Barrow Bunnies
  • Home
    • Contact
    • About
  • For Sale
  • The rabbits
    • Lionheads
    • Miniature Lop Torts & Butterfly
    • Running on & in the nest
    • Otter, Miniature Lop SEMI RETIRED LINE
    • Mini Lion Lop RETIRED
    • Previous BB rabbits & Izzy's
  • Rabbit breeder articles
  • Rabbit Health & Welfare
  • Crescent Cavies -Teddy Cavies
    • Cavy Genetics
  • Barrow bloggers
  • Understanding a show rabbit

BASIC COLOUR GENETICS

There are five main sets of genes that will determine how your rabbit appears.
 
Each parent will pass on one of its set of genes (alleles) to its off-spring. If both are the same it is called (homozygous), for example double agouti 'AA'. If they are different it is called (heterozygous) for example agouti carrying otter 'Aat'.

There is an order of dominance in each set of genes. The colour we see is called a phenotype, the gene sequence we don't see is called the genotype.

Below the most dominant gene is at the top of the list the most recessive at the bottom.

A locus - pattern


'A' will show agouti varieties.

Agouti patterned rabbits are normally banded (banding means that the hair shaft is broken down into segments of colour, this can be described as rings of colour when you blow into the coat).

The colours below are examples of agouti banded rabbits.
Most agouti rabbits will also have common markings of white bellies, eye cirlcles, under jaw, tail, nose markings.

However, confusingly, agouti rabbits that are also non extension 'ee', lose the appearance of banding. These agouti non extension rabbits can be distinguished from their self varieties by the presents of a white belly, eye circles, under jaw, nose markings and white inside ears. These colours include:

Another non banded group includes the jananese brindled varieties (harli and magpie). These however will NOT have the usual agouti markings (white bellies, eye circles etc).
agouti AABBCCDDEE (black banded)
cinammon AAbbCCDDEE (chocolate/ brown banded)
opal AABBCCddEE (blue banded)
lynx AAbbCCddEE (lilac banded)

chin AABBcchdcchdDDEE (chinchilla banded, no yellow)

squirrel AABBcchdcchdddee (blue chinchilla banded, no yellow)
orange (black orange) AABBCCDDee
orange (chocolate orange) AAbbCCDDee
fawn AABBCCddee
wheaten or choc fawn AAbbCCddee
black harli AABBCCDDejej
brown harli AAbbCCDDejej
blue harli AABBCCddejej
lilac harli AAbbCCddejej

black magpie AABBcchdcchdDDejej
brown magpie AAbbcchdcchdDDejej
blue magpie AABBcchdcchdddejej
lilac magpie AAbbcchdcchdddejej

Another common unbanded colour includes frostie points (all of which are unstandardised). All frostie points must be AA & ee (agouti and non extension). The C locus is variable being either cchd (chin), cchl (sable) or ch (himi) dominant. They can come in BBDD (black), bb (brown/ choc), dd (dilute/blue) and bbdd (lilac) variations.
All sable varieties of agouti are undstandardised.

'at' is the tan pattern.

All tan pattern rabbits have white bellies, white tails, white eye circles and a white jaw and nose (the same as agouti patterned rabbits). The belly will be edged with ticking. However the body of colour is more alike to that of a self rabbit.
The term we use to describe the tan pattern is dependant on what is dominant on the C locus, as the pattern reacts in different ways depending on what it is paired with.

C is OTTER- this will include tanning (yellow/ orange) where white markings meet the body of colour.

black otter atatBBCCDDEE
choc otter atatbbCCDDEE
blue otter atatBBCCddEE
lilac otter atatbbCCddEE

cchd is FOX- white markings only on a chinchilla based rabbit.


black fox atatBBcchdcchdDDEE
choc fox atatbbcchdcchdDDEE
blue fox atatBBcchdcchdddEE
lilac fox atatbbcchdcchdddEE
cchl is MARTEN- white markings only on a sable based rabbit.


marten sable atatBBcchlcchlDDEE
marten smoke atatBBcchlcchldddEE

'aa' is a self rabbit.

