American Chinchilla/New Zealand colour question..

Rabbit Talk  Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
A rew NZ doe was bred to an American Chinchilla buck 2x

What colours do these look like? Light ring patterns, gray stomach,gray eyes..
I think you've got yourself a load of steel. :LOL: Maybe some sable steels, too, and I see at least one that I'd call chinchilla. I think I see a dilute or two as well. Now you know the REW doe is <cc> and the buck is <c(chd) c(chl)> if what I'm seeing are sable steels/chins. The REW doe is the source of the steel <E(S)> since that can't hide in an agouti phenotype like chinchilla (theoretically, anyway). And you know she's <E(S)_>, since if she was <E(S)E(S)>, all of her kits would be steel.

The gray eyes probably come from the chinchilla. I haven't cracked this particular code yet :ROFLMAO: but sometimes chins have brown eyes, other times they have blue-gray eyes. Sables can also have slightly lighter eyes, though I don't remember ever seeing blue-gray, so I don't know how that would work (getting blue gray eyes on a sable, that is). Some of the bunnies may be dilute - blue steel or smoke pearl - in which case the blue eyes could come from that dilute allele.

Steel reduces the agouti markings and pushes ring color up toward the top of the hair. In my experience, these effects can be subtle - the markings are usually more or less there, just not quite right. So the baby in the first photo has a darker chest, color on the tips of the fur on the belly and legs, dark inner front feet. Compare that to the blue chinchilla/squirrel in the second photo, who has clean, sparkling white markings on belly, legs and footpads. You can't see her face, but her jaw markings were also bright white and clear, while the first bunny has very rudimentary jaw markings.
41492-935e8d77c6c987597117efc3fdd25cdb.jpgSquirrel belly.JPG

In the litter shots, it appears that you do have at least one chinchilla, which has much brighter inner ears and markings than the steels.
steel litter.jpgsteel litter closeup.jpg

Steel surface color is also different than a normal extension chinchilla. Compare this baby's surface color with a chinchilla (2nd photo) and a squirrel (3rd photo). You can also see that while it has a clear eye circle, there are no apparent agouti foot or jaw markings on the baby, and the white ear lining is very much reduced.
steel.jpg Silverado surface color.jpg Squirrel crop.JPG

Sable is always hard for me to feel sure about on a computer screen, but several of the babies have that "off" color I associate with <c(chl)>, for instance this one, who nose markings and lap spots are decidedly not black on my screen.
41498-7349e88812fa1f3a0a4021dff06a315d.jpg
Also the one in the middle of this photo, compared to the one on the top:
1732394759060.jpeg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think you've got yourself a load of steel. :LOL: Maybe some sable steels, too, and I see at least one that I'd call chinchilla. And I think I see a dilute or two as well. Now you know the REW doe is <cc> and the buck is <c(chd) c(chl)> if what I'm seeing are sable steels/chins. The REW doe is the source of the steel <E(S)> since that can't hide in an agouti phenotype like chinchilla (theoretically, anyway). And you know she's <E(S)_>, since if she was <E(S)E(S)>, all of her kits would be steel.

The gray eyes probably come from the chinchilla. I haven't cracked this particular code yet :ROFLMAO: but sometimes chins have brown eyes, other times they have blue-gray eyes. Sables can also have slightly lighter eyes, though I don't remember ever seeing blue-gray, so I don't know how that would work (getting blue gray eyes on a sable, that is). Some of the bunnies may be dilute - blue steel or smoke pearl - in which case the blue eyes could come from that dilute allele.

Steel reduces the agouti markings and pushes ring color up toward the top of the hair. In my experience, these effects can be subtle - the markings are usually more or less there, just not quite right. So the baby in the first photo has a darker chest, color on the tips of the fur on the belly and legs, dark inner front feet. Compare that to the blue chinchilla/squirrel in the second photo, who has clean, sparkling white markings on belly, legs and footpads. You can't see her face, but her jaw markings were also bright white and clear, while the first bunny has very rudimentary jaw markings.
View attachment 43959View attachment 43960

In the litter shots, it appears that you do have at least one chinchilla, which has much brighter inner ears and markings than the steels.
View attachment 43962View attachment 43963

Steel surface color is also different than a normal extension chinchilla. Compare this baby's surface color with a chinchilla (2nd photo) and a squirrel (3rd photo). You can also see that while it has a clear eye circle, there are no apparent agouti foot or jaw markings on the baby, and the white ear lining is very much reduced.
View attachment 43964 View attachment 43965 View attachment 43967

Sable is always hard for me to feel sure about on a computer screen, but several of the babies have that "off" color I associate with <c(chl)>, for instance this one, who nose markings and lap spots are decidedly not black on my screen.
View attachment 43968
Also the one in the middle of this photo, compared to the one on the top:
Thank you! I appreciate your clarity as well as the way you break down the reasoning. :)

I came to the same conclusion that the rew was a steel - out of CC Bloom and Chocolate Truffle.
These rabbits belong to a friend. Iol@a load of Steel.... I actually like it, but don't necessarily want it. I have another friend looking to make quilts and I do have a lot of interesting and fun colours for her to work with. The reality though, is also hitting my goals; improving the body type, wider loins, hitting 4lbs by 8 weeks, with the addition of fun colours.... A person said it would be easier ( as in not wanting to keep so many? ) to breed rew to rew. I replied, "Where's the fun in that?" I like the studying, exploring and learning.

She said the lacing was darker in person than my screen, but I think there's sable in the mix as well. And blue . The older 3 were from the first litter(ended up being fostered). They are pretty babies.

My only litter is looking sable, broken sable and a few broken that still appear darker... will take photos tomorrow perhaps. They are 3 weeks old now. A couple new litters coming soon.
Thank you again for your sharing.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top