# How do I tell if I have a purebred with no ped?



## Kushy12 (Dec 9, 2014)

hello all, I am very new to rabbits. My boyfriend and I are trying it out as a backyard hobbie for meat production. We purchased two does and a buck from a woman we found online. She claimed they were all three New Zealands. The buck however is salt and peppered. Is this a normal trait for a New Zealand black? I have pics if those would help. Thanks for reading


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## Kushy12 (Dec 10, 2014)




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## Bunnylady (Dec 10, 2014)

Glad you joined us!

Your buck has an awful lot of white hairs in his coat. My first thought was possibly steel (which sometimes crops up when different NZ colors are bred together) but that looks more like the silvering of a Silver Fox. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



No, I don't think your buck is a Silver Fox, but there may be some lurking in his background. Some people will tell you that having Ruby-eyed White (like the New Zealand White) in the background will cause the scattered white hairs, but that's not accurate. Scattered white hairs are a fault in any breed other than the ones that specifically work with the Silver gene (even a disqualification if there are enough of them), so most people try to avoid them. In a rabbit that is white anyways, how could you tell if it has scattered white hairs? Obviously, you can't; so a REW could mask the fact that it carries the gene, and then pass it on to colored offspring. 

Outcrossing to other breeds is pretty common; there is no telling how many generations back this gene may have gotten introduced into the gene pool of your rabbit. In every other way, your animals may fit the breed standard for New Zealands, but that many white hairs would most likely put your buck off a show table.


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## SA Farm (Dec 10, 2014)

I agree, looks like some silvering got in there at some point


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## Kushy12 (Dec 10, 2014)

Thank you guys for the input.  It is very good to know what I'm looking at, and what to expect in generations to come. It also gives me a more direct approach to my research.  thank you again.


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## secuono (Dec 15, 2014)

Without papers and a matching tattoo, all rabbits are mutts. Even more-so with meat rabbits.
He looks like he was crossed with a silver fox sometime ago. 
3 generations, by ARBA standards, equals "purebred". Which, as most would agree, is hogwash! 
Just remember not to sell them as purebreds, since you'll just continue the confusion.


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## Kushy12 (Jan 5, 2015)

Thank you Secuono, fourtionantly I have no interest in selling. I'm intending to keep it as a backyard hobbie, and a wonderful learning experience for my son.  

Do you have experience in tattooing? And if so, is it worth it? My boyfriend and I have been thinking about doing it, and want to make sure that it's something that is actually worth our time.


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## SA Farm (Jan 5, 2015)

It it's just a hobby and you're not dealing with purebreds, I don't think it would be worthwhile. Just my opinion, though. If you want to tattoo your mixed rabbits, you go right ahead


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## secuono (Jan 8, 2015)

Mutts tend to come in a lot of different colors, so it should be easy for you to keep track of them just by their coat colors and not have to tattoo them. But if they are all the same color, then you might want to tattoo just to be sure you have the right rabbit. 
Tattoo pens are cheap and you only have to add one letter or number to tell them apart, no need to do fancy codes.


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