What She's Not--Rabbit ID

[EnglishSpot]

This is Lexi. She's a mutt (I think). She came from a petshop and the original owners were told she was an English Spot (haha!). She's not a Lop. She's not a Giant breed. She's not a hare-type. She's not a dwarf (maybe mixed with one, look at those ears?).

She weighs about 5 - 7 lbs, I don't have a scale on hand, but I throw luggage and have a pretty good idea of what things weigh.
I was thinking perhaps NZ cross, but she's not big enough. Her ears aren't large and super hairy in the front, the hair is very fine and smooth, more like a Dutch. My new MR has more hair on his ears than she does!!! She stretches out to about fifteen inches in length when she's totally flopped out and relaxed.

I've included pictures for body shape and head shape.

Can you help me identify perhaps what she is or mixed with?

 

[Zass]

She has the cutest ears!

She might still be an english spot cross. Her black parts have very clean color.

 

[Dood]

Does she prefer to carry her ears flat like that?

If so then I vote for a Himilayan cross :mrgreen:

 

[EnglishSpot]

She's an outside bunny and it's rather chilly today, so she may have her ears tucked for warmth. I'd say she has them upright about 60% of the time and when she rests she flips them down. I don't think she has a preference either way.

When she's mad at me she tucks them!!!

Today, I put her up on the outdoor patio table to handle her a bit more intimately (blanket on it to keep her from slipping) and she took a peek over the side of the table AND JUMPED OFF!!! Heart attack!! So apparently 'afraid of heights' is NOT in her vocabulary!!!

@Zass--when she's outside running around, she shows a LOT of space between her body and the ground, so in that aspect she is rather hare-like. She doesn't have the butterfly nose marking, but she does have the eye rims and the requiset cheek spots. I've included a picture of her at play this summer when starting to dig a tunnel in my sunflower garden. You can see the spine strip doesn't run all the way up. But hey, if it was that clear, I wouldn't be posting this, right??? :reading1:

 

[Zass]

Google images for broken black havana:

https://www.google.com/search?q=broken+ ... CAcQ_AUoAg


Don't they have silky coats?

 

[Celice]

very pretty bunny!!

I have a doe that looks a lot like her and I've got NO clue what she is but she's a large girl that gives me big litters so I keep her around.

 

[Miss M]

I have no idea, but she's gorgeous!

 

[EnglishSpot]

To be honest Zass, I wouldn't know a silky or high sheen coat if it hit me in the face, I'm so new at rabbit breeds. Compared to my MR, yes, it has shine and her coat gleams like Las Vegas, but I don't know if the MR's black eggshell-patina coat is a standard 'rabbit' black. Her guard hairs are longer than the rest of her fur, which you can see even in the summer photo. Right now, in December, you can't miss them. Her coat density is nowhere near the MR's and I think she's more prone to being cold with those superfine-haired ears.

I tried looking up pictures of Havana's online, but they were always either poor quality or the rabbit was the size of a dime. That's why I tried to take photos of head, ears, body, etc.

Thank you, Miss M and Celice!!!

Dood, are the Himalayans the only ones who lay their ears back like that? Does she have some of the body characteristics of a Himi? Maybe I should check her for an extra set of teats!!

 

[JenerationX]

I love her markings... she's very, very cute. Could she be an english spot cross? Or maybe she is an english spot that isn't properly marked? Do they always have the butterfly on the nose?

 

[EnglishSpot]

She's definitely not a miss-marked English Spot, she doesn't have the butterfly, the hare-like body, and her ears are too small.

 

[JenerationX]

Yeah, I went and looked at some English Spot sites... they are much more hare like.

 

[Dood]

There are lots of himilayan coloured rabbits (just like there are lots of rabbit breeds with the broken black pattern) but the Himilayan breed has a unique ear carrage that is similar to your does when down, they can lift them but they are set pretty far back on the head and look "odd".

I cannot tell from the picture of Lexi with her ears up if she has this trait - could you post a side view picture with her ears up?

And just because she doesn't have a perfect English Spot show quality pattern - which is VERY difficult to get consistently - doesn't mean she isn't part English Spot or even a pet quality purebred :shrug:

Although she does have quite the big butt and I suspect she is a broken black New Zealand crossed with something smaller, maybe even a Netherland or Lionhead as in my experience those crosses produce more of a mandolin shape like your girl has.

 

[EnglishSpot]

@Dood--does the cold-weather smuttiness follow Himi mixes? Or is that a recessive and would have been washed out by whatever she's crossed with? Is the smuttiness obvious in a Himi or Himi cross? She's outside and it's been COLD since November so I will have to look her over hard to see if she's coloring out!!

I keep coming back to the New Zealand, but only because I'm not knowledgeable enough about some of the other types. If she is NZ, well, that'd be some tasty babies....

 

[grumpy]

What's her age and weight??

I'm not real familiar with some of the breeds mentioned, but "to me" she
looks to be a meat-type rabbit. Possibly a broken-black NZ crossed with
another "smaller" framed rabbit.

Again, my expertise lies with the production side of this interest. I wouldn't
know a Himalayan from a Havana.

Grumpy.

 

[Dood]

Colour genetics only effects the colour of the rabbit and not the breed so Himilayan, the breed, do not pass on temperature sensitivity shading to their non-himilayan coloured offspring

 

[EnglishSpot]

Ah ha! It's good to know that Dood! So it's color-linked, not necessarily breed or sex-linked.
Grumpy, she's about a year old and weighs between 5-7 lbs, although I don't have a scale so I haven't been able to weigh her properly. I load luggage on aircraft for a living, so I'm pretty good at free guessing weights, but this is just an estimate. She's lighter than my son when he was born by about half, so that'd put her in the 6lb range. She was extremely plump when we got her in March, but after lots of exercise and a diverse diet she slimmed down beautifully.

 

[the reluctant farmer]

She's lighter than my son when he was born by about half, so that'd put her in the 6lb range.

Not to get too far off track, but you had a 12 lb baby? :shock: Bless your heart--you should get lots of appreciation for that.

 

[EnglishSpot]

He was 11lbs--still trying to figure out where Ginormica genes came from in the family!!! No gestational diabetes either. Just a biiig boy. <br /><br /> __________ Thu Dec 11, 2014 3:29 pm __________ <br /><br /> Got an official weight on Lexi today: 6lb 12oz!! Boy, did she NOT like being handled! I gave her some pumpkin seeds as a consolation. If she is a NZ cross, I can see what you mean about NZ temperament!

(on a side note, the MR weighed in at 2lb 14oz at 3mo old)