Shaded Mini Rex Color Guide
Welcome to my Shaded Mini Rex Color Guide. This is where you will find pretty much every shaded variety possible. Most of the rabbits on here are Mini Rex but I may have a couple Rex as well. Not all of the pictures are mine but many have been donated by some very helpful breeders. Some of these varieties are very rare so pictures are hard to find. It has been a treat to be able to have pictures of not only those rare ones, but a those more common ones too. However, I still don't have them all. If you have something that you see is missing on here, please contact me. I would be more than happy to add any pictures you may have with you name or rabbitry name and a link if you have one under the picture.
Warning: If you raise other breeds than Rex or Mini Rex and want to use this guide to help you determine the color of these other breeds, be aware that this color guide is specifically made for Rex and Mini Rex only. It is not made for other breeds and may not give the right descriptions for other breeds. Rex fur can cause very different appearances to the color than other types of fur. If you want to know what some of these varieties might look like for other breeds, it may be a good idea to ask other breeders that have experience with your breed or look at your Standard of Perfection book for the ARBA variety standards and descriptions in your particular breed.
If you see something that does not make sense or if you see something that you do not feel is correct, please let me know.
E-mail: [email protected]
Warning: If you raise other breeds than Rex or Mini Rex and want to use this guide to help you determine the color of these other breeds, be aware that this color guide is specifically made for Rex and Mini Rex only. It is not made for other breeds and may not give the right descriptions for other breeds. Rex fur can cause very different appearances to the color than other types of fur. If you want to know what some of these varieties might look like for other breeds, it may be a good idea to ask other breeders that have experience with your breed or look at your Standard of Perfection book for the ARBA variety standards and descriptions in your particular breed.
If you see something that does not make sense or if you see something that you do not feel is correct, please let me know.
E-mail: [email protected]
ARBA Recognized Colors
Tort (Black)
Other Possible Names: Tortoise(can be used for Mini Rex). Formally called Madagascar in the Satin breed-aa-B-C-D-ee(Basic Black Tort)-Black Tort is a Non Extension(ee) of Black General Description: A Black Tort should have a clean, rich, deep red/orange body with clean dark smokey gray to black shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The belly is typically a lighter gray in color. The eyes should be brown and the nails dark. Black Tort is currently the only recognized Tort Mini Rex variety in the US. Blue Tort, Chocolate Tort and Lilac Tort are not recognized so Black Tort is the only one that can be shown out of all 4 varieties of Tort Mini Rex.
Is Tort really a shaded variety? Appearance wise, yes. 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). However, genetically, it is not a true shaded variety. In rabbit genetics, a shaded rabbit is technically a rabbit carrying the cchd or cchl color genes. These are called the light and dark shading color genes and rabbits in these color families are the true shaded colors. However, since Tort appears as a shaded color, it is often grouped with the shaded color groups in breeds like Lops. Breeding Tips: Breeding to Black, Black Tort, and Red (very limited breeding) should give you the best results. Keep in mind that Red and Black may not produce Tort in the first generation unless they carry the right recessive genes. Also, the excessive use of Red in your Tort lines, may ruin your Tort's color by making the color too light and washing out the shading, so Red should be used on a very limited basis. However, Red can be helpful if the Tort lines are too dark. Tort may not improve your Red's color either. REW is also another good option. However, use REW with cation since REW can carry other genetics that you may not want in your Tort lines. You may also be able to use Caster if you have no access to any of the colors above. However, keep in mind that you will lesson your chances of getting Tort in your litters significantly by using Caster. It may take you several generations to get Tort. Tort may not improve your Caster's color so I do not suggest using Tort if you are breeding for Caster. It is best to avoid colors like Dilute, Chocolate, Tricolor, Tan Patterned, BEW or any agouti other than Red and sometimes Caster in your lines. Also avoid using Chinchilla colors(Self Chinchilla, Chinchilla, Frosted Pearl, Silver Martin, Sallander...), Sable Colors (Sable, Sable Point, Sable Martin, Smoked Pearl...), Himalaya and Seal colors. All of these varieties will not improve your Tort lines but may ruin the color, complicate your genetics, or both. Tort and Sable Point can be crossed but this is often only used to help improve the Sable Point lines, not Tort lines. Sable Point will lighten the Tort's color and often washes out the shading on the Tort offspring from a cross like this within the first generation.
Is Tort really a shaded variety? Appearance wise, yes. 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). However, genetically, it is not a true shaded variety. In rabbit genetics, a shaded rabbit is technically a rabbit carrying the cchd or cchl color genes. These are called the light and dark shading color genes and rabbits in these color families are the true shaded colors. However, since Tort appears as a shaded color, it is often grouped with the shaded color groups in breeds like Lops. Breeding Tips: Breeding to Black, Black Tort, and Red (very limited breeding) should give you the best results. Keep in mind that Red and Black may not produce Tort in the first generation unless they carry the right recessive genes. Also, the excessive use of Red in your Tort lines, may ruin your Tort's color by making the color too light and washing out the shading, so Red should be used on a very limited basis. However, Red can be helpful if the Tort lines are too dark. Tort may not improve your Red's color either. REW is also another good option. However, use REW with cation since REW can carry other genetics that you may not want in your Tort lines. You may also be able to use Caster if you have no access to any of the colors above. However, keep in mind that you will lesson your chances of getting Tort in your litters significantly by using Caster. It may take you several generations to get Tort. Tort may not improve your Caster's color so I do not suggest using Tort if you are breeding for Caster. It is best to avoid colors like Dilute, Chocolate, Tricolor, Tan Patterned, BEW or any agouti other than Red and sometimes Caster in your lines. Also avoid using Chinchilla colors(Self Chinchilla, Chinchilla, Frosted Pearl, Silver Martin, Sallander...), Sable Colors (Sable, Sable Point, Sable Martin, Smoked Pearl...), Himalaya and Seal colors. All of these varieties will not improve your Tort lines but may ruin the color, complicate your genetics, or both. Tort and Sable Point can be crossed but this is often only used to help improve the Sable Point lines, not Tort lines. Sable Point will lighten the Tort's color and often washes out the shading on the Tort offspring from a cross like this within the first generation.
Kits:
Dark Black Tort kit at 4 days old. Yes, at this point, this kit looks like a Chocolate or Seal but this kit is a Tort. It will likely be a very dark tort as an adult.
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Same Dark Tort kit at 4 weeks old. Now looking like an obvious Tort. This kit may appear to have striking color right now but this kit will probably be very dark as an adult. Young Torts are always lighter than they will be as an adult so I know this kit will be much darker as an adult.
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Black Tort kit at 2 weeks old. This is an example of a very light black Tort kit. This kit could be considered a Blue Tort but is not. This light color is due a lack of rufus pigment (Yellow/Orange/Red pigment). A Tort higher in rufus has a deeper red/orange colored body and often has darker shading.
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2 week old kits with decent color. These kits are not too dark and not too light. They have good rufus levels and nice Tort shading coming in. Again, Tort shading is not as dark as it will be once they are older. These 2 kits will have very nice shading.
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Seniors
A Senior showing very nice quality Tort color. Has nice rich body color and nice dark shading. This rabbit is a good example of a good contrast of color between the shading and the body color (red/brown color).
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A Tort showing good rufus (Red/Orange pigment) levels but poor shading in contrast to the body color. Notice how the shading is slightly brown in color and more faint than the rabbit to the left. Bred the to right rabbit, this rabbit can still produce nice quality color. Her shading is just not as ideal as the other rabbit to the left.
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This is a Tort that shows very dark dark color. This doe has very high levels of rufus. It is said that when a rabbit has the highest levels of rufus, it shows very deep mahogany like color. If this is true, this doe probably has the highest levels of rufus or nearly the highest. This doe shows very dark almost black shading. Normally, I like dark shading on a Tort but this particular Tort has almost too much shading over her body. Overal, I think this is just too dark and doesn't provide a very good contrast of color from body color and shading. This doe would likely have negative comments on her color from a judge based on past experience.
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This is an example of a Tort with color that is almost too light. This rabbit probably has lower levels of rufus overall. The color is less red and more on the orange to light brown side. The shading is a lighter gray. This is a strong contrast to the rabbit to the left. This rabbit was probably very light much like the light kit above as a junior.
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This is a senior Broken Tort showing nice rich body color. She hasn't finished shedding into her senior coat so shading looks a little faded. This doe really is a very nice quality broken tort. I would like to see a little darker shading but again, she hadn't finished shedding in this picture. Body color and shading can get a little rusty and faded when the fur is old and dead.
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This is a Tort out of Sable Point and Tort lines. This is a good example of the typical Tort color quality that you see when you have strong Sable Point influence in the background. This buck actually produces Sable Point bred to Sable Point lines so he is useful in a Sable Point program. However, as a Tort, his color is not the nicest quality. I could see better shading on this buck. I probably would not breed a Tort like this into my Tort lines because I don't want to encourage this kind of color quality in my Tort lines. If I am breeding for Tort, I like my Torts to have at least better shading.
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Sable Point
Names known to other breeds: Siamese Sable Point.
Genetics: -aa-B-c(chl)c-D-ee(Sable Point carrying REW) aa-B-c(chl)-c(h)-D-ee(Sable Point carrying Himi)
What is a Sable Point? A Sable Point is a non extension version of a Sable (also known as Siamese Sable in other breeds). It is a Self Color, a Black based color and a Dense color. It should have a light cream body that is as smut free as possible with medium to dark sepia brown shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet, tail and flanks. The belly is typically the same cream color as the body but in some cases, may show some sepia shading. The eyes should be brown and can (often does) have a ruby glow. The nails should be pigmented(not white/clear).
Breeding tips:
What are the best compatible colors for Sable Point? REW, Himi, Sable and Seal are some of the best colors to use in a Sable Point program. These can help improve the color and carry genetics that make it easier to get Sable Point.
