AlbinoGiant
Well-known member
Just wondering... My brown rabbit gave birth to what looks like a blue eyed bunny, the father is a red eyed albino and the mother has brownish black eyes.
Can an albino produce a blue eyed kit
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GriffinBun101
Member
It’s definitely possible, especially if one or both parents are carrying the Vienna gene.
AlbinoGiant
Well-known member
So a red eyed albino can carry the Vienna gene right?
There are two possible ways to get blue eyes. The obvious one is the Vienna blue-eyed white gene, the other is the chinchilla blue eye. This is a black buck out of chestnut agouti and red Satin angoras, I had no clue there was chinchilla in the background until this buck opened his eyes. . .a search of the pedigrees showed there was indeed recessive chinchilla hiding there.
So, yes, you could have chinchilla. There are five options (called alleles) on the 'C' color gene, that are incompletely dominant, each one less dominant than the previous, but can be affected by recessive alleles as well. Most dominant is 'C-' full color, this covers most of the rabbit colors: chestnut, cinnamon, opal and lynx agouti; black, chocolate, blue and lilac selfs; orange, cream and tortoiseshell. Next down is the chinchilla that has all the normal dark colors but none of the yellow/orange shades, then the sable/pearl/seals that have no yellows but also the blacks are reduced to sepia brown, then the Himalayan pointed whites with color only on the points, and finally the most recessive albino red-eyed-white where the pigment producing cells are turned off, unable to produce any of the other colors in their genetic code. So, the albino cannot carry chinchilla, as the albino as more recessive than chinchilla. But, if the other parent has a recessive chinchilla gene, and gave it to the kit, it would express since it would be dominant over the albino, which is all that the REW could donate to the kit. A blue or blue-gray eye is classic chinchilla genetics.
The other option is the Vienna blue-eyed white gene. Yes, albino red-eyed white does trump BEW, so a REW could be hiding BEW. A Vienna carrier could exhibit blue eyes, and still have a colored coat. Not all Vienna carriers show the classic Vienna white spots on the face and toes. Some have one (or two) blue eyes, some no visible clues at all.
Looking at the other kits may give clues. Does any of the kits or the non-albino parent have a white snip on the nose, or white on the toes? If so, the Vienna gene is probably involved. Do any of them have agouti markings with white eye rings, white inside the ears, and white belly. . .but the middle band is pearly white instead of yellowish? if so, you're working with the chinchilla gene.
So, yes, you could have chinchilla. There are five options (called alleles) on the 'C' color gene, that are incompletely dominant, each one less dominant than the previous, but can be affected by recessive alleles as well. Most dominant is 'C-' full color, this covers most of the rabbit colors: chestnut, cinnamon, opal and lynx agouti; black, chocolate, blue and lilac selfs; orange, cream and tortoiseshell. Next down is the chinchilla that has all the normal dark colors but none of the yellow/orange shades, then the sable/pearl/seals that have no yellows but also the blacks are reduced to sepia brown, then the Himalayan pointed whites with color only on the points, and finally the most recessive albino red-eyed-white where the pigment producing cells are turned off, unable to produce any of the other colors in their genetic code. So, the albino cannot carry chinchilla, as the albino as more recessive than chinchilla. But, if the other parent has a recessive chinchilla gene, and gave it to the kit, it would express since it would be dominant over the albino, which is all that the REW could donate to the kit. A blue or blue-gray eye is classic chinchilla genetics.
The other option is the Vienna blue-eyed white gene. Yes, albino red-eyed white does trump BEW, so a REW could be hiding BEW. A Vienna carrier could exhibit blue eyes, and still have a colored coat. Not all Vienna carriers show the classic Vienna white spots on the face and toes. Some have one (or two) blue eyes, some no visible clues at all.
Looking at the other kits may give clues. Does any of the kits or the non-albino parent have a white snip on the nose, or white on the toes? If so, the Vienna gene is probably involved. Do any of them have agouti markings with white eye rings, white inside the ears, and white belly. . .but the middle band is pearly white instead of yellowish? if so, you're working with the chinchilla gene.
AlbinoGiant
Well-known member
The kits have white patches some a tri color mix and one white but with light brown stripes the mother has white feet and white on her nose she resembles more of a rex/dutch marked rabbit.
Ah, the Vienna carrier kits used to be called Dutch-marked, now they are called VM, Vienna Marked. Mom could be just a VM, or she could also have the broken gene. White patches on a VM or broken tortoiseshell would resemble a tricolor, especially if the brown patches are on the face and lower flanks, and the fawn patches on the back. Tricolor is technically a broken harlequin, where stripes would be a normal occurrence. Hard to tell without photos what genetics you are dealing with.
