Chocolate Californian?

[Nello'sHops&Lops]

I recently got a new Zealand doe from a lady who was nice, but clueless about color and genetics. I have zero back history on this rabbit but it looks chocolate to me. I know temperature affects the ch gene though, so is this a black or brown Californian color?
I will try and get a better nose photo too - thanks!

 

[judymac]

Looks black to me. On the 'C' color gene, there are five options, each with less color. Full color is dominant, you'd recognize these as the common agouti shades, black, chocolate, blue, torts. . .The next one down is chinchilla. These rabbits still have all their dark colors, but the yellow shades are missing. So, an agouti with the chin gene is missing the middle fawn band, it has pearly white where the yellow would be. Sable is the next one down, it is not only missing all the yellowish shades, but the intensity of the blacks is reduced to sepia brown. Californian is the next one down, the last one before the most recessive albino ruby-eyed whites. Cals have no yellowish tones, and the reduced darks like the sables--black appears as sepia brown. Color is only expressed on the points, ears, nose, feet and tail.

The top photo is a chocolate Himalayan (aka Californian or pointed white), you can see the brown shade is more of a medium milk chocolate shade. The bottom photo is a black Himi, there is still a brownish tint, but the color is darker, like bittersweet chocolate.

 

[Alaska Satin]

I recently got a new Zealand doe from a lady who was nice, but clueless about color and genetics. I have zero back history on this rabbit but it looks chocolate to me. I know temperature affects the ch gene though, so is this a black or brown Californian color?
I will try and get a better nose photo too - thanks!

I agree with @judymac - it looks like a normal black cal to me too. The points on "black" Californians are actually very dark sepia - the ARBA Standard of Perfection calls for color "to be as near black as possible." The variations in darkness on points depend on both the temperature and the genetic line; some strains are much closer to black than others. In fact some cals have color not only on ears, nose, feet and tail, but also on their dewlap, eyebrows and around their bellies or hindquarters when a rabbit from a dark strain is kept in very cold conditions. Like this:


Basically the dark color appears anywhere the rabbit's skin gets chilled. The opposite happens when the rabbit is very warm - both the intensity and the extent of the color is reduced, which could explain your doe's having paler sepia point color.

From looking at the two photos, I'd guess your doe might fall into both categories. She may even be a broken cal, based on the observations that she seems to have no color on her back foot, the very distinct irregular shape of her nose marking and the white spot on the tip of her nose. The pale/white feet could be from heat, but I've never seen a cal develop a white spot on its nose from that, or such a clearly delineated irregular nose marking. What color are her other feet and her tail (especially the underside)?

 

[Nello'sHops&Lops]

I agree with @judymac - it looks like a normal black cal to me too. The points on "black" Californians are actually very dark sepia - the ARBA Standard of Perfection calls for color "to be as near black as possible." The variations in darkness on points depend on both the temperature and the genetic line; some strains are much closer to black than others. In fact some cals have color not only on ears, nose, feet and tail, but also on their dewlap, eyebrows and around their bellies or hindquarters when a rabbit from a dark strain is kept in very cold conditions. Like this:

View attachment 34403
Basically the dark color appears anywhere the rabbit's skin gets chilled. The opposite happens when the rabbit is very warm - both the intensity and the extent of the color is reduced, which could explain your doe's having paler sepia point color.

From looking at the two photos, I'd guess your doe might fall into both categories. She may even be a broken cal, based on the observations that she seems to have no color on her back foot, the very distinct irregular shape of her nose marking and the white spot on the tip of her nose. The pale/white feet could be from heat, but I've never seen a cal develop a white spot on its nose from that, or such a clearly delineated irregular nose marking. What color are her other feet and her tail (especially the underside)?

Thank you that makes a fair amount of sense! She is pretty flighty so I couldn't get a photo of this but there a bit of striping at the base of her ears that I'm not sure is typical either. Got some better photos though, I'll try to post them with this comment

All four feet are white, but there is a spot of smut on one of the hind feet.

Other rabbits hopping around were a black broken, an orange/black Harli, and a couple rews. Not sure if all or non of those are related to her though (lady bought them as a batch from a farmer and had no further details)

 

[Nello'sHops&Lops]

Looks black to me. On the 'C' color gene, there are five options, each with less color. Full color is dominant, you'd recognize these as the common agouti shades, black, chocolate, blue, torts. . .The next one down is chinchilla. These rabbits still have all their dark colors, but the yellow shades are missing. So, an agouti with the chin gene is missing the middle fawn band, it has pearly white where the yellow would be. Sable is the next one down, it is not only missing all the yellowish shades, but the intensity of the blacks is reduced to sepia brown. Californian is the next one down, the last one before the most recessive albino ruby-eyed whites. Cals have no yellowish tones, and the reduced darks like the sables--black appears as sepia brown. Color is only expressed on the points, ears, nose, feet and tail.