Himalayan(Himi): Himi can be a very good asset to any Sable Point program. I usually keep a couple around. First of all, Himi can bring good quality into your Sable Point lines. Secondly, the Himi color genes(ch) are recessive to Sable color genes(chl) so you should at least get some Sable out of any Himi you breed to your Sable Point lines in the first generation. Finally, Himi can help clean up the over all color in your Sable Point lines. I have actually found that Sable Points out of Himi lines tend to have cleaner body color while still keeping darker points (shading). A few things you should know about Himalayan is that it may not always produce Sable Point in the first generation. Himalayan can be a full extension(E) color, a non extension carrier(Ee) or a non extension(ee). A full extension Himi would carry dominent "E" only (EE). A non extension carrier would show the dominent "E" appearance but would carry a recessive "e" gene. A non extension Himi might show a faded appearance and will carry two copies of the non extension "e" genes (ee). If you cross a Full extension Himi that does not carry non extension to a Sable Point, you will only get Sable and maybe Himi. If you cross a Himi that carries non extension to a Sable Point, you can get Sable, Sable Point, Full extension Himi and non extension Himi. A non extension Himi crossed to Sable Point should give you Sable Point and maybe non extension Himi.
REW: REW can also be an asset to a Sable Point program. First of all, they can bring some very good quality into your lines. I find that a lot of REWs have very good quality fur and can have superior type (especially if you get a REW out of good black lines). Secondly, they can help lighten up the over all color of your Sable Point lines. Finally, the REW color genes can be recessive to any other color genes meaning that it is recessive to the Sable and Sable Point. A few things you should know is that while REW may be white, it can still carry a lot of other genes and dominant traits that could affect the color outcome of your litters. Avoid using REW that is a genetic Agouti, Chocolate, Dilute, Tan pattern, or Tricolor/Harli. I usually tell people to find a REW our of 2 Black parents that they know does not produce Blue or Chocolate. I also highly suggest finding a REW that is a Tort genetically meaning that it carries aaB-D-ee. Or, a REW out of Black and Tort or Tort and Tort breedings. If you can find a REW out of Sable Point or even Sable lines, this is a plus because you know that it carries aa-Ee or ee. You just have to be very picky about what REW you use. However, if you can find the right REW, it can be an asset to your program. I actually have an equal amount REW in my program as I do Himi. Most of my REW are out of my own lines so I know what genetics they carry.
Sable: Sable is probably the safest color to use in your Sable Point lines. Sable is the closest genetically to Sable Point. Sable already carries the sable(cchl) genes, the self genes, the black genes and the dense genes. However, something you should be aware of is that Sable may or may not carry non extension for getting Sable Point in the first generation. Bred to Sable Point, you should be guaranteed at least Sable. You will most likely also get Himi or REW as a result if you are truly breeding Sable x Sable Point. You will only get Sable Point in the first generation if the Sable carries Ee.
Seal: Seal is also very similar in genetics to Sable Point. Seal carries chl genes as well but instead of one set of Sable genes, a Seal carries two sets of sable genes giving seal its dark almost black color. Seal is also naturally a full extension color so in order to get Sable Points or Seal Points in the first generation, the Seal will need to carry non extension (Ee)
What are the next best colors? Tort and Black are probably the next best colors. Tort: Make sure it is Black Tort only. No chocolate, blue or lilac Torts. Black Tort is already a non extension but unlike the varieties above, Tort carries a dominant full color gene(C) which is why it is not quite as convenient for a Sable Point program. In order to get Sable Point out of Tort, the Tort must carry recessive Sable, REW or Himi color genes. In other words, it should carry Cchl, Cc, or Cch. Without this, you will only get Tort in the first generation. Crossing Tort to Sable Point, may or may not help improve the Sable Point line's color and will almost always detract from the Tort line's color. Any Torts I get out of my Sable Point x Tort breedings are only bred back into my Sable Point lines and never bred back into my Tort lines. This is because Torts out of Sable Point x Tort breedings usually don't have ideal Tort color quality. Not always bad enough to be Disqualified but not ideal for the best looking Tort color. Black: Black is even a little less convenient. Unlike Tort, Black is not a non extension color and also carries the dominant full color gene(C). Black is just a full extension version of Tort but in order to get some Sable Point in the first generation, the black would not only have to carry the recessive Sable, REW or Himi color genes but would also have to carry non extension recessively. If the black does not carry these genes, it may only produce black in the first generation crossed to Sable Point. Some of these black offspring should carry the recessive genes needed to produce Tort, Sable and Sable Point.
Colors that are not good to breed to Sable Point? Any Agouti (especially Chinchilla because the Chin chd color genes are dominant over Sable chl color genes and can cause colors similar looking to Sable Agouti and Sable Point), Tan pattern, Harlequin, Tricolor, or BEW. These colors may have no affect in improving the color quality of your Sable Point lines, may ruin the color of your Sable Points, ruin/complicate the genetics of your Sable Point lines, or all three.
Genetics: -aa-B-c(chl)c-D-ee(Sable Point carrying REW) aa-B-c(chl)-c(h)-D-ee(Sable Point carrying Himi)
What is a Sable Point? A Sable Point is a non extension version of a Sable (also known as Siamese Sable in other breeds). It is a Self Color, a Black based color and a Dense color. It should have a light cream body that is as smut free as possible with medium to dark sepia brown shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet, tail and flanks. The belly is typically the same cream color as the body but in some cases, may show some sepia shading. The eyes should be brown and can (often does) have a ruby glow. The nails should be pigmented(not white/clear).
Breeding tips:
What are the best compatible colors for Sable Point? REW, Himi, Sable and Seal are some of the best colors to use in a Sable Point program. These can help improve the color and carry genetics that make it easier to get Sable Point.
Himalayan(Himi): Himi can be a very good asset to any Sable Point program. I usually keep a couple around. First of all, Himi can bring good quality into your Sable Point lines. Secondly, the Himi color genes(ch) are recessive to Sable color genes(chl) so you should at least get some Sable out of any Himi you breed to your Sable Point lines in the first generation. Finally, Himi can help clean up the over all color in your Sable Point lines. I have actually found that Sable Points out of Himi lines tend to have cleaner body color while still keeping darker points (shading). A few things you should know about Himalayan is that it may not always produce Sable Point in the first generation. Himalayan can be a full extension(E) color, a non extension carrier(Ee) or a non extension(ee). A full extension Himi would carry dominent "E" only (EE). A non extension carrier would show the dominent "E" appearance but would carry a recessive "e" gene. A non extension Himi might show a faded appearance and will carry two copies of the non extension "e" genes (ee). If you cross a Full extension Himi that does not carry non extension to a Sable Point, you will only get Sable and maybe Himi. If you cross a Himi that carries non extension to a Sable Point, you can get Sable, Sable Point, Full extension Himi and non extension Himi. A non extension Himi crossed to Sable Point should give you Sable Point and maybe non extension Himi.
REW: REW can also be an asset to a Sable Point program. First of all, they can bring some very good quality into your lines. I find that a lot of REWs have very good quality fur and can have superior type (especially if you get a REW out of good black lines). Secondly, they can help lighten up the over all color of your Sable Point lines. Finally, the REW color genes can be recessive to any other color genes meaning that it is recessive to the Sable and Sable Point. A few things you should know is that while REW may be white, it can still carry a lot of other genes and dominant traits that could affect the color outcome of your litters. Avoid using REW that is a genetic Agouti, Chocolate, Dilute, Tan pattern, or Tricolor/Harli. I usually tell people to find a REW our of 2 Black parents that they know does not produce Blue or Chocolate. I also highly suggest finding a REW that is a Tort genetically meaning that it carries aaB-D-ee. Or, a REW out of Black and Tort or Tort and Tort breedings. If you can find a REW out of Sable Point or even Sable lines, this is a plus because you know that it carries aa-Ee or ee. You just have to be very picky about what REW you use. However, if you can find the right REW, it can be an asset to your program. I actually have an equal amount REW in my program as I do Himi. Most of my REW are out of my own lines so I know what genetics they carry.
Sable: Sable is probably the safest color to use in your Sable Point lines. Sable is the closest genetically to Sable Point. Sable already carries the sable(cchl) genes, the self genes, the black genes and the dense genes. However, something you should be aware of is that Sable may or may not carry non extension for getting Sable Point in the first generation. Bred to Sable Point, you should be guaranteed at least Sable. You will most likely also get Himi or REW as a result if you are truly breeding Sable x Sable Point. You will only get Sable Point in the first generation if the Sable carries Ee.
Seal: Seal is also very similar in genetics to Sable Point. Seal carries chl genes as well but instead of one set of Sable genes, a Seal carries two sets of sable genes giving seal its dark almost black color. Seal is also naturally a full extension color so in order to get Sable Points or Seal Points in the first generation, the Seal will need to carry non extension (Ee)
What are the next best colors? Tort and Black are probably the next best colors. Tort: Make sure it is Black Tort only. No chocolate, blue or lilac Torts. Black Tort is already a non extension but unlike the varieties above, Tort carries a dominant full color gene(C) which is why it is not quite as convenient for a Sable Point program. In order to get Sable Point out of Tort, the Tort must carry recessive Sable, REW or Himi color genes. In other words, it should carry Cchl, Cc, or Cch. Without this, you will only get Tort in the first generation. Crossing Tort to Sable Point, may or may not help improve the Sable Point line's color and will almost always detract from the Tort line's color. Any Torts I get out of my Sable Point x Tort breedings are only bred back into my Sable Point lines and never bred back into my Tort lines. This is because Torts out of Sable Point x Tort breedings usually don't have ideal Tort color quality. Not always bad enough to be Disqualified but not ideal for the best looking Tort color. Black: Black is even a little less convenient. Unlike Tort, Black is not a non extension color and also carries the dominant full color gene(C). Black is just a full extension version of Tort but in order to get some Sable Point in the first generation, the black would not only have to carry the recessive Sable, REW or Himi color genes but would also have to carry non extension recessively. If the black does not carry these genes, it may only produce black in the first generation crossed to Sable Point. Some of these black offspring should carry the recessive genes needed to produce Tort, Sable and Sable Point.
Colors that are not good to breed to Sable Point? Any Agouti (especially Chinchilla because the Chin chd color genes are dominant over Sable chl color genes and can cause colors similar looking to Sable Agouti and Sable Point), Tan pattern, Harlequin, Tricolor, or BEW. These colors may have no affect in improving the color quality of your Sable Point lines, may ruin the color of your Sable Points, ruin/complicate the genetics of your Sable Point lines, or all three.
Kits
Mixed litter with REW, Sable, and Sable Point kits. The Sable Point kits are are the 2 near the far upper right corner. The dark kit in the middle (near the top) of the group is a Sable and the remaining 3 near the left hand side of the picture are REW (Red Eyed White) kits. As newborns, it is very difficult to tell the difference in color between Sable Point and REW so I usually have to wait at least a week when the fur has grown grown in enough to see the color better to tell whether I have REW or Sable Points.
