Example Pictures of En/En rabbits [Updated on: 01/18/17 05:14]

This information is for reference only! See a rabbit savvy Vet if you need help with your rabbit!

If your rabbit does look like one of the pictures below this does not mean they have Megacolon! Many En/En rabbits will never be affected by MC! There are MANY OTHER ISSUES to rule out before diagnosing a rabbit with Megacolon. PLEASE see "Differential diagnosis for megacolon in rabbits" @ MediRabbit by Esther van Praag, Ph.D

BREEDS: Any breed that carries the English spotting gene. "The dominant English white spotting gene, En, gets its name from the English Spot breed. The same gene is found in the Checkered Giant, Blanc De Hotot, Lop, Rex, Satin, and Rhinelander breeds and their varieties."[1] This also includes any rabbit that carries the En/En genes and is an Albino (REW/BEW) or Himalayan (pointed) marked.

MARKINGS: There are three combinations that can occur when a rabbit inherits the spotting genes (en/en, En/en, and En/En.) Rabbits that inherit two En (English spotting genes) can possibly have a predisposition for Megacolon. Fur markings to look for on a possible En/En gene bunny:

En/En EXAMPLES

Bun Bun
(Photo credit C.Schmidt-Kempisty, used with permission)
Coraline
(Photo credit A.Santos, used with permission)

En/En Rabbit
(Photo: journal.pone.0093750.g003)
Mojo
(Photo credit A.Santos, used with permission)
Toby
(Photo credit K.Chan, used with permission)

Racer
(Photo credit EBRR)
Scarlett
(Photo credit J.Pride, used with permission)
Marie
(Photo credit A.Martin, image source)

Gumdrop
(Photo credit A.Santos, used with permission)
Athena [left] & Jonah [right]
(Photo credit A.Santos, used with permission)
Maxine
(Photo credit A.Santos, used with permission)
False Charlie En/en Example


Elmer is an example of a En/en rabbit that looks like a En/En rabbit.
(Photo credit ForgetfulDoryFish, used with permission)


Tomato is another example of a false Charlie (En/en) that looks like a En/En rabbit.
(Photo credit J.Smith, used with permission)

        Some refer to a lightly spotted rabbit (En/En) as a 'Charlie.' There are some rabbits that will appear to look like a 'Charlie', but will have the En/en genes. This happens when one parent is a solid color (en/en) & the other is a 'broken' spotted (En/en). These kits can't inherit two En genes, and sometimes refered to as 'false Charlies.' This can only be determined by knowing the parents or a DNA test.

Albinos (REW/BEW - Ruby/Blue Eyed White) & Pointed c/c En/En Example


Two albino rabbits from the same litter
The rabbit on the left is a ccEnEn rabbit and is much smaller than his brother on the right.

        When a rabbit inherits two recessive c alleles (cc) it becomes an albino (REW/BEW: Ruby/Blue Eyed White). They also can inherit two En genes making it possible to have a predisposition for MC. The two cc genes prevent all color from being expressed. As the 'spots' are 'hidden' there are no markings to look for. There is an older study that has looked in to this and reported that a rabbit with the cc-EnEn genes still has a possibility for MC. The study did show that the kits, that were affected by MC, were much smaller than their brothers or sisters from the same litter.

[1] Rabbit Production By Steven D. Lukefahr, Peter Robert Cheeke, Nephi M. Patton, 2013, Page 209.
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