Mary Allen
Silver rabbits are the breed of choice for 64-year-old Walter Neuhaus. The small species with good posture and a beautifully formed physique is one of the most popular breeds in Switzerland.
The ancestors are originally from England and developed from Garenne rabbits. The small breed with the dominant silvering factor has been recognized in Switzerland since 1895. Ten years later, the Swiss Silver Rabbit Club was founded by 17 daring breeders. At the beginning of his breeding career, Walter Neuhaus, together with his sons, kept Farbenzwerge and Alaska. “When they left home, I had to ‘taunt’ Alaska myself, and I didn’t want that.” Brown small silver has always fascinated him. “The play of colors on the blanket and the undertone are fantastic,” enthuses Neuhaus, who lives in Seleuten BE.
Currently 15 small silver brown and 15 colored dwarfs silver brown are at home in his spacious stables. All 41 boxes comply with animal welfare regulations, have a balcony, and are located in a bright, draught-free location. He got his first animals from Peter Rösch and Hans Josi, both experienced brown silver breeders. The color dwarfs silver brown he himself is breeding out of the small silver brown. In the silver club, there is a lively exchange of top animals among the breeders. That works fine.
Medium Silvering is Preferred
«The small silver rabbit is temperamental, but a still lovely animal. I’ve never had a biting animal, »says Neuhaus. That is important to him because he often has his grandchildren with him when he feeds them. In the evening there are cubes, hay, and water for the rabbits, in the winter months a piece of fodder beet, in summer a handful of grass. In the morning some textured feed, twigs, and sometimes hard bread. He also breeds colored dwarfs Madagascar and Dutch bantams, porcelain colored. If he should be prevented, that’s no problem. “I am very fortunate that almost all of my family live in Sefiigen. When I’m away, someone is always willing to do the feeding.”
The special thing about the silver rabbits is their color, silvering, and shine. What is required is a luminous, intense base color with ripe silvering and an intense shine. The top color is formed by a mixture of colored and white-tipped hairs. For all six recognized colors – blue, brown, yellow, Havana, light, and black – the silvering on the visible body must be even. A medium silvering is preferred. Uneven, too strong, or too weak silvering is considered a blemish. Large unsilvered areas are considered exclusion faults. Permissible combinations of colors in she & he and tribes are blue and black as well as Havana and black. All colors of this breed can be put together in collections. All six colors are bred by the dwarves.
The coat is dense, full of grip with a lot of undercoats and plenty of top and guard hair. The topcoat length is 26 to 30 millimeters. The fur skin is supple, close-fitting, and liftable. The neck is not visible. The chest is fully formed, the shoulders are well muscled and closed. The forelegs are of medium length, straight and medium-strong. This also results in the required medium-high posture with a raised and clearly visible abdominal line.
Functioning Club Life
The back is well rounded, the pelvis closed, well placed, medium-high, and rounded. The hind legs of medium-strength must be parallel. The minimum weight is 2.5 kilos, the maximum weight is 3.3 kilos, the ideal weight is between 2.8 and 3.1 kilos. The claws are horn-colored in all six colors. In the blue, the iris is blue-grey, in the Havana red-brown. The four other colors all have a brown iris. The prominent head is close fitting to the shoulders. The forehead and muzzle are broad and well developed with a slight rams formation (nose bone slightly curved). Ears are strong, erect, V-shaped, and ideally four to four inches in length.
“Silver breeders stay true to their breed for the rest of their lives,” says Helmut Schgör, Valais silver chairman from Baltschieder VS. Together with Renato Escher from Raron VS (President of the Swiss Silver Rabbit Club, Valais Group, Cantonal Rabbit Chairman and Treasurer from the SSK) they want to do everything possible to preserve the silver rabbits.
By the way: The foundation of the special club took place on January 18, 1976, in the Hotel Arnold in Sierre. Richard Piccinin, the current honorary president of pedigree rabbits Switzerland, was the first president. Renato Escher is only the fifth chairman, which speaks for healthy club life. “Despite some language problems and large distances between the individual members, the club works perfectly,” agrees Helmut Schgör and Renato Escher.