Tort French Angora Babies - Blue? Chocolate? Black? Lilac?

Growing Counts · May 8, 2017

I have a litter full of tortoishells, and I'm having a hard time with identifying what their base colors are! This little doe is the lightest of them all, and has a grayish hue in her eye. She is 6 weeks old. I was thinking blue tort? Can anyone help me out?

Mom was sold to me as a chocolate tort (although I think she's actually black tort?) and she carries recessive dilute (dam was opal).

Dad is Bb self black, and this is his first litter, so not sure if he carries d (closest dd relative was grandsire).

Any thoughts are appreciated! Thank you!
-Jess Counts

PSFAngoras · May 8, 2017

I think you're right on the colors. The kit looks like a blue and the doe is a black tort.

SableSteel · May 9, 2017

They both look black tort to me, although the mother is a darker shade. The points are light enough that they might be blue tort, but the body wool is dark enough that I'd lean towards black tort. Black torts have fawn or orange on the body, and blue torts have cream on the body, and that looks much brighter than most creams. (It might be a chocolate too - chocolates also have fawn or orange bodies). Both brown and blue gray eyed baby rabbits start off with pale eyes that darken to their real colors soon, but how soon and how pronounced depends on the baby itself, as it varies.

LittleFluffyBunnies · May 9, 2017

I agree, the kit looks to be a light black tort. The brown eyes give it away.

Dood · May 10, 2017

I also see black torts

It is genetically impossible for dilute/blue (or chocolate or lilac) to produce ANY black fur and the tips of the ears definitely look black

Growing Counts · May 13, 2017

Thank you so much for your replies. I think I have a pen full of black torts in a variety of shades (plus two self blacks). My "chocolate" tort doe might be BB after all. The sire of this litter is black self, but he's thrown chocolates in the past, so I know he's Bb. I have a chocolate self buck who appears to be EE (no torts in a litter of 11 when bred to an Ee doe). I think I'll cross these two in a few months and see what she throws.