Chinchilla rabbit

Under Chinchilla rabbits two breeds of domestic rabbit be understood, the Grand Chinchilla rabbits weighing from 4.5 to 5.5 kg and the small Chinchilla rabbits weighing 2.25 to 3.25 kg.

Characteristics of both breeds is the bluish tinted, ash-gray color with the possible flaky, caused by the guard hair shading. The distribution of the color zones corresponding to the wild -colored rabbit. The characteristic color is caused by a mutation of the gene to achi or ACH2 that causes the loss of the yellow pigment in the hair, the white remain appropriate zones for color formation ( German Symbol A, English symbol C). The Chinchilla coloring is part of the albino series. The rabbit breed was named after the chinchilla, as it according to the level looks similar to the chinchilla fur more or less.

The corresponding hereditary formula is:

AchiBCDG ( German symbolism ) or ABCch2DE ( English symbolism )

History of the Chinchilla Rabbit

The first chinchilla rabbits were shown in 1913 in Paris by the French breeder Dybowski, which, however, no details of the outcome of races used, made in the literature of Russians Rabbit, Blue Viennese (after Sandford Blue van Beveren ) and wild rabbits the speech. Since there is a mutation in the chinchilla color, this can be either occurred at Dybowski yourself or already been recessive present in the animals used by him. The animals shown by Dybowski were of the type of today's small chinchilla. By previous authors described, for example, Charles Darwin Chinchilla rabbits of the description seem to be more likely to have been silver rabbit. From France came Chinchilla rabbits in 1915 ( Joppich ) or 1919 ( Sandford ) to England and from there to Switzerland and the Netherlands to Germany. Apparently existed between the English and French breeding lines differences in coloration, Joppich describes imported from England animals as darker than the French. While these animals corresponded to the type and size of today's small chinchilla rabbit, in the early twenties of the 20th century were bred by Chris Wren larger Chinchilla rabbits in England, which were called Chinchilla Giganta. Animals of this type were also imported to Germany, the exact timing is not quite clear. While mandrel according wiper cited that this is done in 1920 by Gustav Arlt from Guben writes Joppich that import primarily to North Germany took place. In addition, were grown independently of the English animals Chinchilla rabbits of a larger type in Germany, for example by Geyer in Ilmenau. The Grand Chinchilla rabbits were popular very quickly to its rapid spread may also have contributed, that it has been included among the recognized economic breeds and thus also before and during the Second World War in Germany underwent special promotion.

Similar breeds

The Chinchilla factor is represented in other rabbit breeds, eg in Weißgrannenkaninchen and in Schwarzgrannenkaninchen, beyond the Chinchilla coloring is recognized as the impact of other races colors.

Corresponding mutations also occur in other species, the famous white tigers to be due to an analogous mutation.