Odd Kit Colors

[Lindsay Krawsczyn]

So, I just had a litter born (four lovely, healthy kits) and when I first looked at them the day they wher eborn three where pink and one was black with a bit of pink tones to the belly. Now, I think the black baby will end up being a black otter, it would track with the genes their mother could have given her father was an otter tort and her grandfather was a silver marten (color not breed). And, I’ve gotten pretty good at telling the difference between a pink that turns out or be white and a pink that turns out to be red or something of the sort (Don’t ask me how, I’m not 100% sure how I do it, it’s just a little more pigmented I think). Now, when I first saw these two kits I thought they’d be otter torts like their grandfather and older sister. However, they’ve started getting their fur and both of them appear to be blues. Now, this makes some sense as there where multiple blues in the litter their father came from, however I have no recollection of a singular blue or otherwise dilute rabbit in their mother’s relatives. I’ve been breeding that line randomly for a while, they’re my mutts I’ve had since I started breeding rabbits as a kid. So, I would’ve thought I’d have found any dilution genes they have by now. But, I’ll attach pictures of the litter from when I first noticed the blue looking fur, I can get better pictures of the whole litter from different angles and things tommorow. Oh, and pictures of the mother and father. (The third picture of the mother is more recent)

 

[Mini Lop Mama]

It doesn't appear blue to me... Looks rather cheatnutty or steel. But I could be miss-interpreting the photo!

 

[judymac]

What color do you call the mother? Interesting mottling on the flanks:

What does the fur look like when you blow into the coat? If you took a small sample of hair and put it on a piece of paper, what color changes are on the hairshaft, or is each on a separate hair?

 

[Lindsay Krawsczyn]

It doesn't appear blue to me... Looks rather cheatnutty or steel. But I could be miss-interpreting the photo!

I’m not sure really, it’s just the only thing I could think of when I saw the fur coming in darker than it would be if it was one of the sable points. Usually their fur is lighter than that and I’ve really never seen that color before on a baby rabbit in my recollection. Any suggestions are very welcome, and I’ll take that into consideration. Although, I believe steels and chestnuts (I believe that’s what you meant) are born with primarily black skin instead of pink due to the dark pigmentation, and both where born very much pink if a bit less so than their most likely sable point sibling.

 

[Lindsay Krawsczyn]

What color do you call the mother? Interesting mottling on the flanks:
View attachment 42786
What does the fur look like when you blow into the coat? If you took a small sample of hair and put it on a piece of paper, what color changes are on the hairshaft, or is each on a separate hair?

I personally believe her to be Sable Point, and I’ve had a few others say the same. Her mother was a Red and her father was an Otter Tort, both happened to be carrying sable genes and I’d get one or two out of each of their litters. The mottling wasn’t there until after she molted a while back, it was after her prior litter (Which had also even her first, if that affects anything at all). From what I’ve heard it’s simply something that happens from time to time when they molt and is because of the temperature. I’ve looked at it before and essentially each hair is white with a bit of black pigmentation on the end, it’s because the dark pigmentation on the points is correlated to the coldest parts of the body, so the temperature can cause some weird mottling and things.