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Litter of Tort and Sable Point kits. Of course, the colors are obvious in this litter. Notice the difference in color between the 2 Sable Point kits. This is the typical rainbow of color you can see within Sable Point litters. The kits underneath are all Tort.
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Sable, Smoked Pearl, or Sable Point? This particular kit is actually a Sable Point! A very dark Sable Point! This is not ideal Sable Point color. This kit actually came from 2 clean colored Sable Points. Just a good example of all the different shades of color you can have out of Sable Point. A kit this dark is a first for my program but is very possible even out of Sable Points showing clean color.
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Same Sable Point kit at 5 weeks old. Now starting to show a slightly more Sable Point like color. Still very very dark! This kit was thought to possibly be a Seal Point but has a nice strong ruby glow to its eyes (not seen in this picture). Seal Point should not have a ruby glow to the eyes so this ruby glow, proves that this kit is a Sable Point. Again, this quality of color is not encouraged in a Sable Point program. A Sable Point should have clean body color and this kit definitely does not have clean body color at this point anyway.
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Seniors
Sable Point showing very nice color. This rabbit is showing nice clean body color with nice shading. Beautiful rabbit!
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Another Sable Point showing ideal color. Nice dark points with pretty clean body color. This particular rabbit has become more smutty with age but at this point, this was a very beautiful rabbit.
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This particular Sable Point has ideal point color (shading) but smutty body color. What is smut? Smut is that darker color you see on the back. Sable Points show smut in different ways. This doe shows her smut like shading on the top of the back. However, some Sable Points show smut in blotches. We call this blotchy smutty color "pitted color".
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This is an example of a Sable Point with very rich high rufus color. Look at the difference in color compared with the rabbit to the left. Very clear difference in color! This buck carries higher levels of rufus than the doe to the left seen by the more rich brown/redish tones to his color. In my opinion, this more rich brown color is more ideal but both are just fine. Be aware that if the color gets too brown, the rabbit may be, or, at least, may appear to be a Chocolate Point. So, when you get into Sable Points with high rufus, you may have to be careful becuase it would be a bummer to have them disqualified because phenotypically, they appear to be a Chocolate Point. This particular Sable Point is also showing some smut across the back. Smut is not a disqualification but I would certainly fault a Sable Point for showing it as strongly as this buck.
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This picture was donated by Cambridge Rabbitry.
I am sharing a picture of this rabbit because this is something that a Sable Point breeder should pay close attention to. In my herd, a rabbit with this kind of color would send up red flags. Why? There is another color very close in appearance to a Sable Point with subtle differences appearance wise but a big difference genetically. This similar color I am talking of is called Sallander. Sallander is a member of the Chinchilla color family which means that instead of carrying cchl, a Sallander carries cchd. cchd is slightly dominant over cchl so if you want to raise true genetic Sable Points, cchd is not something you want in your bloodlines. A sallander typically has an appearance showing an off white body color (often very smutty but can be clean) with dark gray Tort like shading. Another distinct trait Sallander typically shows is strong shading on the sides of the body and belly. The rabbit in the picture above shows this darker tort like shading as well as the shading on the sides and belly. I also know that Sable Point color is not always a predictable color to work with so this rabbit could very well still be a Sable Point showing dark intense shading. However, a rabbit showing these color traits would cause concern. I would be suspicius of this rabbit being a Sallander genetically. For a rabbit showing color like this test breeding would be wise! |
Seal
True Seal-aa-B-c(chl)c(chl)D-E-There are actually 2 other genetic colors showing a resemblance similar to a True Seal. These are known as Dark Sable and Self Chinchilla.
Dark Sable- aa-B-c(chl)-D-E- with modifiers causing a dark Seal like appearance.
Self Chinchilla- aa-B-c(chd)-D-E- appears as a deep sepia brown much like a Seal but can also be darker than a seal more like a black.
True Seal description: A True Seal should have a dark Sepia brown body which shades to a slightly lighter sepia on the belly and flanks. A true Seal should have brown eyes lacking a Ruby Glow.
What is the difference between Black and Seal or Chocolate and Seal? Since Seal can be so dark or so light, sometimes it can be mistaken as Black or Chocolate. I like to describe a Seal's color in general as a having color in between that of a Chocolate and a Black. It is not usually as light as a Chocolate and is not usually quite as dark as a black. However, sometimes there are light colored Seals and sometimes there are dark colored Seals. Here are some pointers on how to tell the difference. It is actually pretty easy to tell the difference between a light black and a dark Seal. The number one way is to look at the undercolor(the color near the skin when parting the fur). A true Seal will have a lighter Sepia(brown gray) undercolor while a Black will have an obvious Slate Blue undercolor. Genetically, a black is a Self (aa) and a Full (C) color. This means that instead of carrying any recessive shading genes like Chinchilla(cchd), Sable(cchl), or Seal(cchlcchl), it carries the dominant full color gene(C). A good black will show no undercolor on the surface of its body but some lighter blacks may have a slate blue undercolor showing through in certain areas like around the belly and flanks. This can be confusing if you are not sure how to tell the difference between a Black and a Seal. The undercolor trick should work every time. Judges may catch this if someone is showing a black in a seal's class or a seal in a black's class. When looking at a Chocolate compared to a Seal, you may think "now wait a minute, if you can get Seal and Black mixed up, wouldn't Seal be too dark to get mixed up with a Chocolate?" The answer is not always. Again, some seals can actually be pretty light in color and some Chocolates can be very dark in color. However, this is also pretty easy to identify. Some Chocolates will have a Ruby Glow to the eyes while a True Seal should not. A Chocolate Seal might but a black based true Seal and Self Chin will never. Another way to tell is by looking at the undercolor on the rabbit. Again, if you see a lighter Sepia grayish color, it is a Seal. However, if you see a dove gray undercolor, this is probably a Chocolate. Genetically, a Chocolate is a Self full color just like a black. The only difference between a black and a Chocolate is that a Chocolate shows the recessive chocolate/brown genes(bb) instead of the dominant black gene(B). Again, True Seal, Dark Sable and Self Chinchilla are all recessive shaded colors not full colors(C). Seal is also recognized only in its Black based version.
So, Genetically:
Seal: aaB-c(chl)c(chl)D-E-
Black: aaB-C-D-E-
Chocolate: aabbC-D-E-
The Difference Between Seal and Sable? Its easy to get lost in these 2 colors. Seal and Sable both carry the c(chl) genes, they both show sepia color, they are both born darker in color, sable goes through some color stages where it looks kind of Seal like, and they can both be produced in Sable/Sable Point lines. However, first of all, there is one big differance that matters! Sable is NOT a showable color and Seal IS.
Appearance wise, Sable should have a lighter sepia body with dark sepia to black points (shading). They have a definite typical shaded appearance as adults. Seal, should have deep sepia body with lighter sepia color only on the belly and flanks. Seal often has a very close appearance to a regular Self Color such as Black or Chocolate. In fact, it hasn't been the first time I have seen Black shown as Seal or visa versa.
Genetically, Sable is aaB-c(chl)cD-E- or aaB-c(chl)c(ch)D-E-. Sable must carry a combo of one copy of the c(chl) gene and one copy of either the Himi gene (cch) or the REW gene (c). The presence of the Himi or REW gene is what gives the Sable its "Sable" like appearance. A true genetic Seal must carry c(chl)c(chl) only. I cannot carry REW or Himi. The combo of the c(chl)c(chl) genes is what gives the Seal its DARK almost black appearance. In order to further explain the affect is to imagine that you are holding 2 pieces of partially see through paper tinted brown. Behind these 2 pieces of paper is a white piece of paper. Each piece of this brown tinted partially see through paper represents each c(chl) gene and the white piece of paper represents the Albino/REW gene. The rules are that you can only have 2 pieces of paper on top of eachother at a time (this represents the rule that rabbits can only have 2 alleles on one locus). First, layer the 2 pieces of Brown tinted see through paper on top of eachother (remember, the white one is not there because you can only have 2 on top of eachother at one time). When you have both pieces of brown paper layered on top of eachother, the brown color is dark and you cannot see through them. Now, take away one piece of brown paper and add the white piece underneath of the remaining piece of brown paper. What do you see now? Suddenly, the brown color is much lighter and you can partially see through it to the white paper. This is what happens with a Sable and a Seal. The Seal is like the 2 pieces of brown paper on top of eachother. A Sable is like the Brown piece of paper with the white one underneath. You can see the white paper partially showing through the brown one making the brown color lighter. This is like the Albino gene and the cchl gene. When the rabbit carries cchl and c (REW) or ch (Himi), these REW or Himi genes partially affect the color by lightening it. Kind of like what happens to the brown color when you take away the other brown piece of paper and add the white underneath.
Dark Sable- aa-B-c(chl)-D-E- with modifiers causing a dark Seal like appearance.
Self Chinchilla- aa-B-c(chd)-D-E- appears as a deep sepia brown much like a Seal but can also be darker than a seal more like a black.
True Seal description: A True Seal should have a dark Sepia brown body which shades to a slightly lighter sepia on the belly and flanks. A true Seal should have brown eyes lacking a Ruby Glow.
What is the difference between Black and Seal or Chocolate and Seal? Since Seal can be so dark or so light, sometimes it can be mistaken as Black or Chocolate. I like to describe a Seal's color in general as a having color in between that of a Chocolate and a Black. It is not usually as light as a Chocolate and is not usually quite as dark as a black. However, sometimes there are light colored Seals and sometimes there are dark colored Seals. Here are some pointers on how to tell the difference. It is actually pretty easy to tell the difference between a light black and a dark Seal. The number one way is to look at the undercolor(the color near the skin when parting the fur). A true Seal will have a lighter Sepia(brown gray) undercolor while a Black will have an obvious Slate Blue undercolor. Genetically, a black is a Self (aa) and a Full (C) color. This means that instead of carrying any recessive shading genes like Chinchilla(cchd), Sable(cchl), or Seal(cchlcchl), it carries the dominant full color gene(C). A good black will show no undercolor on the surface of its body but some lighter blacks may have a slate blue undercolor showing through in certain areas like around the belly and flanks. This can be confusing if you are not sure how to tell the difference between a Black and a Seal. The undercolor trick should work every time. Judges may catch this if someone is showing a black in a seal's class or a seal in a black's class. When looking at a Chocolate compared to a Seal, you may think "now wait a minute, if you can get Seal and Black mixed up, wouldn't Seal be too dark to get mixed up with a Chocolate?" The answer is not always. Again, some seals can actually be pretty light in color and some Chocolates can be very dark in color. However, this is also pretty easy to identify. Some Chocolates will have a Ruby Glow to the eyes while a True Seal should not. A Chocolate Seal might but a black based true Seal and Self Chin will never. Another way to tell is by looking at the undercolor on the rabbit. Again, if you see a lighter Sepia grayish color, it is a Seal. However, if you see a dove gray undercolor, this is probably a Chocolate. Genetically, a Chocolate is a Self full color just like a black. The only difference between a black and a Chocolate is that a Chocolate shows the recessive chocolate/brown genes(bb) instead of the dominant black gene(B). Again, True Seal, Dark Sable and Self Chinchilla are all recessive shaded colors not full colors(C). Seal is also recognized only in its Black based version.
