About the breed
The blue-grey rabbit that gave its name to a gene
The Vienna Blue is a larger, robust breed with a solid blue-grey coat and matching blue-grey eyes, with no markings or pattern at all. What sets the breed apart isn't only its looks but its genetics: it carries the so-called "Vienna gene", which causes leucism — loss of coat pigment while the blue eye colour is retained. Breeders later used this same gene to develop blue-eyed white varieties in several other rabbit breeds, so the Vienna Blue holds a place in rabbit genetics history that reaches well beyond its home country.
From a Viennese railway official to an official breed
The breed was developed around 1895 by Johann Constantin Schultz, a Viennese railway official from the Hetzendorf district. His goal was a rabbit with both good meat and good fur, so he crossed the Belgian/Flemish Giant, the French Lop and a local blue breed from Lorraine. He first exhibited the rabbit in 1895 at Vienna's Prater park and published a description that same year in the magazine Kaninchenzüchter. The breed was officially recognised in 1897. Somewhat later, in 1907, fellow Viennese railway official Wilhelm Mucke used a similar process to breed the white, blue-eyed variety, followed by black (around 1925) and a grey/agouti-coloured variety.
Appearance and build
An adult Vienna Blue weighs between 3.5 and 5.25 kg, with an ideal show weight under the German standard of 4.25 to 5.25 kg, making it considerably larger than most ornamental dwarf breeds. The body is cylindrical, equally wide front and back, with upright ears in proportion to the body. The official standard does not give an exact body-length figure. The coat is short, dense and a solid blue-grey with no lighter or darker patches.
Temperament
Breeders and owners consistently describe the Vienna Blue as calm, trusting and curious, as well as robust and disease-resistant. Because of its greater body weight, lifting and carrying it needs more support than a dwarf breed would, so handling is best left to more experienced adults or older children.
Space and everyday care
Given its size, the Vienna Blue is not a breed for a cramped apartment cage — it needs a spacious indoor or outdoor enclosure with plenty of room to move, plus daily access to an even larger fenced run. The diet is hay-based, with hay available at all times, supplemented with vegetables and a modest amount of pellets scaled to its larger body mass. The short coat is low-maintenance, though more frequent brushing helps during moulting.
The breed in Croatia and the wider region
The Vienna Blue is also kept by Croatian breeders today, where it is officially overseen by the Croatian Federation of Breeders of Pigeons, Poultry, Rabbits, Birds and Guinea Pigs (HSUGPKPZ), and it appears on the Croatian Wikipedia's breed list. Whether it is formally listed with the Slovenian umbrella federation SZDGPMŽ, which otherwise oversees around 50 rabbit breeds in 87 colour varieties, could not be independently confirmed, so we do not state it as a verified fact. Internationally, the standard is set by the Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture (EE), and the breed is also recognised by the British Rabbit Council under its "Normal Fur" category.
Who the breed suits
Thanks to its calm, trusting temperament, the Vienna Blue is often recommended even to less experienced keepers — provided they can offer enough space for a larger, sturdy animal. It suits cramped flats with no option for a larger daily run less well.
Temperament
calm, trusting, curious, robust, hardy
Suitable for
confident beginners with enough space
Living environment
a spacious indoor or outdoor pen with daily run access
Grooming
hay always available, brushing during moulting, food portions scaled to its larger body
Pros & cons
Advantages
calm and trusting nature, sturdy and disease-resistant body, solid blue-grey coat needing little grooming
Things to consider
needs considerable space to be comfortable, not suited to cramped indoor cages, larger body needs more experienced handling
Notes
The breed carries the so-called "Vienna gene" for leucism, which breeders later used in other rabbit breeds too, to develop blue-eyed white varieties. It is officially overseen by the Croatian federation HSUGPKPZ; we found no confirmation of formal listing with the Slovenian umbrella federation.
