How to get tricolors?

[Fireclaws bunnbutts]

Ok, so I know that Tricolor is basically broken Harlequin, correct? (just like tricolor is broken splash in mice, calico is just tortoiseshell with the white spotting gene in cats, etc.)

Anyway, I already have my Harlequin pair of HL's and of course, they produce litters of 100% Harles, which I love, but I want more colorful litters xD and in September, I'm supposed to be getting another doe from the same breeder I got my current pair from (provided she actually has some does this time, was supposed to get a doe in July, but all her HL babies ended up being bucks xD)

And I'd really really like to get a doe that would produce tricolor when bred to my Harle buck. (or a buck that would achieve the same thing if I decide to keep this baby I got that I really like if it's a doe lol)

So what would I need to do that thing? I was told that it *needed* to be a broken tort by a few people(not on here), but would anything broken work? I know that pretty much all of her rabbits have harle in their lines.

 

[Dood]

It cannot be any broken or else you will loose the harlequin which is a recessive on the E-locus so a broken tort or broken sable point of broken fawn or any other broken that is also non-extension is needed.

If you cross to a self based rabbit you may get "torted tri-colours" which are not showable but still good for pets

 

[caroline]

my tri color Rex come from harlequin to broken red.

 

[Susie570]

My broken blue chin carries non-e, but that was a surprise.
If you don't know the genetic background, you have to play it safe and go with something more obvious, like a tort.

 

[Fireclaws bunnbutts]

So the people who told me I needed broken tort were right then. Cool lol.

Out of curiosity, what do harlequinized tricolors look like? Is that anything like what I was told was broken/vienna Harlequin?

A friend of mine had a little mutt bunny some years ago that was harlequin but had white paws and blaze on his nose, he was the most amazing looking little thing, he was the definition of "mutt" lol, His mother was a mini lop/mini rex and his dad was a netherland/mini rex if I remember correctly, but anyway, I've always been interested in the "funky" colors. And since I'm too old to show rabbits, I figure people want "pretty" rabbits as pets, my harle babies go like crazy since it's not a common color around here xD.

 

[Dood]

It has nothing to do with broken harli (AKA tri- colour) or Vienna (which can sometimes create a Dutch like white pattern)

The torted or self based harlequins are "muddier" and more of a rust and smokey black than orange and black and will have darker instead of lighter points and trimmings.

Most people cannot tell the difference but a judge should be able to

 

[Fireclaws bunnbutts]

Forgive me for asking so many questions xD. Is this what you mean by "muddy"? I assume that means not patched like the Japanese Harlequin you see all the time.

Here are some pics of both parents when I first got them(like literally the day I brought them home), I didn't pay extra for the pedigrees for them because honestly, at the time I didn't think I needed it lol, so I don't know what color their parents were, I just know that they're unrelated.

They've also produced some very dark/black kits with lighter markings, like these ones from my previous litter.

So another question from the, how the kids say these days, "nooblet" in rabbit breeding, how would I go about getting those really nice patched Harlequins(the orange and black ones), or is it not possible without a completely different set of genes?

 

[ladysown]

You need a very cleanly marked harlequin and then just keep the best of the litters to breed back.

You could also get a nicely marked tricolour with clean patches and breed that variable in, or a broken with nice markings to see if that will help. Keep the colours back that you like that are the cleanest.

 

[Dood]

I think those are agouti based harlequins, the one with the darker nose is suspect.

The blended brindle markings are due to not selecting for pattern and actually I see a lot more harlequins that are very minimally marked and hardly have any black they should make terrific tri-colours with an even amount of black and orange rather than too much orange

Getting the correct markings is REALLY difficult and like Ladysown stated, you've just got to get a good one and keep the kits with the best markings.

 

[ladysown]

if you could get up this way I should get a lovely kit off my son's bunny that would do the trick for you quite nicely.