Brightside Woolies

Jersey Woolies were developed by Bonnie Seeley from New Jersey during the 1970’s and 80’s. In 1988 they were officially accepted by the ARBA.

Woolies are dwarf-sized rabbits, with a maximum weight of 3.5 lbs. for senior bucks and does. (The average weight is around 3 lbs.) They have a compact body type that rather resembles an “upside-down teacup” when posed correctly. Their heads are bold and rounded, with large bold eyes and a little “wool cap” just forward of the ears.

They are a wool-bearing breed. (Their wool is not generally well suited for commercial purposes, though I’ve heard it can be spun.) One major misconception about Woolies is that they require the same amount of extreme care and grooming as Angoras. In fact, the Wooly coat has an abundance of longer “guard hairs” which give it a very easy-care quality. Only juniors have a softer baby coat that may require a run-through with a brush once a week or so. We don’t usually groom our seniors until just before a show, and seldom find mats in a senior coat.

Jersey Woolies are gentle and friendly, which combined with their small size makes them an excellent choice for children to show. In my opinion they are one of the most “people-friendly” breeds I’ve seen, and most love to be petted and held. I always get a laugh at feeding time when the cage doors are open and every little head is hanging out to get scratched and acknowledged.

We have had very little trouble with breeding our Jerseys. The does are extremely good mothers, with litters ranging in size between 2 to (gasp!) 12, though such a large litter is rare. It is not uncommon to find a “peanut” (a baby which received double dwarfing genes and is abnormally small) in a Jersey litter. Such babies never live more than a few days. We have found Jersey does to be extremely tolerant to fostering other babies, and some of our does have raised foster Polish and Holland Lop kids with no problems whatsoever.

All in all we have been very pleased with our Woolies and raise them almost exclusively. They are becoming more and more popular, and we have seen the numbers in the youth classes rise dramatically in the last few years. Now we are even seeing Jersey Woolies winning “Best In Show” at many shows around the nation, which is no small feat. I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting a breed with beauty, personality, and competitive ability. Caution, though – they’re addictive!