FAQ's
 
How were Lionheads developed?  
It is believed that Lionheads were first developed in 
Belgium as a cross between a Swiss Fox and a 
Belgian Dwarf. The resulting cross was a small rabbit 
with normal fur on it's body and a longer "mane" 
of wool around it's head. This new rabbit took 
Europe by storm and has caused quite a stir here in 
the United States too.
 
 
Can I "create" a Lionhead w/o using a Lionhead 
in my breeding program?
No, you must use a Lionhead to produce a Lionhead.  
The mane gene is a true MUTATION, so in order 
to get a mane gene, one or both parents must 
have a mane gene.  
 
 
What is the difference between a Single Mane Gene 
(SMG) and a Double Mane Gene (DMG) Lionhead?
There have been two wonderful articles written about 
the mane gene by two established Lionhead breeders.  
They very much compliment each other, so I highly 
recommend reading both articles if you are 
considering getting involved in the Lionhead breed.  
The first article "Inheritance of the Mane Gene"  
was written by Brenda Lindner.  It describes in depth 
how the gene is passed from parents to offspring.   
The second article "The Mane Gene in the 
Lionhead Rabbit" was written by Gail Gibbons of 
Cimarron Rabbitry in Kansas.  It goes into depth 
about the mane gene, what each type looks like, 
and selection process.  If you still have questions, 
please feel free to contact us with
 specific questions.  
(Click on the title to be taken directly to the article)
 
 
Is it true some purebred Lionheads have no mane?
That depends on your interpretation of "purebred".  
In the sense that you can get an offspring with no mane 
out of two purebred Lionheads, then Yes, some 
"Purebred" Lionheads will have no mane.  However 
to be considered a "Lionhead" the rabbit MUST 
show the characteristics of a Lionhead...in this 
case a MANE.  So in my opinion, NO a rabbit 
with no mane...even if out of two purebred maned
 parents...would NOT be a "Lionhead".  If an offspring 
does not get at least one mane gene from one of its 
parents, they will not have a mane.  They will never 
have a mane themselves and can never pass a mane 
gene to their offspring.  This can occur when two 
Single Mane Gene Lionheads are bred together 
or where a Single Mane Gene Lionhead is bred to 
a non-maned rabbit such as in hybrid programs.  
When using a true Double Mane Gene Lionhead, 
you will never get a Non-Mane Gene offspring.   This 
is described in depth in Brenda Lindner's article on the 
Inheritance of the Mane Gene
 
 
Why do some Lionheads have full, fluffy manes 
and some thin, wispy manes?
                                  
This is something that is being worked on by all Lionhead
 breeders.  Most rabbits with fuller manes tend to be 
Double Mane Gene (DMG).  This fuller mane is what  
Lionhead breeders want, but sometimes the DMG 
Lionheads  do not lose all the wooly skirting around their
 flanks and hindquarters or their ear furnishings as is 
required by the proposed working standard.  Most rabbits
 with the thin, wispy manes tend to be Single Mane Gene
 (SMG).  These rabbits tend to show extremely well as 
juniors, but seldom hold the prominent, beautiful manes 
as a senior animal  Each breeder has a bit different 
opinion on which gene variety (SMG or DMG) we 
should be breeding for.  The common goal here though 
is to get Lionheads that have full manes and 
maintain those manes as seniors.
 
 
Which mane type should I be working with in my own herd?
 This is a question that needs to be answered by every 
breeder when they start a Lionhead breeding program.  
There are many different philosophies out there on "which 
is best".  Here at PrideLands Rabbitry we are using 
exclusively Double Mane Gene Lionheads.  This came 
about after several years of working with both mane 
types to see which possessed the qualities we were 
looking for (full, prominent manes that were maintained 
on senior animals).  After working on the breed for 
3 years, it became obvious to us that the DMG 
Lionheads were the ones that possessed these traits.  
So over the following year, we worked toward only 
using DMG Lions in our program.  Not all breeders 
agree with this philosophy, so make sure you talk 
to several breeders when looking to purchase Lionheads 
to determine which mane type is best 
for your own program.  
 
 
Is it true Lionheads also come in a Lop-Eared version?
Yes!  Lionheads are currently being worked on in England 
in a lop-eared version and also a rex-furred (velveteen) 
version.  Currently all Certificates of Development 
in the U.S. are for the erect-eared versions 
with a normal coat.   ARBA policy is not to accept 
a breed that doesn't change more than the ear carriage 
or coat variety.  Therefore, it is unlikely that either
 the Lop version or the Rex version will ever be a 
"recognized" breed with the ARBA.
 
