Orphaned at Birth, This Naked Rabbit Was Raised by a Chinchilla

Quick Take

• Dobbi was raised by a completely different species after birth, and that is just the beginning of his unlikely story. Meet Dobbi's unlikely origin →
• He might be the rarest animal on the planet, though there is a catch that changes everything. See how rare Dobbi is →
• Without a very specific daily routine, Dobbi wouldn't survive, and what that routine involves is not what most people would guess. Discover his survival routine →
• Dobbi's owner is now weighing a plan that could change rabbit breeds forever, but only if scientists give the green light. Explore the breeding plans →

What do Sphynx cats, skinny pigs, and American hairless terriers all have in common? They all lack hair.

While interesting-looking, none of these animals is rare. The same cannot be said for a hairless rabbit living in Russia, which has many people asking whether it is the rarest animal on the planet.

A Naked Rabbit is Rare Indeed

Rabbits are known for having soft, thick fur. One rabbit has bucked this trend and is instead naked. Consequently, he is indeed a rare rabbit.

Dobbi, the hairless White Pannon rabbit, has become an internet sensation due to his looks. The hairless, pink-skinned rabbit is the only one known in his species not to have hair. However, thanks to a controlled indoor environment, Dobbi appears to be incredibly healthy.

When Dobbi was born, he was hairless. This was not surprising, since all rabbits are hairless at birth. Dobbi even grew hair for a time. But by the time he was two weeks old, Dobbi’s fur had fallen out. This was repeated several times during his first months of life. By the time Dobbi reached adulthood and finished his last molt, he was hairless. He never regrew any hair after that and became a completely hairless rabbit.

Dobbi is also an orphan. His mother died during childbirth, and he was taken in by a chinchilla who had just had babies herself. When it became clear that Dobbi was not growing his coat properly, his owner, Galina Bazhaykina, brought Dobbi indoors, where he has lived ever since.

Are There Animals Rarer Than Dobbi?

Dobbi is rare, as he is the only White Pannon rabbit known to be born with a condition that causes his hair to fall out. However, that does not make him the rarest animal on the planet. That distinction goes to the vaquita.

With only seven to 10 vaquitas left in the world, they are considered the rarest animal. Found only in the Sea of Cortez, these small porpoises have faced the threat of extinction for decades because of illegal gillnet fishing for totoaba. It is unclear if proposed changes to fishing laws by the Mexican government will prove to be the final straw for the vaquitas’ survival or whether they will continue to astound scientists with their sheer will to live.

Whether Dobbi could become the rarest animal on the planet would depend on whether he is given his own species distinction from the White Pannon rabbit. If that happens in the future, Dobbi could potentially be the rarest animal on the planet.

Dobbi Would Not Survive in the Wild

Rabbits are very sensitive to temperature changes. Because of this, a rabbit like Dobbi, without hair, would not survive in the wild.

Rabbits can live only within a very narrow temperature range because of how they evolved. Today’s rabbits are descendants of those that lived in burrows underground. In these burrows, temperatures remained fairly stable, regardless of the outside temperature. Therefore, they typically survive only in temperatures between 50 degrees F and 70 degrees F.

Because rabbits have only a small number of sweat glands, they cannot cool themselves effectively. They cannot pant effectively either. They rely on blood flow to their ears to cool down.

In Dobbi’s case, he is more at risk of getting too cold than too warm because he lacks fur. According to Bazhaikina, Dobbi must wear custom-made sweaters to stay warm. He also has to remain in a consistent 79F climate. Consequently, Dobbi does not live outside and only goes out when the weather allows.

What Are the Plans for Dobbi?

Since coming into maturity, Dobbi has had offspring. One of those offspring, Winky, appears to have the same gene as her father, as she has become partially bald. Seeing that there is the potential for the gene to be passed from one generation to the next, Bazhaikina is considering breeding more rabbits like Dobbi.

Before purposefully breeding hairless rabbits to increase the potential of the gene becoming dominant, Bazhaikina said she plans to reproductive geneticists. If the reproductive geneticists agree it would be safe to breed more hairless rabbits, Bazhaikina may move forward. If successful, she could have a new breed of rabbit.

For now, Dobbi is the only fully bald White Pannon rabbit. Whether he will keep this title or more bald White Pannon rabbits are developed in the future remains to be seen.