Blued Eyed Bunnies

[LuvaBun]

As you may know, the Edmonton Humane Society took in around 130 rabbits from one place last week

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=35220&forum_id=7&jump_to=465702#p465702

These rabbits are a mix of lionhead/Dutch/goodness knows what else, but many of them have blue eyes. Just curious as to what the genetics might be that caused so many of them to have these :?

Jan

 

[fld20]

Most likelly theircarrying the Blue eyed white gene. which can make them have blue colored eyes it could also make them have dutch like markings

Fallon

 

[SkyGal]

Do any have like a half brown and a half blue eye? I saw a dutch, completely messed up at a show once. He has one full brown eye, one half and half blue and brown, he was grey and brown colored, and had white fur all over. Poor thing, his owner would not pick him up from the raffle when no one put a ticket for him They might have BEW in them somewhere.

 

[JamesCarden]

SkyGal wrote:

Do any have like a half brown and a half blue eye? I saw a dutch, completely messed up at a show once. He has one full brown eye, one half and half blue and brown, he was grey and brown colored, and had white fur all over. Poor thing, his owner would not pick him up from the raffle when no one put a ticket for him They might have BEW in them somewhere.

omg...thats soo sad. i would have sooo bought a ticket just to take him home!

 

[SkyGal]

I could not, I had no empty carrieing cage, that was back in my peak at 30 rabbits, I wish I could have. I saw the person who put him there leave but somebody had to take him home, people there would not just leave him. Except his mean owner

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

The guy I adopted has 2 blue eyes but both eyes have sections where they are brown. I also saw one girl who had one blue eye and one brown eye.

 

[Alexah]

I don't know much about rabbit genetics, but they sound as though they are carrying the "vienna" gene. That would explain their blue eyes and dutch-like markings. I'm sure someone else will come along and explain far better than I can, so I'll leave it at that.

 

[bunnybunbunb]

The Vienna gene I find is a curious one. It can do so many things to a rabbit. If the rabbit carries it can pan out so many ways:

Doesn't show a sign it is there

White on body with no blue eyes

Blue eyes but no white

White with blue eyes

No white with blue spots on eyes

White with Blue spots on eyes

No white with half blue eyes

White with half blue eyes

Then you can have 1 blue eye 1 brown, 1 half blue other full brown and 1 with blue spots or flecks and one full brown.

The Vienna gene can make a rabbit look like a Dutch mix but in reality they probably arn't. The Vienna gene is in no way related to the gene that causes the dutch markings even though it may look like it sometimes.

Also the white can vary. If they have white it can be anything from a few white scattered hairs to almost a fully white body. The white normally shows on the front feet and nose area or in the dutch look.