Astrex Project Update

[bucknercrestfarm]

My new zealands had astrex gene we lost all of them in a fire a few months ago but they were amazing

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Ohhhhhhh. . . smooshy bunny. . . :baby04:


P.S. We need a "mesmerized" smilie. . .

 

[trinityoaks]

Perfect, OAF!! Now who's in charge of smilies?

 

[Bad Habit]

Lol I already checked... not because I wanted to own a sheep-rabbit, or anything . Ladysown is closer than I am, for sure. Same with Dood, I believe. I can call, though, and ask if the breeder would mind an email if you wanted me to?

THAT IS SO SWEET!! But better not to. If you found out the kits were born curly, stayed curly, and looked as nice as those adults did in the pictures I'd be fussing that I couldn't cross a couple states and a province line and bring home a couple :mrgreen:
THANK YOU though!! I'm touched!

Who says you can't cross a few state and provincial lines?? All you need is a passport, and some gas money... How many people fit in your car? Maybe rent a bus, everyone chip in, and drive all the way up here, picking up RT'ers along the way??

 

[skysthelimit]

I really need a passport.

 

[DumansArk]

Laaaahve your smooshy bunny! I think you are making great progress. Can't wait for your next astrex who pops out with angora-type fur. :mrgreen:

I want to see Astrex-Angora type fur too! I found this at Rabbit_Genetics Yahoo Group:

"Re: Non-color genetics question
Posted By:
homesforallpets
Tue Nov 13, 2007 11:29 pm |
Options




>
> It is not completely clear as to how many genes are involved in the
astrex
> (wavy) coat; it is usually written 'wawa'....but there is some
indication
> that two loci may be involved. Ask me again in about five years.
>
> Book to read: Rabbit Production, 8th edition. Excellent resource.
>
> PA
>


Hmm, very interesting. Can a Satin angora carry or express the wavy
gene? My young SAs and my tort buck have wavy coats!

Kathy
Evans Rabbit Ranch"

One response in that thread had a link to this page and check out that photo:
http://www.rabbitcolors.info/int/en/ent ... de=display

If I had known my Muppet would turn woolly I'd have kept his parents and paired them again. I have a niece and a grand niece of his. (They have normal fur) I just presumed I'd be able to pair him to one of them (and many other does) to explore his fur more.

I have paired the niece & grand niece to my astrex buck. We shall see what comes of it.

__________ Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:12 pm __________

My new zealands had astrex gene we lost all of them in a fire a few months ago but they were amazing

I am so very, very sorry you had a fire

And to lose your NZs...astrex ones at that!

__________ Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:15 pm __________

Ohhhhhhh. . . smooshy bunny. . . :baby04:

P.S. We need a "mesmerized" smilie. . .

Trinity that's awesome :laugh2: And I too love the Hypnotized smilie OAF!

__________ Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:32 pm __________

Who says you can't cross a few state and provincial lines?? All you need is a passport, and some gas money... How many people fit in your car? Maybe rent a bus, everyone chip in, and drive all the way up here, picking up RT'ers along the way??

Yes, Ladysown has lovely Astrex! OOOOOooooooh man I wish there was a big Astrex convention where everyone got a pair of stock and could work on getting curl all over, and curl that keeps. :stirpot2: <---- Imagine this smilie as a scientist with beakers and rabbit algorithms

I don't have the means to take the trip, or I would. I'd LOVE to set up a relay, dropping off rabbits and picking others up along the route.

There is a Rabbit Relay group (a couple of them) and one gal in Georgia has curly Velveteen BEW Lops (yes, BEW curlies! In Vlops!) and is looking at that breeder in Ontario. She has transport from Michigan to Convention and then down to her in GA. We just need someone to get the rabbits from the breeder and to her friend in MI.
We had one serious offer for transport availability but they wanted to charge gas plus a daily fee (they have no interest in the astrex themselves so I can understand that) and their purposed fee was nearly $2000 just for them to get the rabbits to the first relay-er. Unfortunately, that is too expensive for us to do. I put checks in with equine transporters to see if we can piggyback on a transport to save on costs, but so far, no luck there either.

I ran into the same problem last year with Helga. She can get the rabbits to Washington, which is great! But I am in Tennessee and couldn't get anyone to relay close enough for it to work.

It isn't that it won't work someday, but right now, things don't seem to be falling into place. I have a Merle Rat story though that reminds me to let things sit on the back burner for a while when the going doesn't look too good. Sometimes it all clicks together like you wouldn't believe.<br /><br />__________ Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:36 pm __________<br /><br />

I really need a passport.

Me too! I remember when we could cross the border for a day picnic and back with nothing but a wave to the border guards. We've even taken dogs over the border on a trip to visit Niagra falls once. (I was SO CLOSE if I had only known about this Ontario breeder -- and if they were raising rabbits at the time, etc ;D)

But Skys IF a way can be found to get them over the border and into MI, there is a gal from TN that is driving up to Toledo Ohio and back. Not sure where you are located but it isn't out of the realm that she could even drop a trio off to you on her way back down.

opcorn: Guess we'll see if things work out someday.

 

[skysthelimit]

I'm in Cleveland, she;d have to bend a little sideways but not a hard thing to ask. I'm only two odd hours east. I've made the Toledo run before. It's been a long time since I've been to the Falls.

