What Rabbits Do You Have? Show Off Your Rabbits Here!

[AussieGirl]

I have a question for the more experienced rabbit breeders here. If I were to breed my Fuzzy lop to a Holland lop,ould the kits be considered a mix breed?

 

[Bunnylady]

Simple answer - yes, they would. Since the American Fuzzy Lop is basically a Holland with long hair, the kits might look like Hollands, but they would technically be considered mixed breeds. They would not be eligible for registration. If the parents were registered, the ARBA would know that the animals were registered as belonging to two different breeds.

 

[AussieGirl]

Simple answer - yes, they would. Since the American Fuzzy Lop is basically a Holland with long hair, the kits might look like Hollands, but they would technically be considered mixed breeds. They would not be eligible for registration. If the parents were registered, the ARBA would know that the animals were registered as belonging to two different breeds.

Oops my bad guess I shoulda mentioned that both parents are Holland Lops but one of the parents carried the fuzzy gene. At least thats what the breeder said.

 

[Bunnylady]

The breeder was incorrect, both parents carry the fuzzy gene. The gene for angora hair is recessive; both parents have to have it for any of the offspring to have wool.

What you have is a cute little "whoops". Because it has long hair, it isn't a Holland, so the pedigree is essentially void. You could lie about it, and pretend that your Fuzzy had normal hair, which may well be what someone else has done a generation or two back. It's surprising how long a Fuzzy gene can lie hidden - I had a doe that threw a couple of Fuzzies when bred to one particular buck (the breeder of the buck had a somewhat shady reputation, so she may have done a HL/AF cross herself). This doe was at least the 5th generation that I had bred myself - no telling where that fuzzy gene had come from.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Simple answer - yes, they would. Since the American Fuzzy Lop is basically a Holland with long hair, the kits might look like Hollands, but they would technically be considered mixed breeds. They would not be eligible for registration. If the parents were registered, the ARBA would know that the animals were registered as belonging to two different breeds.

Agreed

 

[AussieGirl]

The breeder was incorrect, both parents carry the fuzzy gene. The gene for angora hair is recessive; both parents have to have it for any of the offspring to have wool.

What you have is a cute little "whoops". Because it has long hair, it isn't a Holland, so the pedigree is essentially void. You could lie about it, and pretend that your Fuzzy had normal hair, which may well be what someone else has done a generation or two back. It's surprising how long a Fuzzy gene can lie hidden - I had a doe that threw a couple of Fuzzies when bred to one particular buck (the breeder of the buck had a somewhat shady reputation, so she may have done a HL/AF cross herself). This doe was at least the 5th generation that I had bred myself - no telling where that fuzzy gene had come from.

I really appreciate the info you have given me so basically what I have a mutt rabbit so to speak correct?Well there goes my hopes of showing and I thought I had done enough research on lops too. Oh well,I still love Sugar and I wont breed him period now.

 

[windzbreezy]

i have a mini lop her name is bubby, she is the best! she plays soccer with a basketball and and stay in my yard all summer long.

 

[Bunnylady]

I really appreciate the info you have given me so basically what I have a mutt rabbit so to speak correct?Well there goes my hopes of showing and I thought I had done enough research on lops too. Oh well,I still love Sugar and I wont breed him period now.

Welllll, that's not quite the situation, either. You can still show him - as a Fuzzy Lop. They don't check pedigrees at shows. I had a very nice Harlequin buck that I bought without the pedigree; the breeder was supposed to send it to me later and never did (long story). One of the best Harlies I ever had was his granddaughter. She won 3 Grand Champion legs (one BOB) but she couldn't be registered, because her pedigree was incomplete. She won the legs because she was an excellent example of her breed, the missing ancestors only meant that I couldn't register her, so she could never be officially recognized as a Grand Champion. (I stopped showing her after leg #3, I've never seen the point of just collecting legs beyond that).

