# Strange genetics



## Ivory (Oct 2, 2011)

Firstly, I <3 genetics and I'm pretty versed on rabbit coat genetics, so feel free to speak in fancy terms. You won't confuse or scare me. I've taken several genetics classes as a micro student so again. Big words don't scare me, lol.

My question is this:

Today, a lop/Californian cross came into the rescue. He had a diluted brown-beige color that was cream-colored near the base of the hair shaft. He was darker on his nose, ears, paws etc. 

What intrigued the living crap out of me is this: the pupil of his eye was ruby red, JUST LIKE a REW or Himalayan would have. It wasn't a red cast....it was ruby red. The iris of the eye was an amber-yellow-green color.

What in the heck could this rabbit be????? I have never seen it before. I know that some colors have a ruby cast to the eye, but this wasn't a cast, this is total and complete red. Knowing what this rabbit could be is absolutely positively essential to my being able to sleep at night- otherwise I will be obsessively trying to figure it out.

Help?? Thank you.


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## Shaded Night Rabbitry (Oct 3, 2011)

Mind taking pictures of him? Specifically the coat and eye.

To me, sounds like there's probably something wrong with his cornea rather then a color genetic issue.


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## Ivory (Oct 3, 2011)

I can get some pics- I just have to get them emailed to me I don't think there is anything wrong with his cornea- they aren't swollen, scratched, running, or otherwise look unhealthy. No signs of glaucoma, nothing to indicate that he isn't healthy. Both eyes are the same color, they've been that way the rabbits' entire life, according to the previous owner.

The strange thing is that he is moulting, and his otherwise beige fur is growing back much, much lighter. Almost white. 

I'll post pics as soon as I get them. If someone can give me some sort of idea, I would


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## pamnock (Oct 3, 2011)

I'd love to see a picture of the eye color! I'm guessing the rabbit may be a shaded frosty carrying REW (makes the eye very light).


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## mistyjr (Oct 3, 2011)

strange but i would like to see pictures too!


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## Nancy McClelland (Oct 3, 2011)

Sounds like our boy Spike. Wondered about him for a long time. He's part Dutch and part Black Otter, but his eyes are the clincher. One is 2/3rds blue and 1/3rd brown while the other eye is 2/3rd brown and 1/3rd blue. I've seen buns with two different color eyes, but he's the first I've ever seen with dual-colored eyes. Sometimes I think genetics would be easier to figure with a Ouija board.


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## pamnock (Oct 3, 2011)

The bi-colored eyes are common in Dutch rabbits. We also see it occasionally in the Hotots due to the influence of the Dutch gene.


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## Ivory (Oct 4, 2011)

We've had a few Dutch crosses in the rescue and they've had pretty interesting eyes. We had a Dwarf Hotot with brown/blue eyes once too. He was a pretty rabbit (albeit not for show, but a cute pet.)

Anyway, I was emailed the picture. And it is...disappointing. It does not nearly show the level of red in this rabbit's eyes. If you look closely, it looks kind of diluted.

But mostly, he looks like a regular, cute, mutt bunny. And brown. His eyes look dark brown. They were no where NEAR this color.

The picture was taken in bright sunlight. It just washed everything out. The unique eyes were very noticeable both in the softer indoor lighting and the outdoor sunlight. He was in a pen next to a REW and the pupil was exactly the same shade.

The iris of the eye was not really brown. It was yellow-orange-amber-almost-green. 

His fur looks a lot darker in the pic than in real life. He was lighter in person. His whiskers also stood out a LOT more- they were white/cream colored and very noticeable. 

Everything blends in.  I wish the picture showed what he looked like better. This really doesn't show ANYTHING of the strange coloring. Again....if you look at the pupil of the eye, you can see that it looks *maybe* a diluted brown. But it wasn't. It was noticeably red.


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## Ivory (Oct 4, 2011)

I'd also like to add that I'm going to feel stupid when someone says something very obvious about this guy's coloring LOL


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## plasticbunny (Oct 4, 2011)

I can't see the picture? Is it just me?


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## Ivory (Oct 4, 2011)

I can see it, I can try posting it again...

It's irritating how brown he looks in the pic. His eyes were seriously obviously red in the pupil. I know I keep saying this but it's frustrating....


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## pamnock (Oct 4, 2011)

Appears to be a sable point aka siamese. The eyes can be rather red/purple when the rabbit carries REW. It's possible that the rabbit is actually a sallandar, which could further explain weird eye color due to the chin gene (would also explain the darker color if it's cchd c).


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## Ivory (Oct 4, 2011)

Would you happen to have a pic of a sallandar?


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## pamnock (Oct 4, 2011)

http://www.hazelriggrabbits.co.uk/images/jpegs/rollovers/sallander/salpic.jpg


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## Ivory (Oct 4, 2011)

thanks Pam!


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## Shaded Night Rabbitry (Oct 4, 2011)

Sallander would be any siamese colored satin or mini satin. You can google those to find larger pics of them.

I was thinking this was going to be a dramatic case of something, not just a simple coat color playing with ruby reflections in the eye. ;D


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## Shayhara (Oct 6, 2011)

Looks a lot like our Siamese Satins. They do change color when they molt! They can go from dark to light then back to dark again. Even as adults we sometimes get a surprise after a molt.




[/img]I tried to insert a picture of our buck but I am not sure if I did it right or no.


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## Ivory (Oct 10, 2011)

*Shaded Night Rabbitry wrote: *


> I was thinking this was going to be a dramatic case of something, not just a simple coat color playing with ruby reflections in the eye. ;D


I simply thought it very strange, because the pupil was so brightly red. I had never seen it before and it was interesting.


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## HappyFarmBunnies (Oct 14, 2011)

I don't have anything to interject, just to say that this conversation was very interesting and enlightening! Thank you!


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## rabbitgeek (Oct 16, 2011)

Here is a site with Sallander rabbits where you can see the eye.

http://www.normelstud.co.uk/6.html

I hope that helps.

Have a good day!


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## Ivory (Nov 4, 2011)

thanks a lot!!! great pics! I saw him again and I do think he may be a Sallander- the eye is just strange!


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