Californian Rabbits

[WannaBeFarmR]

So my two show rabbits just had a litter together, I don't attend shows myself. I ended up with 8, all does I'm going to keep 4 of the best the other 4 will be freezer rabbits or sold as pets. I've picked out 4 that look good body wise to me but I was wondering if the black markings are also something just as important. All excluding one have solid black markings but a few have smaller black spots on the noise and a few have larger black spots. So is there a better/preferred shape and amount of black that is present on a Californian rabbit?

 

[Bossroo]

Google for the Standard of Perfection for the California rabbit... this will tell you what to look for .

 

[WannaBeFarmR]

Thanks that helps but it doesn't say anything about shape of the nose marking, is that because every judge has their own preference? Some have an oval shape and some have an almost ink blot like shape I was wondering if one shape had more preference over another.

 

[Bunnylady]

The gene that causes the markings on Californians, Himalayans, and what some breeds call Himis or Pointed Whites is the Himalayan gene (ch). There are at least 2 things that determine how it get expressed. Himi is in the C series. Every rabbit has two genes from the C series, but there are at least 5 (some say 6) different possible genes in that series, most of which are dominant to the Himi gene. For a rabbit to be a Himi, it must either have 2 copies of the Himi gene, or one copy of Himi and one of Ruby Eyed White. Rabbits with 2 Himi genes usually have larger nose markings than those with one Himi and one REW. If your rabbits come from show lines, chances are excellent that they have 2 copies of the Himi gene, since Himi markings are part of the breed standard for Californians.

Himi is a rather odd gene - part of the way it gets expressed has to do with temperature. The dark pigment appears on areas of the rabbit where the skin is frequently a little bit cooler - the ears, the tail, the paws, and the nose. If a Himi kit get chilled, it will lay down dark pigment in the part of the hair that was growing at that time, which will appear as dark ticking all over until that coat gets lost with the next molt! Frequently, Himi does will get dark pigment patches on their dewlaps from cooling of the skin that happened when they pulled fur for a nest. Often, the dark markings on Himis will change with the seasons, being larger when the weather is cooler, and smaller during hot weather. Really! I once had a Broken Himi Mini Rex which looked at first like a normal Himi, except that her feet were white. During the cool months, she had elbow spots like a lot of Brokens do, but they disappeared during hot weather. Nose markings are often larger in the winter, smaller in the summer, so the shape is of absolutely no consequence.

 

[WannaBeFarmR]

That's really interesting, and exactly what I was looking for in an answer. So to ask a further question is there an age I should wait to on the kits to know what the best of the best will be? I have an idea at the moment but I'm wondering how much they will change as they age and at what age you pretty much know what your getting as an adult.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

My Cali's do the same thing, the black parts always look fuller and blacker in the winter.

I don't judge my babies "points" (black areas) until they are 4-6 months old and I can see how they are coming along.