 
What is a Sport Lionhead?
This term typically refers to a Lionhead that has a 
white mis-mark on it's body.  This mark can occur 
anywhere, but is typically on the head, nose, or front feet.  
t is typically caused by the Vienna Gene.  This is a 
gene carried by Blue-Eyed Whites.  When crossed 
with colors other than BEW, the gene causes 
white mis-marks.  It can also be hidden and not 
show up in offspring for several generations.
Sport Mismarks
 
 
Do I need get a pedigree on Lionheads that I purchase?
Several years ago, when Lionheads were still being 
imported in to the US, it was fairly common not to have 
a 3 generation pedigree accompany the rabbit at the 
time of sale.  Now though, most breeders are far 
enough along in their breeding programs that yes, 
a pedigree would be an important part in the decision 
process for purchasing a Lionhead.  It is wise to inquire 
on how much of a pedigree will be included when 
purchasing a Lionhead rabbit and whether the rabbit 
is a purebred or hybrid.
 
 
Are Lionheads good moms?
It has been our experience that they are excellent moms.  
They are easy to get pregnant and have few kindling 
problems.  They typically raise litters of 5 to 9 kits 
easily depending on the size of the doe.  Smaller 
does typically have smaller litters, although 
we've had even our small does raise 6-7 in a litter. 
 
 
What is a hybrid Lionhead?
A hybrid Lionhead is the result of crossing a 
purebred Lionhead to another breed of rabbit. 
 Probably the most common cross is the
Netherland Dwarf, but  other breeds 
have been used by people, as well.  
 
 
Why cross purebred Lionheads with other breeds?
This was a program used by many respected Lionhead 
breeders when the breed first entered the US 
several years ago.  It was used for several reasons.  
One was due to the very limited gene pool originally 
available in the US, so they were out-crossed to 
prevent excessive inbreeding of one particular line.  
The second reason is to improve type and move 
toward the proposed US standard.  Many of the 
Lionheads originally imported into the US lacked the 
body type and size to conform to the US proposed 
standard.  So many breeders chose to use other rabbit 
breeds to improve or correct these conformation traits. 
The third reason was plain and simple greed.  
Lionheads could be more rapidly reproduced when 
bred to existing rabbit programs.  It's important to make
sure if you are buying hybrid Lionheads that the 
breeder had a specific goal (besides greed) 
in mind when doing the hybriding and that the goal 
was accomplished.    There are also breeders who are 
breeding exclusively purebreds.  We totally respect both
 approaches.  Here at PrideLands we chose to use 
initially a very selective hybrid program w/ show quality
 Netherland Dwarfs to improve the type and size on our 
original English Imports.  We were very pleased with the 
results in our first two years of raising Lionheads 
and have moved forward w/ those hybrids to a program 
that is now exclusively purebred Lionheads.  
Regardless of the approach in breeding 
purebreds vs. hybrids, we all share the same goal to 
move the breed toward acceptance by ARBA.  There 
are many differences of philosophies on how to 
best accomplish this goal.  We recommend reading 
the proposed working standard and talking with 
many Lionhead breeders so that you can evaluate 
what might work best for you in your own program.  
 
What is the history of the Lionhead Presentation?
Lionheads were first presented to the ARBA by 
Arden Wetzel at the 2004 ARBA Convention & Show 
in Providence, Rhode Island.  Unfortunately, none o f the 5
 varieties passed Presentation, but Arden was allowed 
to make several valuable changes to the working 
standard which should help his attempt next year.  
 
Arden made his second attempt 
at 1st presentation of his 5 varieties at the 
2005 ARBA National Convention & Show in 
Indianapolis, Indiana.  Tort was the only variety that 
passed the presentation process.  He could not go forward 
with additional presentation attempts with his other 
4 varieties since this was his second failed attempt 
at 1st presentation.  
 
Arden's 1st attempt at second presentation of the 
Tort (Black) variety was in 2006 at the ARBA  
Convention and Show in Fort Worth, Texas.  
The presentation animals were lovely and it's obvious 
the dedication that Arden had put into this breed.  
Unfortunately the Senior doe had a white spot at 
the base of her tail which is a DQ.  All animals in 
the presentation must be free of all DQ's, 
so Arden's 1st attempt at 2nd presentation failed.   
 
Arden's 2nd attempt at his second presentation  
of theTort (Black) variety was at the 
2007 ARBA Convention and Show in Grand 
Rapids, Michigan.  Unfortunately, the presentation 
failed due to one of the Senior animals having broken 
off their teeth.  
 
Presentation rights then passed to the second
 COD holder, Gail Gibbons.  Gail made her first
 presentation at the 2008 ARBA Convention and Show 
in Louisville, Kentucky.  The only variety
to pass presentation was the Siamese Sable.   
She will make her 1st attempt at 2nd presentation
with the Siamese Sable Variety in 2009.  
She will also be allowed to present in her other
four varieties (Chestnut, REW, Sable Point, 
& Tortoise - Black) for her 2nd attempt at 
first presentation.  
 
At this time all shows MUST accept Lionhead
entries in the Siamese Sable variety.  It is up to
the discression of the show secretary whether to
allow other varieties of Lionheads to compete.
If other varieties are allowed to enter, ALL
entered varieties will compete for BOB/BOS.
 
