The Basics

I wont be covering every single known locus, also wont be making a list of all the different fancy names each breed calls a color. Using the most common genomes and either straight genetic (US based) names or Rex color terminology. Also not gonna baby you - I assume most people know what DNA strands look like and understand basic probability.

A_B_C_D_E_En_

The above letters come in pairs. These base pairs are called Locuses. You can only have TWO in a set (think of a DNA strand where you have the TWO halves that make the strand). The underscore is typically used to represent the unknown second gene in that pair/locus.

Capital letters are Dominant genes. Lower case letters are recessive. Where you see the En though, this is a single gene that actually just has a subscript n; So the pair would look like Enen or EnEn - still only TWO genes in a locus. Other ones youll see like this: ej, at, ES, c(chd), c(chl), etc.

Dominant genes are dominant over recessives - duh. There are some dominant and recessive genes that we call Incompletely dominant meaning you will see expressions of both genes simultaneously - we will go over the weird ones when we get there.

What the rabbit LOOKS like is called the Phenotype. Genetic makeup is called Genotype. Certain genetics have very very similar looking Phenotypes but its important to understand what makes them different genetically when it comes to breeding. In Phenotype (how they look to the eye), the most dominant gene is the one that gets expressed. For example, Aat is an agouti carrying otter. The agouti (A) is dominant over the recessive Otter (at) so therefore the rabbit will look agouti. You will not see the otter. Also, using critical thinking here, in order to express a recessive gene you must have something equal or more recessive to it paired such that it is the most dominant gene in the pairing so that it gets expressed. This is only different when we get to Incompletely dominant genes, but generally remember that. This is the hardest thing to grasp for people at first so ponder that for a second.

Remember, a baby gets one gene from each parent on every locus.

When we talk about percentage probability were talking about for a SINGLE gene in a SINGLE baby, not always full color or litter probability.

When discussing dominance were talking about within a locus. Locuses do not affect other locuses in dominance. Different combos will make different phenotypes but they do not compete with each other genetically.

The other thing to mention here is Modifiers. There are an indefinite number of Modifier genes that can affect the rabbits appearance. Not all of them are even known or understood how they pass on. Ones we do know are like Rufus - this is the intensity of the “red/orange/yellow” pigmentation on the rabbit. Like the tan on an otter, the intensity of an orange in the banding on a castor. Other ones can include how high the shading of a tort or otter comes up the side, how bright white or yellowed a White is, the intensity of colors generally like blacker blacks, Mosaic spots. Smut. Bronzing on chins. Stripes vs Brindling on Harlequins. etc. Modifiers also are not always dominant and recessive, they can be additive where you can get a ranging amount within a litter (expressed in + and -).

On the topic of modifiers, every rabbit carries modifiers even if you dont see it. A blue carries modifiers for Rufus even if you wont see it on a blue. Breed that blue to an otter or agouti and you will expose their genetic rufus. This goes for all modifiers. They carry it even if you cant see it.

Broken patterns are genetic. Even if the rabbit is not a broken it still carries a pattern genetically and to expose it you must breed them to a broken. I can trace my broken parts and characteristics back to specific great grandparents even.

People use rabbits of recessive colors to test breed rabbits of unkown genetics because using the most recessive gene ensures that anything any rabbit can carry will expose itself. The most recessive color is a white thats genetically a lilac tort (aabbccddeeenen)

REW and BEW mask what color the rabbit is genetically. Test breeding is required to know what it is underneath. Also hugely misunderstood…white CANNOT hide/carry any shaded, chin or Cal variety obviously because it is the most recessive gene in the locus and requires both genes to be “c”, therefore impossible to have any other gene otherwise it wouldn’t be white. Also, a common misconception you will here is to use white to test breed to other rabbits, but this is only true for the C locus. A white will not help you expose others locuses recessives unless you happen to know the whites genome.

Genomes Listed below are in order of dominance

A Locus

A - Agouti

at - Otter

a - Self

B Locus

B - Black

b - Chocolate

C Locus

C - “Full Color”

cchd - “Chinchilla”

cchl - “Shaded or Sable” **Incomplete Dominance

ch - “Cal or Himi” **Temperature Sensitive

c - White or REW

D Locus

D - Full Color, Non-Diluted

d - Dilute

E Locus

E - Full Extension

ES - Steel **Incomplete Dominance

ej - Harlequin **Incomplete Dominance

e - Non-Extension **Incomplete Dominance

En Locus

En - Broken **Double EnEn is charlie

en - Nonbroken

Other locuses I wont discuss in detail in this first revision…Vienna Gene aka BEW (V, Vc, Vm), Dutch coloring. Fur and wool dominance and recessives. Wideband (W,w). Specific Modifiers.

