On The Rocks Rabbitry
I am often asked “Why do you raise lynx mini rex?”. I guess my answer is kind of long so that’s why I started a whole page about it. In short though there are three main reasons: 1. I had no idea how difficult they were when I chose them ; ), 2. They’re stunningly beautiful animals when they are good, 3. I continued because I love the challenge.
This web page is designed to help encourage other breeders that currently raise lynx to continue and to help breeders who may be thinking about adding a variety to choose the lynx. I think it will take a team effort to bring this variety into the spotlight and into a BOB spot but I am confident it can be done. That being said I would love to work with any lynx breeders by sharing ideas, thoughts, or even rabbits. My first goal is to get enough rabbits and breeders at the shows to create some competition. We can’t improve the variety without competition. So get out there and start breeding lynx.!!!
New Page:
GENETICS
Raising Rex in chinchilla and tricolor and
Mini Rex in chinchilla, lynx, red, and tricolor
What is a lynx?
The lynx description in the Standard of Perfection was recently changed to help describe an agouti rabbit with three distinct shades on the fur shaft. The under color is cream, the mid-band is bright fawn/orange, and the tips are lilac. The lilac tipping should be apparent around edges of the ears. This is one way to tell a lynx from a fawn. For excellent photos of lynx ring color.
Genetically the lynx is a dilute chocolate agouti. A– bb C– dd E-
Improving lynx
The task of improving lynx is very difficult. Most mini rex breeders will outcross to a good castor or black depending on what they are trying to improve. This is not recommended to improve lynx. The difficulty may be explained by understanding more about lynx genetics. There are several varieties that are mentioned when discussing lynx. Understanding the genetic structure of each can help understand how each variety works with lynx.
This table does not fully take in to account recessives. For example it is possible to find a chocolate that carries dilute and you may get lynx and probably ambers in the first generation.
Blue under color is notoriously hard to get rid of and extremely disappointing on the show table. You can have an otherwise beautiful animal but will get DQed for blue under color. It may take several generations to breed out as well. At that point, is it possible to have kept the fur and type you out crossed for. For this reason I have chosen to use a chocolate in my lynx program and intend to keep good ambers that the cross creates. Other breeders may find that a certain castor or opal outcross does not develop blue under color. If this is true, use it.
History and Future
The recent changes to the Standard of Perfection have put lynx in the spotlight and so far that has led to more DQs and a resulting loss in numbers of lynx breeders. Though this has been a discouraging trend, it is time to change the spotlight’s hue to a positive one. Share as much info as possible with fellow lynx breeders, share stock as well. The day will come when we can keep our good lines to ourselves, but today is not that day. Focus on the standard and try to improve type and fur as much as possible while staying within what is a lynx. And most important of all, have fun!
Goals for Lynx Breeders
If you got into lynx mini rex because you want to win best of breed, you chose the wrong variety. If you chose lynx because you wanted a challenge and can be satisfied with small victories you’ve come to the right place.
1. Consistently put lynx on the table that are not DQed.
(This seems like a ridiculously small goal but it is the first step.)
2. Spread the lynx variety and get other breeders to show lynx too.
(This seems like a strange goal but without enough other breeders we can’t win legs or improve our own stock.)
3. Win an opposite sex of breed leg at a small show.
4. Win a variety leg. (This is after OS because of the potential number of breeders.)
5. Win a best of breed leg.
6. Win a best in class leg.
(Why is this after breed, because if we succeed enough at #2 then there will be enough breeders and lynx at the table to fill a class. I can only imagine : )
7. Win best in show.
Fawn Disclaimer/Test Breeding
Most lynx sites go into great detail about the difference between a fawn and a lynx. This page was meant to focus on lynx, how to improve true lynxes, and to encourage current and potential lynx breeders. That being said it is extremely important that one can tell the difference between a fawn and lynx and steer as clear from fawn as possible. If you are not sure of what your bunny is, color test it by breeding. I use reds to test breed and if they throw castors I know I’ve got a lynx. If they throw reds too, I know my lynx carries fawn which is pretty common since they were mixed together for a long time. Test breeding can give you confidence in the genetics of your herd and save time down the road by not becoming invested in cultivating a dead end line.
For those of you who can get a fawn to pass on the show table and are cultivating it, good and keep breeding good fawns. Maybe someday they will become an accepted variety as well, as they are also a beautiful color. Just please don't breed them in with lynxes or sell them to inexperienced breeders as lynxes.
Opals, ambers and fawns are only one allele (letter section) off from being a lynx, so it is possible to get lynxes out of first generation crosses. Chocolates and castors are somewhat compatible but may take two generations to get lynx, unless you get a lucky recessive in one. I have added the following table to give an overview of why or why not to outcross to certain varieties.
|
Amber |
A- |
bb |
C- |
D- |
E- |
|
Lynx |
A- |
bb |
C- |
dd |
E- |
|
Castor |
A- |
B- |
C- |
D- |
E- |
|
Opal |
A- |
B- |
C- |
dd |
E- |
|
Red |
A- |
B- |
C- |
D- |
ee |
|
Fawn |
A- |
bb |
C- |
dd |
ee |
|
Chocolate |
a- |
bb |
C- |
D- |
E- |
|
Lilac |
a- |
bb |
C- |
dd |
E- |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Lynx |
high likelihood of all lynx kits |
if your lines have type or fur weakness there is no way to improve |
|||
|
Amber |
good chance of lynx kits first generation |
they aren't a recognized variety so they are really hard to find |
|||
|
Castor |
great fur and type |
might get blue undercolor that is hard to breed out |
|||
|
Opal |
great fur and type |
might get blue undercolor that is hard to breed out |
|||
|
Chocolate |
good fur and type |
need two generations to get lynxes |
|||
|
Fawn |
good chance of lynx kits first generation |
hard to tell which ones are which |
|||
|
Red |
can color test to see if your lynx is a true lynx |
may get fawns |