The gene that makes a colored rabbit into a white rabbit with red eyes, or a Ruby Eyed White (REW) in the rabbit show would, is really just a simple Albino gene. This gene for albinism is found in many animals including other mammals, as well reptiles and birds. The gene blocks out all pigment from the coat or skin. It also blocks the pigment out of the iris, or the colored section of the eyes. This is what makes the rabbit have red eyes. The lack of pigment allows us to see the tiny blood vessels in the eye giving it a pink appearance. The pupil is darker because we are looking through the lens and seeing blood vessels much farther back in the eye. The lack of pigment in the eyes can make an Albino's eyes sensitive to bright light, which is important to remember when traveling with them or exhibiting them. A rabbit that is blinded by light or lost in darkness trying to see will be frightened and may not pose or show off well. It is a good idea to move REWs to the show table area ahead of time so their eyes can adjust to the light.

We have found in most rabbit breeds that the white sections of coats tend to be slightly longer and often softer then the colored sections. This is true in wool as well. This creates one of the biggest challenges in breeding good show quality REW Lionheads. You have to pay close attention to the normal fur. Often REW Lionheads have longer normal fur making it difficult to determine where the edges of the mane may be if the rabbit is also lacking length in the wool of the mane. A Lionhead with a shorter mane and longer body fur may look like it either lacks a mane or has wool on the saddle.

Since we and most Lionhead breeders, use colored rabbits in our REW breeding programs it is very important to make sure that only Lionheads with very correct normal fur are bred in. We do not recommend a colored Lionhead with a slightly longer normal fur be used in a REW breeding program.

Often white fur or wool is softer then its colored version. This means you also have to pay close attention to the quality of the wool on any of your Lionheads destined for your REW breeding program. Avoid any that have slightly softer wool. If the wool becomes too soft it will continually mat up at the skin requiring a lot of brushing which can damage wool by breaking and pulling it.

We remove from our breeding herd any Lionhead that shows the tendency to mat heavily at the skin. We look for wool that forms small balls on the tip of the strands which can easily be removed.

Last is mane length. Even though length is not a big issue in the standard, which only requires it to be 2" long we have found shorter manes on REWs are not successful on the show tables. This is because when the judge looks at the REW they do not see the contrast in color of the softer colored wool against the deeper color of the normal fur. If the mane is not long they will often fault the rabbit for lacking mane.

This means you will need to breed for more length in mane on your REW Lionheads if you want them to show well. They also need loads of density or thickness to the mane so it stands off the normal fur of the body and face and makes the mane easier to see. This means you have to look closely at any colored Lionheads you breed in to try and select for those traits.

Of course it is nice with REW rabbits to not have to worry about white nails, white hair or white spots but the successful Ruby Eyed White Lionhead breeding program requires Lionheads that have the genetic material for truly excellent manes to be competitive for Best Of Breed wins.

We have found the color challenging, but the challenge of producing such high quality manes has benefited our colored Lionhead stock as well. For this same reason a top quality REW Lionhead can benefit any colored breeding program.