These are NOT what he said they were... so what are they? *Update Pics!*

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I breed Californian meat rabbits, very infrequently and just for our personal use. I've always heard good things about Rex's and New Zealand's and have been wanting to try them. So imagine my excitement when I found a Rex-NZ meat breeder getting out of it and GIVING away his entire set-up for free! Only two pics and they were small, but I emailed him up and sure enough he still had them. We went to go get them today and imagine my surprise when I get there. Not only are they NOT New Zealand's, but they are tiny! I can't believe he used them as meat rabbits. It's pouring rain out right now so I'll get pics and weights as soon as the rain stops. Not them exactly, but they look like this:

 

[nzpouter]

that one looks like a netherland dwarf x.... but nz x broken rex can have similar colouring...

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I thought they looked like netherland dwarfs when I saw them too!

Could the rex's or nz's be so small? I thought those were large breeds.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

there are Mini Rex rabbits. So the mix could very well be what they said, just failed to tell you that fact.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Aren't Rex's supposed to have really soft velvety fur?

These ones are no different than any other rabbit's fur.

 

[watchdogps]

They are dwarfs, or dwarf mixes. No rex. Head shape is dwarf, but ears are longer than a purebred dwarf would be. Head shape is totally wrong for rex, as is body.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

They are dwarfs, or dwarf mixes. No rex. Head shape is dwarf, but ears are longer than a purebred dwarf would be. Head shape is totally wrong for rex, as is body.

OP said that picture was an example of what his rabbits look like kinda, but not exactly. Without a pic we cannot say for sure.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Aren't Rex's supposed to have really soft velvety fur?

These ones are no different than any other rabbit's fur.

Mixed with a normal coated rabbit, Rex fur may not show up.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Good to know guys!

I'll get pics as soon as I can. Still pouring and nasty outside.

 

[Bunnylady]

This is a Mini Rex ( just not a very typey one). They average around 4 lbs. The gene causing the Rex coat is recessive, so the only way you'd see the shorter, softer coat would be if both parents were carrying it.

The standard Rex is only slightly smaller than your Cali's (ideally, 8 - 9 lbs; the Cali is 9lbs). Crossed with a NZ, the resulting offspring should be about the same size as your Cali's at maturity.

There is a breed called the Florida White that has meat rabbit type, but only weighs about 5 lbs. I suppose it's possible that the animals could be a cross between a FW to a MR, with the breeder not understanding what he had.

Some people really don't know much about rabbit breeds, but they try to identify rabbit breeds without knowing what to look for. For these sorts of people, any rabbit that has red eyes must be at least part New Zealand (whatever the size), and anything with spots must be an English Spot. If this guy was one of these, you may now know why he went out of business!