A self rabbit is the same colour all over, unless shadings or colour distribution is altered by the C or E locus.
Self varieties.


black self aaBBCCDDEE
choc self aabbCCDDEE
blue self aaBBCCddEE
lilac self aabbCCddEE

Shaded self varieties (altered by C locus)


sallander/ iron grey aaBBcchdcchdDDee

seal point aaBBcchlcDDee
blue point aaBBcchlcddee

medium siamese sable aaBBcchlcDDEE
dark siamese sable aaBBcchlcchlDDEE
siamese smoke aaBBcchlcddEE

himi aaBBchchDDEE
choc himi aabbchchDDEE
blue himi aaBBchchddEE
lilac himi aabbchchddEE
Non- extension self varieties (altered by e locus)

sooty fawn aaBBCCDDee
choc tort aabbCCDDee
beige aaBBCCddee
lilac tort/ cream aabbCCddee

B locus - black/ brown pigmentation


'B' is black

Black hair (NOT chocolate/ brown), these black rabbits can include:
Agouti based blacks:

agouti AAABBCCDDEE
steel AABBCCDDEsEs
chin AABBcchdcchdDDEE
orange AABBCCDDee
Tan based blacks:

black otter atatBBCCDDEE
black fox atatBBcchdcchdDDEE
marten sables aaBBcchlc/cchlcchlDDEE
Self based blacks:

siamese sables aaBBcchlc/cchlcchlDDEE
black self aaBBCCDDEE

sooty fawn aaBBCCDDee
iron grey aaBBcchdcchdDDee
seal point aaBBcchlcDDee
black himi aaBBchchDDEE

'b' is brown

Brown hair (chocolate/ havana). These can include:
Agouti based browns:

cinammon AAbbCCDDEE
choc orange AAbbCCDDee

Tan based browns:

chocolate otter atatbbCCDDEE
chocolate fox atatbbcchdcchdDDEE
Self based browns:

chocolate self aabbCCDDEE
chocolate tortoiseshell aabbCCDDee
choc himi aabbchchDDEE
Chocolate and dilute combined creates lilac varieties:
Agouti based lilacs:

lynx AAbbCCddEE
wheaten AAbbCCddee

Tan based lilacs:

lilac otter atatbbCCddEE
lilac fox atatbbcchdcchdddEE
Self based lilacs:

chocolate self aabbCCddEE
lilac tortoiseshell/ cream aabbCCddee
lilac himi aabbchchddEE

C locus- yellow pigment


'C' is full colour exhibiting full black and full yellow

These include:

agouti AABBCCDDEE
cinammon AAbbCCDDEE

opal AABBCCddEE
lynx AAbbCCddEE

orange AABBCCDDee
(choc) orange AAbbCCDDee
fawn AABBCCddee
wheaten (choc fawn) AAbbCCddee
black otter atatBBCCDDEE
choc otter atatbbCCDDEE
blue otter atatBBCCddEE

lilac otter atatbbCCddEE

black self aaBBCCDDEE
choc self aabbCCDDEE
blue self aaBBCCddEE
lilac self aabbCCddEE

sooty fawn aaBBCCDDee

choc tort aabbCCDDee
beige aaBBCCddee
lilac tort/ cream aabbCCddee

'cchd' is dark chinchillaration (or 'chin')

Chinchilla removes yellow and will show chinchilla & fox. These include:
chin AABBcchdcchdDDEE
squirrel AABBcchdcchdddEE
black fox atatBBcchdcchdDDEE
chocolate fox atatbbcchdcchdDDEE 
blue fox atatBBcchdcchdddEE 
lilac fox atatbbcchdcchdddEE
sallander/ iron grey aaBBcchdcchdDDee

'cchl' is light chinchillaration (or 'sable')

All yellow is removed and the strength of the black is weakened to a sepia colour e.g. sealpoint & sable. These include:
Tan black:
dark marten sable atatBBcchlcchlDDEE
medium marten sable atatBBcchlcDDEE

Tan dilute (blue):
medium marten smoke atatBBcchlcddEE
Self black:
dark siamese sable aaBBcchlcchlDDEE
light siamese sable aaBBcchlcDDEE

Self dilute (blue):
medium siamese smoke aaBBcchlcddEE
Self non-extension black:
seal point aaBBcchlcDDee

Self non-extension dilute (blue):
blue point aaBBcchlcddee

'ch' is himialayan

No matter what the colour it will only show on the points as in Californian/Himalayan. These include:
himi aaBBchchDDEE
choc himi aabbchchDDEE
blue himi aaBBchchddEE
lilac himi aabbchchddEE


'c' is albino

Red Eye White. This is known as a coloured rabbit wearing a white coat (masked). Suffice it to know you would need to test breed it to discover any number of genotypes which is being masked!