Combinations List (if you think I missed one email me)

NAMES WILL VARY. We generally prefer to call colors under names that are most descriptive to their genetic code as to avoid confusion.

Black  aaB_C_D_E_enen

Chocolate  aabbC_D_E_enen

Blue  aaB_C_ddE_enen

Lilac  aabbC_ddE_enen

Black Agouti “Castor”  A_B_C_D_E_enen

Chocolate Agouti “Amber”  A_bbC_D_E_enen

Blue Agouti “Opal”  A_B_C_ddE_enen

Lilac Agouti “Lynx”  A_bbC_ddE_enen

Otter (Any 4 base Colors)  at_- _C_- _E_enen

Agouti Chinchilla (Any 4 base Colors) A_-_cchd_D_E_enen

Self Chinchilla (Any 4 base Colors) aa -_cchd_-_E_enen *Often shown as seal because phenotype is nearly identical, however completely different genes

Silver Marten (Any 4 base Colors) at_-_cchd_-_E_enen

Red (agouti based only)  A_bbC_ddE_enen  *Its possible to have both black and chocolate based Red, however chocolate is preferred because it reduces the appearance of smut and lacing and makes for a cleaner color because chocolate is harder to see than a dark black, however modifiers still play a part on amount of smut even if you mask it by being chocolate.

Fawn/Cream “Diluted Red”  A_-_C_ddee enen  *Occasionally shown as a Lynx in shows because they can look very similar if the fawn has enough smut. Although generally considered inferior in color because of lack of proper banding. Can be blue or lilac based since you don’t see any tipping.

Sable  aaB_cchl (ch or c)D_E_enen

Chocolate Sable  aabbcchl (ch or c)D_E_enen

Smoke Pearl aaB_cchl (ch or c)dd_E_enen

Lilac Smoke Pearl aabbcchl (ch or c)dd_E_enen

Seal  (Any 4 base Colors) aa -_cchl cchl -_E_enen  *Black Self Chin looks identical in phenotype however completely different genetics. True Seals cannot ever produce white or Cal obviously because both genes in the locus must be cchl to make seal.

Californian  aa_B_ch (ch or c)D_E_enen *This is the only showable version of Cal, you can have a huge variety of combinations with Cal but self black is the ones you see 99% of the time however not uncommon for the breed Cal to be hidden steel…a different topic there. You can obviously have a broken Cal which wont have the dark feet, you can have any four base colors of Cal, you can have martenized Cal which will have the otter ear lacing, etc etc etc. Anything outside of the C locus is non-competing so there are many variations possible.

REW “White”  -_-_cc_-_-_-  *White masks what color the rabbit is genetically. Test breeding is required to know what it is underneath. Also hugely misunderstood…white CANNOT hide/carry any shaded or chin variety obviously because it is the most recessive gene in the locus and requires both genes to be “c”, therefore impossible to have any other gene otherwise it wouldn’t be white. Also, a common misconception you will here is to use white to test breed to other rabbits, but this is only true for the C locus. A white will not help you expose others locuses recessives unless you happen to know the whites genome.

Tri  (Any 4 base Colors) aa_-_C_-_ejej_Enen OR A_-_C_-_eje_Enen OR A_-_C_-_ejej_Enen *Self based will always have better definition and intensity of color than the agouti based alternative. However, most people have agouti/tort based Tri. Probably the most misunderstood Variety.

Torted Tri (Any 4 base Colors) aa -_C_-_eje enen

Tort (Any 4 base Colors) aa_-_C_-_ee enen

Sable Marten(Any 4 base Colors)  at_-_cchl (ch or c)_-_E_enen

Sable Point (Any 4 base Colors)  aa-_cchl (ch or c)_-_ee enen

Seal Point (Any 4 base Colors) aa-_cchl cchl_-_ee enen

Frosty or Ermine (Any 4 base Colors) A_-_cchd_-_ee enen

Sallander (Any 4 base Colors)  aa -_cchd_-_ee enen

Sable Agouti (Any 4 base Colors) A_B_cchl (ch or c)_-_E_enen *Looks like a poorly colored Chin

Fox/ “Torted Otter” (Any 4 base Colors) at_-_C_-_ee enen

Harlequin (Any 4 base Colors) aa_-_C_-_ejejenen  OR  A_-_C_-_ejejenen  OR  A_-_C_-_ejeenen

Magpie (Any 4 base Colors) aa -_cchd_-_ejej enen  OR  A_-_cchd_-_eje enen OR A_-_cchd_-_ejej enen 

Torted Magpie (Any 4 base Colors) aa -_cchd_-_eje enen