I've read several experiences where people cross bred new zealands and saw faster growth rates. Improving growth rates is nice but temperment is also important to me. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with crossbreeding champagne d'argent, silver fox, and/or american chinchilla with each other. They all seem to have similar weight, growth rate and temperment from my research. I'd love to hear your stories/advice. It almost seems like a crime to intentionally cross these 3 because they are more rare but I'm not really planning to sell them and I'm curious.
Crossbreeding for hybrid vigor while maintaining good temperment
- Thread starter Rexit
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you can breed anything you want to whatever you want. Breed good tempers to good tempers, breed good tempers to okay tempers, but generally I never breed anything that is out and out nasty pants to anything. I don't mind a growly doe that boxes, I do mind does that will lunge and bite intentionally without there being kits less than 4 days old. A nasty buck is immediately food. I play no games with bucks.
That's the plan. When I start my breeding program, I will be breeding for temperment as the primary trait with size coming second because I want my daughters to enjoy working with the rabbits with me.
Rabbits by Accident
Well-known member
I breed for temperament and big ears because of the heat down here. I had a doe that attacked me every time I got in her cage. I have a pet sized doe that is extremely sweet. I bred them both to the same buck. The result was the sweet rabbit has unfriendly kits and the vicious rabbit has the sweetest babies I've ever had. So I don't know what that's about maybe it skips a generation LOL
P.S. I sold the mean doe to someone who breeds for meat and didn't care. She was a great mom.
P.S. I sold the mean doe to someone who breeds for meat and didn't care. She was a great mom.
Rabbits by Accident
Well-known member
Also, did anyone see the documentary about the foxes bred for temperament in, I think, Russia?
They ended up with a group of cujo vicious foxes and a group of friendly foxes that wag their tails and were beginning to get spots. I wonder if that's a true documentary or if they finagled the data. I don't trust any studies anymore LOL
They ended up with a group of cujo vicious foxes and a group of friendly foxes that wag their tails and were beginning to get spots. I wonder if that's a true documentary or if they finagled the data. I don't trust any studies anymore LOL
Perhaps like people, having a good mom can make the children nicer.
Rabbits by Accident
Well-known member
Well before we go down that path you need to understand what I consider a good mother LOL she successfully raised nine kids. She was very strict with them, and believe me they never tried to nurse when she didn't want them to LOL so, yes in my book she was a great mom but she wasn't very nice mom LOL pretty much like me hahaha
That's about what I'd pictured. Stern but loving.
