# Confused about my rabbit's breed (pictures in here)



## MsBunBun (Nov 14, 2010)

I was convinced that my bun was a half english spot.. but after reading this post, I am a bit confused. The reason? In that post, that rabbit looks almost exactly like mine.

So right now Im not sure if my bun could possibly be a mini rex mix.
I know that his father was an orange rabbit (possibly golden palomino).
The mother's breed is not known... since she wasn't nearby (dont ask why. I have no idea).

I dont have pictures of the mother or father, but I do have pictures of my rabbit and it's siblings.

2 of my rabbit's siblings looked exactly like it's father... however my bun and it's other sibling had most likely it's mothers patterns.


Here's the picture of my bun before it was bought (he used to live in this cage setup at a farm), along with its siblings. My rabbit is the brown and white one.







Here are recent pictures of my bun bun  

The face markings:




(This was taken about a week or so ago. I apologize for the crappy lightning on this one. Also... yeah, his feet are soiled from newspaper ink , but I since then have built him a new NIC cage with much better flooring, now his feet arent stained as you will see in the next two pics.)


The side markings (I had to give him something to chew on so he could stay still, lol)













It would be very much appreciated if someone were able to tell me what this rabbit's breed is, or at least a good idea. 
Thank you.

Also... hope you enjoyed the pictures, hehe.


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## BlueCamasRabbitry (Nov 14, 2010)

A lot of people see those markings, hear about the Checkered Giant or English Spot, and automatically assume that that is what their rabbit is.  

In fact, those markings can look just the same on lop breeds. 

I would venture to guess that he's mixed with some type of dwarf, since he's small...English Spots are large rabbits.  

How old is he? And how much does he weigh? His ears look large, so I'm thinking dwarf crossed with some type of large breed - Palomino is very possible - he does have the head of a Pal.

Emily


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## MsBunBun (Nov 14, 2010)

*BlueCamasRabbitry wrote: *


> A lot of people see those markings, hear about the Checkered Giant or English Spot, and automatically assume that that is what their rabbit is.
> 
> In fact, those markings can look just the same on lop breeds.
> 
> ...


He is about 2 and a half months old right now, and is 3 pounds.


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## Nela (Nov 15, 2010)

I don't see any mini-rex in him but I am definitely no expert. He does look like my Smores though :biggrin2:You've got a real cute wabbit


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## Nancy McClelland (Nov 15, 2010)

Not a mini Rex--he has the double layer of fur and long whiskers--all of our Rexes have really tiny/short whiskers and fur like velvet. We rescued one that we thought might be an English Spot when we first got her as she was fairly large but she turned out to be a Checkered Giant and now tips the scale at 17 pounds.


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## TCRabbitry (Nov 15, 2010)

I would guess a mini rex dwarf cross.... Especially if it is only 3 lbs right now.

That would account for the mini rex body type, ears, and the longer fur.


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## MsBunBun (Nov 15, 2010)

Thank you Nela 

So two people say that they don't see a mini rex in him... and one does. 


*confused*
I should also mention that his fur is very very soft in the white areas. The colored areas arent quite as soft as the white part.


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## jujub793 (Nov 15, 2010)

no i don't think rex, you definately would recognize the difference in the fur


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## MsBunBun (Nov 15, 2010)

So is it an english spot mix for sure?


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## farmerchick (Nov 15, 2010)

he is very similar to my Wanda marking wise...they also look similar in size...






i figure that wanda is a dwarf/rex cross. she doesn't have the rex fur but she has other rex qualities.....i don't think every rex mix has fur like a rex...

just putting that out there, he looks alot like wanda just with lighter markings...


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## farmerchick (Nov 15, 2010)

also, wanda has the softer white fur, and the same back stripe your guy has:


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## TCRabbitry (Nov 15, 2010)

Rex fur is a reccessive gene. In order to get it, both parents have to carry it. 

Most rex crosses do NOT have rex fur. 

I would guess that it is a mini rex cross.


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## Jaded (Nov 15, 2010)

This is a photo of my Mini Rex X Netherland Dwarf, Foxtrot.






As you can see she doesnt have the Rex fur, but she has the body, thought this might help somehow to figar out what breed your rabbit is.


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## BlueCamasRabbitry (Nov 15, 2010)

*MsBunBun wrote: *


> So is it an english spot mix for sure?


No.  He's probably not mixed with English Spot at all.  There are similar broken patterns in SEVERAL breeds. Those markings do not make him an English Spot. Firstly, he is much too small to be an English Spot. He's simply a dwarf mix of some sort, but he could be anything.  


Emily


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## Kadish Tolesa (Nov 15, 2010)

Love your Mr. Bun Bun's coloring:biggrin:. Give him a pat for me !


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## TCRabbitry (Nov 16, 2010)

BlueCamasRabbitry wrote:


> *MsBunBun wrote: *
> 
> 
> > So is it an english spot mix for sure?
> ...



This is what drives me nuts about mixed breed rabbits. People see a marked breed and assume that it must be this without really doing any research on it first.


