I have BEW & REW lionheads, fuzzy lops, mini-rex, dutch, dwarfs. Colors are black and white. I suppose dwarfs could be crossed with any but large rabbits. What would you get crossing fuzzies with rexes? BEW with REW? Gentle bunnies with crazies?
What crosses would you not recommend?
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SableSteel
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Do not cross BEW & REW. That will create a color mess - breeders of every color but BEW want to keep BEW out of their lines, and BEW breeders want to keep REW out of there lines. Wool x rex fur = normal fur (though often slightly thicker or slightly longer).
KenoshaRabbits
Well-known member
I would recommend you ask yourself the questions: "Why do I want to breed these two rabbits?" and "What result am I hoping to get from breeding these rabbits?"
I don't want to sound mean or anything, but what's your plan here? There's nothing wrong with mutts but it feels a little off (for lack of a better word) to just cross two breeds just to see what happens out of a sense of curiosity. But then again that all depends on your purpose. You may be breeding for meat, and really there wouldn't be anything wrong with breeding a male mini-rex with a female Flemish giant (very strange perhaps but not wrong) if all you're going to do is eat them.
And for that matter there's nothing wrong with breeding mutts and selling them as pets; not every rabbit has to be a pure lionhead, hotot, etc.
Just some stuff to think about. Ultimately they are your rabbits, and as long as you are treating them well, do what you want with them.
I don't want to sound mean or anything, but what's your plan here? There's nothing wrong with mutts but it feels a little off (for lack of a better word) to just cross two breeds just to see what happens out of a sense of curiosity. But then again that all depends on your purpose. You may be breeding for meat, and really there wouldn't be anything wrong with breeding a male mini-rex with a female Flemish giant (very strange perhaps but not wrong) if all you're going to do is eat them.
And for that matter there's nothing wrong with breeding mutts and selling them as pets; not every rabbit has to be a pure lionhead, hotot, etc.
Just some stuff to think about. Ultimately they are your rabbits, and as long as you are treating them well, do what you want with them.
Unless you are selling pedigreed rabbits for breeding or showing it really doesn't matter what you cross. Color or breed. The problem is what do you do with them? The market for mixed breed or other pet quality rabbits is not that large. Especially the farther you get from the small rabbits. Most specific traits are not going to exist in the offspring. Coat types and colors like BEW and REW are unlikely to show unless your rabbits are already a mix or from lines of BEW or REW. Personality is not fully breed dependent. It is quite different between different breeding groups of rabbits of even the same breed. A few have become notorious for certain tendencies but that's not definite. What you get will depend on the personality of the parents and the raising of the offspring.
If your breeding for meat.. Nothing with flemish. They take forever to grow out and very little meat on them for their size. Anything you mix with them will be a little better but no where near as good as a straight new zealand or a californian.
If you want them for bone broth, that would work.
If you want them for bone broth, that would work.
First, I agree with everyone who had the point of what are you breeding towards? Most people in my area will not pay what a rabbit should go for to ensure more than a neglectful home, and so selling is tough around my location. Even more so for mutts than pure bred rabbits. I had several people 'kindly' offer me $10 (1/4 of what I was asking...) for my good quality show Champagne d'Argents when I was breeding them, and they acted like that was even too much. Needless to say I didn't bother to reply to their emails. It would be best to have a specific goal in mind to breed towards and a plan for the extra kits you can't sell (unless you intend to eat them, and then that takes care of that).
Second, if you are breeding for meat, I would like to ad that if your not crossing with a high production breed or lines, I would personally stay away from Rex. It could easily just be the rabbits in my area, but all my Rex and crosses thereof have grown extremely slow, from 2 different lines I tried, so I gave up on that breed in a hurry. I have had really good luck crossing Champagne d'Argent and French Angoras and getting some monster kits (5# by 9 weeks) with two different lines of each breed, but I may have just gotten lucky there.
Second, if you are breeding for meat, I would like to ad that if your not crossing with a high production breed or lines, I would personally stay away from Rex. It could easily just be the rabbits in my area, but all my Rex and crosses thereof have grown extremely slow, from 2 different lines I tried, so I gave up on that breed in a hurry. I have had really good luck crossing Champagne d'Argent and French Angoras and getting some monster kits (5# by 9 weeks) with two different lines of each breed, but I may have just gotten lucky there.
