Rabbit Genotypes list : Rabbit Colours and Genetics

[Dood]

A nice little list of the colour genotypes

There are only two pigments in rabbit fur and the different mutations modify how these two colours are produced.
- eumelanin = black/very dark brown
- pheomelanin = yellow/red

A-Locus
A_ = agouti / wild type and most dominant
at_ = tan gene. A mutation that alters the concentration of black pigment in the points and saddle. Found in otters, martens and tans
aa = self. A mutation that has no banding on the hair follicle and somewhat inhibits yellow pigment production

B-Locus
B_ = full colour concentration
bb = chocolate. A mutation that prevents eumelanin pigment from maturing into black and gives the rabbit a faded black/ brown / chocolate look

C-Locus
C_ = full colour
cchd_ = dark shaded / chinchilla. Mutation that deletes 3 of the 4 yellow pigments in the fur creating black and white colours in the fur.
cchl_ = light shaded. A mutation that eliminates both black and yellow pigments and turns a self black rabbit into a sepia colour known as sable
-The next two colours are unique (along with BEW) in that they are the only ones that can completely hide any other colours under their white coats
ch_ = himilayan, sometimes referred as California coloured or pointed white.
cc = Ruby/red Eyed White (REW)

D-Locus
D_ = full colour
dd = dilution. A mutation that reduces the amount of black pigment in the fur and creates the blue varieties of rabbits

E-Locus
Es_ = steel. A mutation only visible in agouti rabbits. It extends the black pigment band in the fur.
E_ = full extension / wild type
ej_ = japanese harlequin. Inhibits black in certain areas of the coat creating a brindle effect in solids and a spotted/patchy effect in rabbits with the English Spot gene
ee = non-extension. A mutation that completely removes the black pigment in agouti based rabbits leaving just the yellows and reduces the black pigment in the saddle area of self based rabbits.

W-Locus
W_ = wild type
ww = wide band. Visual in agouti, tan and non extension rabbits. This mutation extends the yellow/pheomelanin band. When coupled with non extension, the black and white/cream areas can be eliminated and will give an impression of a self orange or self red rabbit (depending on the number of Rufus modifiers)

Si - locus
Si_ = wild type
sisi = silver. This mutation causes follicles to stop producing pigment and leave the fur white with each molt, so older rabbits will be the whitest. Generally believed to be recessive but occasionally a rabbit with one gene will show silvering. The D'Argent breeds have unidentified modifiers giving them an extreme silvering effect.

P-Locus
P _ = wild type
pp = pink eyed. Very newly discovered mutation and I don't know of anyone working with it in North America. Mutation that modifies the concentrations of the two pigments in fur and eyes. Same mutation seen in Mice, Rats, Gerbils, Guinea Pigs and Hamsters.

EN-Locus
EN_ = English Spotting is co-dominant. Two of these create a mostly white rabbit called a "Charlie" and a rabbit having one is called broken. There are other less understood modifiers that increase the white creating "false Charlie's" or decrease it creating "booted brokens"
enen = solid

V-locus
VV = non Vienna / wild type. Vienna is co-dominant. Having two of theses creates Blue Eyed Whites (BEW) which like the himilayan and REW will hide a rabbits genetic colour under a white coat. Having one gene creates Vienna marked rabbits who have 5% to 95% white, usually around the toes or a snip on the nose and Vienna carriers who look like non Vienna rabbits.
Vv = Vienna carrier, may have white marks
vv = Blue Eyed White

Du-locus
Du_ = wild type
dudu = dutch. These rabbits usually have a white blaze and ring around their neck. Occasionally a rabbit with only one dutch gene will have some white marks, likely due to some unknown modifier, and it is generally considered to be fully recessive.

[Zass]

si silvering?

[Dood]

Still working on it

[akane]

There are actually 3 silver genes plus not silvered. Check rabbitcolors.info in the modifiers section for a new entry. They have SI and si 1-3 superscript for different breeds. I was told argents are si3. It also has 6 rufus modifiers listed and something called niger that I haven't heard of in the US.

