# Curly haired rabbit?



## bunnylover (Nov 1, 2007)

I have a 4 week old litter of mixed bunnies. 4 of them are really fluffy and have straight hair, but one has thinner fur and its fur is curled like a poodle (the curls aren't nearly as tight as a poodle's, but it is curled in the same pattern) Even its whiskers are curly! I bought the mama doe when she was about 1 year old, and this is her second litter here. The first litter were all straight haired. The daddy was a purebred standard Rex. The mama has normal fur, and is smaller than a standard Rex but bigger than a dwarf. I was just wondering if there is a rabbit breed that has curly fur, and maybe the mama has a curly gene? What's going on here?
P.S. Sorry I can't get pictures of her.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

sounds to me like your buck is the one with the curly gene, but I may not understand it correctly.
http://www.astrexrabbits.org/


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Another thread (with a pic or two).

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=283079&highlight=curly


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## ladysown (May 3, 2008)

I have two curly coats here. Blaming dad for it. Keeping them IF the littlest one is a buck. Then I'll breed them and see if I can repeat it. 

sometimes it disappears when they molt into their adult coat.


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## moonkitten (Mar 4, 2005)

I've been getting the occasional cury coat for years here. In my experience it has always needed a specific pairing, not just a single carrier. 

For example, a certain buck bred 20 times might not produce any curly coated offspring until bred to a daughter. That pairing might produce 1 or 2 curly coats in 3 or 4 litters. Obviously the buck carries the gene, but it does not express until paired with a daughter that he passed it on to. And that daughter might not produce any curly coats bred to any other descendants of the buck. Even when you know or suspect that both parents carry the gene, it seems to be a rare combination that actually expresses as curly fur.

Of course, that is just the curly gene in MY barn... your experience might be completely different


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## bunnylover (Nov 1, 2007)

Thanks guys... I was just wondering what happened. Could the buck be the carrier, since he is a purebred Rex? I thought all the Rexes had straight hair, or can the curly haired thing randomly pop up in straight haired litters? This little kit is a doe, broken castor. I think I may keep her... although I need to be downsizing! NOT adding on LOL.


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## o&itw (Dec 19, 2008)

check Maggies link or Google "Astrex rabbits"


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## Harmony Goats (Nov 27, 2008)

I had the same thing happen to me this year. He is 1/2 new zealand, 1/4 english spot, and 1/4 mix with I think the mix is part rex. He and 2 of his other brothers are silver and the other 2 are white. His dam is black with blue eyes just like her mother. The 2 white bucks have blue eyes too. He has the curliest wiskers and he did have really curly fur but it is starting to come undone since I keep picking him up and petting him. He does have the short soft rex fur. I am going to keep him as a replacement buck since most of my other bucks are 4-6 years old and he is so unusual looking compared to the other rabbits.


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