Hi all, I\'m new here, so sorry if I\'m posting in the wrong place.
I have a two year old black buck, who suspect is an Alaska as he seems to fit the description for this breed better than any other. He is a big, heavy and thick-set animal, with thick, fine fur and black nails. The others in the litter were also all pure black. I have attached a picture of him. Can anyone tell me if I\'m right, and if not, what breed he might be?
Thanks![
attachment=347]
Edit: Not sure if the attachment has worked, so here is a link to the image:
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/9567/ben9ip.jpg
Chances are he\'s a mixed breed. There are a number of black rabbits out there - breeds which claim Black as a variety. Alaska rabbits are VERY rare, for one thing, so I think it is unlikely you managed to get a hold of one. If he truly was an Alaska rabbit, I would suspect the previous seller would know that and make note of it. Also...adult weight for Alaskas is 6 - 8 lbs (not terribly large).
A medium breed - the New Zealand, has a weight range of 9-11 lbs for bucks (with 10 lbs being ideal). New Zealands come in White, Black, & Red. Satins (8
1/2-10
1/2 lbs) also have a Black variety, but they also have a transparent hair shaft with exceptional sheen and you didn\'t remark on the coat, so I\'m assuming your rabbit is normal furred.
Black is a common coat color so many rabbits including cross-breds, come in that variety. No matter what your rabbit\'s heritage, I\'m sure he\'s a GREAT pet.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
Thanks Charlcie,
I think you\'re right about the Alaska being rare, I read an article in the 06 BRC book, which, if I remember correctly, said that three Alaskas were entered in the Bradford Excel show. I\'d imagine that is a very small number compared to most breeds. I must say though, my buck does look the spitting image of the Alaska pictured in the article!
His fur is glossy and quite silky, but he doesn\'t look much like a Satin, or a New Zealand although I have only seen pictures of them.
Also, are the chances of him being a mixed breed still high when the whole litter were black? His parents must both have had black genes to get only black kits?
You\'re right, whatever his breed he\'s a fun bunny. Just curious to know what he is.
I guess I\'ll never know.
Thanks for your help! =)
It is
likely both parents were black, but not necessarily. Genetics are a funny (and interesting) thing. Do you know the breeder(s)? (Just wondered because you knew that all the kits were black.) He could be a Satin. Satins have a very glossy and soft fur compared to normal-furred breeds. I used to raise Satins (now Mini Satins). His whiskers look a bit light in the photo (or is that just the lighting?)
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
I don\'t know the breeders as when I got him two years ago I was only interested in a pet rabbit, and so got him from a pet store. However, the owner of the store told me that there were eight in the litter and all were black.
I am now getting interested in breeding and showing, and although he will always be just my pet buck, I just wanted to find out what exactly he was.
Yes, it is the light in that photo, his whiskers are black. I also weighed him today, and he is just under 7lb.
I took some more photos today so you can have a better look at him:
http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/5231/...ben4gv.jpg
http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/7383/...ben5tc.jpg
And here is an older picture which I think shows the shine on his coat better:
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/4365/bennytg89kq.jpg
And just for comparison, here is a photo of the picture of an Alaska from the BRC book:
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/5195/mg2456al9hw.jpg
Also, if I may ask a question on a differnet topic, have you ever seen kits injure the doe? I have an English doe with 6 kits, who are now nearly three weeks old, and a few days ago when I went to check her in the morning, she had a tear about an inch long in one ear. I was worried because we have seen rats in the area, and I am afraid she might have got the injury from trying to defend her kits from a rat. What do you think?
Benny does seem to fit the description for the Alaska, however, because you don\'t know, you would still have to consider him a grade or crossbred animal since his parentage is in doubt. I still think it would be unusual for a breeder to have a pair of Alaskas and not mention this to the pet store owner. Benny is a bit small to be a Satin (though I have seen undersize Satins plenty of times in my day).
I would suspect the rat or I would check the cage carefully for any protuberances that could have caused the injury to the doe. 3 week old kits are pretty innoccuous.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
Yes, I would think it unlikely for an Alaska breeder to not have their animals rung, and to get rid of the whole litter. He\'ll just have to be plain old Benny!
That is a worry, as I have already checked the cage from top to bottom and found nothing that could have caused her injury. I\'ll invest in some snap traps.
Thank you for your help, and by the way, I think \'Zodiacs Vulcan\' is gorgeous!
I think he looks like a black new zealand or a cross of that.the whole litter would be black.bluebird
There don\'t seem to be many pictures of NZ blacks to compare to online, but from the ones I have seen he does indeed look quite like one. I would guess he must be a cross if he has got NZ in his breeding, he\'s a bit small at less than 7lb.
Thanks!