American Chinchilla

[Doc Oc]

So I breed Amchins but I'm finding that I have varying colors in my litter. Some are very very light and others look almost black? Would there be a genetic cause behind this or is it just a differently expressed chinchilla coloration?

This was a litter I had and you can see all the different colors...

 

[Dood]

There are lots of shades of grey and several modifiers that can darken or lighten up the coat, Rufus being one that can cast a yellow or brown tinge to the fur.

I've found that in my highly inbred meat line of American Chinchillas there is very little difference between the kits in a litter and between other kits of the same bloodline BUT when I cross them to my show bloodline there is a range from dark to very light another reason I am abandoning them

The production bloodine only has chinchilla genes while the show bloodline also carries himilayan, REW and non extension which "might" be causing these problems.

 

[Doc Oc]

There are lots of shades of grey and several modifiers that can darken or lighten up the coat, Rufus being one that can cast a yellow or brown tinge to the fur.

They have the yellow brown as kits but when there adult coat comes in that goes away, Ill look into the Rufus gene...

The production bloodine only has chinchilla genes while the show bloodline also carries himilayan, REW and non extension which "might" be causing these problems.

As for Himilayan, would this be an example of it? I googled american chinchillas and this image popped up...

And REW means red eyed white correct? So my Amchins could potentially exhibit these colors?
Would the be disqualified if they had any of those coat colors? Sorry for the questions, I'm just curious :bunnyhop:

 

[skysthelimit]

The production bloodine only has chinchilla genes while the show bloodline also carries himilayan, REW and non extension which "might" be causing these problems.

Although there are quite a few modifiers, I'd be suspicious of the non extension gene. The tendency towards a darker surface color is more agouti like. I have a problem with agoutis being too dark, some of my chins do have the yellow cast the more I inbreed, most the surface color is so dark they are starting to look black. I was reading up on this, and the suggestion was to get a wider band. Most of the time wide bands come with the non extension gene When I see a clean agouti that's the first thing I suspect.

 

[Dood]

They have the yellow brown as kits

this is common in chinchillas but not always the case, most of my production bloodline kits are a nice clear grey as kits and only a few have a yellow cast.

As for Himilayan, would this be an example of it? I googled american chinchillas and this image popped up...

no, the picture is of a Champagne D'Argent which is a self black rabbit breed with extreme silvering and not associated with the chinchilla colour at all.

Although there are quite a few modifiers, I'd be suspicious of the non extension gene.

I mentioned it because I get frosty/ermine which are ultra light grey in colour and sometimes mistaken for whites.

 

[skysthelimit]

I wish I had a non extension rabbit to test out that theory with my chins. I recently got some Chestnuts with the black surface color removed, they were definitely chestnut, but it just screamed non extension to me. Is there even a way to get wideband without non extension?

Sidebar (we are having this debate now on the Rex page. Lynx as lilac agouti needs a white undercoat to be showable. The white undercoat comes with the wideband, and non extension, which is really a showable fawn. Supposedly, through certain modifiers, you can get a white undercoat, wideband, without the non extension, though I confess I don't know how).



Dood, would you say for the yellow tinted kits--there is a possibility of sable/seal in the background? Now that I have a Rex himi I need to try it. My Rex breeder suspected some shaded in the background, and the line does come from a breeder who gets shaded in her chin lines.

 

[Zinnia]

I wish I had a non extension rabbit to test out that theory with my chins. I recently got some Chestnuts with the black surface color removed, they were definitely chestnut, but it just screamed non extension to me. Is there even a way to get wideband without non extension?

I wish I knew more about this, too. I bought a French Angora Fawn and bred it with a French Angora Chestnut Agouti with wide band. I didn't really know what this meant at the time. When my litter came out looking unusual, I discovered it was the wide band. Some of the Agoutis kits were washed out looking with wide banding in their wool. I wish I could find more information on this topic in case I want to keep one of the bucks....

Zinnia

 

[Dood]

There is no shaded in my AmChins, the breedings to my himilayan and/or shaded magpie buck would have weeded them out, so I have no experience with Shagouti - yet

It could be possible in Doc Oc's buns :shrug: Because they only come in one colour you'd never know unless you cross breed

My sister has kept back a magpie doe who has both a dark and a light shaded gene so we will see what she pops out

 

[Legacygirl]

Yep the photo of one rabbit is Champange D Argent a purebred rabbit. not Chinchilla.