# Is it a Silver Fox ? Pic



## Robo Buck (Dec 3, 2012)

The owners I got this female rabbit said it was a baby black New Zealand doe. When I went in the rabbits cage there were 3 other rabbits 2 were black and 1 looked similar to it .
It looks so similar to a Silver fox  when I run my hand from its tail to its head it's fur does not run back in place strange enough  from what I know a Silver Fox is supposed to do that right? And all I payed was 7.50 for IT!! I dont know if it is for sure one so I will let you guys judge ...    :/


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## Prairiechick (Dec 3, 2012)

Looks like a Silver Fox to me. 
I have never seen a New Zealand that looked like that!


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## DianeS (Dec 4, 2012)

Looks like a Silver Fox to me.  Perhaps it's a mix and the owners only knew the NZ part of the mix? That would explain it.


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## Roll farms (Dec 4, 2012)

We bred a white NZ to a silver fox and our kits looked a lot like that.  Some of them the fur acted like SF, some it didn't.


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## Robo Buck (Dec 4, 2012)

I would like to breed it back to my  white New Zealand Buck do you guys know what would happen ? Because if it is a New Zealand x Silver fox  would the color change if it was crossed back to a New Zealand ?


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## Bunnylady (Dec 4, 2012)

That is NOT a Silver Fox, it's a steel. The Silver Fox is a solid colored rabbit with a lot of white hairs in its coat; a steel has hairs that are mostly dark, but are ticked with a lighter color. I haven't done a lot of New Zealand breeding, but when I outcrossed a New Zealand White to my Harlequins, I got steel babies. Others have told me of similar results; apparently steel is common in NZW's.

Steel is a weird gene. It occurs at the E locus, and you only see the steel coloring when it is paired with the normal full color gene at that locus. Any other combination usually winds up looking like a black self. If you breed this doe to your NZW buck, you will probably get some REW's, some steels, and some that are solid black like this doe's littermates.

This is a Silver Fox:


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## Prairiechick (Dec 4, 2012)

Bunnylady said:
			
		

> That is NOT a Silver Fox, it's a steel. The Silver Fox is a solid colored rabbit with a lot of white hairs in its coat; a steel has hairs that are mostly dark, but are ticked with a lighter color. I haven't done a lot of New Zealand breeding, but when I outcrossed a New Zealand White to my Harlequins, I got steel babies. Others have told me of similar results; apparently steel is common in NZW's.
> 
> Steel is a weird gene. It occurs at the E locus, and you only see the steel coloring when it is paired with the normal full color gene at that locus. Any other combination usually winds up looking like a black self. If you breed this doe to your NZW buck, you will probably get some REW's, some steels, and some that are solid black like this doe's littermates.
> 
> ...


As usual, you make a lot of sense.  Looking at the picture of the SF, you can see the OPs rabbit has a more solid head.


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## Robo Buck (Dec 4, 2012)

Ok thank you Bunnylady


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## DianeS (Dec 4, 2012)

Bunnylady, it's amazing how much detail you can see from a single photograph. I completely understand your explanation of white tips vs white hairs, but I just can't see the difference in that photo. I'm glad you chime in on these!


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## Bunnylady (Dec 5, 2012)

It is a bit subtle, but the difference in the size of the light spots on the coat does create a different look. Also, the OP's rabbit looks to be gold-tipped rather than silver, which is a definite give away! 

Steel:                                                  Silver Fox


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## Rabbit-boy (Dec 19, 2012)

Its a steel breed rabbit or it could be a mix steel


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## Bunnylady (Dec 19, 2012)

Rabbit-boy said:
			
		

> Its a steel breed rabbit or it could be a mix steel


There is no breed called "Steel", at least, not in the U.S. (Nor, I suspect, in Canada). There is, however, a color called steel, which is caused by a gene carried by several breeds, the New Zealand being one.


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## Robo Buck (Dec 20, 2012)

Hello again 1 more qestion on this topic could I show my rabbit  ?


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## UpHillRabbitry (Dec 21, 2012)

I had an entire litter of rabbits that looked very much like this picture. They were a mix between Cals and New Zealand Reds. Dark hair tipped with brown/gold color with an almost entirely solid head, again much like this original picture.


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## Bunnylady (Dec 21, 2012)

Robo Buck said:
			
		

> Hello again 1 more qestion on this topic could I show my rabbit  ?


While it seems that it is common for New Zealands to have the Steel gene, they are only shown in White, Red, and Black (and Broken). So no, this rabbit isn't showable. However, depending on what she was bred to, it is entirely possible for her to produce showable colors - particularly Black.


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