The top photo is a chocolate Himalayan (aka Californian or pointed white), you can see the brown shade is more of a medium milk chocolate shade. The bottom photo is a black Himi, there is still a brownish tint, but the color is darker, like bittersweet chocolate.

View attachment 34401
View attachment 34402

Thank you! I posted more photos in another reply if you are interested. I am also thinking she is likely chc not chch and that may be affecting the color intensity. Do you have experience about that? Was just researching a bit last night and ran into some new info.

 

[judymac]

All four feet are white, but there is a spot of smut on one of the hind feet.

Other rabbits hopping around were a black broken, an orange/black Harli, and a couple rews

The white feet, white spot on the nose, and white hairs on the dark points are all not normal for the typical Californian pattern. I hadn't even noticed those, I was just looking at the shade of brown on the points. I agree with @Alaska Satin that this looks like a broken Californian pattern.

The white steel-like hairs in the dark areas makes me suspicious that the Harlequin gene may also be involved, it's a fairly common occurrence in rabbits that have both the dominant normal color 'E' allele along with the harlequin 'e(j)'. While normal color is dominant, it is incompletely dominant, and those sneaky harlequin genetics can leave their mark, often on the ears. This is a closeup from your photo of the rabbit's ears.

At the ear tips, you can still see mottling in the color, it's not the usual solid sepia-black.


If there were albino REW kits in the litter, the rabbit certainly could carry recessive 'c', but it would not normally make these sorts of color changes. I have been recently reminded that carrying REW does not necessarily make the color less intense, and it wouldn't be responsible for the broken pattern causing the white areas on the points that should be dark, that would be the 'En' broken gene, which is dominant, you only need one copy of that to cause the white spots. And albino REW doesn't usually affect the color being mottled, either, that's usually harlequin in the background.

 

[Nello'sHops&Lops]

The white feet, white spot on the nose, and white hairs on the dark points are all not normal for the typical Californian pattern. I hadn't even noticed those, I was just looking at the shade of brown on the points. I agree with @Alaska Satin that this looks like a broken Californian pattern.

The white steel-like hairs in the dark areas makes me suspicious that the Harlequin gene may also be involved, it's a fairly common occurrence in rabbits that have both the dominant normal color 'E' allele along with the harlequin 'e(j)'. While normal color is dominant, it is incompletely dominant, and those sneaky harlequin genetics can leave their mark, often on the ears. This is a closeup from your photo of the rabbit's ears.
View attachment 34417
At the ear tips, you can still see mottling in the color, it's not the usual solid sepia-black.
View attachment 34418

If there were albino REW kits in the litter, the rabbit certainly could carry recessive 'c', but it would not normally make these sorts of color changes. I have been recently reminded that carrying REW does not necessarily make the color less intense, and it wouldn't be responsible for the broken pattern causing the white areas on the points that should be dark, that would be the 'En' broken gene, which is dominant, you only need one copy of that to cause the white spots. And albino REW doesn't usually affect the color being mottled, either, that's usually harlequin in the background.

So that would essentially make her a tricolor California because she'd have harlequin, broken, but present as a Californian? Here's some more photos again finally got her in a good mood so I got photos of the stripes at the base of the ear, the foot smut, and the tail.

I'm hesitant to believe that my luck can be that good because I'm in the midst of a magpie project and the genetics you are suggesting would just be way too convenient for that!!

She should be pregnant by my chinchilla buck so we shall see I guess! (I know he is Cchdc, and Ee due to REW and ermine descendants already hopping around.)

 

[Alaska Satin]

Thank you that makes a fair amount of sense! She is pretty flighty so I couldn't get a photo of this but there a bit of striping at the base of her ears that I'm not sure is typical either.

That striping at the base of the ears isn't atypical - it can happen at the start of color on the legs too. Look at the front leg on the cal I posted above. It's not ideal but it does happen.

All four feet are white, but there is a spot of smut on one of the hind feet.

Those white feet would cinch it for me - brokens almost always have white feet. Her tail, too, looks like what you often see on a broken.

