Fuzzy Netherland Dwarf, just for fun

[ingers]

Posting because rabbit photos are fun and I think this tiny guy is a little marvel. The only "educational" moment here is that technically, it's called a "long hair" gene not an angora gene. He's pure netherland dwarf, all the way back, as far as I know. Some nethies carry the long-haired gene, even with no angora rabbits in their background. They can't be shown as netherland dwarfs, but man oh man, they are cute!

I'm marveling at the quality of his fur. He's 556 grams / 20 ounces and 11 weeks old. Yes, the fur mats a little. But it's not terrible, and he's very patient about being brushed. He seems to be molting a little all the time, but as a handspinner, this is great news -- it spins easily and well.

If all goes to plan, he will be a key actor in my "mini-angora" project to develop more pet-sized rabbits with quality spinning fiber.

 

[MsTemeraire]

It *is* an Angora gene - there's only one long hair gene in rabbits, so it's the same gene whether Angora, Fuzzy Lop, or Jersey Woolly. The difference is in the way they have been selected for various coat features such as length, density, undercoat and guard hairs. (The Lionhead mane gene is separate and only affects certain parts of the coat).

 

[Alaska Satin]

Posting because rabbit photos are fun and I think this tiny guy is a little marvel. The only "educational" moment here is that technically, it's a "long hair" gene not an angora gene. He's pure netherland dwarf, all the way back, as far as I know. Some nethies carry the long-haired gene, even with no angora rabbits in their background. They can't be shown as netherland dwarfs, but man oh man, they are cute!

I'm marveling at the quality of his fur. He's 556 grams / 20 ounces and 11 weeks old. Yes, the fur mats a little. But it's not terrible, and he's very patient about being brushed. He seems to be molting a little all the time, but as a handspinner, this is great news -- it spins easily and well.

If all goes to plan, he will be a key actor in my "mini-angora" project to develop more pet-sized rabbits with quality spinning fiber.

View attachment 45608View attachment 45609

Super, super cute!!!

Like @MsTemeraire says, there's only one known allele for long hair/wool, which is <l> while the allele for normal length is <L> (other than the maned gene which is different and doesn't really make a woolly rabbit). Purebred Holland Lops, and somewhat less commonly, purebred Netherland Dwarfs, pop out "fuzzies" from time to time because sometime in the mists of history an angora was crossed into them, usually to improve fur length and density - both HLs and NDs are expected to have remarkably thick fur, even more-so than most rabbits with a rollback coat. The recessive <l> can lurk undetected for a very long time, until two rabbits carrying it get together.

 

[ingers]

Oh yes! I know it's the same gene. I just meant that it's called the long-haired gene, and written with an L. (It's not really called the angora gene, though a lot of people use that term.) And yes, I know it's not the same as what causes the lionhead mane.

I did not know that there really was angora (the breed) intentionally included in the lineage for those other breeds. Good to learn something new!

 

[jaxmarblebuns]

You could potentially show it is a Jersey wooly, as long as the color and weights line up. I had a friend who bred Holland Lops and got a fuzzy and was able to show it as a AFL as that is essentially what it was.

 

[ingers]

Yep, and I might! (I also raise Jersey Woolies.) His color is a classic chestnut. Someone told me the minimum weight on senior Jersey Woolies was 2.5 pounds, but I don't see that in any ARBA guidelines.

I do see that three pounds is ideal, and he's unlikely to get that big. But even if he wouldn't win, there's the chance of getting good feedback from judges on his best traits (as a JW) and ideas about the characteristics a good mate would have (among Jersey Woolies) to result in kits that are close to the SOP.

Even though I'm not really raising for show, I think breed standards are super useful. I also love watching show judges judge. It's always cool to watch people who are really skilled do what they do well.

 

[Alaska Satin]

Yep, and I might! (I also raise Jersey Woolies.) His color is a classic chestnut. Someone told me the minimum weight on senior Jersey Woolies was 2.5 pounds, but I don't see that in any ARBA guidelines.

I do see that three pounds is ideal, and he's unlikely to get that big. But even if he wouldn't win, there's the chance of getting good feedback from judges on his best traits (as a JW) and ideas about the characteristics a good mate would have (among Jersey Woolies) to result in kits that are close to the SOP.

Even though I'm not really raising for show, I think breed standards are super useful. I also love watching show judges judge. It's always cool to watch people who are really skilled do what they do well.

The ARBA SOP for the Jersey Wooly specifies "not over 3-1/2 pounds" for senior bucks and does, with an ideal weight of 3 pounds.

Showing a fuzzy ND as a Jersey Wooly can be unsatisfying for both judge and exhibitor; you might find that many judges may call you out if you show a fuzzy ND as a Jersey Wooly - they've seen it before. There is a subtle but significant difference in the type and pose of each breed. On a Jersey Wooly, the high head mount also calls for the head to be set "close to the shoulders," and the body is to rise slightly from the shoulder. This is different from the ND where the topline should start immediately after the head, with no dip at the shoulder. A ND will naturally pose with its head high, while a typey HW will not be posed with its head quite so high (which can obliterate the characteristic dip at the shoulder of a good JW). The body length is also subtly different; the ND should be quite short, while the JW wants just a bit more length.

The ears call for a slight difference, as well. JWs often carry their ears in a "V" when they relax, while NDs should carry their ears fully erect (I have found that an ear set that appears to be a "V" in a ND is usually faulted). NDs have an ideal ear length of 2" and are DQd for an ear length of over 2-1/2," while JW ears are ideally 2-1/2" long, with no maximum.

While you surely could use him with your JWs, you might find yourself with a lot of offspring that do not fit the standard of either breed very well. (I do a lot of crossbreeding myself to improve the breeds I raise, so I am definitely not totally against the practice. But you do need to be cautious about bringing in unwanted features, or losing certain important breed characteristics.)

There is certainly overlap, but a Jersey Wooly isn't just a fuzzy ND, at least not according to the standard. The same is true for Holland Lops vs Am Fuzzy Lops; they have similar differences in weights, pose, head mount (AFLs are considered a medium head mount breed) and shoulders. The ARBA Standards Committee tries pretty hard not to recognize a new breed that is just an already-recognized breed with a simple coat or color difference.

 

[ingers]

Good counsel! Yes, I caught the max weight. And I know (from the grapevine) that there's a proposal to designate a minimum weight for Jersey Woolies, maybe to prevent people from showing (and occasionally winning) with fuzzy NDs. I agree with all that you wrote, but I know of people who have won showing a fuzzy ND as a JW.

Still, in general, I'm all for sticking with a purebred line when you're breeding for show. I'm really not trying to suggest "getting away" with something.

Meanwhile, my projects are solidly in the camp that ARBA would not recognize. My fictional stardards are like "french angora but smaller and more compact." No way would that get approved, nor should it. But it's ok, they're still great bunnies.