Hotzcatz, that white mark reminds me a lot of the little white marks only on the head that silverfox sometimes carry, save for that nose snip. Similar to the one baby cottontails have and outgrow. There are other white marking genes besides vienna, and I suspect this is one of them, but can't prove it. My hunch is that buns will mostly outgrow them as they age. it could be tested by crossing them together to see if they throw blue eyed white rabbits.
The only thing that makes me suspect more than one copy of steel in the father is the absence of any clean agouti, of either color, in the litter.
More test breeding would be necessary to prove that one way or another.
I don't see any opals, and there are no chestnuts. The ears on the younger ones are a dead give away, though it gets harder to tell as they age. If they are free of steel, the ears and bellies on young kits are very obviously white and not cream.
Dad could still be self, self with one copy of steel, self with two, agouti with two copies of steel, or possibly, agouti with non extension and steel. With one copy of non extension, he would only have 50% chance of passing it on, so not every kit of his would get it.
If your doe is a clean agouti, none of your kits can be super steel (because steel always shows on agouti, if she doesn't show it, she has none to give.) But, I'm suspecting your doe a to be lightly effected steel instead of a chestnut, as she came from the same sire. If she is a true chestnut, then your buck can only possibly carry one copy of steel.
__________ Sat Jun 20, 2020 8:49 pm __________
The difference between opal and blue gold tipped steel is usually apparent in the belly on older kits. The creamy (not white!) belly here shows that rabbit is a blue steel. Some steels have all the way blue bellies and almost no agouti marks at all, but no steel has the full agouti pattern.
[album]2178[/album]
This opal has no steel, see that pretty white belly?
[album]2927[/album]
These two are both gold tipped steels , showing some of the variety steel can produce. One looked black as a kit and took a long time to show ticking, the other one was an obvious steel as a kit but grow up to look almost-chestnut agouti.
[album]2379[/album]
[album]2378[/album]
I wish I had more of my old pics! I hope this clears up some of the confusion, a little. <br /><br /> __________ Sat Jun 20, 2020 10:50 pm __________ <br /><br /> I wouldn't strain your eyes trying to tell a self from a sneaky steel. Either it's apparent, or it isn't. :lol:
