Rabbit Fur Genetics - do rex, satin and lionhead mix?

Hey all!

I have combed through the internet, and have found very little information on the properties of rabbits with multiple recessive fur quality traits. Results include posts on why mixing a satin rabbit with rex results in a normal fur for all of the offspring, and I well understand that the three traits of rex, satin and fur length are controlled by separate genes.

However, I'd be interested to know if satin + rex combination fur is possible, (will one offset the other? Will a rabbit with genotype ss rr only show one trait or are they possibly defective in someway? ) and if the two properties can coexist, why is it not done/not a popular breed?

Apart from the satin and rex traits, I'd also like to hear thoughts on lionhead + satin fur, as I know satin angoras exist and I'm a bit confused on why satin lionheads are not bred. So, if someone knows the actual reason behind this, please share.

(I'm not interested or planning on breeding rabbits of any kind and I'm only asking out of pure interest.)

I have asked a couple of Rabbit Genetics experts I know of and so far one has replied saying

‘’ There are breeds, the satin rex and the opossum (longhaired) rex, that have two of the three, but I have never heard of anyone mad enough to add lionhead. In the early days of lionhead, some people tried adding angora - not good as the modifiers for heavy dense angora coats resulted in fluffy heavily coated lionheads. It is always the modifiers that muck up the results. Creating a breed mostly consists of patient selective breeding to concentrate the desirable modifiers. Then some twit comes along and does an outcross that destroys all that hard work. So no satin lionheads yet, but maybe one day AFTER the lionhead becomes a consistent breed, but I won't be around to see it’’

The other person has not seen my message yet, but when/if he replies I will post his input on here

Another Rabbit Genetics expert has chipped in with her thoughts

‘’There’s no reason why they couldn't be combined but it would take some considerable effort. Rex and Satin are both recessives, so two copies of each gene are required; there's a group of breeders in the USA 'creating' Satin Rex and finding it takes a lot of work to produce even one. Crossing Rex with Satin gives all normal furred, but of course they carry both genes. But then when you breed those together, only one in sixteen has both traits.
Then you would have to add in the Mane gene, and although it's dominant (only one parent needs to have a mane to pass it on), unless that Lionhead carried both Rex and Satin then you're back to square one with getting both those genes to express together again.
Rex-coated Lionheads do exist - I've seen one, shown in the Pet class at a show, the result of an accidental mating between a mini Rex and a Lionhead and then another accidental mating between mother/son which brought the Rex coat back. The mane isn't very long or prominent, as would be expected with the shorter Rex coat. I understand some people in the USA produce these and call them 'Velvet Lions'; not a standardised breed of course.‘’

Another contribution from a Rex Genetics expert

‘’Satin rex were bred in the uk in the 80's and early 90's in fact the last of the satin rex lines in the uk was lost about 5/6 years ago . why were they not bred ? , that was down to popularity people did not understand them and that includes judges who did not always realise the coat was softer than normal rex and judged them as normal rex , easy to breed once the modifiers are all in line but it takes people to stay committed to them so the gene pool can expand. the same with oppussum rex , astrex , silver seal rex all of these are now back at the trying to line the genes back up stage . everything is possible , the plush show that’’

There used to be a regular supply of astrex bunnies in a local garden centre. I've not seen any since they stopped selling pets there.

Shimmer said:

There used to be a regular supply of astrex bunnies in a local garden centre. I've not seen any since they stopped selling pets there.

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Ohh I love those!

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