Himalayan rabbit
The Himalayan rabbit is a rare medium-sized breed of rabbit easily mistaken for the Californian rabbit.[1] The body is white with colored points, recognized colors are black, blue, chocolate and lilac. They are one of the oldest and calmest breeds. Adult Himalayans weigh 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds (1 to 2 kg) with an ideal weight of 3 1/2 pounds. They are the only cylindrical rabbit breed. The history of the breed is partially a mystery, as there are no definite records that clearly state where the breed may have originated. Some speculate that their origin may be in the Far East as opposed to the Himalayas, as their name suggests.
When Himalayans are raised in cold climates, they can exhibit black coloration of their coats, making them a phenocopy of the black rabbit.
Himalayans are also known as the Chinese, Egyptian, and Black-nose.[2] They are posed stretched out, and their body is to be 3.5 head lengths.[3] They have fine bone and a skinny body, and, unlike many other breeds, were never raised primarily for meat. This breed's main purpose is for show, but in its past, it was raised for its white pelt. Also, they are the only rabbit breed that commonly has an extra set of nipples. They are the ancestors of Californians, one of the most common meat rabbits.
History[]
Himalayan rabbits were one of the first breeds of rabbits, dating back thousands of years and although their origin is unknown they have been traced to Asia and the Middle East. It is unlikely that they came from the Himalayan mountain region though, as their name suggests. The original variety was the black Himalayan, and the blue Himalayan was created later. The chocolate and lilac varieties were made by different crosses depending on where they originated. American chocolate Himalayans were made by Ron Smelt of California by mixing chocolate English spots to Himalayans.[4] The lilacs were made by mixing the chocolate Himalayans the blues, but to create a color unique enough to get recognized as its own color (many early lilacs looked like light blues) lilac mini rexes were mixed in, but these lines were mostly destroyed after the color was accepted.
The Himalayan plays an important part in many other breed's histories, especially the Californian rabbits,[5] which looks like a commercial type rabbit with Himalayan markings. The Californian was made by crossing Himalayans with New Zealand's and a few other breeds (some Californian breeders say it is just Himalayan and New Zealand, while others say the Standard Chinchilla was mixed in too). The Californian was added to many other breeds (like Champagne d'Argents and some lines of Cinnamon) to improve body type, so Himalayan marked sports pop up sometimes.
Markings[]
The Himalayan rabbit is well known for its markings, which are similar to the Himalayan cats'. They have dark ears, front feet (socks), hind feet (boots), a dark Scut, and a dark spot on nose. The markings change with age and environment. Cold weather may darken markings, enlarge markings, and also add markings (called Smut) around the eyes, genitals (vent smut), or other white parts of the body. Eye and genital markings are not a disqualification because Smut is not on the usable portion of the pelt. If the Smut spreads onto the usable portion of the pelt, such as the belly or on the pin bones, it is a disqualification. Warmer weather may lighten markings, shrink markings, and cause white hairs in markings (known as "frosting"). In extremely warm weather, a Himalayan may even develop light or white toenails although for this to happen your rabbit has reached a point that it is suffering greatly due to the high heat intolerance of the breed. Chocolate and lilac Himalayans often have bigger markings than blacks and blues and are usually more likely to develop disqualifying markings, known as "smut"- although if the line has mixed variety lineage there will be great fluctuation within the specimens. Himalayans may develop smut after just ten minutes of contact with cold objects. Travel cages must always be stored in a warm place such as a house or attached shed that stays at 60 degrees or higher, otherwise, you will need to warm up all cages and carriers before use.
Baby Himalayans are especially sensitive to temperature. Most babies in the warmth of the nest will look the same as albino babies (because Himalayans can only produce eumelanin under a certain temperature and they cannot produce pheomelanin at all and only start to get their markings at the age they become more independent from their mother and littermates). If a nest gets too cold or a baby falls out, they will get dark bands on their fur. This varies from looking to off-white to looking chinchilla-colored, and it causes confusion among many novice breeders. Because of their constantly changing colors, most Himalayan breeders do not look at markings as a factor when making breeding plans. A baby who was chilled in the nest box is often called "frosty," which is not to be confused with frosted pearl. Experienced breeders may take young kits out of the nest box until they get chilled (keeping them at about 70 or 75 degrees) until they become frosty because once they grow up and shed their frosty coat, their facial, foot, tail, and ear markings will be much darker and shinier.
Himalayans will always have pink irises, these are not to be confused with red eyes because there are both types in rabbits but a pure Himalayan will not have red eyes. Himalayan marked rabbits without pink eyes are usually misidentified sable points or of mixed heritage.
Genetics[]
Himalayans are known for having a double copy of the ch gene and a mutated albinism gene which is what gives them markings on very specific areas. There are variations within the B gene which are Black ("B") and Chocolate ("b"). The original Himalayan came in only the black variety, and the chocolate was introduced by breeding Himalayans with rabbit breeds that had both versions of the B gene. The dilute gene was also introduced mostly through crossbreeding (although it can occur naturally) and is recessive. On a punnet square, a full intensity gene is "D", a dilute is "d". The Himalayan can be exhibited in 4 colors, or varieties- black, blue, chocolate and lilac. Black is considered the only true variety by some, because it is the original color, without influences from other breeds. Blue can occur naturally in Himalayans when the dilute gene mutates in black Himalayans, but most blue Himalayans now have Netherland dwarf or mini rex influence as a result of breeding for dilutes.
Both black and chocolate are full saturation, blue and lilac are the dilute versions. The black gene and the full saturation genes are dominant, so black is the most common color in Himalayans. Dilute is recessive so you will have fewer dilute kittens in a litter. Black is the most common because it is the most dominant, Chocolate and blue are the next common because they both carry a dominant and a recessive trait, lilac is the rarest and carries the two recessive traits. If you are breeding specifically for color, you can fine-tune breeding within specific lines for specific colors.
The Himalayan gene (ch) has been bred into many other breeds, but they lack marking modifiers so they often show up with smaller, lighter markings.
Differences between other breeds[]
- Himalayans are the only breed posed stretched out (cylindrical)
- Himalayans are a common youth breed because of their good temperament
- European Himalayans and American Himalayans have different poses.
- Himalayans commonly have an extra set of teats.[6]
- Himalayans are one of 4 breeds that can be moved up to senior class regardless of their weight.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "BRC Breed Standard" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
- ^ American Himalayan Rabbit Association
- ^ AHRA guidebook
- ^ American Himalayan Rabbit Association Breed History
- ^ ARBA Guidebook: Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies
- ^ How many nipples do Himalayans have?
External links[]
Authority control  |
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- Rabbit breeds