The Harlequin rabbit is a French breed, recognized essentially for its multicolored coat which, in a superbly patterned specimen, resembles a medieval courtroom jester. The Harlequin is classified as a business breed – used essentially for meat – through the American Rabbit Breeders Affiliation (ARBA). Alternatively, the American Harlequin Rabbit Membership stories that the breed is essentially raised for its coloring, now not for meat. Processing is normally executed just for rabbits that don’t meet coat requirements.
The Harlequin is an exceptionally social animal, even for a rabbit. They do best possible with various workout and a lot of consideration. The perfect weight for the Harlequin is 6.5-9.5 kilos. They have got few grooming wishes and aren’t susceptible to any atypical well being problems, past the standard issues of rabbits. Maximum Harlequins are living no less than 5 years and as much as ten years is not unusual.
Harlequin Rabbit Coloring
The Harlequin is an previous breed, with the preliminary colour schemes and patterns first showing in 1887. Lately, it is available in two colour types, referred to as Jap and Magpie.
Jap used to be the unique colour scheme, combining orange with any other colour – maximum repeatedly black. Blue, chocolate and lilac also are thought to be legitimate colours. They have been to start with recognized through all kinds of names however changed into referred to as “Jap” as a result of – on the time – Asian international locations have been ceaselessly related to the bizarre and distinctive.
The magpie coloring used to be first discussed in 1946. Magpie coloring is a white rabbit, mixed with any other colour; once more, maximum repeatedly black. Just like the Jap, blue, chocolate and lilac also are applicable secondary colours.
Harlequin Rabbit Patterns
Face & Ears
In each the magpie and Jap requirements of perfection, the necessities are an identical. An ideal rabbit is thought of as to have its number one colour on part its face, and the secondary colour at the different. There will have to be an excellent, vertical line down the middle of the face the place the colours meet. The ears will have to be held in a “V” form and will have to each and every be one colour – reverse that of the face colour.
For instance, in a Magpie-lilac, the main colour will likely be white and the secondary will likely be lilac. If the left facet of the face is white, the ear at the left will have to be lilac. The ear at the proper will have to be white, and the face colour will have to be lilac. A loss of transparent department at the face is a disqualifying trait in appearing.
Legs & Frame
The legs will have to additionally trade. If the left entrance paw is white, the precise again paw will have to be white. The opposite two legs will have to be the secondary colour. Rabbits of the Jap kind are disqualified in the event that they provide with white toenails.
The frame will have to have bands of colour down its period – alternating the main and secondary colours. Those will also be cast bands or break up bands. Cut up bands have a line that runs down the again and wraps across the frame. Just like the face, those traces will have to be distinct the place the colours meet – number one colour on one facet, secondary at the different, swapping within the subsequent band, and so forth down the again.
White spots within the Jap kind are a disqualifying trait when appearing. White coloring below the tail and frame, on the other hand, has been a space of rivalry between Harlequin breeders and the ARBA for a while. This can be a standard presentation for the Jap colour. Alternatively, there were cases of the ARBA pushing for this to be a disqualifying trait. Lately, even though, it stays allowed in display rabbits.
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