What you have is something that in some horse breeds is referred to as a "crop-out". That's an animal that shows some characteristic that makes it ineligible for registration as that breed. (The Paint Horse registration was created for Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds that had too much white on them to be registered as QH's and TB's.) In a way, the false dwarf animals of the dwarf breeds could be considered crop-outs, because they are too big for registration. The difference with them, though, is that they are still recognized as the same breed, as are the unshowable true dwarfs that have a couple of white toes, or a snip of white on the nose, that sort of thing.

The Jersey Wooly started out as basically a Netherland Dwarf with long hair. It has since moved away in type from the Dwarf just enough, that the two breeds are similar, but not identical if you look beyond the fluff. I have known people who insist that there are physical differences between the AF and the HL now, though I don't know the AF well enough to know whether or not that is true. I breed Jersey Woolies, and I know that in the Wooly, there are good coats and bad coats; some of them have really bad coats! Like I said, I don't know the AF very well, so I've no idea how this would work for them, but I suspect it may be similar. Without a coat to look at, you can't be sure whether the genes that create the good coat are travelling with the gene that creates the longer hair.You could get an animal with long hair, but either the length isn't up to standard, or the texture is off - I have seen both in Woolies (sometimes on the same animal!)

.

If you do breed your little guy, in the spirit of full disclosure, you need to indicate on the pedigree that he's a Fuzzy, and indicate that his parents are Hollands. That way, anyone breeding further down the line knows what they are dealing with. Just as a side note, the ARBA standards committee enacted a rule a few years ago, that stated that they would not even consider a new breed that could be described as an existing breed with a different coat, largely to avoid the HL/AF situation in the future!

 

[PoultryPower]

Hey! Cool forum! I didn't have time to look through all the pages so I didn't see if this had been discussed before, but, is it now okay for rabbits to eat vegetables? I was told that rabbits shouldn't eat vegetables because they have no way of expelling gas, therefore it can kill them.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Hey! Cool forum! I didn't have time to look through all the pages so I didn't see if this had been discussed before, but, is it now okay for rabbits to eat vegetables? I was told that rabbits shouldn't eat vegetables because they have no way of expelling gas, therefore it can kill them.

This is a controversial topic. It is your own opinion. I believe rabbits should have more greens and hay in their diet than pellets, however, most people highly disagree with me. You really have to do thorough research on different types if vegetables. Some create gas, some create calcium, etc. too much calcium can clog a rabbits intestines. When a rabbit has gas, it cannot expell it, resulting in stomach pains until the gas goes away. Some vegetables are very unsafe. It requires much research. Every veggie contains different vitamins, which all need to be balanced out based on how good they are for the rabbit. Be careful with wildflowers as many are unsafe. Also, there is a myth about greens giving rabbit diarreha. This is false. A rabbit knows how much water is in its system and won't take in more liquid thn it needs. My little Polish rabbit rarely drinks from a water bottle because he gets most of his water from greens. However, greens should all be fed in moderation. They can be fed daily (I do) in small quantities. Here are some safe things that my rabbits love:
- Dandilion greens
- Kale (don't overfeed as there is a lot of calcium)
Arugula
Beet tops
Parsley (calcium)
Mint leaves
Escarole
Romaine hearts (watch with lettuce, lots of water)
Chicory
Basil
Carrot tops (calcium)
Broccoli Rabe
Broccoli tops (on occasion)
Dried oak tree leaves make a good treat. These an be obtained in the fall.
There are many more, but you must research.

Things to not feed your rabbit:
Nuts
Seeds
Beans
Most peas(except flat peas like Snow Peas)
Most wildflowers
citrus
Iceberg Lettuce
Again, there are others, but there are tons of online sites about this.

*** a note on carrots. Do NOT overfeed these. They contain high amounts of sugar. Too much sugar cause overweight rabhits and even cancer. They can be fed once or twice a week.

Fruit is always good. Not too much though due to sugar. A piece of fruit is good everyday for a rabbit.

So, I hope I cleared some things up for you. This is a rough list, buts lots if research will help you even more. Now, I have a feeling some people might diseagree with me. However, just keep in mind: rabbits are herbivores, they we're born to eat veggies not artificial pellets. I feed greens and pellets. So, if you choose to disaggree I understand why, just know that this is all real facts and opinions that even come from veterinarians.