Color Genetics | Rainy Days

Random Color Genetic stuff

This page is not to explain the ins and outs of color genetics, there are countless websites and books out there for that. This is simply snippets of interesting color genetic terms and pictures that you may find helpful. If you are looking to learn color genetics I would strongly suggest biting the bullet and purchasing ABC: About Bunny Colors, which you can find either on Amazon (+s/h = roughly $33) or from their website AllThingsBunnies (+s/h = roughly $32). It's a wonderful resource that I reference often.

If you feel anything on this page to be incorrect please contact me and let me know. Either through my email RainyDaysRabbitry@gmail.com or on Facebook.

Confusing color terms (and breeds!)

A_B_C_D_E_: Black Agouti, Chestnut, Castor (rex, mini rex), Sandy (low rufus Flemish Giant), Gray (Dutch, English Spot), Copper (Satin, Mini Satin, Satin Angora, high rufus English Angora, high rufus French Angora.) Rufus (high rufus Belgian Hare), Brown (Silver), Wildtype (general term).

A_ B_ C_ D_ Es_: Gold Tipped (black) Steel, Steel Chestnut.

A_ B_ cchd_ D_ Es_: Silver Tipped (black) Steel, Steel Chinchilla, Steel Grey (Flemish Giant).

A_B_cchd_D_E_: Black Chinchilla, Chin, Chinchilla, Light Grey (Flemish Giant), Ghost Chinchilla (Wideband only).

NOTE: Chinchilla is also a rabbit breed, black chinchilla coated is the only recognized color.

A_bbC_D_E_: Chocolate Agouti, Amber (Rex, Mini Rex), Chocolate chestnut Agouti (Mini Lop, French Lop, English Lop), Cinnamon (BRC Standards).

A_-__C_D_ee: Red (high rufus), Fawn (low rufus red, Flemish Giant), Orange (American Fuzzy Lop, Holland Lop, English Lop, French Lop, Mini Lop, Netherland Dwarf).

A_-__C_ddee: Fawn, Cream (Satin Angora, English Angora, French Angora, Holland Lop, English Lop, Mini Lop, French Lop).

A_B_cchdD_ee: Non-extension Chinchilla, Ermine, Frosty (Holland Lop), Ghost Chinchilla, Frosted Pearl (English Lop, French Lop, Mini Lop).

A_B_C_ddE_: Dilute/Blue Agouti, Opal.

A_B_cchd_ddE_: Dilute/Blue Chinchilla, Squirrel.

aaB_C_D_ee: Black Tort, Tort, Tortoise, Tortoiseshell, Black Tort, Madagascar Tort (Really dark tort).
NOTE: Cinnamon is a breed which black tort is the only recognized color.

aa-__-ch_-__-E_: Himalayan (Himalayan, Mini Rex, Mini Satin, Netherland Dwarf), Californian (Californian, Rex, Satin), Pointed White (Holland Lop, Mini Lop, American Fuzzy Lop, Jersey Wooly English Angora, French Angora, Satin Angora).

aaB_cchd_D_ee: Black Sallander, Sallander, Iron Grey (not US based), Siamese (Satin, Mini Satin), Black Pearl (English, French and Satin Angoras).

aabbC_ddE_: Diluted Chocolate Self, Lilac.
NOTE: Lilac is also a breed name.

__-__C_-__ej: Japanese Harlequin, Harlie, Harlequin, Japanese (Harlequin breed). (When broken it's called Tricolor in Holland Lop, French Lop, English Lop, Mini Lop, Mini Rex, Rex).
NOTE: Harlequin is also a breed which has both Japanese and Magpie as varieties.

