Rabbit Colour Genetics and Genotype Write Up
Genetics can be a hard thing to learn, and quite confusing. It took me a while to figure it out but seeing it written out helped. I am still learning, and forget often.
Phenotype is what you see, Genotype is the genetics. You always show a rabbit according to phenotype because it is what is seen. All colours are broken down into groups: Agouti, Self, Shaded, Wide Band, Pointed, Tan. An example being Torts are shown as a shaded variety, because of their shading/markings but are genetically a self with the non-extension gene.
To produce a colour, BOTH parents must carry the gene. A rabbit can never produce a colour unless it carries it. Colours can hide for many generations, so just because it's not listed on the pedigree doesn't mean that the rabbit can't carry said gene. That being said, just because it is listed on the pedigree, doesn't mean the rabbit received the gene and carries it.
Some genes are dominant, while others are recessive. The most dominant colour pattern is Agouti. Next is the Tan pattern which is slightly less dominant and then last is the Self pattern. Self can carry only self. Tan can tan and self. Agouti can carry call three. Do not be mistaken. If a self is bred to an otter, is can produce otter. This is saying that two self's cannot produce an otter. Two otters can produce a self just like two agouti's can produce tan pattern and self.
"Dominant genes are always written in capitol whereas recessive genes are always written in lowercase. Dominant genes cover up the expression of recessive genes, so it makes sense to put them in bigger, bolder letters. Since the dominant genes mask the little recessive genes, you can get colors in litters other than what the parents are, because they might both be hiding those little recessives."
"When writing genotypes for rabbits, we always go in alphabetical order. There are five groups of genes commonly used in rabbit Genotypes, called loci, and they are as follows in order of most dominant to least dominant (recessive), with some common examples of colors displaying after the hyphens:
A – Agouti locus – “A” (Agouti) or “at” (Tan Pattern, such as Otters) or “a” (Self – solid colors).
B - Brown locus – “B” (Black) or “b” (Brown also known as Chocolate).
C - Color locus - “C” (Full Color) or “cchd” (Chinchilla Dark - Chinchillas) or cchm (Chinchilla Medium, a lighter version of the Chinchilla Dark) “cchl” (Chinchilla Light – Sable Point, Smoke Pearl) or “ch” (Pointed White - Himalayan, Californian, Pointed White) or “c” (REW – Ruby Eyed White – Albino).
D- Dilute locus – “D” (Dense – will have brown eyes, colors such as Black and Chocolate) or “d” (Dilute – will have blue-gray eyes, colors such as Blue and Lilac)
E- Extension locus - “E d” (Dominant Black) or “E s” (Steel) or “E” (Normal Extension - Black) or “e j” (Japanese Brindle – Harlequin, Tricolor) or “e” (Non-Extension - Torts, Orange).
Broken Gene (Dominant) – En en – Like dwarfism, broken is a dominant trait. Only one parent needs to be a Broken to make a broken. Two solids cannot make a broken since it is not recessive. A Broken = En en, A Solid = en en, A Charlie (Overly Broken Broken) = En En – This is a broken with very little color, normally missing eyes rings and or nose markings and is called a Charlie since they resemble Charlie Chaplin." Genetic charlies can only throw broken's (even bred to a solid) and are out of two broken's. Lighter broken's that look like charlies are usually out of a solid/broken mix and can throw solids when bred to a solid.
Genetics are written A- B- C- D- E-. Some people write them as A_ B_ Etc., Either - or _ works. The dash indicates that the second gene is unknown. However, you can fill in missing pieces by knowing what colour the rabbit carries. Not all rabbits are all uppercase either. By looking at the list above that describes the letters, you can see that Agouties will be A_; Tans are at_; and Self's are a_. D is dominant (black) and d is recessive (chocolate).
I will use a previous rabbit, Gorilla, as an example for write up. He is a Solid Black Otter who carries dilute, chocolate and lilac. at_ Bb CC Dd EE
-at_: Tan gene
-Bb: B for dominant (black) and b because he carries chocolate
-CC: Because he does NOT carry White (lowercase c)
-Dd: Lowercase d because he carries dilute
-EE: Because he does NOT carry non-extension ('tort'- ee)
By knowing what a rabbit carries, not only can you then know what colours could pop up but you can also fill in the blanks for genetic and genotype write ups. If I didn't know what he carried, I would write it as at- B- C- D- E-.
Not all colours are compatible to breed together, so please do your research before hand. Pop outs can be good and bad, depending on the situation. That is why I recommend, and hope, that you notify buyers of colours the animal could/does carry before hand.
For more information, you can either download the file below or read the chart below. The writing in the quotations I took out of the writing section of the chart.
If you have any questions, or want anything explained feel free to contact me and I will help you as best as I can.
Ruby Eyed Whites: The listed write up is for what the write is genetically in the "Full Colour" section.
Note: Blue eyed Whites, Tri/Harlequin and the Wide Band gene are not listed. Tri is mentioned in the writing section, and I can explain it more to people, or point you in the direction of someone who can.
