White silver foxes?

[RABBITGIRLFORTHEWIN]

One of my does, Darlin (a black silver fox), kindled today and had 7 kits. I bred her to my new buck, Dusk (who is also a black silver fox), and his entire pedigree is black. Darlin has kindled before with a different buck (a chocolate silver fox), and she was a wonderful mother, producing some blacks and chocolates.
Today, she kindled again and had blacks, lilacs, and whites! I’ve heard of white silver foxes but have never seen one in person. I’m confused about how she ended up with whites. I don’t know much about color genetics, so could someone please explain this to me?
I know Dusk is a full silver and trust the breeder completely; she wouldn’t have sold him to me if there was any chance he was mixed. Darlin’s dam (a black silver fox) was from Debra Armstrong, a well-known breeder in our area. The sire (the chocolate silver fox) was a full silver fox, but I don’t have his pedigree.
How do you create a white silver fox?

Thanks so much! (Pictures of the litter are below.)

 

[Scooter1A]

Those are super nice babies.

 

[RABBITGIRLFORTHEWIN]

Thank you

 

[Alaska Satin]

One of my does, Darlin (a black silver fox), kindled today and had 7 kits. I bred her to my new buck, Dusk (who is also a black silver fox), and his entire pedigree is black. Darlin has kindled before with a different buck (a chocolate silver fox), and she was a wonderful mother, producing some blacks and chocolates.
Today, she kindled again and had blacks, lilacs, and whites! I’ve heard of white silver foxes but have never seen one in person. I’m confused about how she ended up with whites. I don’t know much about color genetics, so could someone please explain this to me?
I know Dusk is a full silver and trust the breeder completely; she wouldn’t have sold him to me if there was any chance he was mixed. Darlin’s dam (a black silver fox) was from Debra Armstrong, a well-known breeder in our area. The sire (the chocolate silver fox) was a full silver fox, but I don’t have his pedigree.
How do you create a white silver fox?

Thanks so much! (Pictures of the litter are below.)

Usually whites pop out of colored lines when both parents carry a copy of the most recessive allele on the C locus, REW <c>. Those alleles, when paired, prevent any color from being produced anywhere on the rabbit, including the eyes. Some people call it albino, and many people who are otherwise uninterested in genetics know that if you breed two albinos, that's all you'll ever get. But what many people don't know is that one copy of the allele can "hide" for a very long time, until by chance two rabbits (this is also true in many other species) that carry a hidden copy meet and mate, and some of their offspring get two copies - voila, you pull a white rabbit out of the hat.

When this happens, it does not mean your rabbits aren't purebred or well-bred - it just means that a <c> has been lurking for some unknown number of generations. (I had a white Mini Rex show up in a litter from rabbits for which I had eight generation pedigrees.) It is not at all surprising in meat breeds, since NZ whites have been used to improve type and growth rates in many other meat breeds. That's not saying these rabbits or their parents aren't purebred, just that somewhere in the mists of time (or a least farther back than the original stock's 3-generation pedigrees), there was a white rabbit, or at least one carrying <c>, and that has been passed down through the generations.

So, black Silver Fox are typically <aaB_C_D_E_sisi>, with the understrike after the big <C> (which is normal color) being where the little <c> REW can hide. After this litter, you know more about the other places that are marked with an understrike. What you now suspect is that both of the black parents are actually <aaBbCcDdE_sisi>. They're still self <aa> and normal extension <E_> (although there is some debate about them possibly being steel <E(S)>, but that's another issue). But since you got lilac, which is a chocolate <bb> dilute <dd>, you know that both parents also carry a copy of chocolate <b> and dilute <d> after the dominant alleles that make them look black. And if they made white, you also know that both carry a <c> along with the <C> that makes them full-color themselves.

An interesting thing about albino rabbits is that genetically, they are still a colored and patterned rabbit. They can be chestnut, chocolate otter, self blue, black with silvering... everything else in their genetic code is basically "turned off." The only things they cannot be/carry are the chinchilla, sable or himalayan varieties, because those varieties are produced from alleles on the C locus. Since there are normally only two spots available at any particular locus, <cc> takes up the space so there can't be any other option present.

Finally, there is a slight possibility that they are not white, but himalayan <c(h)_>, which start out all-white and develop the points as they grow. In this case, you have <aaBbc(h)_ddE_>, and the parents could either both be <Cc(h)> or one <Cc(h)> and one <Cc>. Like the NZW, Californians are often used to improve type and growth rates, so it's a possibility.

 

[RABBITGIRLFORTHEWIN]

Usually whites pop out of colored lines when both parents carry a copy of the most recessive allele on the C locus, REW <c>. Those alleles, when paired, prevent any color from being produced anywhere on the rabbit, including the eyes. Some people call it albino, and many people who are otherwise uninterested in genetics know that if you breed two albinos, that's all you'll ever get. But what many people don't know is that one copy of the allele can "hide" for a very long time, until by chance two rabbits (this is also true in many other species) that carry a hidden copy meet and mate, and some of their offspring get two copies - voila, you pull a white rabbit out of the hat.

When this happens, it does not mean your rabbits aren't purebred or well-bred - it just means that a <c> has been lurking for some unknown number of generations. (I had a white Mini Rex show up in a litter from rabbits for which I had eight generation pedigrees.) It is not at all surprising in meat breeds, since NZ whites have been used to improve type and growth rates in many other meat breeds. That's not saying these rabbits or their parents aren't purebred, just that somewhere in the mists of time (or a least farther back than the original stock's 3-generation pedigrees), there was a white rabbit, or at least one carrying <c>, and that has been passed down through the generations.

So, black Silver Fox are typically <aaB_C_D_E_sisi>, with the understrike after the big <C> (which is normal color) being where the little <c> REW can hide. After this litter, you know more about the other places that are marked with an understrike. What you now suspect is that both of the black parents are actually <aaBbCcDdE_sisi>. They're still self <aa> and normal extension <E_> (although there is some debate about them possibly being steel <E(S)>, but that's another issue). But since you got lilac, which is a chocolate <bb> dilute <dd>, you know that both parents also carry a copy of chocolate <b> and dilute <d> after the dominant alleles that make them look black. And if they made white, you also know that both carry a <c> along with the <C> that makes them full-color themselves.

An interesting thing about albino rabbits is that genetically, they are still a colored and patterned rabbit. They can be chestnut, chocolate otter, self blue, black with silvering... everything else in their genetic code is basically "turned off." The only things they cannot be/carry are the chinchilla, sable or himalayan varieties, because those varieties are produced from alleles on the C locus. Since there are normally only two spots available at any particular locus, <cc> takes up the space so there can't be any other option present.

Finally, there is a slight possibility that they are not white, but himalayan <c(h)_>, which start out all-white and develop the points as they grow. In this case, you have <aaBbc(h)_ddE_>, and the parents could either both be <Cc(h)> or one <Cc(h)> and one <Cc>. Like the NZW, Californians are often used to improve type and growth rates, so it's a possibility.

So basically, I have a white silver foxlol. How/Where did you learn all of this, I want to learn more about color genes but don't know where to start. Thanks so much.