So, Genetically:
Seal: aaB-c(chl)c(chl)D-E-
Black: aaB-C-D-E-
Chocolate: aabbC-D-E-
The Difference Between Seal and Sable? Its easy to get lost in these 2 colors. Seal and Sable both carry the c(chl) genes, they both show sepia color, they are both born darker in color, sable goes through some color stages where it looks kind of Seal like, and they can both be produced in Sable/Sable Point lines. However, first of all, there is one big differance that matters! Sable is NOT a showable color and Seal IS.
Appearance wise, Sable should have a lighter sepia body with dark sepia to black points (shading). They have a definite typical shaded appearance as adults. Seal, should have deep sepia body with lighter sepia color only on the belly and flanks. Seal often has a very close appearance to a regular Self Color such as Black or Chocolate. In fact, it hasn't been the first time I have seen Black shown as Seal or visa versa.
Genetically, Sable is aaB-c(chl)cD-E- or aaB-c(chl)c(ch)D-E-. Sable must carry a combo of one copy of the c(chl) gene and one copy of either the Himi gene (cch) or the REW gene (c). The presence of the Himi or REW gene is what gives the Sable its "Sable" like appearance. A true genetic Seal must carry c(chl)c(chl) only. I cannot carry REW or Himi. The combo of the c(chl)c(chl) genes is what gives the Seal its DARK almost black appearance. In order to further explain the affect is to imagine that you are holding 2 pieces of partially see through paper tinted brown. Behind these 2 pieces of paper is a white piece of paper. Each piece of this brown tinted partially see through paper represents each c(chl) gene and the white piece of paper represents the Albino/REW gene. The rules are that you can only have 2 pieces of paper on top of eachother at a time (this represents the rule that rabbits can only have 2 alleles on one locus). First, layer the 2 pieces of Brown tinted see through paper on top of eachother (remember, the white one is not there because you can only have 2 on top of eachother at one time). When you have both pieces of brown paper layered on top of eachother, the brown color is dark and you cannot see through them. Now, take away one piece of brown paper and add the white piece underneath of the remaining piece of brown paper. What do you see now? Suddenly, the brown color is much lighter and you can partially see through it to the white paper. This is what happens with a Sable and a Seal. The Seal is like the 2 pieces of brown paper on top of eachother. A Sable is like the Brown piece of paper with the white one underneath. You can see the white paper partially showing through the brown one making the brown color lighter. This is like the Albino gene and the cchl gene. When the rabbit carries cchl and c (REW) or ch (Himi), these REW or Himi genes partially affect the color by lightening it. Kind of like what happens to the brown color when you take away the other brown piece of paper and add the white underneath.
Kits
Seal kit at around 1 week old.
Sable kit around the same age (little older) as the Seal kit. Notice the lighter layer of color. This is kind of a silvery tipping over top of a darker undercolor. This kit will turn more Sable like in color as it gets older.
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This is the same Seal kit from the left at 8 - 10 weeks old.
8- 10 week old Sable to compare with.
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Unshowable Shaded Varieties
Blue Tort
Other possible names: Isabella(Old name for Blue Tort), Blue Tortoise, Blue Madagascar(Old name for Tort Satins).
aaB-C-ddee
General Description: A blue Tort should have a light Caramel Fawn body with Blue Gray shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The belly, flanks and sides of the belly should have a lighter blue fawn to dusty gray color. The eyes should be Blue Gray with no ruby glow. The nails should not be white.
aaB-C-ddee
General Description: A blue Tort should have a light Caramel Fawn body with Blue Gray shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The belly, flanks and sides of the belly should have a lighter blue fawn to dusty gray color. The eyes should be Blue Gray with no ruby glow. The nails should not be white.
Kits - Still needed!
Juniors/Seniors
Chocolate Tort
Other possible names: Chocolate Tortoise, Chocolate Madagascar(Old name for Tort Satins) -aabbC-D-ee
General Description: A Chocolate Tort should have a bright rusty Red/Orange body with Hershey chocolate brown shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The belly and sides can be a lighter dusty tanish gray in color. The eyes should be brown and can have a Ruby glow. The nails should have pigment (not white).
What is the difference between Red and Chocolate Tort? I have seen Chocolate Torts being mistaken for Red before. It is actually not uncommon because Chocolate Tort and Red share close to the same body color and Chocolate Tort can often go through stages where its shading will be very pale and hard to see. In fact, some Chocolate Torts will have such light shading that they can look like they are a smutty Red until you look closer at the color. Sometimes they may even look like a clean red if the shading is pale enough or if they are going threw a strange stage in color development. Don't be fooled. Chocolate Tort and Red are very different genetically. While both Red and Chocolate Tort are non extension colors, Red is an Agouti color and Tort is a Self Color. Red is often a Black based color while Chocolate Tort is a Chocolate based color. A black based Red carrying no other known color possibilities: A-B-C-D-ee. A Chocolate Tort carrying no other known color possibilities: aabbC-D-ee
Appearance wise, once you know how a proper Red should look and a proper chocolate Tort should look, you should be able to spot the difference pretty easily at a very early age. Even as a kit. A Red should have what is called Agouti markings. On a Red, these markings should be deep cream to light cream(sometimes white) in color. The belly, underside of tail, insides of feet, chin, nostrils, eye circles, insides of ears and back of neck should have this cream to white color. A black based Red will not have a ruby glow to the eyes. A Chocolate Tort, will lack these Agouti markings on the belly, insides of feet, underside of tail, chin, nostrils, eye circles, insides of ears and back of neck. Since it is a Self Color rather than an Agouti color, it naturally doesn't have the agouti pattern. A Chocolate Tort may have a Ruby Glow it its eyes. Genetically, one parent has to be an Agouti to produce Agouti offspring like Red. If there are no Agouti parents, you cannot have Agouti offspring like Red. Pretty simple. If you have a Red looking rabbit out of two selfs or tan pattern, it is not a Red. It could be a Chocolate Tort, a black Tort with light shading or a Tort Otter (only if at least one parent is tan patterned rabbit).
General Description: A Chocolate Tort should have a bright rusty Red/Orange body with Hershey chocolate brown shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The belly and sides can be a lighter dusty tanish gray in color. The eyes should be brown and can have a Ruby glow. The nails should have pigment (not white).
What is the difference between Red and Chocolate Tort? I have seen Chocolate Torts being mistaken for Red before. It is actually not uncommon because Chocolate Tort and Red share close to the same body color and Chocolate Tort can often go through stages where its shading will be very pale and hard to see. In fact, some Chocolate Torts will have such light shading that they can look like they are a smutty Red until you look closer at the color. Sometimes they may even look like a clean red if the shading is pale enough or if they are going threw a strange stage in color development. Don't be fooled. Chocolate Tort and Red are very different genetically. While both Red and Chocolate Tort are non extension colors, Red is an Agouti color and Tort is a Self Color. Red is often a Black based color while Chocolate Tort is a Chocolate based color. A black based Red carrying no other known color possibilities: A-B-C-D-ee. A Chocolate Tort carrying no other known color possibilities: aabbC-D-ee
Appearance wise, once you know how a proper Red should look and a proper chocolate Tort should look, you should be able to spot the difference pretty easily at a very early age. Even as a kit. A Red should have what is called Agouti markings. On a Red, these markings should be deep cream to light cream(sometimes white) in color. The belly, underside of tail, insides of feet, chin, nostrils, eye circles, insides of ears and back of neck should have this cream to white color. A black based Red will not have a ruby glow to the eyes. A Chocolate Tort, will lack these Agouti markings on the belly, insides of feet, underside of tail, chin, nostrils, eye circles, insides of ears and back of neck. Since it is a Self Color rather than an Agouti color, it naturally doesn't have the agouti pattern. A Chocolate Tort may have a Ruby Glow it its eyes. Genetically, one parent has to be an Agouti to produce Agouti offspring like Red. If there are no Agouti parents, you cannot have Agouti offspring like Red. Pretty simple. If you have a Red looking rabbit out of two selfs or tan pattern, it is not a Red. It could be a Chocolate Tort, a black Tort with light shading or a Tort Otter (only if at least one parent is tan patterned rabbit).
This picture was donated by Crimson Rabbitry
Here is a litter of Torts and Red. In this litter we have a Red, Black Torts, and a Chocolate Tort. The Red is the kit all the way to the right along the outer edge. The Chocolate Tort kit is all the way to the left on the outer edge. The rest of the kits in the middle are all Black Torts. How can I tell which kit is the Chocolate Tort and which kit is the Red? Well, there is one major clue. What difference do you see when looking at these 2 kits? Well, for one the kit on the right outer edge has white around the eyes and on the inside of the ears. The kit on the left outer edge does not have any white on the insides of the ears. In fact, I would say the inside of this kit's ears are darker! Remember, an Agouti should always have the white on the inside of the ears and around the eyes as well as other areas mentioned in my info earlier too. |
This picture was donated by Crimson Rabbitry
Here is another group of bunnies. These guys are older. Can you tell which one is the Chocolate Tort? Is there are Red here anywhere? No, there is no Red in this group of babies. What you see there is a Chocolate Tort in the very front with a Black Tort, a Blue, a Black, and a Broken Black behind it. |
Juniors/Seniors
Lilac Tort
Other Possible Names: Lilac Tortoise, Lilac Madagascar(Old name for Tort Satins)
-aabbC-ddee
General Description: A Lilac Tort should have a Fawn Body with Dove Gray shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The belly, flanks and sides of belly should be a lighter dove gray color. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a ruby glow. The nails should not be white.
