Color genetics of the rabbit is a complicated thing, but understanding it can be very helpful when purchasing new stock, working on a new color, developing a new color or maintaining only the varieties that are desirable to you. There are over 200 possible genotypes based on the 5 main color genes. Rabbit colour guide with genetic codes home facebook. Have you ever heard of a rabbit color called self chinchilla. The intermediate orange colored ring band should take up 50% of the hair shaft and. The color it reduces is black, blue, chocolate, lilac, seal, sable, or smoke pearl.
Lynxis the 2nd color shown in group 1 rather than cross a lynx with a rabbit from group 1 it is more. Jan 17, 2017 rabbit genetics explaining rabbit coat color genetics and the dilution gene. When a rabbit has full extension, it tends to look the same color all over, such as with a blue rabbit. Rabbit coat color genetics extension, steel, and tri color at the e locus the ee gene controls whether the basic color on the rabbit black, blue, chocolate, or lilac is extended all of the way to the end of the hair shaft or whether the basic color stops and another finishes the hair shaft such as the orange color on the back of a black. Bunny rabbit books, rabbit book, bunny book, rabbit magazine. Genes in the agouti series a of rabbit coat color genetics determine the pattern of the hair shaft, without influencing the actual rabbit color. One of the most interesting genetic studies is that of coat color. Breed rabbits smartly by understanding rabbit coat color genetics pertaining to the 2 alocus color genes carried by domestic rabbits.
You can find a more extensive list in a book about bunny colors but this list will cover most of the colors you. A dd rabbit has only the d allele it is full color either black or chocolate. You can understand bunny colour genetics better if you remember that each gene. This book, written by a well known research worker in the field of rabbit genetics, fulfils a long felt need. Rabbit jumps into buckets full of vibrant yellow, red, and blue paint, creating new colors, then washing off to create yet another color. The pattern gene en for brokens, solids, and charlies. The point color will become more intense during cold weather. You can get gray or very red variants of this colour. An illustrated guide to rabbit coat color genetics with an emphasis on rex rabbits see the unofficial rex standard here except where otherwise noted, content on this wiki is licensed under the following license. Each litter has a variety of colors and these are the. Now, you can jump directly to look up your color in the chart above if you want, or you can step through the genetics in the 101 sectio n which works from genotype to phenotype and just try to put it in reverse, but hopefully this sections gives you a basic process. Bunny rabbit books, rabbit book, bunny book, rabbit. Rabbit genetics explaining rabbit coat color genetics and. Note not all colors have been added and this is a working process.
It contains most of the rabbit colors you might think of, though there are some exceptions. Books have been written concerning this one subject. An ideal tort should have nice distinct dark point color showing a nice contrast to the body color. I have had some more questions about rabbit color genetics and so i thought i would start to address those. The topic is way too important to be understood only by science majors, so we at rabbit smarties are proud to offer you a book about bunny colors. A judge may choose to fault this rabbit for this reason. The current theory is that these spots represent the presence of a. Rabbit genetics explaining rabbit coat color genetics. The c series gene is where color genetics starts to get complicated we have not 2 or 3 but at least 5 alleles possible for this gene but remember, each rabbit only gets two of the 5 and some of them are codominant meaning they interact rather than one covering the other. Cold himis are kits that have excess color on the back and head due to. In his introduction, a plea is made for the setting up of gene conservatories whose primary function would be to maintain specific mutations and stocks. Aug 19, 2012 breeding genetic color calculator kims rabbit hutch. Rabbit coat color genetics guide book by glenna huffmon the former goto authority for rabbit color genetics information glenna m.
Rabbit color genetics showing holland lops breed standards rabbitry management rabbit education. Ive also talked to you about the agouti gene, the dominant gene in bunny colour genetics that reminds us of the wild bunny colouring. About bunny colors, a book on rabbit coat color genetics and a practical guide on raising colors in your rabbitry and applying what you know in rabbit coat color genetics to get an accurate picture of all the colors you could produce with. Rabbit genetics rabbit genetics for broken, solid, and charlie patterns there are several genes involved in determining the color and pattern of a rabbit s fur. In rabbit genetics, a shaded rabbit is technically. In previous posts about bunny colour genetics ive talked to you about the self colours of black and chocolate and their dilute representation in blue and lilac, respectively. In rabbit genetics the v gene is the dominate factor and allows for normal coat and eye color. In rabbit genetics, a shaded rabbit is technically a rabbit carrying the cchd or cchl color genes. A stands for agouti, meaning, the agouti pattern on a rabbits hair shaft. Once the yellow pigment is eliminated from the orange, only the pearl remains. The himi gene is temperaturesensitive and allows color to express on the extremeties. Below is the most extensive color family chart on this website. The cchd gene causes the yellow pigment to be reduced see pictures in figure 3.
