He really, REALLY works!

[DumansArk]

Remember Muppet? That krimpy, fuzzy little cutie surprise I had in the nestbox a while back?

He has grown into this:


**He's the big broken black one. The little one is his son!

During the heat last year, he was sterile. Poor guy! But once the weather cooled, he sure made up for lost time. He enjoyed much test-breeding. I paired him with several does as I wanted to know more about this fur he has (neither of his parents had long fur, nor his grandparents)

Now I am getting to enjoy all his adorable offspring, and I wanted to share them here. So grab some popcorn and prepare yourselves for some PICTURES! opcorn:

Here is his litter from an in-breeding (the Dam is his half sister, MGDS. they share the same Astrex father and they share a Grandmother on their maternal side)



Out of this litter, a few kits are VERY krimpy, just like dad! Yay!


Above: about 14 days old


Above: six weeks old


Above: 6 weeks old, harlie colored kit









The fuzzy kits on the right are from MGDS. The plushy but short furred kits are also out of Muppet and an Astrex doe. They haven't shown a hint of curl or krimp at all. Very interesting!

And a close up of that hilarious face on the baby far left:



He is such a cutie!




And the 3rd litter is the result of much wooing on Muppet's part. Gypsy, my extremely reluctant English Lop, FINALLY gave in, and yesterday she kindled the most adorable litter! There is a super marked Harlie, a GORGEOUS broken black, but so far I can't tell what else. (Some brokens, maybe another harlie? We shall see!)



So thanks again all who discussed & helped regarding Muppet's fertility issues. :clap: :mbounce: I am so glad it wasn't an issue in the cool months! :mrgreen:

 

[Star]

Their cute what breed of rabbit are they?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Give that boy a cigar! Er- carrot... oh, wait! I see one in the bottom left corner of the top pic. I should have known you'd have that covered!

What adorable babies- I'm so glad that his equipment is in working order after all.

You are right about the face on that one little bun- there is something comical about it, but I can't put my finger on just why. I vote keeper or pet home for that one!

You can always airship it to me. ilot:

 

[MaggieJ]

Wow! Very cool youngsters, just like dear old dad!

 

[DumansArk]

Thanks Star! These are mutts.

Muppet came from an Astrex x Mutt pairing, and on the Mutt side her mother was a Heinz 57 mutt too. She was a BIG, shiny broken blue sweetheart.

That Muppet turned out to have long hair was a real surprise, but he is the product of inbreeding and that tends to bring things out of the pedigree. After seeing the recent Angora thread, I am wondering if he has French Angora in there somewhere. It would explain the 'krimpy' fur.

__________ Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:11 pm __________

MSD: Yes Muppet is enjoying all his treats and the extra attention. He is such a cool guy.
Boy I am glad everything "works" too
And you were supposed to wrangle an RV to start a RabbitTalk Bunny Railroad to send buns to and fro... I am impatiently waiting for that to work out <br /><br />__________ Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:13 pm __________<br /><br />

Wow! Very cool youngsters, just like dear old dad!

Thank you, Maggie!! Yes, they remind me of him so much - it is so cool!! I am really glad too that they are all as calm as he is too. SO refreshing after those mean little mini lops I looked after.

 

[coffeenutdesigns]

I love the coats on those babies. So cool. They look like furry pillows.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

That baby is SO cute! Makes me think of this...."I mustache you a question...but I will shave it for later!" ldtimer:

 

[Star]

Thanks Star! These are mutts.

Muppet came from an Astrex x Mutt pairing, and on the Mutt side her mother was a Heinz 57 mutt too. She was a BIG, shiny broken blue sweetheart.

That Muppet turned out to have long hair was a real surprise, but he is the product of inbreeding and that tends to bring things out of the pedigree. After seeing the recent Angora thread, I am wondering if he has French Angora in there somewhere. It would explain the 'krimpy' fur.

__________ Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:11 pm __________

MSD: Yes Muppet is enjoying all his treats and the extra attention. He is such a cool guy.
Boy I am glad everything "works" too
And you were supposed to wrangle an RV to start a RabbitTalk Bunny Railroad to send buns to and fro... I am impatiently waiting for that to work out

__________ Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:13 pm __________

Wow! Very cool youngsters, just like dear old dad!

Thank you, Maggie!! Yes, they remind me of him so much - it is so cool!! I am really glad too that they are all as calm as he is too. SO refreshing after those mean little mini lops I looked after.

Oh cool ^^ If I could I would get one of those little bunnies

 

[Marinea]

*falls over from the cuteness of those buns*

I just wanna run my fingers through that fur. Entirely too adorable.

 

[skysthelimit]

What are your next breeding plans? I am waiting to see some more curly coat pictures

 

[Heritage Homestead]

Wow! They are so adorable!

 

[DumansArk]

Thanks Heritage Homestead!!


And Marinea they are soooo soft! It is a good thing they like being pet

Star, your positive attitude towards mutts (an attitude shared by so many others on RT) is why I love this place. On other forums, boards, FB, etc you've got Show People, Rescue People, and Pet People and most loathe breeders who breed mutts. Sigh. Some of my favorite rabbits have been total mutt-mysteries.
Yet RT has Show, Rescue, and Pet People and if they don't care for the practice at least they don't attack; :thankyou: RT!

That baby is SO cute! Makes me think of this...."I mustache you a question...but I will shave it for later!" ldtimer:

HA HA HA!!! :lol: Perhaps his name should be "Handlebar" or "Goatee"!


CoffeeNutDesigns: I can't wait to see what they turn into as adults. Big furry, huggable pillows would be welcome by me

What are your next breeding plans? I am waiting to see some more curly coat pictures

Yay! I love to share curly pictures & plans!!

Here are junior Astrex does that were born in January. (the grumpy looking girl is just miffed I put her back in place. She is actually the sweetest out of the group, but she wanders out of shots like crazy




Here she is ready to make a break for it:






This is a closeup of the fur on the black kit. That ripple by the shoulder is strong curl that stays like that even if you brush your finger over it. The kit on the right has, as Skye once described, very "open" fur, that has no staying curl at all. Out of them, I like her coat the least. Will she be curly as an adult? Time will tell, and hopefully I'll get plenty of pictures to keep as a journal.


Another comparison photo:




Really nice curl on the shoulders of these two. The kit that appears less curly actually has a curly spot on one side of her belly. Interesting. It makes me think of Cavies and breeding for the proper number/coverage of the rosette patterns in the Abyssinian variety. It took years of selective breeding to achieve.



I am glad I have the space to keep all of these girls. I can't wait to see how they grow out. The blue had the best ripples as a kit. Now as a 4 month old, she still has a lot of curl over her whole body.











With flash:


__________ Fri Apr 12, 2013 7:11 pm __________

Plans: I am in the "hurry up and wait" stage of the game, and looking forward to what these does turn out to look like.

Their sire is not really that curly as an adult (his fur curls softly over at the tips of the hair shafts, but my goal is to get big beautiful RIPPLES and waves of curl) but I could use him with them.

I also have a son from Sovereigns Not Mine - I will load up photos of Not Mine in a bit as she just started moulting and WOW she is getting curl! I never thought it'd happen
It gives me hope that her son will show some adult curl too.<br /><br />__________ Fri Apr 12, 2013 7:13 pm __________<br /><br />There is a breeder not far from me that has a chocolate mini rex buck that "has some Astrex characteristics". Deep ripples were described. I am intrigued! I LOVE chocolate MRs, and one with Astrex fur...MMMMmm! I hope to go see and get pictures and bring home offspring someday