[Zass]

There are actually 3 silver genes plus not silvered. Check rabbitcolors.info in the modifiers section for a new entry. They have SI and si 1-3 superscript for different breeds. I was told argents are si3. It also has 6 rufus modifiers listed and something called niger that I haven't heard of in the US.

That's pretty interesting stuff. So genetic testing could potentially turn up which SF lines were reconstructed with argents, and which were originals. Assuming they have a different si number.
It's almost a shame rabbits aren't worth enough $ to do that kind of testing on.

I wonder what modifiers control the amount of hair shaft the steel gene effects.

[ckcs]

On the pp can the rabbit be any color? Do you have a link to any sites that show the rabbits? I looked at a gerbil site and the gerbil was orange color with red eyes and was really neat looking. I'd love to see it on a black rabbit.

[akane]

pp in gerbils lessens mostly the black pigment. Kind of like a weaker nonextension gene. Ignoring colorpoint genes agouti becomes the equivalent of red in rabbits, grey agouti (no rabbit equivalent gene for gerbil grey) becomes cream because the grey lessens the yellow pigment and the pp lessens the black pigment almost making the animal white, a nonextension agouti sees very little change to what is called yellow fox (it just removes the black edging from ears, nose, and tail), self black is lightened slightly to a dark grey called lilac but much darker than lilac rabbits, telling a black, a grey black which is slate, and a lilac apart is difficult especially if the spotting gene is involved, a rew is self plus grey plus pp, and pink eyed white is a pp himi. Both rew and pew looks like a solid white animal with red eyes.

[Dood]

On the pp can the rabbit be any color?

Genetically yes, but visually no. A self black rabbit that is pink eyed will look pinky grey.

Here is a link to 16 pictures of Lutino rabbits.

http://www.rabbitcolors.info/int/en/entries/p/1.html

I find the otter Lutino very striking in colour. - http://www.rabbitcolors.info/int/en/ent ... tml?id=367

[Zass]

Hey dood. I'm still learning how to write out genotypes
I believe my visual lilac Lilac/SF crosses would write out like this:
(lets assume the SF is self black for the time being, I'm still not 100% sure, as one of the kits looked like it might be a very dark steel when it was smaller, but doesn't look like one at all now.
also one SF grandparent carried rew, but my current buck is untested for that.)

aa bb C? dd EsE SIsi


Is that correct?

[Dood]

Yes

[Miss M]

Don't know if you've been informed, or if you've noticed, Dood, but this has been made a Sticky.

[skysthelimit]

Don't know if you've been informed, or if you've noticed, Dood, but this has been made a Sticky.

Thanks, we keep saying we should make a primer, but haven't gotten around to it.

[michaels4gardens]

Rabbit genetics have always been a mystery to me, -- I breed suposedly pure rabbits to a diferent "pure" Buck of the same breed, -- and get diferent colors, --[ in my Muts, I get rabbits that could pass for several diferent "pure breed " rabbit types, -- but I know they are "muts" -]- but----My [supposedly pure]White rabbits are a good example-- does, if bred to most of the white bucks, will make all white offspring, but if I cross certain bucks with a couple of other does, I get black, or gray kits showing up--I supose-- there must be recessive color gene that just happens to stack up when certain individuals are crossed.-- but-- I think it had to come from somewhere-- so, there had to have been color in that line somewhere.
-- what am I missing??

[Dood]

A pink eye white rabbit (either himilayan or REW) bred to another white rabbit will only produce white rabbits so i am assuming you are breeding coloured does to white bucks.

If this is the case then you are correct that the recessive / carried genes are matching up and giving you these colours.

Rabbits (and most animals) have two gene options on each locus - one from each parent, which ever one is dominant is visualized and shows up in the fur and the other is a carried or hidden recessive.

[akane]

White is not so much a pure color. It's one of the most recessive colors and yet hides all other colors. Every white rabbit is something else underneath the white no matter how many generations of white are bred together. If you cross a not white rabbit you will get some or all colored rabbits depending if the other rabbit carries a gene for white and the colors depending on what was hidden under the white.