Breed rabbits smartly by understanding rabbit coat color genetics pertaining to the 2. If you have any questions about color differences or color genetics please feel free to call or email us. Genetically, the only difference between a true black and a self chin is that. Rabbit genetics explaining rabbit coat color genetics and the dilution gene. Color genetics is a very important subject in breeding rabbits. The color is temperature sensitive, so will be lighter during the summer, and darker during the winter. An ermine rabbit white with bluegrey or brown eyes is a chinchilla rabbit with agouti and nonextension. Some of the colors that have this gene are as follows. When a rabbit has both alleles dd the full color copy is still making enough of the regular pigment to cover up the dilute.
Genetics to rabbit coat color hollys hollands rabbitry. A dd rabbit has only the d allele it is a diluted color. Rabbit coat color is primarily determined by five genes. The breeds which accept the color as part of their standard will be listed in the standard breeds column. Broken is not on the list because when breeding to a broken you will have a 50% chance of. Now, in the study of basic genetics, youre working with the alphabet, letters ae. Wire rabbit cages cat cages small chicken coops chicken cages meat rabbits raising rabbits rabbit farm reptile cage reptile enclosure. In this very colorful book rabbit starts out all white and fluffy, however, some very tempting buckets of paint coax rabbit to jump in and out changing her color with each new combination of colors. Again, all of the offspring will be dense colors this always happens when at least one parent is a truebreeding dense, but half of the offspring, on the average, will carry dilute. For example, an orange rabbit differs from an ermine only in that the orange is a full color rabbit and the ermine expresses the chinchilla. Notice that the far right column contains rew regardless of the other genes involved. The true brown eyed white ermine is no longer accepted for any arba. However, this rabbit s point color is on the brown faded side for a black tort.
Dilute and dense rabbit color genetics d series, or blue. There have since occurred two more mutations at the a locus. A place for people to post pictures of different coloured rabbits for everyone to see and learn to identify. Rabbit genetics dominant and recessive trait inheritance principles applying equally to rabbit coat color genetics and other genetic traits. The c h gene makes the rabbit s eyes ruby red pink iris, red pupil, as with albinos, and turns the body white, leaving color only on the extremities ears, nose, tail, feet. A stands for agouti, meaning, the agouti pattern on a rabbit s hair shaft. Basically, it takes more than one gene to make up any given color.
Coat color coat color in rabbits is controlled by at least 5 known genes. The short answer is that a self chin looks exactly like a black usually. An illustrated guide to rabbit coat color genetics mink. The current theory is that these spots represent the presence of a white suppression gene fwiw. Aabcchdde our discussion will focus on what is called the a locus. Dilute black is called blue and dilute chocolate is called lilac.
Distals spots are free and anywhere on the leg surrounded by a white marking. For a primer on the genes responsible for colour in rabbits, try this page. This page will consider only the enen gene, which determines whether a rabbit will be. Gene can be cchd, cchl, ch, or c, but not c, and c gives the best ermine effect. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The topic of rabbit color genetics is sufficiently complicated to warrant whole books on the subject. Is there a book or something that can help me learn about. Rabbit genetics dominant and recessive trait inheritance principles applying equally to rabbit coat color genetics and other genetic traits manda fletcher bunny raisin 12 hole apartment cage. Rabbit breeding color chart three little ladies rabbitry. The tan color pattern is currently very rare in holland lops, so im using the tan rabbit breed to show the blue variety. If a dominant modifier is paired with a recessive only the dominant will show up but the rabbit is a carrier of the recessive gene and may pass it on instead of the dominant gene. A book about bunny colors spelling out the essentials of rabbit coat color genetics coat color genetics is one of the hottest topics among rabbit breeders. The possible genes of the the alocus color series are.
The topic of rabbit color genetics is sufficiently complicated to warrant whole books on. The best time to raise and show himis is during the cooler months. The possible genes of the the alocus color series are a, at, or a. Select a color from the drop down list that applies to the buck and doe you are breeding. Color genetics of the netherland dwarf rabbit by bobby schott this book will take you through many of the basic color genetic principles. The agouti rabbits include chestnut, opal, chinchilla and ermine, among others. You wont find it in the standard of perfection, but if you talk very much with enthusiasts of rabbit color genetics, the name will probably come up. Childrens book publishers book publishing animals name in english learn faster reading levels animals images books online. When breeding harlequins, we touch on nearly all the major color genes. The blue eyed white angora rabbit or otherwise known as vienna white is a different set of genes than found in normal colored angora rabbits. It is only in the vv combination that the body color becomes white and the eye color becomes bright blue.
