Mystery to me - need your experience!

[Zinnia]

Hello all.

I need your experience with recognizing angora rabbit colors from my litter.

Let me start off with the buck's genotype as it reads on his pedigree. AaBbC_D_E_ wide band - sandy chestnut agouti
And the dam is called a cream on her pedigree... but that may be just a best guess...

I am going to attempt to post pictures, so if these don't work, will someone help me figure that out?

Mystery color #1 Blue-gray eyes, agouti markings, fawn triangle...creamy-white belly, slight grayish toenails, possible wide band, appears "opal" to me??





Mystery rabbit #2 Blue-gray eyes with a ruby cast, white belly, agouti markings white belly, possible wide band...







Last mystery color, #3 Blue-gray eyes with strong ruby cast, white underbelly shows a little ring color, agouti markings over body, this rabbit seems very light with possible wide band...








If you can help me figure it out, I'd be grateful!

Zinnia

 

[Dood]

I'd say kit 1 is opal - A_ B_ C_ dd E_

Cream is "supposed" to be a non extension lynx - A_ bb C_ dd ee

Do you think either of the next two are chocolate? They won't have any black pigment anywhere (not nails, whiskers, ticking etc...)

I think I see chocolate agouti (maybe lynx) in kit 3 (A_ bb C_ D_ E_) but telling them apart in agouti based rabbits is difficult even when youve got your hands on them and nearly impossible from pictures.

I am leaning towards plain old fawn/orange in kit 2 - A_ B_ C_ D_ ee

 

[Zinnia]

Oh thanks Dood!

Yes, I do think that the first is opal.

Chocolate agouti or lynx were my guesses for #3, too. But oh how light that chocolate agouti would be!
So, yes, chocolate could be in there - but like pale milk chocolate, malted-like.

And the fawn (or orange) - yes one of my guesses, too.

I lack experience in recognizing colors, so I wasn't sure that there should be any ring color in a fawn - and I see rings.

I have a feeling these are hard to determine because of the wide band - could that be true?

I'm so glad my own guesses were somewhere in line with someone else out there!

The ruby cast eyes in some - could that mean something here?

Zinnia <br /><br /> __________ Mon Feb 24, 2014 9:53 am __________ <br /><br /> Is it possible that the 3rd one is chocolate chinchilla?

Chocolate Chinchilla:
A_ bb cchd_ D_ E_
Bands of chocolate & pearl with chocolate tipped guard hairs. Chocolate ear lacing. Eyes blue-gray, brown, or marbled.

I'm just thinking about those eyes - gray/blue/reddish cast - not brown as for chocolate agouti though maybe very light brown could be used to describe them..... maybe.

I wondered because there is a doe from this litter that I sold that appears to be blue chinchilla (by the way, these guys are almost 9 weeks old). So cchd could be in the mix...

And just thinking about #2. His eyes are also not brown, so would fawn or orange still be a possibility? And he does have wide bands of color.... are rings evident i n fawn or orange?

Overall it's the wide bands in the wool and ruby cast eye color that are throwing me off here....

Thanks!
Zinnia

 

[Dood]

Fawns / orange can have rings if they aren't wideband but they are cream and orange and only light ticking of black

They are too yellow for chinchilla - this gene wipes out 3 of the 4 yellow pigments and they'd look distinctly white and chocolate.

 

[Zinnia]

I REALLY appreciate your help!!

I can see the fawn/orange being the case for #2. I was just looking at a few more links for photos of this color. This one seems really close http://www.nockrabbits.com/orange.html. Do you suppose my kit's lack of true brown eye color (more muddy gray with ruby cast) is a fault (well, I'm not showing these rabbits, but...)?

Also, the dam (who was believed to be cream) has the same eye color (muddy gray), but has a light orange belly (not white). Do you know if a colored belly could still be a cream? Or could that tell me something else about her? I know the breeder of that doe did not profess to be absolutely certain of her color.

I'm trying to be a detective so I know I'm starting off right. I am ready to hear about any deeper level of genetics that may be at play here....

I could post photos of her later if that helps...

Thank you!
Zinnia

 

[Dood]

If she has an orange belly she is likely a wideband cream - A_ bb C_ dd ee ww

In non-extension rabbits the wideband makes them look like self reds/oranges

 

[Zinnia]

Thanks. I just went out to the barn to have another good look at everyone. The doe really has a creamy, hint of orange belly.

None of these kits really have chocolate trimmings. Lilac maybe. I was able to compare with our chocolate pearl doe's ear lacing. I'd say all these kits have either black, blue or lilac. Those I pictured are all the dilutes, which I was having trouble identifying. But, blue looks right for the opal. The fawn has bluish ear lacing and tail, too. The other has lilac (or blue...I'm not experienced enough to tell those two apart readily), rather than chocolate ear lacing. I see I didn't capture his ear color very well in the photo, but they look grayish. His fur really has agouti rings... so I'm going to guess he is a lynx.

I'm trying to decide which of these bucks to keep. I already have a chestnut agouti buck I'm keeping out of this litter, but I may keep the opal. I don't see a use in keeping the fawn or lynx for breeding, but I'm no expert.

Thanks for all the help. I love all the genetics links on this site - extremely useful and fascinating!

 

[Dood]

Lilac/lynx is basically a blue and chocolate bunny, unfortunately agouti based rabbits already have slate blue undertones due to ring pattern and it can be a nightmare trying to accurately I.D. them which is why not many breeds accept chocolate agouti, opal, lynx, red, fawn and creams - the differences are just too subtle

Keep what you like and advise buyers that your guestimating colours