At what age will a lionhead start to grow a mane?

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Depending on the the breeding, some Lionheads can start showing mane as early as 4-5 weeks. Some Lionheads never really get a mane, some will get a mane early and lose it after shedding at puberty. Someare single maned, some get double manes.

It's one of the things the breeders are working so hard on. Consistancy along the lines. The lionhead is not yet an accepted breed (by the American Rabbit Breeders). It's still a "breed in development".
 
Dippy has a gorgeous mane and loves to make itr look even biggewr by puffin out his chest!
Fluffballs mane isn't thatfull - I am not sure if its becuase she is a girl or if it is just how she is made!
But she has little tufty bits sticking out and its soooo cute!

 
I Love Lionheads, They are simply adorable. Just like a lion's mane! That cute little fluff around the head and a little skirt around the bottom. I think the white ones are so pretty with the black eyeliner and I also sawan all black one that was precious. I don'thave one but must someday get one. The babies are sooooooo cute!
 
I find the Single Mane gene starts the mane at around 4 weeks and are normally in full bloom at 2-3 months. If the mane gets chewed or when it comes time to molt they normally get no more than a little wool on their flanks and top of their head back. For the Double Mane is really depends. Some lines go at 2 months(like mine) and some don't till 4 months. I find does once they have babies never get their manes back properly but it depends on the line/genetics too. I have seen Double Manes get it back as full or fuller as before the molt and then seen some look just as bad as most Single Manes.
 
Let's hope I can finally get the forum to cooperate to let me post!

I have bred lionheads for almost 3 years. When I first started, my lionheads weren't the best "quality" ...especially in the mane gene. I'd frequently get judge's comments of "great type" and "nice fur" but "needs more mane". In those litters, I frequently saw the mane start to "bloom" around 6 weeks of age to 2 months.

I made it a point to bring in lionheads that had better genes for the manes (by looking at the parents, etc). Now - by about the age of 3 or 4 weeks, I can see the mane start to bloom....its hard to explain - but you can see a difference in the mane and the rest of the fur. By 5 weeks now you can usually tell their lionheads by their mane and by 6 weeks its starting to look really nice.

What is interesting to me is that my does usually keep their manes - my bucks don't tend to keep them as much - BUT - some of my later bucks have kept their manes into adulthood better. I don't know what I find that so interesting - but I do.

BTW, you can usually tell if a lionhead is a single or double mane within a couple of days after birth....as their fur is coming in. After that - as they get older - the only real way to tell is by the mane itself. I find that single manes are often wispy - but that is not always so. I have some single maned animals that have the really crimped look to their mane and it keeps coming in fuller and fuller.

I hope this helps in some way - and I hope the forum will let me post this!


 

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