-aabbC-ddee
General Description: A Lilac Tort should have a Fawn Body with Dove Gray shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The belly, flanks and sides of belly should be a lighter dove gray color. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a ruby glow. The nails should not be white.
Kits - Pictures still needed!
Junior/Senior
Torted Japanese Harlequin
Other Possible Names: Torted Black/Orange Harlequin, Torted Blue/Fawn Harlequin, Torted Chocolate/Orange Harlequin, Torted Lilac/Fawn Harlequin.
-aaB-C-D-eje (Black and Orange)
-aaB-C-ddeje (Blue and Fawn)
-aabbC-D-eje (Chocolate and Orange)
-aabbC-ddeje (Lilac and Fawn)
What is a Torted Japanese Harlequin? Well, we know that a Japanese Harlequin is a rabbit with Black or Chocolate brindling on an Orange background or a rabbit with Blue or Lilac brindling on a Fawn background. However, what does it mean when we say "Torted"? Well, appearance wise, this means the Harlequin (Harli for short) rabbit shows Tort shading along with its Harli markings. So, you should see Tort shading on the ears, nose, around the eyes, feet, tail, and maybe even sides of body. Genetically, a Torted Harlequin can either be a rabbit carrying aa-eje or a rabbit carrying at-eje. The combination of the self or tan pattern genes and on copy of the recessive e gene, often causes the resulting color to show both brindling and Tort shading. In the at-eje case, the rabbit should also show a tan pattern much like an otter with brindling and tort shading to boot. Is this Tort shading good or bad? Well, I wouldn't say any color is good or bad but this color is probably not encouraged when breeding the Harlequin breed so it that case, I would probably say it isn't a good thing. In Mini Rex, a lot of breeders use Harlequin in Tricolor (broken version of Harlequin) breeding. In Tricolor, Tort shading is, as far as I know, a Disqualification so breeding Torted Harlequins into a Tricolor program isn't the best idea because doing so may end up giving you Torted Tricolors. In this case, Torted Harlequin is probably not a good thing either.
-aaB-C-D-eje (Black and Orange)
-aaB-C-ddeje (Blue and Fawn)
-aabbC-D-eje (Chocolate and Orange)
-aabbC-ddeje (Lilac and Fawn)
What is a Torted Japanese Harlequin? Well, we know that a Japanese Harlequin is a rabbit with Black or Chocolate brindling on an Orange background or a rabbit with Blue or Lilac brindling on a Fawn background. However, what does it mean when we say "Torted"? Well, appearance wise, this means the Harlequin (Harli for short) rabbit shows Tort shading along with its Harli markings. So, you should see Tort shading on the ears, nose, around the eyes, feet, tail, and maybe even sides of body. Genetically, a Torted Harlequin can either be a rabbit carrying aa-eje or a rabbit carrying at-eje. The combination of the self or tan pattern genes and on copy of the recessive e gene, often causes the resulting color to show both brindling and Tort shading. In the at-eje case, the rabbit should also show a tan pattern much like an otter with brindling and tort shading to boot. Is this Tort shading good or bad? Well, I wouldn't say any color is good or bad but this color is probably not encouraged when breeding the Harlequin breed so it that case, I would probably say it isn't a good thing. In Mini Rex, a lot of breeders use Harlequin in Tricolor (broken version of Harlequin) breeding. In Tricolor, Tort shading is, as far as I know, a Disqualification so breeding Torted Harlequins into a Tricolor program isn't the best idea because doing so may end up giving you Torted Tricolors. In this case, Torted Harlequin is probably not a good thing either.
Kits
At first glance, this kit might look like a normal Black/Orange Harli but is not. This kit is a Torted Black/Orange Harli. How do I know? Look at the ears. Remember, in an Agouti, you should see white on the insides of the ears. However, this kit has darker color on the insides of the ears. When this kit gets older, its entire ears will be darker with Tort shading. As a young kit, you may only see darker color on the insides of the ears. It may be hard to see with kits any younger than this. This kit is 14 days old.
Here is the ear color of an Agouti sibling for comparison. Notice the white/cream insides of the ears. This should be obvious when looking at the ear color.
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Here is the same kit at an older age. Here you can see the ears starting to show that Tort shading. The Black lower down on the shoulders is the black harlequin brindling. This kit is 5 weeks old.
It is a little harder to see but here is face of the kit. Notice the faint darker nose. Now, Agouti Harlis can have what we call smut. smut is darker color that sometimes shows up on the nose and ears of Agouti colors like Red and Agouti Harlis. However, in this kit's case that slightly darker nose is the start of Tort shading showing up.
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Here are is an Agouti kit next to a Torted Harli kit for comparison of ear color. Which one is the Agouti and which one is the Torted Harli? The kit on the left is the Agouti and the kit on the right is the Torted Harli. How do I know? Again, look at the inside of the ears. What do you see? The kit on the left has creamy white color on the inside and the kit on the right does not. In fact, if you look around the edge of the ear of the kit on the right, you should see a faint Tort shading starting to come in.
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Donated by Wolly's Rabbitry
Not sure how old this one is but it looks to be around 8 - 10 weeks old. You can see the Tort shading better on nose, ears and even on the feet of this rabbit. |
Torted Tricolor
aaB-C-D-eje Enen(Black/Orange)
aaB-C-ddejeEnen(Blue/Fawn)
aabbC-D-eje Enen(Chocolate/Orange)
aabbC-ddeje Enen(Lilac/Fawn)
General Description: What is a Torted Tricolor? Well, a Torted tricolor looks very similar to a normal tricolor. It has a Broken Pattern and Black or Chocolate Spots on Orange and Blue or Lilac Spots on Fawn. However, a Torted Tricolor has Tort shading along with the normal Tricolor markings. This is usually caused by the combination of the aa and eje gene. The presence of the e gene causes the Tort shading to show through in the color. Unfortunately, because of the Tort shading, the rabbit is likely unshowable.
aaB-C-ddejeEnen(Blue/Fawn)
aabbC-D-eje Enen(Chocolate/Orange)
aabbC-ddeje Enen(Lilac/Fawn)
General Description: What is a Torted Tricolor? Well, a Torted tricolor looks very similar to a normal tricolor. It has a Broken Pattern and Black or Chocolate Spots on Orange and Blue or Lilac Spots on Fawn. However, a Torted Tricolor has Tort shading along with the normal Tricolor markings. This is usually caused by the combination of the aa and eje gene. The presence of the e gene causes the Tort shading to show through in the color. Unfortunately, because of the Tort shading, the rabbit is likely unshowable.
Kits
It is very difficult to tell on young kits sometimes. This particular kit ended up being Torted but it is pretty much impossible to tell at this age. This kit is 4 or 5 days old.
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A couple of 2 week old Tricolor kits. Both of these kits are also Torted. The kit on the top looks very nice at first glance but if you look closely at the ears, you will notice there is an absense of Agouti markings on the insides sadly. In fact, you should be able to see the shading starting to develop on the ears. The other kit is also going to be torted but it is lighter in over all color.
A closer look at the ear color. Notice the darker insides of the ears. This is ther start of the tort shading.
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6 week old Tricolor kit showing some Tort shading coming in on the ears, around the eyes, and tip of nose.
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Picture donated by Marina Caldwell.
Black/Orange Tricolor kit showing no Tort shading. If you look at the ears, you should notice that they are lighter on the inside. Note: This kit's broken pattern would be too heavy to be showable in the US while the kit to the left would have a showable broken pattern in the US. However, because of the Tort shading on the kit to the left, it is still unshowable. With a lighter broken pattern, the kit ab |
Junior/Senior
Black/Orange Tricolor showing some Tort shading coming in on the nose.
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This picture was donated by Marina Caldwell. This is a Blue/Fawn Tricolor showing some Tort shading coming in on the nose. Notice the shading is blue/gray. This is because the rabbit is a dilute. The shading will naturally be blue.
Picture Donated by Marina Caldwell
Here is a clean Tort free Blue/Fawn Tricolor for comparison. The shading vs. clean is subtle but you should be able to see it looking at the ears and nose. |
This picture was donated by Marina Caldwell. Nice Black/Orange tricolor pattern until you look at the face. Yep, that is Tort shading on the nose. This rabbit would likely have too much color in its broken pattern to be showable in the US. This rabbit has been bred to Austrian standards called Royal Tux. However, I believe even these standards don't encourage Tort shading.
Picture Donated by Marina Caldwell.
Here is a closer look at the face clearly showing the Tort shading on this rabbit. Picture donated by Marina Caldwell
Here is a Black/Orange Tricolor showing clean color lacking Tort shading for comparison. This is how a correctly colored Tricolor should look. |
This picture was donated by Columbia River Rabbitry.
Here is a nicely marked Tricolor except for the fact that it is a Torted Tricolor. Note: This rabbit has a showable broken pattern of between 10% and 50% color according to US standards but since this rabbit also shows a clear Tort shading, it would be Dqed from competition. Picture donated by Marina Caldwell
Here is a beautiful clean (Non Torted) colored Black/Orange Tricolor. Looking at the ears, we can see there is an absence of Tort shading. The nose has a lot of tricolor spotting but is not showing Tort shading. Note: according to US standards, this rabbit would have too much color in the broken pattern. |
Sable
aaB-c(chl)cD-E-(Sable carrying REW)
aaB-c(chl)c(h)D-E-(Sable carrying recessive Himi genes)
aaB-c(chl)-D-Ee(Sable carrying a non extension gene for Sable Point)
Basic Description: A sable should have a medium to dark sepia body with darker sepia to black shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The nails should be dark and the eyes should be brown. A ruby glow is common.
What is the difference between a Dark Sable and a Sable? A Dark Sable has an appearance very close to a Seal but is genetically a Sable carrying a modifier that makes the color darker. A Sable is lighter in color and shows a definite shaded appearance with a lighter body color and darker shading.
What is the difference between a Sable Point and a Sable? A Sable Point is a non extension version of Sable. Instead of a medium to dark sepia body color and darker sepia to black shading, the non extension gene causes the body color to be a rich light cream with medium to dark sepia(sable colored) shading(points) which is why it gets the name Sable Point.
aaB-c(chl)c(h)D-E-(Sable carrying recessive Himi genes)
aaB-c(chl)-D-Ee(Sable carrying a non extension gene for Sable Point)
Basic Description: A sable should have a medium to dark sepia body with darker sepia to black shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The nails should be dark and the eyes should be brown. A ruby glow is common.
