Rex fur question

[Tiny Buns]

We have a mini Rex doe, purebred, unpedigreed and we bred her to a friends unpedigreed mini Rex buck. Apparently the buck is crossed with something because when bred to another fully pedigreed mini Rex doe, they produced fluffy regular coated kits.

So, my litter is 4 days old. At what point will I know if they are mini Rex furred or not? Day 7, 14, later?

Thanks

 

[alforddm]

If both are rex coated they can only produce more rex coated kits. However, the quality of the coat can vary, often crosses will have of undesirable guard hairs and/or low density.

By around 1 week you can start to tell as the rex kits will have curly whiskers. By the time they leave the next box I can tell for sure which are rex coated and which are not.

 

[Tiny Buns]

That's what's odd. My friend bred her purebred mini Rex doe to her mini Rex looking buck and got kits that looked like a regular Netherland coat, straight whiskers.

I used her buck and so I'm wondering if we'll get Rex fur or not?

 

[alforddm]

That's what's odd. My friend bred her purebred mini Rex doe to her mini Rex looking buck and got kits that looked like a regular Netherland coat, straight whiskers.

I used her buck and so I'm wondering if we'll get Rex fur or not?

Another buck must have fathered the kits.... *shrug* That's the only way it could happen if they both really have rex fur. Even if the buck was only half rex you should get about 1/2 the kits with a rex coat. <br /><br /> -- Wed Feb 17, 2016 2:06 pm -- <br /><br /> Can you post pictures of the buck?

 

[twr]

According to Robinson there are three distinct genes (r1, r2, r3) each with its own recessive mutation that can cause a rex coat, in which case this is not impossible. eg r1r1R2R2 x R1R1r2r2 (both rex) would make R1r1R2r2 (normal fur). But I don't know how common the different mutations are.

 

[Zass]

According to Robinson there are three distinct genes (r1, r2, r3) each with its own recessive mutation that can cause a rex coat, in which case this is not impossible. eg r1r1R2R2 x R1R1r2r2 (both rex) would make R1r1R2r2 (normal fur). But I don't know how common the different mutations are.

Thanks for the explanation. I love how you pop in just to clear these little mysteries up.
I know of someone else who had a couple normal coated kits born from crossing two mini rexes.

 

[alforddm]

According to Robinson there are three distinct genes (r1, r2, r3) each with its own recessive mutation that can cause a rex coat, in which case this is not impossible. eg r1r1R2R2 x R1R1r2r2 (both rex) would make R1r1R2r2 (normal fur). But I don't know how common the different mutations are.

I didn't know this so I went and looked it up and found the papers on it. Thanks much!

 

[Miss M]

Wow... should I move this to Genetics?

 

[skysthelimit]

Rex is a genetic mutation, and as such, is not completely explained by simple recessives (as pointed out above). If it was none of us Rex breeders would have to worry about breeding for fur, it would just take two Rex furred rabbits to get the job done. Hidden modifiers are the key, and you can have wavy Rex fur, uneven Rex fur, protruding guard hairs in Rex fur. If you think about it like this---Rex breed standard is 1/2 to 7/8 inch coat. If that coat was not uniform, and you had varying lengths, or longer guard hairs, you could get something that looks like a short Netherland coat.
My friend called it junk in the trunk. All of us have it. Doesn't mean it's a cross, it's just in the breed, it's part of the genetics.

 

[TF3]

Thank you for this... because I am feeling a little panicked that my first Rex litter(after a number of fails) has kits that at 2 weeks tomorrow do NOT look Rex coated. And their parents are definitely Rex and from excellent lines... the sire created nice rex coats when bred with a non-rex mutt that was hiding a rex gene... but these three don't look promising!

 

[Tiny Buns]

Thank you for this... because I am feeling a little panicked that my first Rex litter(after a number of fails) has kits that at 2 weeks tomorrow do NOT look Rex coated. And their parents are definitely Rex and from excellent lines... the sire created nice rex coats when bred with a non-rex mutt that was hiding a rex gene... but these three don't look promising!

It's a big surprise for me too. I've got a litter of four that I can't entirely say look rex or don't. I haven't done it enough or seen enough kits to be able to pick them out. And then of course if it could take until the first junior moult to see the true fur....welll no wonder it isn't clear immediately.

 

[skysthelimit]

Really it should be clear immediately, and I no longer wait those ones out that are funky looking from the start. They might change, they may not. I don't have that kind of time or space.