Is this the Astrex gene?

shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
Rabbit Talk Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Rebekah Lawrence

Rebekah Lawrence

New member
Joined
May 17, 2023
Messages
3
Reaction score
3
I have some rabbits with curly/wavy fur and was wondering if they are Astrex rabbits. They are Californan/NZW/Silver Fox mutts, but some have curly fur(at least when they are young). When they are around 3-4 weeks, sometimes their fur starts thinning, and I can almost see their skin in some places. (Hairless gene?) As they get older, their fur gets thicker and straightens out, and they look just like Rex rabbits. They are also smaller than the rest of my rabbits (Californian/New Zealand White/Silver Fox). Since I'm raising for meat, I want to sell these funny bunnies, but I'd like to know if they're Astrex. Also, any suggestions about how much I should sell them for?
 
Rebekah Lawrence said:
. When they are around 3-4 weeks, sometimes their fur starts thinning, and I can almost see their skin in some places. (Hairless gene?)
Click to expand...
According to DumansArkArt - Astrex Rabbits this is not uncommon. This page will show you a variety of Astrex type coats. Can you take photos of your curly rabbits?
 
judymac said:
According to DumansArkArt - Astrex Rabbits this is not uncommon. This page will show you a variety of Astrex type coats. Can you take photos of your curly rabbits?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link! That answered a lot of my questions.
Here are some photos.
This is Rex. He is full grown and looks--well, like a Rex rabbit to me. His fur is shorter than normal furred rabbits and straighter than when he was a baby. He used to be a little more curly.
IMG-6562.JPG
This is Pepper, Rex's son. His belly is more curly than the rest of him; otherwise, he looks just like a Rex, too.
IMG-6603.JPG

Here is Cumulus, Rex and Pepper's mother. She is still a little curly.
IMG-6582.JPG
Here is Cumulus in comparison with my New Zealand White doe. (Cumulus is on the left)
Cumulus & Blossom.JPG
How do I tell if these are really Astrex rabbits?
 

Attachments

  • IMG-6546.JPG
    IMG-6546.JPG
    3.3 MB · Views: 0
  • IMG-6556.JPG
    IMG-6556.JPG
    1.8 MB · Views: 0
Some curl or wave in the coats of Rex coated rabbits is not unusual - particularly if they're not pure-bred, and often when they are young. This has largely been bred out of purebred Rex over the last century.
True Astrex is uncommon and persists into adulthood. There aren't many photos of true Astrex around but this one is a UK bred rabbit from the time when the variety was more common:
marcel waved astrex.jpg
The rippled effect seen on the hindquarters was known as "Marcel waving" and desirable in the breed.

This photo appeared on social media some years ago, and shows a 'bobbled' type of Astrex coat:
Astrex bobbly.jpg
Unfortunately I don't know anything more about this rabbit or the photo. But I have seen an Astrex with this kind of coat which was unexpectedly produced from a line of Harlequins (the breed).
 
I think your rabbits do not have the standard show Rex coat, the comparison photos of the two white rabbits shows that clearly. Love the curls on the one belly, so cute. They may indeed be the beginning someone could use to eventually breed back to a good Astrex coat, but I wouldn't say they were good Astrex coats at this point. Because Astrex with the good curl is so rare, someone might be thrilled to get a start on breeding them.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top