Dwarf and mini rex rabbit breeding.

[racheldunn1983]

If I breed my netherland dwarf mini rex rabbits will the offspring be dwarf mini rex or could they be born with normal growth gene.

 

[Bunnylady]

Mini Rex are one of the breeds that use the dwarfing gene to get the animal described in the breed standard. As with the Netherland Dwarfs, animals that meet the size requirements of the breed standard have one copy of the dwarfing gene, and one copy of the normal growth gene. If you breed two such animals together, regardless of breed, each parent can pass either the normal growth gene OR the dwarfing gene to its offspring. The offspring will wind up with either: one copy of the dwarfing gene and one of the normal growth gene; two copies of the dwarfing gene (one from each parent); or two copies of the normal growth gene. Because the dwarfing gene is a lethal gene, all rabbits that get two copies of it die within a few days of birth, so you can't breed the normal growth gene out of any breed.

All Netherland Dwarfs and Mini Rex have at least one copy of the normal growth gene. A lot have two copies; these are oversized for their breed and can't pass on the dwarfing gene because they don't have it.

If you cross a Netherland Dwarf to a Mini Rex, the offspring will have normal coats, not Rex coats, because Rex is a recessive trait and the rabbit must inherit it from both parents to have it. The babies won't be Netherland Dwarfs, they won't be Mini Rex, they will just be small cross-breds.

 

[racheldunn1983]

Thanks bumches for the info. it was helpful breeding and gene info. The thing is my rabbits are already dwarf mini rex rabbits just alike grey with the softest fur you could touch. I got them from WhiteAsh IL they are 2-3 months old. I will post a picture on my profile to see if you can tell me the correct breed because the owner may have not been correct.

 

[Bunnylady]

There is no recognized breed called a "Dwarf Mini Rex," and there probably won't ever be. A couple of years ago, someone posted some pictures here of a couple of rabbits that they were told were Mini Rex, but that looked pretty much like Netherland Dwarfs with a Rex coat. Apparently, someone is having fun making up their own breed. I don't have a problem with that - that's how new breeds come about, after all. The problem is, the ARBA standards committee has stated that they will not accept any "new" breeds that can be described as an existing breed, just with a different coat or color, so these will just be a novel project for someone. They might even gain a following, but they wouldn't ever be showable.

According to the breed standard, the Mini Rex is a small breed, with adults weighing between 3 and 4 1/2 pounds. Those are the "true dwarfs," animals that have one copy of the dwarfing gene, and one copy of the normal growth gene. Any time you breed two such animals together, some of the offspring will get the normal growth gene from both parents; these are sometimes called "false dwarfs" and typically wind up weighing 5 lbs+ as adults. False dwarfs aren't showable, but some term the females "brood does" and use them in their breeding program; they can produce appropriately sized offspring if bred to a buck that has the dwarfing gene.
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[TBaker86]

Hi!! If I breed my pedigree mini Rex Ava with my Netherland dwarf Melvin (he is not pedigree) is her pedigree still good? I do have papers for her

 

[Birds and Buns]

Her pedigree will still be valid. The kits can be partial pedigree.

 

[TBaker86]

Her pedigree will still be valid. The kits can be partial pedigree.

Great! Thank you so much