Rabbit Coat Color Genetics

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Rabbits have 8 color gene locusts, A, B, C, D, E, EN, V, W. In this article I will share my understanding of each locust.

**Disclaimer: I will not be sharing anything about the W locust**

A locust:

A_ is the agouti pattern, the agouti rabbits I have had have been wideband Frosty (Aa), agouti Chestnut (A), and Tricolors (A), there is also steel that can be A_ at the A locust,

Rabbits A_ at the A locus are..

-Black/Blue/Chocolate/Lilac Frosted Pearl (Frosty)

-Chinchilla, Squirrel, Chocolate Chin, Lilac Chinchilla

-Chestnut, Opal, Chocolate Chestnut, Lynx

-Orange/Cream

-Silver Tipped Steel/Gold Tipped Steel

-Pointed Agoutis

-Black/Blue/Chocolate/Lilac Tri-Color

and probably more I can't think of.

(Sable Frosty)

a(t) is the tan pattern, only Otters are a(t). Otter a(t) can be recessive in agouti but is dominant in self colors (Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac). I have never owned an a(t) rabbit.

Rabbits a(t)_ at the A locus are..

-Black/Blue/Chocolate/Lilac Otter

-Black/Blue/Chocolate/Lilac Silver Marten

-Sable Martens

-Tri Colors

Photo Credit: JCV Rabbitry (Blue Otter)

aa is self coloring, self is only ever aa. All varieties except Wideband, Steel, agouti, and otter. aa colors I have owned have been, black tort, broken blue, and broken black.

Rabbits aa at the A locus are..

-Black/Blue/Chocolate/Lilac Tort

-Black/Blue/Chocolate/Lilac

-Tri Colors

and I am pretty sure there are more that I once again cannot think of

(Black Tort)

**Tri colors vary, they can either be A, Aa, Aa(t), a(t)a, or aa**

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B locust:

B is responsible for black colorings. It can be B or Bb (if chocolate carrier) at the B locust.

Black isn't only a solid color gene but is involved with any color with Black or Blue markings such as:

-Chestnut/Opal

-Black/Blue Tort

-Chinchilla/Squirrel

-Black/Blue Tricolor

-Red/Orange/Cream

-Black/Blue Pointed White

-Black/Blue Gold Tipped/Silver Tipped Steel

-Black/Blue Otter

-Sable point

-Seal Point

-Seal

-Smoke Pearl

-Siamese Sable

-Blue Point

(Black)

bb is responsible for chocolate coloring, chocolate or lilac based rabbits are always bb. Chocolate is a recessive gene, you can produce chocolate breeding chocolate x chocolate carrier x carrier or chocolate x carrier. The only way to know if your rabbit is a carrier is to 1) make sure he has chocolate or lilac in his pedigree/lines and 2) test breed to a chocolate/lilac or chocolate carrier. Like Black and Blue Chocolate and Lilac are involved with other colors with Chocolate or Lilac bases, such as:

-Chocolate Agouti

-Lynx

-Chocolate/Lilac Tort

-Chocolate Chinchilla

-Chocolate/Lilac Tricolor

-Chocolate/Lilac Otter

-Chocolate/lilac Gold/silver tipped steel

-Chocolate/Lilac Pointed white

Photo Credit: River Lane Farm and Garden (Chocolate)

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C Locust:

Ok, the C Locust is the hardest one I have ever come across so bear with me!

C_ is either c(chd), c(chl), c(ch), and cc. C_ is normal, C_ can be C, Cc(chd), Cc(chl), Cc(ch) or Cc. Lots of colors are C_ normal, all varieties apart from REW, PW, Chinchilla colorings, ST/GT Steel, Sable/Seal Point, Smoke Pearl, Seal, and Siamese Sable.

c(chd) is Chichilla gene, chin can be c(chd) / c(chd)c(chl) / c(chd)c(h) / c(chd) c, this genotype is recessive to C but dominant to c(chl), c(ch) and c. Chinchillas without the sable gene (c(chl)) typically have the best markings as it muddles the markings. Rabbits with the c(chd) colorings include:

-Chinchilla Based Frosty

-Chinchilla colorings

-Silver Tipped Steels

-Magpies

Photo Credit: Makenna Morgan (Chinchilla)

Now, the c(chl) sable gene I am much better at because I did a lot of work with sable genes when I first started out (and still have a small project for it). c(chl) can be c(chl), c(chl)c(ch) or c(chl)c. This gene shades the sables apart from tort as they are genetically not part of the shaded variety! Colors with the c(chl) gene are:

-Sable Based frosty

-Sable Based Magpie

-Sable/Seal Point

-Smoke Pearl

-Siamese Sable

CLR Snape (RIP) (Seal Point)

Now this gene I am definitely not that familiar with but from my understanding c(ch) is pointed white gene known as Himalayan in some other breeds. PW can be c(ch), or c(ch)c,

this gene gives the rabbit the dark points without this gene you would just have a REW.

