Dutch rabbit

The Dutch rabbit is a small rabbit breed with a weighs between 2,5 3.25 kg.

Appearance

The Dutch rabbit is a breed check ( disk or Gürtelscheckung ) with very regular, symmetrical drawing. The head pattern consists of the two end plates, the starting frame the nose of the equally colored ears and eyes wide comprehensively held in a good rounding to the jaws to the back of the neck, without running into the sensing hairs. The force generated by the head drawing blaze ends pointed in the ears. The fuselage drawing includes the rear part of the body as a sharply defined ring in the middle of the body as well construction ( in the wild colored coat colors only in the sub- color). The hind legs are colored only to about the middle between the ankle and toes, the rest of the foot is the so-called cuffs. The Dutch rabbit is in all pure colors (not silvered ), including the Japanese color permitted.

Genetically based subscription to the Dutch rabbit on the so-called plate or Gürtelscheckung. The corresponding mutation causes during embryonic development in the neural crest by superficial defects, the formation of melanoblast omitted to varying degrees, otherwise, following the blood vessels, migrate to the skin surface and thus the hair roots and perform there as melanocytes, the pigment formation.

In the hereditary formula in this factor is represented by S ( not spotting ) or s ( 1 .. 3 ..) ( in the international symbolism by you ( from Dutch = Dutch) for Nichtscheckung and dud ( dark) and duw (light directive) for the different extent of spotting. should be noted that the numbering of the Plattenscheckungsfaktoren does not correspond to individual accumulative genes, but reflects different mutation levels of the factor.

History of breed

Rabbits with the drawing of today's Dutch rabbits have been known for several centuries. Representations of such rabbits can be found on historic paintings; the oldest image " ferrets and rabbits " from Hänßlein of Haguenau ( 1401 ) and "The Adoration of the Holy Child " by Turro (1450 ) are to be counted. Also in the continent cycle of the painter Jan van Kessel ( 1660 ) there is an almost standard justice signed Dutch rabbits. Also in today's Netherlands and Belgium much grown and exported for slaughter to the UK Brabant rabbits showed the Plattenscheckung in scope. The breeding of the breed to the usual form today was from such Brabant rabbits in the UK, from where then came the Dutch rabbit on the continent. Joppich describes the first from England to Germany imported animals a little less drawing than known today had ( narrower blaze, ring pulled further forward ). After Germany, the Dutch rabbit came Joppich According to the early 1880s; exhibitions were presented in 1891 in Chemnitz for the first time and described in the standard of 1898. Since then, they have been bred albeit with an increasing number of color varieties in almost unchanged form.

Similar breeds

In her drawing, the Dutch Rabbits are unique among rabbit breeds. Similar Plattenscheckungen can also be found in other domestic animals, guinea pigs are very common to see a Dutch rabbit resembling the drawing.

Due to its distinctive drawing the Dutch rabbit is the " emblem " of many rabbit breeders clubs and associations, fittingly, that of the Dutch rabbit Federal.