Rabbit Pelts

"White" vs. "Natural" vs. "Dyed" vs. "Bleached"

We use the following definitions for our rabbit skins. When ordering, please ensure that you use our terminology to get the skins that you want.

White Rabbit Skins refer to rabbits that are virtually all white in color and have not been dyed or bleached. They could be referred to as Natural White because they have not been altered by dye or bleach, but we simply refer to them as White rabbit skins. If you order White skins or Natural White skins, you will get all-white skins that have not been dyed or bleached. 

Natural Mixed Color Rabbit Skins are a cross section of the colors other than all white that are found amongst domesticated rabbits, such as bunny rabbit brown, natural black, spotted, fawn, chinchilla, etc. These have not been bleached or dyed.

Dyed Rabbit Skins are skins that have been commercially dyed to a variety of different colors, such as orange, blue, red, pink, black, yellow, etc. We offer 25 different colors, including fluorescent colors. 

Bleached White Garment Grade Rabbit Skins are white skins that have been treated with bleach to brighten the skin, that is to make it whiter. 

Black Dyed Rabbit Skins are skins that have been dyed jet black using commercial dyes. Natural black rabbit skins are skins that have NOT been dyed and tend to be more of a natural, charcoal gray.

The Printed Rabbit Skins come in various animal patterns. 

Please do not hesitate to ask us if you have any other questions about the skins.

A Note On Grades

To the best of our knowledge, nearly all other importers in the United States rely on overseas tanneries to grade their skins. These firms then take the bundles of 100 skins out of the bales of 1,000 skins and ship them off to their customers. With the better grade skins, this is often possible--although we still inspect bundles at random to ensure that they meet the grade. We have found, however, that for the lower grade skins, we have to sort these again when they arrive at our warehouse in Niagara Falls, New York. When you buy skins from us, you will get consistent grading.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at 1.800.206.6544 for clarification.

Why Are There So Few Natural Colored Rabbits?

The white rabbits grow faster and larger than the mixed-color ones and are consequently favored by farmers who raise them for meat. Over time, the number of mixed natural color rabbit skins available for tanning has fallen considerably. Today, nine out of 10 rabbits processed for food are white. This means that only one rabbit in 10 is a mixed-natural color rabbit. Given that people raise the rabbits for food, the percentage of white rabbits is likely to continue to increase over time.

Why Do Rabbit Skins Often Have Yellow Edges?

The white rabbit skins in particular often turn yellow on the edges over time. It is common for many people to believe that these are urine stains from when the rabbits were in the cage. The real problem is that fat on the skins runs when the skins get warm or are stored too long. If the skins are fresh, they are usually snowy white--even in summer. It is only after they have been sitting in a hot warehouse for months, if not years, that the skins yellow. All of the rabbits that we get from our preferred tannery in Spain are fresh goods. They have usually been tanned only weeks before they are sent to us on our monthly shipment. In general, our rabbit skins will be some of the whitest ones available.

What Are The Rabbit Skins Used For?

When I first started importing rabbit skins, I was astonished at the wide variety of uses for the skins. Here is a list of things that I am aware of that the skins are used for: skins for kids to play with (go figure), doilies, jewelry displays, trim on Native American crafts (kachinas, peace pipes, mandellas, etc.), painted on the back, cut up into small pieces for fly fishing, trim plaster masks, test human and animal clippers to ensure that they are sharp enough to cut hair, cut the hair off for dubbing in the fly fishing industry, make into bags, line gloves, trim collars and cuffs on garments, fur coats for dolls, Halloween costumes, cat toys, etc., etc. If you have other uses, please let us know.

Some people put many rabbit skins together to make a throw or blanket.

While it is much easier with a fur machine, it is possible to sew rabbit skins together using regular thread and a sewing machine that has a walking foot. We recommend gift shop or higher quality skins to make blankets. The hide side on the gift shop grade and better grade skins are the same. The main difference is the CONSISTENCY of the HAIR LENGTH. The better grade skins tend to have hair that is more consistently the same length. Many people do not even notice the difference, but it is there.

For a different type of rabbit foot blanket, please see the following link: http://www.primitiveways.com/rabbit_skin_blanket.html

What is the Tanning Process

The tanning process varies from tannery to tannery. The quality of the finished process depends upon the selection of the skins, the preparation of the skins, the amount of washing with clean water, the type of salts and grease used to process the skin, the final polishing to remove "pimples" from the hide side of the skin, and the amount of time spent breaking the hide to soften the skin. Any skimping on one or more steps reduces the quality of the final skin. Here is the process used by the best tannery in Spain:

* Wash the skins two times in clean water

* Put in formaldehyde for a day and then change the water

* Tan with aluminum salts at 30 degrees celsius and add a synthetic grease

* Finish with bicarbonate soda

* Dry the skins

* Soften on a polishing wheel

* Grade the final result

To ensure quality control, Chichester is one of the few companies that re-grades all skins when they arrive in the United States and classifies them according to our consistent grades.

Testimonials

Emiliano from Switzerland writes upon receipt of the better grade rabbit skins he ordered: I've just received the skins. They are faboulous!!!
Thank u a lot!!!!! I will send u a pictures when the blanket will be finished!!!
Best regards and thank u again.

Emiliano from Switzerland writes upon receipt of the Czech rabbit skins he ordered: I've receive the furs; you're right, they are really beautiful. The fur is soft and nice ;-) When the blanket will be done I will send you a picture. (May 2013)

Francesco from Italy writes regarding the 110 clipper grade rabbits he bought: the fur is perfect. it's better than i think. It's a pleasure buy from you, all my regards.