Phenotype is what you see, Genotype is the genetics. You always show a rabbit according to phenotype because it is what is seen. All colours are broken down into groups: Agouti, Self, Shaded, Wide Band, Pointed, Tan. An example being Torts are shown as a shaded variety, because of their shading/markings but are genetically a self with the non-extension gene.
To produce a colour, BOTH parents must carry the gene. A rabbit can never produce a colour unless it carries it. Colours can hide for many generations, so just because it's not listed on the pedigree doesn't mean that the rabbit can't carry said gene. That being said, just because it is listed on the pedigree, doesn't mean the rabbit received the gene and carries it.
Some genes are dominant, while others are recessive. The most dominant colour pattern is Agouti. Next is the Tan pattern which is slightly less dominant and then last is the Self pattern. Self can carry only self. Tan can tan and self. Agouti can carry call three. Do not be mistaken. If a self is bred to an otter, is can produce otter. This is saying that two self's cannot produce an otter. Two otters can produce a self just like two agouti's can produce tan pattern and self.
"Dominant genes are always written in capitol whereas recessive genes are always written in lowercase. Dominant genes cover up the expression of recessive genes, so it makes sense to put them in bigger, bolder letters. Since the dominant genes mask the little recessive genes, you can get colors in litters other than what the parents are, because they might both be hiding those little recessives."
"When writing genotypes for rabbits, we always go in alphabetical order. There are five groups of genes commonly used in rabbit Genotypes, called loci, and they are as follows in order of most dominant to least dominant (recessive), with some common examples of colors displaying after the hyphens:
A – Agouti locus – “A” (Agouti) or “at” (Tan Pattern, such as Otters) or “a” (Self – solid colors).
B - Brown locus – “B” (Black) or “b” (Brown also known as Chocolate).
C - Color locus - “C” (Full Color) or “cchd” (Chinchilla Dark - Chinchillas) or cchm (Chinchilla Medium, a lighter version of the Chinchilla Dark) “cchl” (Chinchilla Light – Sable Point, Smoke Pearl) or “ch” (Pointed White - Himalayan, Californian, Pointed White) or “c” (REW – Ruby Eyed White – Albino).
D- Dilute locus – “D” (Dense – will have brown eyes, colors such as Black and Chocolate) or “d” (Dilute – will have blue-gray eyes, colors such as Blue and Lilac)
E- Extension locus - “E d” (Dominant Black) or “E s” (Steel) or “E” (Normal Extension - Black) or “e j” (Japanese Brindle – Harlequin, Tricolor) or “e” (Non-Extension - Torts, Orange).
Broken Gene (Dominant) – En en – Like dwarfism, broken is a dominant trait. Only one parent needs to be a Broken to make a broken. Two solids cannot make a broken since it is not recessive. A Broken = En en, A Solid = en en, A Charlie (Overly Broken Broken) = En En – This is a broken with very little color, normally missing eyes rings and or nose markings and is called a Charlie since they resemble Charlie Chaplin." Genetic charlies can only throw broken's (even bred to a solid) and are out of two broken's. Lighter broken's that look like charlies are usually out of a solid/broken mix and can throw solids when bred to a solid.
Genetics are written A- B- C- D- E-. Some people write them as A_ B_ Etc., Either - or _ works. The dash indicates that the second gene is unknown. However, you can fill in missing pieces by knowing what colour the rabbit carries. Not all rabbits are all uppercase either. By looking at the list above that describes the letters, you can see that Agouties will be A_; Tans are at_; and Self's are a_. D is dominant (black) and d is recessive (chocolate).
I will use a previous rabbit, Gorilla, as an example for write up. He is a Solid Black Otter who carries dilute, chocolate and lilac. at_ Bb CC Dd EE
-at_: Tan gene
-Bb: B for dominant (black) and b because he carries chocolate
-CC: Because he does NOT carry White (lowercase c)
-Dd: Lowercase d because he carries dilute
-EE: Because he does NOT carry non-extension ('tort'- ee)
By knowing what a rabbit carries, not only can you then know what colours could pop up but you can also fill in the blanks for genetic and genotype write ups. If I didn't know what he carried, I would write it as at- B- C- D- E-.
Not all colours are compatible to breed together, so please do your research before hand. Pop outs can be good and bad, depending on the situation. That is why I recommend, and hope, that you notify buyers of colours the animal could/does carry before hand.
For more information, you can either download the file below or read the chart below. The writing in the quotations I took out of the writing section of the chart.
If you have any questions, or want anything explained feel free to contact me and I will help you as best as I can.
Ruby Eyed Whites: The listed write up is for what the write is genetically in the "Full Colour" section.
Note: Blue eyed Whites, Tri/Harlequin and the Wide Band gene are not listed. Tri is mentioned in the writing section, and I can explain it more to people, or point you in the direction of someone who can.
genotype_chart.docx | |
File Size: | 34 kb |
File Type: | docx |
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