exhibited under judges whom have mastered this method of handling and it is quite beneficial not only for the judge and animals, but also those observing the judge.
Are you still a little unsure? This next section is aimed to help prevent mistakes or reoccurring problems and simply give advice. When Brits are called to your table you have to remember to be patient. As stated before these little guys can be temperamental, but it has been my experience that they do behave at shows, for the most part. Try not to make any sudden movements and be sure to use a softer voice when judging them. Make note of where the animal is at all times and more importantly where your hands are in relation to this animal. Again, it is recommended that you use a controlling, yet gentle touch when handling them. As stated in the standard, Brits should never be allowed to run free and most of all never be pushed down on the table. If forced down you have most likely ruined your chances of getting them to pose. Also, do not use their ears as a means to make them pose. If this actually worked it would be written in the standard. If you happen to become frustrated with an animal or vice versa and have other Brits to judge, place it in one of the holding coops and come back to it. For the novice judge this allows them to watch the Brits show off their extension in a more comfortable setting. Brits tend to pose best when they are a little on edge. To get a Brit to stick its pose, simply apply a little bit of pressure with your fingers at the base of its ears while in pose. Then gently stroke the back of the ears in an upward motion to put the ears into position and to calm the animal. You can also run your thumb along their jaw line, but be aware not to touch their whiskers as this may disrupt their pose. On an ending note, be aware that after working with them and giving them the opportunity to pose, they should only be mildly faulted if they fail to do so, just like any other posed breed. Brits are not circus animals and only need to hold the fully upright position for a couple seconds.
Although these are just a few pointers from a breeder’s perspective, I truly believe that with patience and proper handling, a judge with little prompting should be able to get a trained Brit to pose naturally. Brits are natural showmen and when encouraged to sit up generally do so. Brits are fairly easy to judge. Typically the breeder will spend more time working with their better animals. Thus then, these animals should pose with little to no assistance. Now this is not always the norm, but generally an exhibitor will enter their best animals that are not only in coat, but also pose readily. Very few breeds when put on the table can stop an onlooker in their tracks. The Britannia Petite is one such breed, but sadly in contrast has a poor reputation in the rabbit world. I have complete confidence that if you truly respect the breed and practice when you have the opportunity, you will do a great job.

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