What is the difference between a Dark Sable and a Sable? A Dark Sable has an appearance very close to a Seal but is genetically a Sable carrying a modifier that makes the color darker. A Sable is lighter in color and shows a definite shaded appearance with a lighter body color and darker shading.
What is the difference between a Sable Point and a Sable? A Sable Point is a non extension version of Sable. Instead of a medium to dark sepia body color and darker sepia to black shading, the non extension gene causes the body color to be a rich light cream with medium to dark sepia(sable colored) shading(points) which is why it gets the name Sable Point.
Kits
A litter with Sable kits and 1 Himi kit. These are about a week old here. Of course, the dark kits are all the Sables and the white one is the Himi.
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Sable Kit at around 14 days old. Sables going through some interesting stages in color development. A sable around this age usually gets really dark in color over the entire body with a layer of light silvery hairs on the surface of the coat. This won't last too long before the kit will grow into its junior coat and will start looking like normal Sable.
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Junior/Senior
Sable Marten
atB-c(chl)cD-E-(Sable Martin carrying REW)
atB-c(chl)c(h)D-E-(Sable Martin carrying Himi)
atB-c(chl)-D-Ee(Sable Martin carrying a recessive non extension gene for Sable Point Martin)
Description: A Sable Martin should show a Sable Coloration with the medium to dark sepia body color and darker sepia to black shading. However, a Sable Martin should also have a Tan pattern similar to that of a Silver Martin. In other words, it should have a Silvery white belly, underside of tail, insides of legs and feet, chin, nostrils, eye circles, insides of ears and triangle(back of the neck). The eyes should be brown and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be dark.
What is the difference between a Sable Martin and a Silver Martin? A silver martin should have solid self colored body that can either be black, blue, lilac or chocolate in color. A Silver Martin should then have a silvery white tan pattern on the underside of the tail, belly, insides of the feet, on the chin, nostrils, eye circles, insides of ears and triangle(back of the neck). Genetically, a Silver Martin is a Tan patterned Self Chinchilla. The Chinchilla gene causes the tan pattern to be silver in color with a regular self colored body. A silver martin's genotype should look like this. atB-c(chd)-D-E-(Basic Black Silver Martin). A Sable Martin has the same silvery white tan pattern but shows a Sable body color instead of a solid color over the entire body. Genetically, a Sable Martin belongs to the Sable color family instead of the Chinchilla color family. The Sable genes affect the tan pattern's color just like Chinchilla genes do giving the Tan pattern a Silvery White appearance. Silver Martin and Sable Martin may be confused as being similar genetically because they look so similar but are not and belong in two totally different color gene families. The Sable and Chinchilla color genes just cause a similar appearance to the tan pattern.
What is a Tan pattern? A Tan pattern does not refer to a pattern showing a Tan color. This is actually what breeders call a Silvery White, Cream or Mahogany pattern of color found on the belly, underside of tail, insides of feet, chin, jowls, nostrils(V of color under the nose), eye circles(thin circle around the eyes), insides of ears, triangle(back of the neck), and sometimes the chest and collar(strip of color running from the chest, across the shoulders connecting with the triangle.) with a non agouti colored body(example: Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Sable, Smoked Pearl). A rabbit showing a silvery white Tan pattern is called a Silver Martin, Sable Martin... A rabbit showing a creamy tan pattern is known as Otter and sometimes Fox(Tort Otter) and a rabbit showing a Mahogany Tan pattern is known as a "Tan".
atB-c(chl)c(h)D-E-(Sable Martin carrying Himi)
atB-c(chl)-D-Ee(Sable Martin carrying a recessive non extension gene for Sable Point Martin)
Description: A Sable Martin should show a Sable Coloration with the medium to dark sepia body color and darker sepia to black shading. However, a Sable Martin should also have a Tan pattern similar to that of a Silver Martin. In other words, it should have a Silvery white belly, underside of tail, insides of legs and feet, chin, nostrils, eye circles, insides of ears and triangle(back of the neck). The eyes should be brown and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be dark.
What is the difference between a Sable Martin and a Silver Martin? A silver martin should have solid self colored body that can either be black, blue, lilac or chocolate in color. A Silver Martin should then have a silvery white tan pattern on the underside of the tail, belly, insides of the feet, on the chin, nostrils, eye circles, insides of ears and triangle(back of the neck). Genetically, a Silver Martin is a Tan patterned Self Chinchilla. The Chinchilla gene causes the tan pattern to be silver in color with a regular self colored body. A silver martin's genotype should look like this. atB-c(chd)-D-E-(Basic Black Silver Martin). A Sable Martin has the same silvery white tan pattern but shows a Sable body color instead of a solid color over the entire body. Genetically, a Sable Martin belongs to the Sable color family instead of the Chinchilla color family. The Sable genes affect the tan pattern's color just like Chinchilla genes do giving the Tan pattern a Silvery White appearance. Silver Martin and Sable Martin may be confused as being similar genetically because they look so similar but are not and belong in two totally different color gene families. The Sable and Chinchilla color genes just cause a similar appearance to the tan pattern.
What is a Tan pattern? A Tan pattern does not refer to a pattern showing a Tan color. This is actually what breeders call a Silvery White, Cream or Mahogany pattern of color found on the belly, underside of tail, insides of feet, chin, jowls, nostrils(V of color under the nose), eye circles(thin circle around the eyes), insides of ears, triangle(back of the neck), and sometimes the chest and collar(strip of color running from the chest, across the shoulders connecting with the triangle.) with a non agouti colored body(example: Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Sable, Smoked Pearl). A rabbit showing a silvery white Tan pattern is called a Silver Martin, Sable Martin... A rabbit showing a creamy tan pattern is known as Otter and sometimes Fox(Tort Otter) and a rabbit showing a Mahogany Tan pattern is known as a "Tan".
Sable Agouti
Other possible names: Siamese Sable Agouti, Sable Chinchilla.
A-B-c(chl)cD-E-(Sable Agouti carrying REW)
A-B-c(chl)c(ch)D-E-(Sable Agouti carrying Himi)
A-B-c(chl)D-Ee(Sable Agouti carrying the recessive gene for Sable Point Agouti or may be referred to as Sable Frosted Pearl)
General Description: A Sable Agouti has a very similar appearance to a Chinchilla. In Genetics, the Sable genes have a very similar affect to the Agouti appearance as the Chinchilla genes have. In fact, the two colors are so similar that it can be crucial to identify the color at a young age when they are still kits. As adults, the Sable Agouti can look like a slightly stained Black Chinchilla which can be very confusing. The similar appearance to a Chinchilla is why some call this color a Sable Chinchilla. A Sable Agouti may have a Ruby glow to its eyes that a Black Chinchilla will not have. A young Sable Agouti kit should look more brown in color than a Black Chinchilla. All Sable Agoutis should have dark nails.
A-B-c(chl)cD-E-(Sable Agouti carrying REW)
A-B-c(chl)c(ch)D-E-(Sable Agouti carrying Himi)
A-B-c(chl)D-Ee(Sable Agouti carrying the recessive gene for Sable Point Agouti or may be referred to as Sable Frosted Pearl)
General Description: A Sable Agouti has a very similar appearance to a Chinchilla. In Genetics, the Sable genes have a very similar affect to the Agouti appearance as the Chinchilla genes have. In fact, the two colors are so similar that it can be crucial to identify the color at a young age when they are still kits. As adults, the Sable Agouti can look like a slightly stained Black Chinchilla which can be very confusing. The similar appearance to a Chinchilla is why some call this color a Sable Chinchilla. A Sable Agouti may have a Ruby glow to its eyes that a Black Chinchilla will not have. A young Sable Agouti kit should look more brown in color than a Black Chinchilla. All Sable Agoutis should have dark nails.
Kits - Still needed
Juniors/Seniors
Picture Donated by Midori no Daichi rabbitry.
Sable Agouti (Sable Chin). You should be able to see the slightly darker paws and a bit of a shading line on the side of the body. Other than that, it looks very close to a normal Chin. |
Picture Donated by Midori no Daichi rabbitry.
This is a regular Black Chinchilla for comparison. Here you can see some differences in color. |
Sable Magpie Harlequin
Other Possible Names: Siamese Sable Magpie
A-B-c(chl)-D-ejej or eje (Agouti based)
at-B-c(chl)-D-ejej (Marten based)
aaB-c(chl)-D-ejej (Self based)
General Description: This color will likely appear very close to a normal chin based magpie (cchd). In general, a magpie should show a white or nearly white body with black, blue, chocolate, or lilac brindling. A Sable Magpie may show a slightly more sepia brown brindling instead of black (normal chin based magpie). The eyes should be brown and may show a ruby glow while a normal magpie harli may have brown or gray eyes and will likely not show a ruby glow.
A-B-c(chl)-D-ejej or eje (Agouti based)
at-B-c(chl)-D-ejej (Marten based)
aaB-c(chl)-D-ejej (Self based)
General Description: This color will likely appear very close to a normal chin based magpie (cchd). In general, a magpie should show a white or nearly white body with black, blue, chocolate, or lilac brindling. A Sable Magpie may show a slightly more sepia brown brindling instead of black (normal chin based magpie). The eyes should be brown and may show a ruby glow while a normal magpie harli may have brown or gray eyes and will likely not show a ruby glow.
Kits - still needed
Junior/Senior - still needed
Torted Magpie Harlequin
Other Possible Names: Sallander Magpie (cchd) or Sable Point Magpie (cchl).
at-B-c(chl)-D-eje (Marten based Sable Point magpie)
aaB-c(chl)-D-eje (Self based Sable Point magpie)
at-B-c(chd)-D-eje (Marten based Sallander magpie)
aaB-c(chd)-D-eje (Self based Sallander magpie)
General Description: A Torted Magpie should appear very similar to a normal magpie or a sable magpie with the light to white body and darker brown to black brindling. However, a Torted magpie will also show what appears very similar to Sable Point or Tort shading on the nose, ears, around the eyes, on the feet, tail, and sometimes belly.
