What would be dominant - black or agouti?

[NZminilops]

Long story, but I know someone who's broken black doe has escaped from her hutch and has now given birth to a litter of black and broken black kits. They assume it was from a wild european rabbit, but wouldn't at least one kit be agouti?

Can someone help me on this one (Pam?) They are offering me a kit from the litter which is illegal if it's half wild but I am tempted to accept.

 

[TinysMom]

At least in domestic rabbits - it is my understanding that agouti is dominant. (I know - I'm not the illustrious Pam - who is a WEALTH of information).

But may I remind you that you don't KNOW the kit is 1/2 wild...how do you know it wasn't another domestic rabbit that got loose?

Peg

 

[pamnock]

Yes, the agouti gene would be dominant over the self "aa" gene that the black would have. If the wild rabbits are homozygous agouti, all the kits would have been agouti.

If the rabbits are newborn agoutis, they would all be black/broken black. The ticking takes about a week to come in.

Pam

 

[NZminilops]

I questioned them about the wild rabbit possibility and they got sort of angry at me (how dare I question their judgement sort of thing). They breed miniature lops and live out in the country. The lady is in tears over this having already lost several litters this week and now very upset to be landed with 'odd bunnies'.

The kits are, as far as I know having not actually seen them, solid blacks and broken blacks as in white with black stripe down the back,black butterfly etc. I will have to confirm this!

Thanks Peg! And Pam too. You are both a huge wealth of information, I was going to PM you Peg but thought you'd be busy writing.

Edited to add, they have sent me this, how true is it?

well if a black rabbit has the geneotype 'aa' and an agouti has the genotype 'A_' then that means the second gene for the agouti could beeither 'A' or 'a'. If the daddy rabbit (the agouti) had the genotype 'Aa' and it passes on only one of those two genes then it is quite possible that it passed on the 'a' gene to each of it's offspring. The baby rabbits would also have received the 'a' gene from their mum giving the baby rabbits the genotype of 'aa' making them black. I don't know if that makes sense or even if it's really correct but that's howmy brain is interpreting it anyway. Still, I would have thought that the daddy agouti rabbit would have given an 'A' gene to at least one ofhis babies which would have made it agouti since 'A' is dominant over'a'. I guess time will tell

 

[pamnock]

Yes minilops on the in heritance of Aa.It is possible a feral buck could be Aa, however if you are seeing all agoutis, they are most likely homozygous agouti.

There is also the Tan pattern gene in that series.Order of dominance: A agouti, At Tan, a self.



Pam