Is *this* harlequinized chestnut?

[TF3]

This is a popular question!
My litter that has 6 chestnuts and gold tipped steel...
Several of the chestnuts are becoming significantly more rufous... It is amazing how much they change (they are 4 weeks on Thursday).

Looking almost like mom's fawn (dam is eje) but with clear agouti banding. These redder ones are the ones that show definite brindling on the white of their bellies. The others are definitely brown and look like my adult chestnuts.

The left hand bun (bunS actually) is redder and her nose is much redder than her browner litter mates:


Here the left hand bun could be any of the previous harlequin litter, except for that strong ticking.


(Sire is Es Flemish and dam is eje Flemish cross)

 

[Dood]

If they've got brindling in their white bellies it is harlequin but in my experience the harlequin gene darkens rather than lightens harlequinized chestnuts and harlequinized chinchilla

The Flemish version of chestnut is called "sandy" for a reason :cheesysmile: and is due to other coat and ring pattern modifiers that lighten the fur and this is likely what is happening in these lighter kits

 

[Zass]

I think what you might have here is regular chestnuts and maybe some wideband ones, and both types probably have a chance at harlequin brindling.

The recessive gene on the wideband locus extends rufus onto the agouti marks.. depending on how much rufus a rabbit has to begin with.. It's one of the more subtle genes.
Tans have it to color their white areas red (very stunning)
I think sandy flemish are supposed to have that recessive expressed(ww) good japanese harlequins probably do, and any decent red new zealand would definitely have it.

What I'm saying...is there is a good chance that recessive at wideband is kicking around your gene pool.

Anything with harli brindling would be considered harlequinized. Trust your eyes, because it can be tricky to get it to show up on camera.

 

[TF3]

Yes, the wideband is in effect on most of the FG agoutis (or all).
So that could be it.
Thanks -- I am trying to train the eye... And I kind of want to pair these two again for a chance at a better (non-runt) gold tipped steel so want to pin down what else I am seeing.

(Bigwig was bred to my chestnut meat mutt doe so that might get me one!) <br /><br /> __________ Tue Jun 30, 2015 10:14 pm __________ <br /><br /> And I finally 'get' wideband -- thank you both!