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

I don't think its Ladysown that has astrex.. she has Hollands, Polish and Harlequins. This person on the Kijiji link is in between Chatam and Sarnia quite a way further past London and Exeter where she is. This place is very close to Lake St. Clair and the border. I have no idea who they are as no one in our club breeds these.They also must be descendants of Helga's lines as she has the only Astrex left in the world. The other link with the Rex Angora cross reminds me of lionheads.. they were a spontaneous mutation and I know of people who randomly and accidently got them in one of their litters from this type of cross. Which would make sense if the two genes are somewhat "co-recessive". Reminds me of some dogs with the nice mane fur and the short fur on their backs.Also must be a link there between lionheads and astrex in some way as they both demonstrate that baldness thing at some point in their development.Perhaps the mutations occur on the same locci.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Also must be a link there between lionheads and astrex in some way as they both demonstrate that baldness thing at some point in their development.Perhaps the mutations occur on the same locci.

DO YOU REALLY THINK SO???

My little side project here is breeding "Leonis Rex". I bred my Rex doe Magma, who was my wooliest kit ever, to my Lionhead Kingston. All kits had manes, so he is DM.

I kept two of the kits to breed to one another... I was just hoping for maned Rex, but maned Astrex... ***SWOON!***

 

[Bad Habit]

Well, now... That I didn't think of...

Could you imagine curly lionheads?!

 

[DumansArk]

I don't think its Ladysown that has astrex.. she has Hollands, Polish and Harlequins.

Thanks, Lauren - I was hoping she stilled raised them, shucks. She had some really nice curlies a few years ago and those curious can see her photo album at that group:


Re: [CurlyAstrexRabbits] Curly and Ben...Posted By:
ladysown
Sun Mar 14, 2010 2:34 pm
Curly and Ben were curly as youngsters.
curly bred to ben produces the curliest kits I've ever seen.
Curly bred to my tricolour buck produces curly kits.
All the kits that she produces are curly coated.

annette
"A house is not a home without a pet." ~ Anonymous

http://athomepets.blogspot.com/
http://www.freewebs.com/athomepets/

__________ Tue Jan 01, 2013 1:36 pm __________

And I know, I know; it seems like I quote Helga all the time. But her info is so interesting!


From RABBIT_GENETICS Yahoo Group:

I think the slightly longer coated animals might have been arising from Lionhead
or even crosses to another breed with the wool gene. I have not done this here
so have no such animals. But in the history of the Astrex in the UK they had a
kind of parallel long hair breed - it was called the Opossum Rex. It had a kink
in it's coat so that the last half inch lay at right angles to the rest of the
hair. That is all I know about any interaction of the Astrex genes with the
wool genes. regards, Helga<br /><br />__________ Tue Jan 01, 2013 1:44 pm __________<br /><br />Well Skys, like you said, it is indeed doable. I'll keep you posted if things move forward!

MSD have you seen the Velvet Lions? http://www.foxawayrabbits.com/velvetlions.html and http://www.freewebs.com/lilysrabbitholewarren/ and others have been working on them (and check out Lilys Astrex section of the site - adult astrex with curl. Wonder if she ever got any curly lions too? She dispersed her Astrex stock she said, but I never thought to ask her about the VLions.

I'd love to see what your magnificent Magma line with Kingston produces! Would be NEAT to see them go curly!!!

Bad Habit, I think we need to get you some curly buns too! =D

I need to make friends with people who RV everywhere. "Okay, Bad Habit is in Canada, make a stop by Skys, and don't forget to pick up here, here, and here and bring some back for ME please!" ;D

 

[MamaSheepdog]

MSD have you seen the Velvet Lions?

Yep! So I knew it was possible... but mine will be full sized versions, so hence the different designation.

I'd love to see what your magnificent Magma line with Kingston produces!

I can't wait for Gen II!

I need to make friends with people who RV everywhere.

Why didn't I think of that?!?!?!

Who here on RT is retired or soon to retire?

Quick- we need to take a collection and sponsor an RV so we have our own traveling slave- er.... Transporter !- to travel the continent picking up and delivering bunnehs!

 

[DumansArk]

Quick- we need to take a collection and sponsor an RV so we have our own traveling slave- er.... Transporter !- to travel the continent picking up and delivering bunnehs!

:clap2: LOL!

 

[rebel_gurl34]

I recently got a kinky coated kit in a litter of supposed new zealand/californian crosses. I was told the parents were new zealand/californian mix, but the mother does have a rex-ish fur. Any thoughts on what I should do with it or where I should go from here?

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Well cool!! Posting pictures would be a good start.....LOL!

 

[sommrluv]

Devon I'm the girl posting the red astrex on your FB page. I plan to keep the two sisters and breed back to their father to see what comes of it. I'm in PA, and convention is coming in October, in case you needed an excuse. LOL<br /><br />__________ Tue Feb 19, 2013 10:22 pm __________<br /><br />*Sorry, meant to say Duman

 

[Wyldrose]

This post gets me excited about my boy He defintally was a curly guy when he was 4 weeks old, he still has the waves on his neck and belly. I plan to breed him to my mini rex and then back to a couple daughters. He just can't mature fast enough!
I heard that Helga has sold her stock. I know Hoppy Acres bought some out so I'm going to see if I can get a doe from her. Sharin comes up here for a rabbit show in the spring, my mini is from her.
Maybe one day they will be a reconized breed. Like lionheads can be shown now. I think I'll get my daughter to enter ours in the youth show this spring.

 

[DumansArk]

RebelGurl & Wyldrose; I know I am late getting to this post, but COOL!

Helga still has her beautiful Astrex. She posts on the FB Astrex groups and is still offering stock to people who can arrange transport.

Were you able to get Astrex from Hoppy Acres? *crosses fingers*