# Harlequin colored Rex



## Pheasant283 (Mar 24, 2010)

Recentlly aquired a new broken black standard Rex doe, bred her to my broken blue rex buck. She has black and broken black kits, and one Harlequin looking colored one...?? Just trying to figure out how this happened.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

It's a recessive at the E locus. There are several things that can go on. In order of dominance, there is Steel (Es), extension (E), non-extension (e), and Harlequin (ej). Steel is funky to explain but results in either agouti steels or 'tipped' steels. Normal extension (E_) is what you see on blacks, chocolates, blues etc but they can CARRY non-extension or harlequin without you being able to tell visibly. Non-extension is responsible for tort and red colors (ee). Finally, ideal harlequin is ej/ej, and is responsible for both the japanese and magpie colors (magpie also has the chinchilla gene). 

To get a harlequin, one parent must at least carry ej, and the other parent could either also carry ej OR non-extension (e). Non extension (ee) is responsible for the tort color (and with the addition of wideband and rufus modofiers, it also is responsible for the RED color). A 'torted harlequin' is e/ej, and usually has poor color than a true breeding harlequin (ej/ej). A torted harlequin will usually show a bit of tort pattern on ears/nose/feet, too. 

I would BET that the kit is torted harlequin because to get TRUE harlequin the parents both have to be agouti based, and it cannot be according to the parents (they are both selfs).  

Clear as mud?  If they are young babies, give them a few days to color up to be sure.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

I've had one show up before and unfortunately I must have culled the carrier out of the colony and that one kit died. Never saw it again. I went looking for some of the harli breed but the guy I found wasn't honest and his rabbits had rather ugly type.

As mentioned it's a recessive gene so it can hide for many generations. I've had weird stuff show up when it's not the ped for 10 generations. It happens. There are lots of things on the E locus that can combine to make a harli but you need at least one copy of ej.


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

The Harlequin gene is need to create the Tri-Color Rex pattern, along with the Broken Gene. Broken creates white and colored areas while the Harlequin separates black/orange or blue/fawn or whatever is appropriate.

It is not a sign of people creating mutts but it can come from legimate breeder activity. The breeder should have noted on the pedigree that there is Harelquin in the background unless they didn't know.

BTW, I used to get self based Harlies with my Tri-Colored Dutch.

Have a good day!


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## Pheasant283 (Mar 24, 2010)

Thanks for all the help. I think I have a torted harlequin. There are no harlequins in the pedigrees, & the lines come from reputable breeders. 

So if I breed this torted harlequin to a broken will I get tri colored?


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Maybe! If the harlie kit is a buck you can save him to breed back to the doe. If the kit is a doe then save it to breed back to the buck. This is to try and capture the harlie gene.

Breed the harlie to a broken, save a kit from that little to breed back to the harlie, depending on what sex it is.

Have a good day!


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

A true harlequin is on an agouti base, however, isn't it? At that point you'd get a poorly marked harlequin I believe. (yours is not agouti based). You'd have to bring in some sort of agouti based animal to get a good harl.

As for getting tri, it is hard to say... The broken would have to either carry non-extension or harlequin as well, to get a tri. And, preferably, be agouti based in color so you get a good agouti based harlequin.


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

I know that the agouti based Harlequin is preferred. I know I used to get some nice looking Harlequins with my self based Dutch. I thought we were talking about using what we have. 

If I wanted to create a line of Tri-Color Rex showbunnies I would start with all registered rabbits and go by the book. But the rabbits don't read the book.


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## HarmonyK (Aug 26, 2014)

Is it acceptable to breed steel to Harlequin?


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