The Lutino Project
A Lutino coloured rabbit is genetically an orange rabbit with the Lutino modifier which dilutes the coat and eye, resulting in a yellow/orange coloured coat with red eyes, with different base colours we get different effects, an agouti rabbit with the Lutino gene is called a Shaddow and is darker than the Lutino with a dark base colour, a black rabbit with the gene is called a Dove and looks rather like a lilac with red eyes! Lutinos are very striking and the newest gene we have come accross since the satin gene in 1930, it first appeared in 1985 in denmark and is more common in other countries but there are a few breeders over here working on the colour in the Netherland Dwarfs and some of the larger lop breeds, I have decided to bring the gene into the Lionheads I think especially the Dove will look very attractive in the breed.
I paired my Lutino large nethie buck (pictured right) to my Black double maned lionhead doe, I chose this doe because of her stocky body and strong mane along with lovely tiny ears, also because she is black based and carries the non extension gene both needed for the Lutino colour, although she is not agouti based this will come from the buck, babies should be agouti and orange Lutino carriers.
First Orange single maned Lutino carrier to be run on
Arrived 20.05.14
I paired my Lutino large nethie doe (pictured right) to my Sooty fawn double maned lionhead buck, I chose this buck because although again he isnt agouti based he is non extension and black based, babies will get the agouti gene from mum but will carry self to help produce Dove at a later date.
Second Orange single maned Lutino carrier to be run on
First Black single maned Lutino carrier to be run on
Arrived 24.07.14
The two Orange Lutino carriers grown up and bred together
Litter arrived 19.04.15
First maned Lutino buck arrived!
Black L carrier (left) paired with Orange L carrier (right)
Arrived 13.06.15
1 single maned Lutino doe (below)
Lutino buck (left) paired with Orange Lionhead doe (right)
Arrived 16.01.16
3 Orange Lutino carriers 1 double maned buck run on (below)
Double maned L carrier buck (left) paired with Single maned Lutino Lionhead doe (right)
Arrived 04.08.16
3 Lutino kits 2 double maned 1 single maned (below) Different shades due to Rufus genes, they are all orange based.
2024
Flash forward to 2024
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I gave up breeding due to moving house and work in 2017.
I kept the orange Lutino carrier buck from 2016 as a pet and named him Rusty, i bought him a companion after his last one passed, a 7 month old REW doe named Molly, bred Sooty to Orange, luckily, as Rusty got to her before she could be spayed, so now we have 8 kits born here this March which has ignited my love of them, so i plan to see if i can get some Lutino here again by breeding Rusty to the doe i have kept from this litter later in the year, fingers crossed!
Rusty x Molly
litter born beginning of 2024
1 high rufus sooty doe has been kept back
Summer/Autumn 2024
Rusty x Poppy
Litter born 01.08.24
WE HAVE LUTINO!
After 7 years we have Lutino babies back in the shed, one buck and one doe! The doe was kept back and named Sophie
Our old boy rusty sadly passed 04.11.24 at age 9, his lineage will live on through this project <3
Sophie all grown up and on her first litter to an orange carrier buck "Jack" one lutino in the litter born 16.02.25
Poppy is on a litter born 15.02.25 to Lutino carrier buck "Jack" 1 Lutino in the litter
