Rabbit genetic testing interest?

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eco2pia

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I wonder how many people would be interested in rabbit genetic testing?

If we were interested, what would be the most important things to screen for?

Hidden recessive color genes like REW?

Certain genetic diseases? Which ones?

Something else?

What would people pay for this service? PCR testing for single genes is fairly simple. I could do it in my garage simple (getting the degree that gave me the skills and buying the equipment to do the tests is neither cheap or simple, but since I happwn to have the skills... How feasible is buying the equipment?)

Not all inherited traits are controlled by one gene tho. From a work/cost basis it would make sense to charge by the gene.

Does any one know of a service like this for rabbits?
 
I will read up on it and get back to this thread. I expect easy traits like REW, which are largely controlled by a single gene. Not sure about the rest, I will take a look and see what the lab community has for tools.
 
Check out UC Davis. They do a great number of tests. Disease & color. There is also Paw print which does testing as well. See what they charge & go from there.
 
Sorry, I did not explain that none do rabbits. It was a price comparison as to what they charge to what you could or should charge if people were interested.
 
Yes! I have micron testing done on my rabbit's fiber for an objective scientific analysis, it would be fabulous to be able to test for color/parentage as well. Sometimes you end up with a litter that just doesn't make sense genetically (like black agouti (chestnut) out of lynx and chocolate agouti, both of which are recessive chocolate, not dominant black. How great it would be to be able to test for the color alleles, and be sure the stock isn't carrying an unwanted recessive.

Sure wish there was a way to test for some of the less common things, like steel E(S) and harlequin e(j), Vienna vv, Silvering si, chinchilla c(chd) and sable c(chl) as well as cc albino REW, as all of these working in the background as recessives can result in faulted or disqualified colors. There are so many variables than mask as self black, like supersteel, seal, or self chin. Wouldn't it be great to be able to sort out that conundrum?

Will there ever be a way to tell why wild gray agoutis (which are now lumped in with chestnut agouti even though they have mostly steel blue fiber with chestnut tips, no real fawn middle band) are missing the fawn band? Is there a genetic that pushes the undercolor up, or the fawn off? What else could this genetic (whatever it is) affect?

Why do some rabbits have mostly white hair, with only a tip of color (snowballs)? What genetic does that? Is it a relic from red/fawn breeding, that often have white bases to their hairshaft? As I raise angoras, I would love a way to figure out what causes this and test for it (1/2-1" of color on a 5" hairshaft, in a breed that should have dark undercolor, not white).
 

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