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## MsBunBun (Nov 17, 2010)

*TCRabbitry wrote: *


> BlueCamasRabbitry wrote:
> 
> 
> > *MsBunBun wrote: *
> ...



I did do research. :rollseyes I researched rabbit breeds and my rabbit looked mostly like english spot is all. Thats *why *i assumed it. Its honestly not a big deal, this isnt even for a rabbit show or anything, I just wanted an idea of what breed he was, just for the sake of me knowing.

Kadish, Ill give my bun a pat for you! 

Oh well. I appreciate everyones help though, I guess the only way I can find out for sure is if I took it to the vet or something.

Also Emily, you like using that winking smiley dont you?


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## TCRabbitry (Nov 17, 2010)

But that's just it, if you did any real kind of research, you would have seen that english spots are a racy breed, which means they are full arch type, and that they are MUCH larger than your rabbit. 

Why would you take your rabbit to a vet to find out it's breed? Most vets don't know enough about rabbits to be able to tell you. 

Honestly, I think you have a Mini Rex cross of some kind. Why is it that you have such a hard time believing the people on here that will tell you what they know from their years of experience?

All I am saying is that if proper research had been done, Hotot's, English Spots, and other marked breeds would have been ruled out. There are SO MANY breeds that have a broken pattern.....


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## lelanatty (Nov 17, 2010)

And sometimes we get too caught up in trying to educate everyone on what many people have been doing wrong.

I am actually very much inclined to believe that he is an english spot mix. For one thing, one of his siblings is black and white. The curve of his back actually does look like it could sit in an arch position too. But the thing that is the most distinctive is the coloring around his nose. It has the little "bump" in the middle. Compare that to the markings of a real english spot's face:






I haven't seen any other breed with something like this as a distinctive marking, unless checkered giants have it also. I think it is actually quite likely thatthere isenglish spot in him, and since he is only 2 1/2 months, there's no telling how big he will get.



He is a real cutie too.


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## TCRabbitry (Nov 17, 2010)

This is frustrating. 

Just because the rabbit has the "bump" other wise known as a butterfly, does not mean that it is an english spot cross.

Based on size and body type, I would say that it is a Mini Rex cross.... It is what a broken castor would look like if it had normal fur. Mini Rex come in broken black too.... Just because there is a broken black in the litter does not mean that it is an english spot cross. 

if I had to guess at all, I would guess that it was a Mini Rex/ Netherland Dwarf cross.


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## TCRabbitry (Nov 17, 2010)

Also, almost EVERY bred that has a broken color variety calls for a butterfly on their nose.


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Nov 18, 2010)

*TCRabbitry wrote: *


> This is frustrating.
> 
> Just because the rabbit has the "bump" other wise known as a butterfly, does not mean that it is an english spot cross.
> 
> ...


Yep, I agree.

I can say, almost for certain, that it is not an English Spot or Palomino cross, both of which have been suggested. These are rare-er breeds in the show/breeding world, and definitely rare in the pet world.

Mini Rex and Netherland Dwarfs are very common breeds in both worlds, and your rabbit's body type and pattern suggests these breeds. Your rabbit seems to have a more compacty body type and a head/ear that is characteristic of MR.

English Spots have very long, lean bodies and are MUCH larger than your bunny. TCRabbitry is either right or on the right track with the MR/ND mix guess.


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Nov 18, 2010)

Also, only one of the varieties recognized in the English Spot breed is recognized in the litter above- black and white. That's not enough evidence to suggest an ES cross because many breeds recognize a black and white broken variety.


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## Debacus (Nov 19, 2010)

Why not get back to the breeders and ask what the parents were? Looks like a mis-marked English pattern. I had mis-marked butterfly lops 30 odd years ago that looked similar.. but does it really matter lol... a beautiful bunny any way x


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## Maple Front Rabbitry (Nov 22, 2010)

*OakRidgeRabbits wrote: *


> *TCRabbitry wrote: *
> 
> 
> > This is frustrating.
> ...


I agree, he looks like he's a mini rex/ netherland dwarf cross. And that is a very common cross you'll see around. That would be my guess anyway.


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## BlueCamasRabbitry (Nov 23, 2010)

*MsBunBun wrote: *


> *TCRabbitry wrote: *
> 
> 
> > BlueCamasRabbitry wrote:
> ...



I agree with Melinda & Julie on this one.  The broken pattern is seen in almost all breeds, in the exact same patterns as the English Spot, but Melinda is correct; the ES is a full arch breed and much larger than your rabbit. 

Markings & colour are not the only factors that play into figuring out a breed. Weight, age, & ear size are other very important factors that play into it. 

And I use the winking smiley to make sure I don't come across as harsh.  lol. 

Emily


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## Blaze_Amita (Nov 23, 2010)

By the looks of him and the coloring of his siblings, i would say Mini Rex Dwarf cross as well. I know the markings spots show up in many breeds, as one of my Hollands has that same color marking on him.


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