What is the difference between Sallander Magpie and Sable Point Magpie? Sallander and Sable Point magpies may have a similar appearance with a white to off white body and darker brindling but there may be some more subtle differences. For instance, when you look at a normal Sable Point (above), you commonly see a light cream body with sepia brown points (shading) and brown eyes with a ruby glow. When looking at a Sallander (below), you usually see an off white body (more gray tones than cream) and dark smokey gray Tort like points (shading). They eyes on a Sallander can be brown or gray and should have no ruby glow to them. The points on a Sable Point are usually lighter and don't usually show on the belly. The points on a Sallander are usually dark and often shows on the belly. Knowing this, we can now focus on how the magpies might look. We can know imagin that a Sable Point Magpie Harli may have more creamy brown color tones and more brown shading. They will likely also show brown eyes with a ruby glow. A Sallander may have more gray color tones and more gray shading. They may also have gray or brown eyes and those eyes will likely have no ruby glow.
What about the Genetics? What causes a Torted appearance on a Magpie Harlequin? This has to do with the combination of genes in its genotype. In fact, a very specific combination of genes. In order for a Harlequin (Japanese or Magpie) to show a Torted appearance they must either carry at-eje or aaeje. If the Harli carries A, it won't have a Torted appearance. If it carries ejej, it may not have a tort appearance either. The presence of the Tan pattern gene or self gene gives the rabbit a self or otter appearance. The combo of the eje genes allows the e to partially show its appearance in the color.
at-B-c(chl)-D-eje (Marten based Sable Point magpie)
aaB-c(chl)-D-eje (Self based Sable Point magpie)
at-B-c(chd)-D-eje (Marten based Sallander magpie)
aaB-c(chd)-D-eje (Self based Sallander magpie)
General Description: A Torted Magpie should appear very similar to a normal magpie or a sable magpie with the light to white body and darker brown to black brindling. However, a Torted magpie will also show what appears very similar to Sable Point or Tort shading on the nose, ears, around the eyes, on the feet, tail, and sometimes belly.
What is the difference between Sallander Magpie and Sable Point Magpie? Sallander and Sable Point magpies may have a similar appearance with a white to off white body and darker brindling but there may be some more subtle differences. For instance, when you look at a normal Sable Point (above), you commonly see a light cream body with sepia brown points (shading) and brown eyes with a ruby glow. When looking at a Sallander (below), you usually see an off white body (more gray tones than cream) and dark smokey gray Tort like points (shading). They eyes on a Sallander can be brown or gray and should have no ruby glow to them. The points on a Sable Point are usually lighter and don't usually show on the belly. The points on a Sallander are usually dark and often shows on the belly. Knowing this, we can now focus on how the magpies might look. We can know imagin that a Sable Point Magpie Harli may have more creamy brown color tones and more brown shading. They will likely also show brown eyes with a ruby glow. A Sallander may have more gray color tones and more gray shading. They may also have gray or brown eyes and those eyes will likely have no ruby glow.
What about the Genetics? What causes a Torted appearance on a Magpie Harlequin? This has to do with the combination of genes in its genotype. In fact, a very specific combination of genes. In order for a Harlequin (Japanese or Magpie) to show a Torted appearance they must either carry at-eje or aaeje. If the Harli carries A, it won't have a Torted appearance. If it carries ejej, it may not have a tort appearance either. The presence of the Tan pattern gene or self gene gives the rabbit a self or otter appearance. The combo of the eje genes allows the e to partially show its appearance in the color.
Kits - Still needed!
Junior/Senior
Sable Point Marten
Other Possible Names: Siamese Sable Point Marten.
at-B-c(chl)-D-ee
General Description: A Sable Point Martin should have Sable Point, Blue Point, Chocolate Point or Lilac Point body with a Silver Martin Tan Pattern. The eye color should be Brown or Blue Gray depending on whether it is a Dilute or Dense color. The nails should be pigmented(not white).
How do you tell between a Sallander Martin and a Sable Point Martin? This could be very difficult since Sable Point and Sallander look so Similar. You can go to the Sallander Description below and the Sable Point description above to see the descriptions of the two different colors. Genetically, a Sallander Martin is a Tan Patterned non extension Self Chinchilla which belongs in the Chinchilla color family. A Sable Point Martin is a Tan patterned Sable Point which belongs in the Sable color family.
Pictures Needed!
at-B-c(chl)-D-ee
General Description: A Sable Point Martin should have Sable Point, Blue Point, Chocolate Point or Lilac Point body with a Silver Martin Tan Pattern. The eye color should be Brown or Blue Gray depending on whether it is a Dilute or Dense color. The nails should be pigmented(not white).
How do you tell between a Sallander Martin and a Sable Point Martin? This could be very difficult since Sable Point and Sallander look so Similar. You can go to the Sallander Description below and the Sable Point description above to see the descriptions of the two different colors. Genetically, a Sallander Martin is a Tan Patterned non extension Self Chinchilla which belongs in the Chinchilla color family. A Sable Point Martin is a Tan patterned Sable Point which belongs in the Sable color family.
Pictures Needed!
Seal Point
aaB-c(chl)c(chl)D-ee
General Description:A Seal Point should have a deep cream body with very dark sepia, blue, chocolate, or Lilac shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The eyes should be brown or blue gray depending on the variety of Seal Point with no Ruby Glow. They nails should be dark.
How can you tell between a Sable Point and a Seal Point? A Seal Point is extremely similar in appearance to a Sable Point. In fact, so similar that many times it is very difficult to tell whether you have a Seal Point or a darker shade of Sable Point. Since you can have Seals pop out in Sable litters, you can also have Seal Points pop out of Sable Point litters. Appearance wise, a Seal Point may have a slightly darker cream body color and much darker shading than your average Sable Point but since you can have a Sable Point with dark shading, it could prove very difficult to determine the difference between the two. If the Sable Point colored rabbit has a Ruby Glow to its eyes, it is a Sable Point but if it does not, it could either be a Sable Point with no ruby glow to the eyes or a Seal Point. Either way, they are so similar that both are usually showable as the same variety even though, Sable Point should be the only one that is truly a showable color. Of course, if the Seal Point is out of two Seal parents, then it is definitely a Seal Point.
General Description:A Seal Point should have a deep cream body with very dark sepia, blue, chocolate, or Lilac shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The eyes should be brown or blue gray depending on the variety of Seal Point with no Ruby Glow. They nails should be dark.
How can you tell between a Sable Point and a Seal Point? A Seal Point is extremely similar in appearance to a Sable Point. In fact, so similar that many times it is very difficult to tell whether you have a Seal Point or a darker shade of Sable Point. Since you can have Seals pop out in Sable litters, you can also have Seal Points pop out of Sable Point litters. Appearance wise, a Seal Point may have a slightly darker cream body color and much darker shading than your average Sable Point but since you can have a Sable Point with dark shading, it could prove very difficult to determine the difference between the two. If the Sable Point colored rabbit has a Ruby Glow to its eyes, it is a Sable Point but if it does not, it could either be a Sable Point with no ruby glow to the eyes or a Seal Point. Either way, they are so similar that both are usually showable as the same variety even though, Sable Point should be the only one that is truly a showable color. Of course, if the Seal Point is out of two Seal parents, then it is definitely a Seal Point.
Smoked Pearl
Other possible names: Siamese Smoked Pearl, Smoked, Blue Sable.
aaB-c(chl)cddE-(Smoked Pearl carrying REW)
aaB-c(chl)c(ch)E-(Smoked Pearl carrying Himi)
aaB-c(chl)-ddEe(Smoked Pearl carrying non extension for Blue Point/Dilute Sable Point)
Basic Description: A Smoked Pearl should have a Medium Pearl gray body with darker Pearl/Smokey gray shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be dark.
aaB-c(chl)cddE-(Smoked Pearl carrying REW)
aaB-c(chl)c(ch)E-(Smoked Pearl carrying Himi)
aaB-c(chl)-ddEe(Smoked Pearl carrying non extension for Blue Point/Dilute Sable Point)
Basic Description: A Smoked Pearl should have a Medium Pearl gray body with darker Pearl/Smokey gray shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be dark.
Kits
Junior/Senior
Smoked Pearl Marten
Other possible names: Siamese Smoked Pearl Martin(that's a mouth full), Blue Sable Martin.
atB-c(chl)c(ch)ddE-(Basic Smoked Pearl Martin carrying Himi)
atb-c(chl)cddE-(Smoked Pearl Martin carrying REW)
General Description: A Smoked Pearl Martin should have the typical Smoked Pearl coloration with the lighter pearl gray body and darker pearl gray points. However, these should also have a silvery white Tan pattern on the underside of the tail, belly, insides of feet, chin, jowls, nostrils, eye circles, insides of ears and triangle. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be dark.
Pictures still needed in all age groups(kits, juniors, and seniors)
atB-c(chl)c(ch)ddE-(Basic Smoked Pearl Martin carrying Himi)
atb-c(chl)cddE-(Smoked Pearl Martin carrying REW)
General Description: A Smoked Pearl Martin should have the typical Smoked Pearl coloration with the lighter pearl gray body and darker pearl gray points. However, these should also have a silvery white Tan pattern on the underside of the tail, belly, insides of feet, chin, jowls, nostrils, eye circles, insides of ears and triangle. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be dark.
Pictures still needed in all age groups(kits, juniors, and seniors)
Smoked Pearl Agouti
Other possible names: Blue Sable Agouti, Blue Sable Chinchilla, Smoked Pearl Chinchilla.
A-B-c(chl)c(ch)ddE-(Basic Blue Sable Agouti carrying Himi)
A-B-c(chl)cddE-(Blue Sable Agouti carrying REW)
General Description: Blue Sable Agouti has a similar appearance to Blue Chinchilla/Squirrel. However, the eye color may have a Ruby Glow on a Blue Sable Agouti while a Blue Chinchilla/Squirrel will not. You may also see a slight darker shade of blue on the nose, ears, feet..
Pictures needed!
A-B-c(chl)c(ch)ddE-(Basic Blue Sable Agouti carrying Himi)
A-B-c(chl)cddE-(Blue Sable Agouti carrying REW)
General Description: Blue Sable Agouti has a similar appearance to Blue Chinchilla/Squirrel. However, the eye color may have a Ruby Glow on a Blue Sable Agouti while a Blue Chinchilla/Squirrel will not. You may also see a slight darker shade of blue on the nose, ears, feet..
Pictures needed!
