# Blue Magpie Rex



## MsBinky (Jan 4, 2008)

I have to ask... I spotted a gorgeous baby... I'm curious to see what it would look like as an adult. I can't seem to find any pics. Does anyone have an idea? i have a thing for magpies and it's a mini-rex to make it ohhh that much more irresistable :embarrassed:


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## Jenson (Jan 4, 2008)

I should think there are very few photos of them, magpie is pretty rare in Rex, in the UK at least, but I havn't seen any photos of them elsewhere either.

I'd buy him right away if it was me. 

I have a photo of a black and white magpie, if you want to see that?


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## MsBinky (Jan 4, 2008)

I tried to but someone got to her before me. grrrrr. Then again, I think mr Binky wouldn't be coming back if I had had it my way. LOL.

i found one pic but it was so so. Lol. This one was cute.  I love magpies! So, you want a magpie then? hihi


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## Jenson (Jan 4, 2008)

Aww shame! 

I love magpies, I had a magpie Standard Rex doe called Maggie, she died not long after I bought her, but now I have her sister Missy who I am breeding. I plan to start up a little magpie Rex line and work towards show standard. It's going to be extremely difficult since I have not been able to find anyone in the UK who is breeding or showing magpies, they are very rare even as pets, so I'm going to have to start from scratch!

This is Maggie.






She was very beautiful, I can't wait to get another like her.


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## MsBinky (Jan 4, 2008)

Awwww sorry to hear...

I love magpie and if I could I think I would work on breeding magpie rexes and lionheads. Hihi. Magpies are extremely rare here too and Ashton is the first I saw though he is a broken. I was amazed to see it on a rex. I wish you the best of luck with your line. Too bad you are far or I'd adopt from you for sure!


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## MsBinky (Jan 4, 2008)

Lol I had to come back and look at her pic again. Really stunning! The one I saw wasn't nearly as nice!

Come to think of it... I guess it was a broken magpie then...


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## Jenson (Jan 5, 2008)

lol! Thank you. I will post lots of pictures for you when I get my first magpie baby!


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## Bo B Bunny (Jan 5, 2008)

Do a google imageof Magpie Mini-rex - there are several photos.


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## Bramblerose (Jan 5, 2008)

http://www.geocities.com/falls_acre_rabbits/mr-colors.html


There are two pictures of Magpie Mini Rex on this page, its a great reference for unaccepted colors.


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## Jenson (Jan 5, 2008)

Bo, I don't think the images that come up on google are Rex. I've searched for magpie Rex images and the only pictures that I've found are of other breeds with magpie colouring. There is a magpie Lionhead that look's amazing though, that's worth a look!


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## Jenson (Jan 5, 2008)

Aww those two are cuties. I had a reserved chocolate magpie when I bought Maggie but I decided to choose Missy intead because the choc wasn't very friendly. The choc got bought by a lady in Ireland instead.


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## MsBinky (Jan 5, 2008)

Thanks I saw those but those were the only ones I found  I thought they were more popular than that. I'm guessing blue is just a bit lighter than the one you showed Bramble? Bah anywho, she's taken and Mario would kill me  I so want a mini-rex. Lol


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## Bramblerose (Jan 5, 2008)

Yes blue would be lighter, lilac would be even lighter, but very very pretty. Its hard to find magpie's in Mini rex, because its a nowhere sort of color, its not produced often because you can't use it in a breeding program. I mean the japanese harlequin rex you can cross to a tri-color and get tri-colors, they can work well to put more color on your tri's. Magpies are harder to produce, certain color genes have to be present to get one. You'd most likely have an easier time of finding a blue magpie Harlequin(non rex) if you really loved the look, but I geuss you had your heart set on a Mini-Rex. I just got this BEW Mini-Rex that I'm enchanted with, their mighty cute too!

Jenson, are Magpie's an accepted and showable color in Rex in the UK? I know that they have blue Silvers there, and those aren't reconized here.


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## MsBinky (Jan 5, 2008)

I didn't realize Magpies were so difficult to breed. How do you know if the genes are right? Trial and error? Sorry I know nothing about breeding right now  

Well honestly, I had never even seen a magpie rex. And until Ashton, I had no idea we had magpies here. The breeders buy them from each other. So I found that very cool. I would have liked it but i am just looking for a mini-rex in general.


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## Bramblerose (Jan 6, 2008)

I don't know if there's an easy way to explain- but to produce a magpie both rabbits would have to carry/express both the ej gene, and the c chinchilla gene. A Japanese on the other hand would be a dominant agouti with the ej gene, it doesn't have that chinchilla c gene which removes the red. Ej takes the band color and separates it into individual hair shafts, causing that harlequin or brindle look. All it really means is that it makes a very unique looking and pretty bun.


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## Jenson (Jan 6, 2008)

Bramblerose, I'm not really sure, the breed standard says:

"Harlequin - (Japanese), English, Dutch etc. all marked varieties to resemble nearly as possible normal varieties in colouring and marking plus Rex coat." 

I don't know if magpie would come under "all marked varieties" or not, I guess they might not put it in specifically because it's so unusual and I don't think anyone has tried to breed magpie Rex in the UK. I will still breed as close to the standard as I can if they're not showable, maybe one day they will be! I really need to find a nice chin Rex buck.

The genes are a right pain in the neck with magpie! :grumpy:


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## MsBinky (Jan 6, 2008)

It only makes sense that it has to be a pain in the neck to breed them or I am sure that more would be available  I am really thrilled to have Ashton.


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## Starlight Rabbitry (Jan 6, 2008)

Jenson - Not sure about the U.K. but in the U.S. only colors that are recognized by a certain breed are listed in the Standard. Maybe that is why you can't find the Magpie color standard in Rex. 

Very pretty though. We don't have magpie rex in the U.S.

Sharon


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## Jenson (Jan 6, 2008)

Sharon, most of the colours are listed, I just wonder whether magpie would come under "all marked varities" or not. They're probably not showable, I'll write to the BRC and ask when I renew my membership.

I don't really mind if I can't show them, they're gorgeous rabbits and they deserve someone to work on them I think. Maybe if I can breed one at least good enough to compete against harlequins they might let them be shown...I'll probably be old and grey before that happens, but still.


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## MsBinky (Jan 6, 2008)

You breed, I buy :biggrin2: Okies? Okies!


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## Jenson (Jan 6, 2008)

lol, of course! You're first on the list for a magpie baby. :biggrin2:


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