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Joined
Jan 23, 2023
Messages
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Location
NSW Australia
Hello everyone! I live in NSW, Australia.
I got my first rabbit around 6 years ago whom I loved dearly. Sadly I didn't know about calicivirus, and lost her at less than a year old.
For a while I couldn't bear to look at a rabbit, but then had to have them again, so got a pair of does from pet shop, and they have lived in the house ever since.
However, we now have cats who have cleared all the feral rabbits from our land, so I'm thing about trying out door rabbits again, this time for meat.
Not any time very soon, as we have as many animals as we can care for in the moment, but very keen to start learning about it all!
 
Absolutely! No worries at all.

Thank you! Do they look like they are Dutch x mini lop? I have always wondered if that really was what they are.

Hmmm…I’m really not that good when it comes to the smaller breeds. They do look a little bit Dutch to me, but I’m sure some of the other breeders on here will be able to give a better opinion!
 
Thank you! Do they look like they are Dutch x mini lop? I have always wondered if that really was what they are.
Usually rabbits carrying a copy of the gene for Dutch show more or less white markings, though not always. However if your bunnies were from dutch cross parents, it's possible that neither got a copy of that gene. Both breeds come in the colors your rabbits are.

Here is a purebred lilac Dutch (two copies of the dutch gene):
Lilac Dutch.jpg
And here are some Dutch "carriers" (one copy of the dutch gene):
dutch_crossbreed.jpg1674532463589.png

In the same way, frequently rabbits that are lop crosses will have varying degrees of lopped ears, though not necessarily. Some have ears that lop over, some will have one lopped ear, some will have one or both "airplane ears" that stick straight out to the sides. Mini Lops are also fairly thick, heavy-bodied rabbits.

Here is a purebred Mini Lop, from the American Rabbit Breeders Assoc page Recognized Breeds
1674532142967.png
Here are some crossbreeds:
1674531951949.png1674531987267.pngmini lop cross.jpg
So, your rabbits don't really have any of the clues that would lead me to suspect either Dutch or Mini Lop, but they could be. When you start dealing with crossbreeds, especially over several generations, you never really know what the rabbits will look like!
 
Hello everyone! I live in NSW, Australia.
I got my first rabbit around 6 years ago whom I loved dearly. Sadly I didn't know about calicivirus, and lost her at less than a year old.
For a while I couldn't bear to look at a rabbit, but then had to have them again, so got a pair of does from pet shop, and they have lived in the house ever since.
However, we now have cats who have cleared all the feral rabbits from our land, so I'm thing about trying out door rabbits again, this time for meat.
Not any time very soon, as we have as many animals as we can care for in the moment, but very keen to start learning about it all!
My indoor outdoor cat gets along with my rabbits. They actually play together. The cat will kill and eat a wild rabbit. If she feels like working that hard. My doe showed the cat who was boss right off. Threw her down and started humping her. I was like whaaaaaat?????
 
Usually rabbits carrying a copy of the gene for Dutch show more or less white markings, though not always. However if your bunnies were from dutch cross parents, it's possible that neither got a copy of that gene. Both breeds come in the colors your rabbits are.

Here is a purebred lilac Dutch (two copies of the dutch gene):
View attachment 33961
And here are some Dutch "carriers" (one copy of the dutch gene):
View attachment 33967View attachment 33968

In the same way, frequently rabbits that are lop crosses will have varying degrees of lopped ears, though not necessarily. Some have ears that lop over, some will have one lopped ear, some will have one or both "airplane ears" that stick straight out to the sides. Mini Lops are also fairly thick, heavy-bodied rabbits.

Here is a purebred Mini Lop, from the American Rabbit Breeders Assoc page Recognized Breeds
View attachment 33966
Here are some crossbreeds:
View attachment 33963View attachment 33964View attachment 33965
So, your rabbits don't really have any of the clues that would lead me to suspect either Dutch or Mini Lop, but they could be. When you start dealing with crossbreeds, especially over several generations, you never really know what the rabbits will look like!
Thank you for this!
And I think a good mix is probably what they are, as neither of them look very much like any of the rabbits you have posted.
Parsley almost looks a bit like a Netherlands Dwarf, I have always thought,
 
Thank you for this!
And I think a good mix is probably what they are, as neither of them look very much like any of the rabbits you have posted.
Parsley almost looks a bit like a Netherlands Dwarf, I have always thought,
@RabbitsOfTheCreek has some beautiful Netherland Dwarfs - hopefully she'll post photos here.
 
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