Rabbits with the c(ch) gene are:

-Pointed Whites (Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac)

Photo Credit: Kim Osbon (Pointed White)

Last gene of the C locust! Is... c, c is responsible for REW, REW can only be c.

Varieties that are c at the C locust are:

-REW

Photo Credit: Jade-Ann Kelley (REW)

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D Locust:

The D locust is probably one of the easiest locusts! It is responsible for dilute and dense coloring.

D can be D or Dd, it is dominant so dilute cannot produce dense colors. Dense colors are black and chocolate or other colors based black and chocolate (looking up at the B locust).

(Black Tort)

dd can only be dd, it is recessive so dense colors can produce dilutes. Dilute is Blue and Lilac or other colors based blue and lilac (looking back to the B locust again).

Photo Credit: River Lane Farm and Garden (Blue)

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E locust:

The E locust is also pretty complex but will never be harder than the C locust in my mind lol. E is responsible for color coat extension.

E(s) is steel, it is the most dominant color on the E locust. E(s) can only be in Gold tipped and silver tipped steels.

Photo Credit: Brittany Kanopka (Blue ST Steel)

E_ is responsible for full extension of color, it is recessive to E(s) but dominant to e(j) and e. Colors for E are:

-Black

-Blue

-Chocolate

-Lilac

-Agoutis

-Smoke Pearl

-Seal

-Siamese Sable

-Pointed White

-Otters

(Gray/Chestnut)

e is non-extension colors, it is recessive to e(s), e(j), and E.

Colors for e are:

-Wideband

-Sable Point

-Torts

(Smutty Orange)

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En Locust:

This one is super simple! Its also super fun to learn, there are 3 en genes.

1) EnEn, 2)Enen, 3)enen.

EnEn is responsible for the Charlie gene, charlies are just really lightly marked brokens. Usually all they have on their face is their nose butterfly (or part of one), they have colored ears though and minimal back markings. Charlies are double broken gene so you cannot produce solid colored rabbits out of them.

Photo Credit: Makenna Morgan (Blue Charlie)

Enen is responsible for the broken genes, broken rabbits are broken up in color but are heavier marked than most Charlies.

(Broken Black)

enen is responsible for the solid color pattern, solid rabbits are pretty easy to tell from broken and charlie because.. well they will be soid in color. You cannot produce a broken out of a solid unless bred to broken or charlie.

Photo Credit: Makenna Morgan (Solid Blue)

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V Locust:

Last but not least the V locust, this one is also really easy like the En locust. The V locust is the Vienna gene! Rabbits can be VV, Vv, or vv.

VV is normal, this rabbit does not have any Vienna lines and no Vienna markings.

All non-Vienna/BEW rabbits are VV except very rarely sometimes REW.

Vv is responsible for VM/VC rabbits, vienna marked rabbits normally have random white colorings on their coats and sometimes blue eyes. Broken vienna might have milk dipped ears, not all rabbits with milk dipped ears have VM genes. VC will most likely have 2 VM parents, 1 VM parent, or 1 BEW parent, sometimes the VM is a little further back in their pedigree though. VM's are not showable (broken with brown eyes you might be able to sneak them in lol). You can show VC as they have no visible VM markings.

Photo Credit: River Lane Farm and Garden (4 VM's and a BEW)

vv is responsible for BEW, BEW is showable and a very fun color to work with. Make sure not to mix BEW (or vienna genes for that matter) with Chocolate, lilac, or sables due to red casted blue eyes and shading on BEW fur (chocolate, lilac, sables are recessive genes).

Photo Credit: River Lane Farm and Garden (BEW)

Thanks for reading!

Yours Truly,

Annalise

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I learned everything from lotsoflops.com this article is based off of theirs just put into my own perspective and wording.