Who are the current COD holders & 
What are the varieties on their CODs?
There are currently 8 Certificate of Developments
on file with the ARBA:
 
GAIL GIBBONS (MN) - 1st COD
Chestnut, REW, Sable Point, Siamese Sable, & Tort - Black
 
THERESA MUELLER (WA) - 2nd COD
Black, Blue, REW,  & Tort - Black
 
DAWN GUTH (OH) - 3rd COD
Black, Pointed White (all 4 varieties), REW, 
Siamese Sable, &Smoke Pearl
 
LYNNE SCHULTZ (NE) - 4th COD
Blue Point, Chestnut, Orange, Sable Point, & Tort - Blue
 
LEE NEVILLS (IN) - 5th COD
Chocolate, Tort - Chocolate, Lilac, Opal, & Seal
REGINA MAYHUGH (OH) - 6th COD
Otter ( in Black, Blue, Chocolate, & Lilac), 
Sable Marten, & Smoke Pearl Marten
 
ANITA MOORE (IN) - 7th COD
Black, Chestnut, Chocolate Agouti, Chinchilla, & Squirrel
 
KIM CROAK (PA) - 8th COD
Blue Eyed White (BEW), Chestnut, Tort - Lilac, 
Otter (Black, Blue, Chocolate, & Lilac), 
Silver Marten (Black, Blue, Chocolate, & Lilac)
 
 
 
What is the difference between a proposed working 
standard and an official working standard?
A Proposed Working Standard is a standard that is 
written by a breed sponsor which has been approved
 by the ARBA Standards Committee.  
This standard allows an individual to work on developing 
a new breed for presentation to ARBA.   
The standard may be clarified and changed upon 
agreement by the breed sponsor and the ARBA 
Standards Committee.  The Proposed Working 
Standard becomes an Official Working Standard after 
passing one presentation by the ARBA Standards 
Committee.  This standard can continue to be clarified 
and changed up on agreement by the breed sponsor 
and the Standards Committee, but it is now owned 
by the ARBA and is the only standard which will 
be accepted at ARBA shows.  
 
 
Can I show my Lionheads at rabbit shows?
YES, but they only have to accept Siamese Sable 
Lionheads, since this is the only variety which passed presentation in Kentucky in 2008.  It is up to the 
discression of the show secretary if they will 
accept additional varieties of Lionhead entries.  
Make sure you check w/ the show secretary prior 
to sending in your entry to confirm that they will be 
allowing Lionhead entries in varieties other 
than Siamese Sable.   Some regions encourage 
showing only COD colors which would currently be:  
Black, Blue, Blue Eyed White (BEW),  
Blue Point , Chestnut, Chocolate Agouti, 
Chinchilla, Chocolate, Lilac,  Opal, Orange, 
Otter (in Black, Blue, Chocolate, & Lilac), 
Pointed White (in Black, Blue, Chocolate,  & Lilac), 
REW, Sable Marten, Sable Point, Seal, Siamese Sable, 
Silver Marten (in Black, Blue, Chocolate,  & Lilac), 
Smoke Pearl, Smoke Pearl Marten,  Squirrel, 
Tort (Black), Tort (Blue), 
Tort (Chocolate) & Tort (Lilac).  
 
You will need to have a copy of the proposed 
working standard to give to the show
 secretary and the presiding judge.  Lionheads still 
cannot compete for Best in Show or earn Certificates 
of Legs toward a Grand Championship, nor can they be
Registered.  The breed must pass 3 ARBA 
presentations and be approved by the ARBA 
Standards Committee and the ARBA Board of 
Directors before it can be shown in
 competition for the Best in Show awards. 
 
 
Can I show hybrid Lionheads at rabbit shows?
Yes!  All Lionheads that meet the type traits set 
forward by the proposed and/or working standards 
can be shown.  Please note this means they must 
exhibit a "showable" mane. No mane gene rabbits could 
NOT be shown as Lionheads, since the standard 
clearly calls for a maned animal.  
 
 
What happens once the breed has passed 3 presentations?
 Once the breed has successfully passed 
3 presentations in at least one variety
then the subsequent breeders w/ 
CODs on Lionheads would have their 
Breed COD's changed to Variety COD's.  
Each subsequent COD holder would be allowed 
to present up to TWO additional varieties  
which are included on their CODs 
the following year at the ARBA Convention.  
They too would have to successfully pass 3 
presentations for new varieties to be admitted 
to the breed.
 
 
Should I only be breeding these colors?
 Our personal philosophy in our breeding program is to 
keep stock based first on mane quality, second on 
body type, then worry about color.  With a knowledge 
in color genetics, there are many colors that can be
 successfully used to achieve the goals of COD colors.  
The key is knowing your color genetics, or seeking out 
the advice of someone who does.   Our recommendation 
is to look closely at what colors you are breeding 
together.  There are definitely color combinations that 
should and should not be bred together.    Build a 
breeding program around color compatible families 
so that you have a broad base to use in your 
breeding program.

 

If you don't find the answers to your Lionhead questions 

here please feel free to contact us.  

We love visiting about this exciting new breed.

 

 

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