Blue Point
Other Possible Names: Blue Sable Point, Blue Cream Point, Smoked Pearl Point.
aaB-c(chl)cddee (Blue Point carrying REW)
aaB-c(chl)c(ch)ddee (Blue Point carrying Himi)
General Description: Should have a light cream body with medium to deep blue gray shading on the nose, ears, around eyes, on feet, tail, and sometimes belly. They should have Gray Eyes and may have a ruby glow. Blue Points are basically a blue version of a Sable Point so they should have similar traits to a Sable Point.
aaB-c(chl)cddee (Blue Point carrying REW)
aaB-c(chl)c(ch)ddee (Blue Point carrying Himi)
General Description: Should have a light cream body with medium to deep blue gray shading on the nose, ears, around eyes, on feet, tail, and sometimes belly. They should have Gray Eyes and may have a ruby glow. Blue Points are basically a blue version of a Sable Point so they should have similar traits to a Sable Point.
Kits
Here is a litter of Sable Point and Blue Point kits. At this age, it can be very hard to tell the difference. Blue Point can often look like a more gray shade of Sable Point. You can see that in this litter, there are many different shades of Sable Point. However, there are also 2 Blue Points in this line up. Can you tell which 2. The kit 2nd from the right and the kit 3rd from the right.
|
Darker colored Blue Point kit at around 5 weeks old.
Same kit from above showing the gray eyes.
|
Junior/Senior
Blue Seal
aaB-c(chl)c(chl)ddE-
Chocolate Sable
Other Possible Names: Chocolate Siamese Sable
aabbc(chl)-D-E-
General Description: A Chocolate Sable may be a little more difficult to determine since it has such a close appearance to a regular Chocolate and since both can have a Ruby Glow to their eyes. A Chocolate Sable may have a slight shaded appearance with a slightly lighter Chocolate body and darker Chocolate points. A Chocolate Sable may also have shading line running over the hips. The eyes should be brown and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be dark.
aabbc(chl)-D-E-
General Description: A Chocolate Sable may be a little more difficult to determine since it has such a close appearance to a regular Chocolate and since both can have a Ruby Glow to their eyes. A Chocolate Sable may have a slight shaded appearance with a slightly lighter Chocolate body and darker Chocolate points. A Chocolate Sable may also have shading line running over the hips. The eyes should be brown and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be dark.
Kits- Still needed
Juniors/Seniors
Chocolate Point
Other Possible Names: Chocolate Cream Point, Chocolate Siamese Sable Point
aabbc(chl)-D-ee
General Description: A Chocolate Point should have a Creamy body with Milk Chocolate brown shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The eyes should be brown and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be pigmented(not white).
aabbc(chl)-D-ee
General Description: A Chocolate Point should have a Creamy body with Milk Chocolate brown shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The eyes should be brown and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be pigmented(not white).
Chocolate Seal
aabbc(chl)c(chl)D-E-
General Description: A Lilac Point should have a cream body with dove gray shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be pigmented(not white).
Pictures Needed!
General Description: A Lilac Point should have a cream body with dove gray shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be pigmented(not white).
Pictures Needed!
Lilac Sable
Other Possible Names: Lilac Siamese Sable
aabbc(chl)-ddE-
General Description: A Lilac Sable probably looks very similar to a regular Lilac. It may have a slightly lighter body color with slightly darker points. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a Ruby Glow. The nails should be dark.
Pictures needed!
aabbc(chl)-ddE-
General Description: A Lilac Sable probably looks very similar to a regular Lilac. It may have a slightly lighter body color with slightly darker points. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a Ruby Glow. The nails should be dark.
Pictures needed!
Lilac Point
Other Possible Names: Lilac Siamese Sable Point, Lilac Cream Point, Lilac Pearl Point.
aabbc(chl)-ddee
General Description: A Lilac Point should have a cream body with dove gray shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be pigmented(not white)
Pictures Needed!
aabbc(chl)-ddee
General Description: A Lilac Point should have a cream body with dove gray shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet and tail. The eyes should be blue gray and can have a ruby glow. The nails should be pigmented(not white)
Pictures Needed!
Lilac Seal
aabbc(chl)c(chl)ddE-
General Description: These may appear very similar to a Regular Lilac. However, a True seal may have a slightly lighter color on the belly and flanks. A Dark Sable may have a slight appearance of darker shading on the feet, tail, ears and nose. A Self Chin will look more like a regular Lilac because of its lack of slight shading or lighter color around the belly and flanks. The eyes may have a Ruby Glow because of the Chocolate gene regardless of whether it is a True Seal, Dark Sable or Self Chin.
Pictures Needed!
General Description: These may appear very similar to a Regular Lilac. However, a True seal may have a slightly lighter color on the belly and flanks. A Dark Sable may have a slight appearance of darker shading on the feet, tail, ears and nose. A Self Chin will look more like a regular Lilac because of its lack of slight shading or lighter color around the belly and flanks. The eyes may have a Ruby Glow because of the Chocolate gene regardless of whether it is a True Seal, Dark Sable or Self Chin.
Pictures Needed!
Sallander
Other Possible Names: Chinchilla Tort, Iron Gray,
Pearl(Angoras? Possibly?), Siamese(Satins and Mini Satin), White Tort....
Black Sallander- aaB-c(chd)D-ee
Blue Sallander- aaB-c(chd)ddee
Chocolate Sallander- aabbc(chd)D-ee
Lilac Sallander- aabbc(chd)ddee
General Description: A Sallander should have a light almost white body with dark gray to black shading, blue shading, chocolate shading or lilac shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet, tail and often the belly depending on the variety of Sallander. A Sallander may have a high level of smut on the body even though their body should be almost white in color. A Chocolate Sallander's body color should be more of a yellowy white than a Black Sallander. The eyes should either be Brown or Blue Gray depending on the variety of Sallander. Black and Chocolate should have brown eyes. Blue and Lilac should have blue gray eyes. Since Black Chinchilla can sometimes have blue gray eyes, some black Sallanders may also have blue gray eyes because they belong in the Chinchilla color family as well. A Chocolate or Lilac Sallander may have a Ruby Glow to the eyes from the Chocolate gene's influence but a Black or Blue Sallander should not since they are not Chocolate varieties.
What is the difference between a Sable Point or Seal Point and a Sallander? Both Sable Point and Seal Point should have cream body with medium to dark sepia(brown/gray) shading. A Sallander should have a dark gray to black shading. When looking at the two side by side, a Sable Point or Seal Point would have a much more of a deep brown look to the shading while a Sallander would have a much more smokey gray Tort like look to the shading. A Black or Blue Sallander would not have a Ruby Glow at all while a Sable Point might have a Ruby Glow to the eyes. A Chocolate Sallander compared to a Seal Point or Sable Point would most likely have a brighter more rusty redish brown color than Sepia. The body color on a Chocoalate Sallander may also have a more of a yellow/orange tone to the body color than a Sable Point or Seal Point. A Chocolate Point and a Chocolate Sallander may be harder to determine the difference. Genetically, if Sallander colored rabbit is out of at least 1 parents that belongs in the Chinchilla color family, it is most likely a Sallander unless proven otherwise. This is because the Chinchilla(chd) color genes are slightly more dominant over Sable(chl) color genes. If you were to cross a rabbit out of the chinchilla color family(chd) to a rabbit out of the Sable color family(chl), the majority of the litter, if not all of the litter, would be chd colored rabbits instead of chl colored rabbits.
Black Sallander- aaB-c(chd)D-ee
Blue Sallander- aaB-c(chd)ddee
Chocolate Sallander- aabbc(chd)D-ee
Lilac Sallander- aabbc(chd)ddee
General Description: A Sallander should have a light almost white body with dark gray to black shading, blue shading, chocolate shading or lilac shading on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears, feet, tail and often the belly depending on the variety of Sallander. A Sallander may have a high level of smut on the body even though their body should be almost white in color. A Chocolate Sallander's body color should be more of a yellowy white than a Black Sallander. The eyes should either be Brown or Blue Gray depending on the variety of Sallander. Black and Chocolate should have brown eyes. Blue and Lilac should have blue gray eyes. Since Black Chinchilla can sometimes have blue gray eyes, some black Sallanders may also have blue gray eyes because they belong in the Chinchilla color family as well. A Chocolate or Lilac Sallander may have a Ruby Glow to the eyes from the Chocolate gene's influence but a Black or Blue Sallander should not since they are not Chocolate varieties.
What is the difference between a Sable Point or Seal Point and a Sallander? Both Sable Point and Seal Point should have cream body with medium to dark sepia(brown/gray) shading. A Sallander should have a dark gray to black shading. When looking at the two side by side, a Sable Point or Seal Point would have a much more of a deep brown look to the shading while a Sallander would have a much more smokey gray Tort like look to the shading. A Black or Blue Sallander would not have a Ruby Glow at all while a Sable Point might have a Ruby Glow to the eyes. A Chocolate Sallander compared to a Seal Point or Sable Point would most likely have a brighter more rusty redish brown color than Sepia. The body color on a Chocoalate Sallander may also have a more of a yellow/orange tone to the body color than a Sable Point or Seal Point. A Chocolate Point and a Chocolate Sallander may be harder to determine the difference. Genetically, if Sallander colored rabbit is out of at least 1 parents that belongs in the Chinchilla color family, it is most likely a Sallander unless proven otherwise. This is because the Chinchilla(chd) color genes are slightly more dominant over Sable(chl) color genes. If you were to cross a rabbit out of the chinchilla color family(chd) to a rabbit out of the Sable color family(chl), the majority of the litter, if not all of the litter, would be chd colored rabbits instead of chl colored rabbits.
Kits
Juniors/Seniors
Picture Donated by Foxaway Rabbits
Broken Black Sallander Jr starting to show some nice dark smokey gray shading on the ears. |
Picuture Donated by Foxaway Rabbits
Broken Chocolate Sallander Jr. Looks very similar to a Sable Point's color. However, a Chocolate Sallander is aabbc(chd)-D-ee while a Sable Point is aaB-c(chl)-D-ee. Big difference in genetics. |
Picture Donated by Foxaway Rabbits
Broken Black Sallander Senior. |
Picture Donated by Foxaway Rabbits
Black Sallander Senior. Here you can see the signature Sallander charactoristics. The dark smokey gray shading and the off white body color. Something else you may notice is that sallanders often develop smut on their bodies. Smut is darker color over the back and rump. This buck's color is a good example of a typical smuttier Sallander. Here is a Sable Point for comparison.
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