The Vienna gene (BEW)

 

The Vienna gene is the gene responsible for blue-eyed white rabbits and is a colour I have worked on a lot in the past. Blue eyed whites are still fairly rare and the ones that are around don’t tend to be a very good type.

 

The Vienna gene is actually present in all rabbits. A rabbit that is not a blue-eyed white or a Vienna carrier genetically appears like this VV, (upper case V ) it has two dominant Vienna genes.

 

The Vienna gene will only visually appear when the recessive v (lower case) gene is present. When two v - recessive Vienna genes are paired together this will result in a blue-eyed white rabbit. When only one recessive Vienna gene is present (Vv) the rabbit will be a Vienna carrier (BEW carrier)Vienna carriers (Vv) appear with white spots on their fur where there wouldn’t normally be any, a common place is on the top of their head, foot, (looking like a sock) and nose.

 

I call these kits Vienna marked. (vm)However, Vienna carriers do not always show white marks on their fur. For example, If a BEW is bred to a solid coloured rabbit that is VV (does not carry BEW) it will result in a litter of (Vv) 100% Vienna carriers. Although none of the offspring will actually be BEW they will all be carriers, some might be Vienna marked (vm) white marks visually apparent and others may be solid coloured and unmarked, However, these kits will still carry the Vienna gene and are known as (vc) or (Vv) Vienna carriers they will definitely carry BEW even though white marks are not visually present.

 

These carriers are useful for breeding BEW’s as the carriers often are of a better type than the actual bews. The statistic probability of BEWS in the litter from a BEW vv to a BEW carrier Vv is 50/50If a BEW/Vienna carrier (Vv) is bred to another BEW/Vienna carrier (Vv) statistically, it should result in 25% chance of BEW babies (vv). The other 25% will be normal/solid colour (VV) not carrying BEW at all) and the other 50% will be carriers (Vv)If a BEW is bred to a BEW it will statistically result in a 100% full litter of BEWs.** (The exception to the rule is when both rabbits also carry the albino/REW gene (cc) or the himi gene (ch )

 

The Vienna gene, like the REW gene, is an epistatic gene, meaning it masks the colour pigments of all other genes resulting in a blue-eyed white rabbit. Care must be taken not to mix Bew’s with your other coloured rabbits (not intended to be carriers) as it can result in undesirable white spots and white toenails in your coloured rabbits for generations to come.It is also important not to use, chocolate or cchl (light chinchilla) gene in your BEW breeding project as this can give a ruby cast to the blue eye