Not only is the Nutria Rex Rabbit valued for its lovely Rex coat, but, with its lovely golden color, has recently become quite rare. The Nutria Rex Rabbit is a meat rabbit, like most other domestic rabbits. Because of its golden glowing coat, it has been extremely valued by furriers for years. As a house rabbit, the Nutria Rex Rabbit is easier to care for than longhaired rabbits because of its plush-like, short coat. These docile and sweet pets are extremely lovely and are as soft as children's toy animals. Growing to about eight pounds, Nutria Rex Rabbit bucks are about a pound lighter than females. These golden rabbits have a lovely, radiant topcoat offset by an undercolor of pearl gray. Their velvety fur grows to just over half an inch, and is complimented by erect ears and adorable curly whiskers. With a broad head and strong bones of medium weight, Nutria Rex Rabbits are meaty but not overweight rabbits. Occasionally, Nutria Rex Rabbits have small dewlaps, which are permissible in show so long as they are proportional to the rest of the body. Rex Rabbits appeared in litters of rabbit kits as mutations, but until 1919, these different looking kits were killed off as mutant runts. In 1919, a French farmer named Desire Caillon experimented with breeding these Rex Rabbits and found that the type would come out in the next litter when crossed. A gentleman named Gillet shared Caillons interest and began exhibiting the Rex Rabbits, introducing them as a new class of rabbit. Since then, Nutria Rex Rabbits became extremely popular, valued in the fur trade for their soft, golden hair. Yet recently with the decline of the fur trade and the stigma attached to fur, Nutria Rex Rabbits have become relatively rare, though occasionally a Nutria Rex kit will be born as a mutation in a litter of Havana Rex Rabbits. | 
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