Himalayan litter oddball

[Fluffle]

I love these little Himalayan rabbits.

I have a question for anyone with knowledge of Himalayans. I am aware of color differences in Himalayan kits when it comes to body temperature. However, this first freshening doe has a litter of 6 and one is always quite silver. It’s silver every day. Just the one, no matter where she is in the box and what day it is. Litter is 4 days old. She just doesn’t change.

Sire is blue purebred Himalayan. Doe is black purebred Himalayan.
Sire is now proven (through a different breeding) to have Steel in his genes. Knowing that he has Steel, I cannot rule out other genes not fitting with the standard aa B ch D E. I think anything is possible.
Do you think this little silver kit is something other than what a Himalayan should be?

 

[ladysown]

it got chilled. Eventually the silvering will moult out. Nothing to fret over.

 

[Fluffle]

it got chilled. Eventually the silvering will moult out. Nothing to fret over.

Thanks, I’m not fretting.
It has been quite hot all week and don’t suspect chilling here, but it is not impossible. In your experience, would you say the color (if chilled) would change back within days? I’m still proving out the genes in the sire and wouldn’t rule out other colors in this litter.

 

[Fluffle]

it got chilled. Eventually the silvering will moult out. Nothing to fret over.

Do I understand you correctly when you say she would molt out… for the color to leave.. like the fur permanently changes color therefore stays until it sheds? I’m not at all worried about the color. I’m fascinated and curious because of the buck’s genetics in there.

Now I’m so curious about he timeframe for changing back if it’s truly chilled-color.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Alaska Satin]

I love these little Himalayan rabbits.

I have a question for anyone with knowledge of Himalayans. I am aware of color differences in Himalayan kits when it comes to body temperature. However, this first freshening doe has a litter of 6 and one is always quite silver. It’s silver every day. Just the one, no matter where she is in the box and what day it is. Litter is 4 days old. She just doesn’t change.

Sire is blue purebred Himalayan. Doe is black purebred Himalayan.
Sire is now proven (through a different breeding) to have Steel in his genes. Knowing that he has Steel, I cannot rule out other genes not fitting with the standard aa B ch D E. I think anything is possible.
Do you think this little silver kit is something other than what a Himalayan should be?

View attachment 35887

It's probably just frosted as a result of getting either chilled or warm with high humidity. Possibly it's a blue point making it look silvery. You can still see that it still looks shaded or pointed:

It has been quite hot all week and don’t suspect chilling here, but it is not impossible.

There is also a chance that it got too warm rather than too cool. It's not mentioned very often, but in conditions of high humidity, either extra warm or extra cold can produce frosting. I frequently have frosted himis, although usually it is all or none in a litter, rather than just one. But it's possible that your one kit got outside of the fur blanket for a while when the others did not, or was buried way deep in a semi-wet nest when the others were on top more often.

In your experience, would you say the color (if chilled) would change back within days?

In my experience, the fur doesn't change color once it's in, rather the color of the rabbit changes as the old fur molts out ad is replaced. Kits are replacing their fur all the time so it doesn't take long for the color to adjust - it's usually a matter of weeks. Adults are not so quick to change. Different rabbits have different molt schedules; some molt once a year, some twice a year, some more or less often that either of those. But when you get an adult himi that develops smut, you have to wait for its next molt to hope to get rid of that smut.

I’m still proving out the genes in the sire and wouldn’t rule out other colors in this litter.

The only other color that might look like that would be sable, which in my experience starts out looking like a washed-out blue. However, sable, aka shaded <cchl> is supposed to be dominant to himi <ch>, so theoretically a himi couldn't carry/hide sable.

 

[judymac]

When Himi and ermine rabbits develop the extra color, it will take a while for that to grow out, it doesn't just fade. Think of someone bleaching/dyeing their hair, it grows out. Eventually, in a few months the old coat will molt out anyway. I was wondering if the reason it looks so different is because it is going to be a lilac Himi?

I have chocolate Himis, the color on the points is much darker brown than this, but you said one parent was a blue. Blue plus chocolate = lilac. .Of course, it may be a blue, it's always hard to tell color on a computer monitor. It will be interesting to see how it grows out.

 

[Fluffle]

It's probably just frosted as a result of getting either chilled or warm with high humidity. Possibly it's a blue point making it look silvery. You can still see that it still looks shaded or pointed:
View attachment 35893


There is also a chance that it got too warm rather than too cool. It's not mentioned very often, but in conditions of high humidity, either extra warm or extra cold can produce frosting. I frequently have frosted himis, although usually it is all or none in a litter, rather than just one. But it's possible that your one kit got outside of the fur blanket for a while when the others did not, or was buried way deep in a semi-wet nest when the others were on top more often.


In my experience, the fur doesn't change color once it's in, rather the color of the rabbit changes as the old fur molts out ad is replaced. Kits are replacing their fur all the time so it doesn't take long for the color to adjust - it's usually a matter of weeks. Adults are not so quick to change. Different rabbits have different molt schedules; some molt once a year, some twice a year, some more or less often that either of those. But when you get an adult himi that develops smut, you have to wait for its next molt to hope to get rid of that smut.


The only other color that might look like that would be sable, which in my experience starts out looking like a washed-out blue. However, sable, aka shaded <cchl> is supposed to be dominant to himi <ch>, so theoretically a himi couldn't carry/hide sable.

Yes, if anything that nest was too warm. Thank you for the reminder that warmth can have the same effect.
Thanks for further explaining the color growing out. This makes perfect sense.

She looks so much more like the shaded kits i am familiar with, but it sounds like it is more likely temperature. I’m excited to see how she grows out.