Other rabbits hopping around were a black broken, an orange/black Harli, and a couple rews. Not sure if all or non of those are related to her though (lady bought them as a batch from a farmer and had no further details)

Sure, having that broken and harlequin possibly connected to her would make sense. I'm still waffling on the harlequin, though it's a more convincing possibility given her hutch-mates. Her nose seems to have a suggestion of harlequin influence, as well, with what looks like it might be a band across the middle of the marking:


But... her pale sable colors and color variations are something I've seen on warm-weather cals, including the mottling on the ear tips noted by @judymac. If the temperature varies a lot during fur growth, you can end up with different colors on a single hair, as well as different colors on different hairs, often looking similar to ticking or banding. Here's a cal kit that that is both pointed and "ticked" after being chilled in the nest box. You can also see that what eventually ends up looking black as the color intensifies, is actually sepia:

This kit ended up a very normal-looking californian, but she was a spring bunny in Alaska, which is ideal for cal color development.

Your post doesn't say where you are - did your doe grow up in warm country?

She should be pregnant by my chinchilla buck so we shall see I guess! (I know he is Cchdc, and Ee due to REW and ermine descendants already hopping around.)

Yep, that sounds like a pretty good way to find out!

 

[Nello'sHops&Lops]

That striping at the base of the ears isn't atypical - it can happen at the start of color on the legs too. Look at the front leg on the cal I posted above. It's not ideal but it does happen.


Those white feet would cinch it for me - brokens almost always have white feet. Her tail, too, looks like what you often see on a broken.


Sure, having that broken and harlequin possibly connected to her would make sense. I'm still waffling on the harlequin, though it's a more convincing possibility given her hutch-mates. Her nose seems to have a suggestion of harlequin influence, as well, with what looks like it might be a band across the middle of the marking:
View attachment 34430

But... her pale sable colors and color variations are something I've seen on warm-weather cals, including the mottling on the ear tips noted by @judymac. If the temperature varies a lot during fur growth, you can end up with different colors on a single hair, as well as different colors on different hairs, often looking similar to ticking or banding. Here's a cal kit that that is both pointed and "ticked" after being chilled in the nest box. You can also see that what eventually ends up looking black as the color intensifies, is actually sepia:
View attachment 34428
This kit ended up a very normal-looking californian, but she was a spring bunny in Alaska, which is ideal for cal color development.

Your post doesn't say where you are - did your doe grow up in warm country?


Yep, that sounds like a pretty good way to find out!

Thank you! Sorry for the late reply I'm not sure why I didn't get the push notification or see it or something

I'm in Canada, about an hour north of Toronto, so not Alaska but not Florida either. I just got her about a week ago so my setup hasn't affected her fur yet but the lady I got her from had them inside a horse barn, so although it's an outbuilding it's not super cold in it. My understanding though is that the doe was Born June of 2022, so if this was due to a warm nest box it would have molted by now wouldn't it? Or is this a temperature affected for for every single molt? I'm super new to California's sorry!!

 

[Alaska Satin]

Thank you! Sorry for the late reply I'm not sure why I didn't get the push notification or see it or something

I'm in Canada, about an hour north of Toronto, so not Alaska but not Florida either. I just got her about a week ago so my setup hasn't affected her fur yet but the lady I got her from had them inside a horse barn, so although it's an outbuilding it's not super cold in it. My understanding though is that the doe was Born June of 2022, so if this was due to a warm nest box it would have molted by now wouldn't it? Or is this a temperature affected for for every single molt? I'm super new to California's sorry!!

So you're not really in a hot zone like Arizona, or Southern California, where I raised many pale Cals. That inclines me again toward @judymac's thought that harlequin might be affecting the color. Anyway, her litter with the chin buck should help clear up the mystery!

But yes, the color of growing fur is constantly being affected by temperature. Up here if we get a rabbit of any age that develops smut on a usable portion of its pelt (usually its lower hindquarters during a particularly cold spell), we just have to wait until after the next molt to show it.

 

[Nello'sHops&Lops]

So you're not really in a hot zone like Arizona, or Southern California, where I raised many pale Cals. That inclines me again toward @judymac's thought that harlequin might be affecting the color. Anyway, her litter with the chin buck should help clear up the mystery!

But yes, the color of growing fur is constantly being affected by temperature. Up here if we get a rabbit of any age that develops smut on a usable portion of its pelt (usually its lower hindquarters during a particularly cold spell), we just have to wait until after the next molt to show it.

Thank you!!! I will try and remember to update the forum once the babies come

 

[Nello'sHops&Lops]

Thank you!!! I will try and remember to update the forum once the babies come

@Alaska Satin
@judymac

Well, she is definitely broken!! Won't know about chocolate either way for another generation.

