Um... another weird SF...

[WildWolf]

So, this is my SF buck with weird coloring. I've noticed it before, but I always thought that he would grow out of it... so far he hasn't.

My buck has all black SF's in his pedigree, but he also is linebred to a SF that is a known harlequin and wool carrier. I do not know if he carries either gene- he has not been bred yet. His fur is extremely silver. Really, really, really silver. If I remember correctly, his father's fur is also extremely silvered. There is a blacker patch behind is ears/top of his shoulders, and his face and legs are blacker. But the weird thing is that the fur ring in his silvery fur is different that the ring in his blacker fur.

Pictures!

Here he is- you can kind of see the black patch on the top of his shoulders:

This is the ring where is fur is extremely silver (notice how the middle ring is white):

This is the ring on the more black top of his shoulders (notice how the middle of it is black)

thoughts on why/how he can have two different fur ring colors?

(also- sorry if I'm using the term "fur ring" wrong. I don't really know what to call it)<br /><br />__________ Wed Jul 31, 2013 2:48 pm __________<br /><br />Oh, and also- Am I correct in assuming that SF's are agouti?

 

[Secuono]

He looks fine. Overly silvered and probably had mites or something where the fur is weird on his neck.

 

[skysthelimit]

Yep, I've seen a few so silvered they look almost like champagnes, and so so lightly you'd swear they weren't SF.

 

[PSFAngoras]

Not my breed, I'm pretty sure SF's are selfs. I think they are self black rabbits with the silver gene, which bleaches some of the guard hairs white. That's why there is no white eye ring, underbelly, and inside of the ears. The ring your seeing could be the undercoat, which is lighter than the guard hairs, with new guard hairs coming underneath producing the ringed effect like CnB is saying.

 

[WildWolf]

Thanks! Maybe he's molting or something, and that's why parts of him have that dark middle color in the ring.
In a show, would he get points taken off for his heavy silvering, or his black patch?

 

[skysthelimit]

Thanks! Maybe he's molting or something, and that's why parts of him have that dark middle color in the ring.
In a show, would he get points taken off for his heavy silvering, or his black patch?

How old is this guy?

One rabbit, was very heavily silvered, and was DQed The same day, another judge placed him over the class. The SOP is clear about the silvering, but sometimes it depends on the judge. This is even more extreme than that one. In my opinion, I would not put him on the table. You want more even Silvering as a good show representation of the breed.