D locus - dilution


'D' is full strength of colour (black/ brown)

These include:
agouti AABBCCDDEE
steel AABBCCDDEsEs
chin AABBcchdcchdDDEE

orange AABBCCDDee


cinammon AAbbCCDDEE
choc orange AAbbCCDDee
black otter atatBBCCDDEE
black fox atatBBcchdcchdDDEE
marten sables aaBBcchlc/cchlcchlDDEE

chocolate otter atatbbCCDDEE
chocolate fox atatbbcchdcchdDDEE
siamese sables aaBBcchlc/cchlcchlDDEE
black self aaBBCCDDEE
sooty fawn aaBBCCDDee
iron grey aaBBcchdcchdDDee
seal point aaBBcchlcDDee
black himi aaBBchchDDEE

chocolate self aabbCCDDEE
chocolate tortoiseshell aabbCCDDee
choc himi aabbchchDDEE

'd' is dilution of colour (blue/lilac)

These include:
opal AABBCCddEE
fawn AABBCCddee
squirrel AABBcchdddEE

lynx AAbbCCddEE
wheaten AAbbCCddee

blue otter atatBBCCddEE
blue fox atatBBcchdcchdddEE

lilac otter atatbbCCddEE
lilac fox atatbbcchdcchdddEE
blue self aaBBCCddEE
beige/ isabella aaBBCCddee
blue himi aaBBchchddEE

chocolate self aabbCCddEE
lilac tortoiseshell/ cream aabbCCddee
lilac himi aabbchchddEE

E locus - expresses the extension of black pigment


'Es' is super extension (steel)

Enhances black. These include:
steel AABBCCDDEsE (light steel)
super steel AABBCCDDEsEs (dark steel)

'E' is normal amounts of black

These include:
agouti AABBCCDDEE
opal AABBCCddEE
lynx AAbbCCddEE
chin AABBcchdcchdDDEE
squirrel AABBcchdcchdddEE
black otter atatBBCCDDEE
choc otter atatbbCCDDEE
blue otter atatBBCCddEE
lilac otter atatbbCCddEE
black fox atatBBcchdcchdDDEE
choc fox atatbbcchdcchdDDEE
blue fox atatBBcchdcchdddEE
lilac fox atatBBcchdcchdddEE

marten sable atatBBcchlccDDEE
marten smoke atatBBcchccddEE
black self aaBBCCDDEE
choc self aabbCCDDEE
blue self aaBBCCddEE
lilac self aabbCCddEE

siamese sable aaBBcchlcDDEE
siamese smoke aaBBcchlcddEE

himi aaBBchchDDEE
choc himi aabbchchDDEE
blue himi aaBBchchddEE
lilac himi aabbchchddEE

'ej' is japanese brindling

These include:
black harlie AABBCCDDejej
brown harlie AAbbCCDDejej
blue harlie AABBCCddejej
lilac harlie AAbbCCddejej
black magpie AABBcchdcchdDDejej
brown magpie AAbbcchdcchdDDejej
blue magpie AABBcchdcchdddejej
lilac magpie AAbbcchdcchdddejej
black tri AABBCCDDejej Enen
brown tri AAbbCCDDejej Enen
blue tri AABBCCddejej Enen
lilac tri AAbbCCddejej Enen

'ee' is non-extension

Creates pointed rabbits, with the exception of agouti based. These include:
orange AABBCCDDee
choc orange AAbbCCDDee
fawn AABBCCddee
wheaten (lilac fawn) AAbbCCddee
sooty fawn aaBBCCDDee
choc tort aabbCCDDee
beige/ isabella aaBBCCddee
cream (lilac tort) aabbCCddee

iron grey aaBBcchdcchdDDee

seal point aaBBcchlcDDee
blue point aaBBcchlcddee

Contacts
e: debacus@hotmail.com

Copyright © 2008 to current date Barrow Bunnies, Mrs H J Bridger & Mrs D J
Lucas. All rights reserved worldwide.
Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference.

  • Home
    • Contact
    • About
  • For Sale
  • The rabbits
    • Lionheads
    • Miniature Lop Torts & Butterfly
    • Running on & in the nest
    • Otter, Miniature Lop SEMI RETIRED LINE
    • Mini Lion Lop RETIRED
    • Previous BB rabbits & Izzy's
  • Rabbit breeder articles
  • Rabbit Health & Welfare
  • Crescent Cavies -Teddy Cavies
    • Cavy Genetics
  • Barrow bloggers
  • Understanding a show rabbit