__-__cchd_-__ej_: Magpie Harlequin, Magpie (Harlequin breed).

__-__cchl_-ej_: Sable Magpie.

As you can see steel can vary from very minor ticking to very heavily tipped. GTS: A_B_C_D_Es_ STS: A_B_cchd_D_Es_	Blue Tort: aaB_C_ddee Black Tort: aaB_C_D_ee	Brassiness will molt out as the rabbit ages, it's not something to be concerned about. A_B_cchd_D_E_
Notice the lack of rings in the Gold Tipped Black Steel, vs the rings in the Chestnut.	Same steel lacking rings in the picture compared to a chestnut. She is very heavily ticked and has noticeable agouti markings; at a glance she could almost pass for Chestnut. However the lack of rings and when paired to a Chinchilla produced a wide variety of steels; gold tipped, silver tipped and even chocolate steels, this leaves no doubt as to being steel and not chestnut. A_B_C_D_Es_	1 week old kits. Blue Tort: aaB_C_ddee Black Tort: aaB_C_D_ee
The chinchilla gene is what makes these eyes blue, they won't be ice blue like from the vienna gene, especially as adults. As you can see the eye color is already changing to a grey-blue. A_bbcchd_D_Es_	__-__-cc-__-__ You must test breed or use a pedigree to try and fill in the genotype further, because REW can mask anything, even the vienna gene paired up to create BEW.	Two different varieties of fawn, one which is a low rufus red lacking wideband (A_B_C_D_ee) and one that is diluted and is often called cream. (A_B_C_ddee)
Chinchilla can give blue eyes, though they are generally more steel grey than they are a bright blue. Vienna tends to give a very bright blue, like what you expect from a blue eyed Siberian Husky. Dilute will blue an eye as well, though it tends to look a little purplish in my experience.	This was a product of a squirrel (blue chin) dam paired to a black self chinchilla. Every kit in the litter was chinchilla based. Ermine: A_B_cchd_D_ee Lilac Chin: A_bbcchd_ddE_ Squirrel: A_B_cchd_ddE_ Black Chin: A_B_cchd_D_E_ Choc Chin: A_bbcchd_D_E_	Temperature sensitivity on a self blue rabbits ears. It grew in white on the veins of the ears where it is warmer. Interesting phenomenon worth sharing. aaB_C_ddE_
Kit on the left is expressing the waved coat mutation (wawa), kit on the right is normal coated. Note how you can see shine off the kit with straight hairs but the crinkled fur is less reflective. We hope to remedy that by the addition of the satin gene in the future.	At birth you can determine which kit is expressing the waved coat and which has normal straight fur by the whiskers. Mad Scientist Whiskers = Waved (or rexed.) Rex and Astrex present the same way in the whiskers.

Random Color Genetic stuff

As you can see steel can vary from very minor ticking to very heavily tipped. GTS: A_B_C_D_Es_ STS: A_B_cchd_D_Es_

Blue Tort: aaB_C_ddee Black Tort: aaB_C_D_ee

Brassiness will molt out as the rabbit ages, it's not something to be concerned about. A_B_cchd_D_E_

Notice the lack of rings in the Gold Tipped Black Steel, vs the rings in the Chestnut.

1 week old kits. Blue Tort: aaB_C_ddee Black Tort: aaB_C_D_ee

The chinchilla gene is what makes these eyes blue, they won't be ice blue like from the vienna gene, especially as adults. As you can see the eye color is already changing to a grey-blue. A_bbcchd_D_Es_

__-__-cc-__-__ You must test breed or use a pedigree to try and fill in the genotype further, because REW can mask anything, even the vienna gene paired up to create BEW.

Two different varieties of fawn, one which is a low rufus red lacking wideband (A_B_C_D_ee) and one that is diluted and is often called cream. (A_B_C_ddee)

Chinchilla can give blue eyes, though they are generally more steel grey than they are a bright blue. Vienna tends to give a very bright blue, like what you expect from a blue eyed Siberian Husky. Dilute will blue an eye as well, though it tends to look a little purplish in my experience.

This was a product of a squirrel (blue chin) dam paired to a black self chinchilla. Every kit in the litter was chinchilla based. Ermine: A_B_cchd_D_ee Lilac Chin: A_bbcchd_ddE_ Squirrel: A_B_cchd_ddE_ Black Chin: A_B_cchd_D_E_ Choc Chin: A_bbcchd_D_E_

Temperature sensitivity on a self blue rabbits ears. It grew in white on the veins of the ears where it is warmer. Interesting phenomenon worth sharing. aaB_C_ddE_

Kit on the left is expressing the waved coat mutation (wawa), kit on the right is normal coated. Note how you can see shine off the kit with straight hairs but the crinkled fur is less reflective. We hope to remedy that by the addition of the satin gene in the future.

At birth you can determine which kit is expressing the waved coat and which has normal straight fur by the whiskers. Mad Scientist Whiskers = Waved (or rexed.) Rex and Astrex present the same way in the whiskers.

--cc-- You must test breed or use a pedigree to try and fill in the genotype further, because REW can mask anything, even the vienna gene paired up to create BEW.