• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Cross breeding??

Deelove

Wise Old Thumper
I've come across the pets4homes website whilst seeking out cute piccies of buns with blue eyes. (I'm a saddo.) and the amount of people deliberately cross breeding rabbits has amazed me. I'm in full support of legit breeders working to enhance and support a particular breed for a purpose. But just going, hm, bet they'd have cute babies really annoys me.

For any breeders/rescues on here do you see this a lot? I just assumed most mixies came from dodgy petshop suppliers or accidental matings. I feel sorry for a lot of them as can't crossing certain breeds result in misaligned jaws etc. Which I'm sure will create heart ache for the potential owners.

There are so many buns on freead sites right now. I hope they all get adopted or I can see them all ending up in rescues.

There is even someone othering a nethie X lion head as a stud.
"thumper has produced 17 bunnies already he is a fantastic rabbit and has a good temper he is a small breed and a good stud as all litters were made on one meeting so hes a good producer he is to be used for stud he is not for sale."

:roll:
 
Surely crossbreeding might have it's benefits too as certain breeds are prone to certain ailments?

I'm in full support of legit breeders working to enhance and support a particular breed for a purpose.

What purpose? Looking pretty??
 
I know someone who wants to cross a Mini Rex Doe with a French Lop Buck to 'Rex a Frenchie'.................:roll:

Janex
 
The most DISGUSTING one I heard about was a Netherland Dwarf bred to a French Lop in a pet store some time ago - unfortunately, I couldn't speak to the person who performed this act - wouldn't have been polite could you say?
 
Surely crossbreeding might have it's benefits too as certain breeds are prone to certain ailments?

What purpose? Looking pretty??

No for the purpose of hopefully removing any genetical problems with the breed for one. But I do not want this to become an anti/pro breeding topic, so whatever.

Cross breeding may be legit yes, to an experienced breeder who knows something about genetics and has the time and resources to handle the last task of outcrossing. Not to people who think that they can throw two breeds together and get what they want.

Jane I noticed it was very often rex's/nethies or dutch that were part of the cross. I assume for the fur, the size, and the markings. But how often from one breeding will the rex fur pass on?
 
i know someone that is trying to mate a rex with a lion head.wont the two breeds make a weird combination?when i bred rabbits years ago,i always used same species.x
 
i know someone that is trying to mate a rex with a lion head.wont the two breeds make a weird combination?when i bred rabbits years ago,i always used same species.x

People would assume that would produce a lionhead rex but I'd say that's unlikely [if not impossible] because it all depends on dominant and submissive genes, it would depend on what genes the rabbits were carrying [as they might be cross breeds themselves unless they were from a breeder]
 
No for the purpose of hopefully removing any genetical problems with the breed for one. But I do not want this to become an anti/pro breeding topic, so whatever.

Cross breeding may be legit yes, to an experienced breeder who knows something about genetics and has the time and resources to handle the last task of outcrossing. Not to people who think that they can throw two breeds together and get what they want.

Jane I noticed it was very often rex's/nethies or dutch that were part of the cross. I assume for the fur, the size, and the markings. But how often from one breeding will the rex fur pass on?

I guess so, but a lot of problems show up too late in life to be realised when breeding buns surely?

I didn't wanna start a debate, I'm not a fan of breeding but I'm not a fan of debating either!! :) :)
 
Even thought I'm a Cashmere breeder (yes, I know, but leave that to another topic, thank you) I don't agree with cross breeding for no reason other than to produce a litter of "cute" rabbits to sale.

And no it doesn't mean I'm a snob or only like "pure" rabbits, it is because I understand that there is 33,000 unwanted rabbits out there and to breed crosses JUST to sale to me is pointless and just creates more unwanted rabbits, and for what?

Yes, I do breed Cashmere Lops but I do it for a purpose and that is for my selfish reason and that is to protect and continue the breed, I may be selfish, but at least I'm not breeding litter upon litter for no reason than which to sale.

So, yes, that is my opinion.
 
It's not really whether a rabbits a particular breed or not that makes it good to breed from. It's that breeders producing specific breeds should have records of their lines family history to avoid genetic health issues.

There is no reason why, given time, you couldn't do the same with rabbits of no specific recognised breed thought it would be difficult to find 'cross breed' rabbits with several generations history to breed with.

However just putting two cross breeds together from an unknown source you could easily end up with teeth problems or other genetic issues.

(And yes, I'm aware that not all breeders keep records of issues in their lines or make efforts to stop them, but that is the purpose of selective breeding and what a good breeder should do!)
 
Is it possible to get lion head rex's? Isn't the rex gene that they have no or very short guard hairs and the lion head that they have long guard hairs. How can you have both?
 
I don't think you can [someone could come correct me]. I've never bred rabbits but I did a lot of research into genetics a while back and I doubt you'd end up with a lion-rex, but I think un-educated people would presume you'd end up with them!
 
I think the problem is, the dealers (or whoever) petshops get their babies from breed to make money. Breeders who breed to improve a breed will tell you they are always at a loss financially and they do it to improve the rabbits (love rarely comes into it)
I breed, I have bred cross rabbits and have found them to be a lot more hardy than pure breds (obv a generalisation)

When a new breed comes into existance there are so few that there is a LOT of in breeding which weakens subsiquent animals, out crossing (or cross breeding out) improves the gene pool but takes a lot longer to get a 'desirable' animal.

I was very interested in showing rabbits when I first started keeping them, but after visiting one show and talking to show breeders on a forum, I realised that people who loves their animals (refer to them as pets and not stock) wouldn't put their pets through that.

The show I went to was in the middle of summer (it was awfully hot), the animals were in small cages for most of the day (at least 6 hours) and most had no water. They were handled roughly and treated like a specimen and not a living, breathing creature that deserves respect. The animal's welfare wasn't considered at any point.
The cages were too small for the animals to even turn around in (i.e to prevent them ruining all the grooming etc)

All the horror stories I have heard (and seen first hand) for show breeders who keep too many animals to look after, who glue weights to lops ears to make them drop, who pull out whiskers, who rip out mis coloured toe nails, who give their rabbits rain water from a barrel they also watch oily tools in, who don't clean out hutches, but put more bedding on top, who don't get their sick animals treatment, who's rabbits spend their lives in tiny hutches and NEVER get time out of them (apart from for shows)

So I personally think you can't win with breeding. Show breeders will refer to themselves as 'responsible' breeders, but what is responsible about keeping hundreds (and often they literally have hundreds) of animals they can't give the right attention, inbreeding until the creatures are ill, not giving them hay or ever washing out water bottles? They get no exercise, what is responsible about that?

I would count myself as a responsible breeder (if there is such a thing) I haven't had a night out in years as I don't want the buns to suffer, I've cancelled holidays to be with them when they're sick, I haven't bought anything for myself in ages as I want them to have the best of everything. All their hutches are TOO BIG lol (tiny bunny in corner of huge hutch)they all have runs during the day and all get a run around the garden twice daily. They have my undivided attention. Yes I breed, but I only breed with healthy does and no more than 2x a year and not in the heat of summer or dead of winter, I take into account bonfire night etc etc. And I NEVER inbreed.
I know a lot of people disagree with breeding full stop, but I think my animals have wonderful lives and are happy.
 
Back
Top