Are My New Zealand Rabbits purebred?

[AsleepGoat9599]

I purchased a white New Zealand rabbit. I had no intentions of breeding/babies/anything like that. She started acting really shy and moody. I don't really have much experience with rabbits/breeding, so i just thought it was normal behaviour. I looked into the behaviors online and found out pregnant rabbits behave that way. About a week later, I purchased a red New Zealand rabbit from the same person. I found out he was male. The breeder had no other males for sale, so I am almost certain he is the father of the babies.
She had her babies and I don't know if they're purebred or not because of their colors.
The female has no tattoos or markings, but the male has AB1 tattooed into his ear.

Images are attached

 

[Bunnylady]

Those are just the sort of colors one should expect to get from crossing rabbits that are the colors of the parents.

But . . . are my eyes playing tricks on me? The Red rabbit in the last picture looks like it has a Rex coat?

 

[AsleepGoat9599]

Wow! I just looked at images of the rex and that's exactly what he looks like! The lady at the market told me they are both New Zealands.

 

[Bunnylady]

Now that it's morning and I have both eyes open, both adults appear to have the Rex fur. How much do they weigh?

 

[AsleepGoat9599]

The white one weighs 5.4 pounds.
The red one weighs 6.4 pounds.
The babies weigh 9.3, 7.8, and 6.8 ounces. They were born July 17th.

 

[Bunnylady]

The New Zealand is a rabbit with normal fur, with an adult weight between 9 and 12 lbs.

These rabbits appear to have the Rex coat type. There are two breeds (well, three, if you count the Velveteen Lop) that have the Rex coat: the standard Rex, and the Mini Rex. Standard Rex are a meat-type breed, and weigh in the 8 - 10 lb range at maturity. Mini Rex are a dwarf breed, and ideally weigh 3-4 lbs. Your rabbits fall between the two weight ranges; they seem to be what I have heard referred to as "midi Rex;" animals that have the Rex coat, but don't fit the breed standard for either of the two recognized breeds.

Why did the woman tell you they were New Zealands? I'd prefer to think that she just didn't have a clue herself (rather than being deliberately deceptive). The Rex coat is recessive (meaning, a rabbit must inherit the gene for it from both parents in order to have the Rex coat). These rabbits might have some New Zealand in them, but it must have been a few generations back if it was there at all.

 

[AsleepGoat9599]

Wow, thank you for telling me all this. Do you know exactly what a "midi rex" is? Maybe a mix of the two? Also, I read on a website that if they're young rabbits, that they'll weigh less than normal until a certain age.