The original wild agouti rabbits of europe carry two copies of this gene aa. Genotype is the color coded for in the genetics including those hidden in the phenotype. The c h gene makes the rabbits eyes ruby red pink iris, red pupil, as with albinos, and turns the body white, leaving color only on the extremities ears, nose, tail, feet. How to survive alone in the wilderness for 1 week eastern woodlands duration. However, genetically, it is not a true shaded variety. For example, an orange rabbit differs from an ermine frosty or frost point only in that the orange is a full color rabbit and the ermine expresses the chinchilla gene. Chart of 144 rabbit coat colors and their genotypes. While learning how to tell color on baby hollands is as much a matter of first hand experience and understanding the genetics so one can predict possible colors, having a guide cant hurt. Rabbit genetics for broken, solid, and charlie patterns. Frosted pearl, orange, red, fawn, cream, tortoise, sable point, and ermine browneyedwhite. It has easy to understand language with lots of good examples and some simple pictures.
The individual hairs on a rabbit possessing the a gene will have color bands. A book about bunny colors is the practical breeders guide to mastering the knowledge you need to. Huffmon, from the state of michigan, wrote a number of books on rabbit coat color genetics that were widely read and respected. It has a definite shaded appearance with the lighter body color and darker shading on the typical points ears, nose, eyes, feet, tail, flanks and belly. Jun 01, 2019 the tan color pattern is currently very rare in holland lops, so im using the tan rabbit breed to show the blue variety. The authors intention has been to cover all published material on rabbit genetics prior to 1955. So ive been working on a color dictionary and heres what ive come up with so far. To go into the genetics of the rabbit would be a monumental task. Buy genetics and genomics of the rabbit by fontanesi, luca isbn. If this makes sense so far, the rest will be a piece of cake.
The last possible combination is a truebreeding dense color rabbit with a dilutecarrying dense color domestic rabbit. There seems to be a lot of information and misinformation on breeding the harlequin pattern available, so we thought wed try to put here some things we have learned along the way specific to harlequin breeding. Below is a table of the various common colors of rabbits and their genetics to help you determine what color your rabbit is. Rabbit genetics rabbit genetics for broken, solid, and charlie patterns there are several genes involved in determining the color and pattern of a rabbits fur. Rabbit coat color genetics extension, steel, and tri. Breeding to opal will cause the castor offspring to carry too much black on the surface. Rabbit study guide 1206 2 if your rabbit project is to be done properly, genetics will play a major role. The a gene is the typical wild rabbit color pattern. Pearl, ermine colors formed by adding various c shading genes. A lilac tortoiseshell might be a very handy rabbit to have when attempting to produce a specific full color chocolate family rabbit full color means has a dominant color or c gene. However, this rabbits point color is on the brown faded side for a black tort. The intermediate orange colored ring band should take up 50% of the hair shaft and the slate blue undercolor the other 50%.
Rabbits with this gene would have white bellies, white eye circles and white on the underside of the tail. Since the genotype is aa bb c dd ee, it would allow any recessive genes of the other parent to be expressed. Most of the books and articles ive read concentrate on the genetics related to hair color. When there is nonextension, such as with a black tortoiseshell, the rabbit takes on a shaded look since the shorter hairs on the belly, guard hairs, feet and muzzle get only the basic color. In your breeding however, its important to remember that youre working with the chinchilla gene and not the full color gene. A couple of good resources on rabbit color genetics are the the color genetics primer at three little ladies rabbitry and the rabbit. A couple of good resources on rabbit color genetics are the the color genetics primer at three little ladies rabbitry and the rabbit genetics color chart and information at the nature trail. Rabbit coat color genetics guide book by glenna huffmon. Assuming it has the normal eye color, it is acceptable to show it as a black, blue, chocolate, or lilac, because the arba varieties are based on appearance, not genetics. Its hard to find good resources on other characteristics controlled by genetics.
397 990 534 1413 1496 739 1328 154 1199 1296 306 203 914 391 1335 156 869 641 427 854 317 1538 87 230 48 1265 938 493 1251 521 1370 887 441