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Silver Fox are a gentle breed and have been dubbed the Teddy Bear of the
commercial type.
A fine selection for meat, show and pet rabbit.
The breed was near extinction for many years with very few fanciers
keeping them, nor was there a specialty club to call their own. On
August 31, 1971 the National Silver Fox Rabbit Club was issued a charter
by the ARBA and included 18 dedicated fanciers of the breed.
The Silver Fox rabbit is an outstanding dual purpose breed for - Food,
Fancy and Fur. A large animal with Senior Bucks weighing in at 9 to 11
pounds and does at 10 to 12 pounds. The does are excellent mothers,
produce plenty of milk and are known for their large litters. The fryers
make market weight quickly and have the unique ability of a very high
dress-out percentage of meat (65%). The two important features are [its]
unusual long fur and evenly silvered coat. The coat is longer than
normal commercial rabbit fur, with slightly coarse texture that should
resemble the pelt of a fox. Silver tipped or white hairs will be present
along the flanks and all over the body including head, feet and tail.
The black color should run deep to the skin with a slate under color.
The most unusual quality of the fur is that when it is slowly stroked
backwards from the tail to the head, the fur "stands up," and it
requires another stroke from the head to the tail to return it back in
place. Silver Fox rabbits are "Gently Giants", love attention and are
easily posed. Big and blocky, it is hard to keep your hands off them.
They seem to adapt to any climate and sudden changes in temperature does
not appear to bother them. They are easy to handle and they like
attention.
Currently the Black Silver Fox is the only recognized color within the
breed as the ARBA dropped the Blue variety some years back due to the
lack of interest, however the Blue Silver Fox is making a steady
comeback and are being presented to the ARBA Standards Committee for
acceptance.
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