9 kits, I got 2 broken, 1 chin, 6 that look REW or Cali, or a mix of the two - dad is cchdc and mom is ch_ so could be either.

Do calis have dark eye circles at birth? One of the photos shows what I mean. I'm so new to calis I have no clue lol

I don't see anything stripey, but only 3 of the 9 have color, so that doesn't really rule out Harli fully yet.

 

[judymac]

Californian pattern (aka pointed white or himi) is heat sensitive, only producing color on the cooler extremities. Babies in the womb and in the nestbox tend to be warm, so it usually takes a week or so for mine to start coloring up, when the kits are more adventurous and start wandering out of the warm snug nest. Hot weather can lessen the coloration on the points, and cooler weather can intensify it.

Eye rings at birth usually signifies the broken gene is at work.

 

[Nello'sHops&Lops]

Californian pattern (aka pointed white or himi) is heat sensitive, only producing color on the cooler extremities. Babies in the womb and in the nestbox tend to be warm, so it usually takes a week or so for mine to start coloring up, when the kits are more adventurous and start wandering out of the warm snug nest. Hot weather can lessen the coloration on the points, and cooler weather can intensify it.

Eye rings at birth usually signifies the broken gene is at work.

Sorry I'm a little confused, are you saying that the white ones with the darker eyes are brokens with very low markings, or they are cali's carrying the broken gene that just don't have all their color yet?

I know that they won't be fully colored yet I'm just not sure if the fully white ones can be considered rews and the ones with eye markings are cali's or if it's way too early to tell the difference at all, in which case I'm wondering why some of them have the eye markings and some of them don't even know the rest of their bodies show no markings whatsoever.

Thanks!!

 

[judymac]

I think it's way too early to tell if the kits are Cals or not. At this age, REW and Cals look the same--all white. This litter is Cal x REW, and grew up to be half Cal and half REW:

By ten days of age, the dark Cal coloring appears: (I tried corralling the kits in a bowl I had handy, but it didn't help much. . .)

This is at three weeks, same kits. REW on left, Cal pattern on right:

My guess would be that if you are seeing eye rings at birth, it is a broken of some sort. You'll know better what color of broken once the kits color up.

 

[Nello'sHops&Lops]

I think it's way too early to tell if the kits are Cals or not. At this age, REW and Cals look the same--all white. This litter is Cal x REW, and grew up to be half Cal and half REW:
View attachment 35013
By ten days of age, the dark Cal coloring appears: (I tried corralling the kits in a bowl I had handy, but it didn't help much. . .)
View attachment 35014
This is at three weeks, same kits. REW on left, Cal pattern on right:
View attachment 35015
My guess would be that if you are seeing eye rings at birth, it is a broken of some sort. You'll know better what color of broken once the kits color up.

Thank you!

 

[Alaska Satin]

Sorry I'm a little confused, are you saying that the white ones with the darker eyes are brokens with very low markings, or they are cali's carrying the broken gene that just don't have all their color yet?

I know that they won't be fully colored yet I'm just not sure if the fully white ones can be considered rews and the ones with eye markings are cali's or if it's way too early to tell the difference at all, in which case I'm wondering why some of them have the eye markings and some of them don't even know the rest of their bodies show no markings whatsoever.

Thanks!!

The himalayan (aka californian) gene only allows color on the extremities, i.e. nose, ears, feet and tail. Sometimes, when it is really cold, color can appear on other body parts that get chilled, called smut. This usually shows up on the dewlap and the eyebrows, like this:

Sometimes in extreme cold there will even be smudges of color on the lower hindquarters or midsection, as well. But there will never be eye rings, or discrete spots of color.

The broken gene, on the other hand, is like a can of whitewash thrown over a colored rabbit; it does not put color on a rabbit, it just eliminates some of what's already there. The "whitewash" can land anywhere on the rabbit; thrown over a solid colored rabbit, it frequently it leaves color around the eyes, on the ears, and on the nose, as well as random places on the body, but it almost always eliminates the color on the feet. On a himi rabbit, you will see the completely white body of a himi, plus the white feet of the broken, and sometimes white spots in the colored areas of the nose and ears of the himi. Basically it's a himi pattern, with splatters of whitewash thrown over the top of that.

The himi gene is temperature sensitive so the markings show up later; the broken gene is not heat sensitive so broken markings are usually evident at birth. When you combine a dominant himi gene (i.e. <ch ch> or <ch c>) with a broken gene <En_>, the kit will look pink at birth, with the himi pattern (minus some whitewash splashes) developing as the kit matures.