Rabbit Genetics

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This thread aims to serve as a visual guide to rabbit genetics! How each gene plays a roll in a rabbit's appearance is explained here. If you're unfamiliar with how genetics operate in general, check out our Genetics 101 guide.

Please note that all novel mutations are marked with a *.

Important Terms
Eumelanin - Black based pigment
Phaeomelanin - Red based pigment
Colour - The type of eumelanin or phaeomelanin the rabbit is
Pattern - How the eumelanin and/or phaeomelanin is arranged.




Navigation

B & D Loci
A Locus
E Locus
C Locus
Du, V & En Loci
W Locus
Si Locus
P Locus
Structural Loci
Novel Mutations

 

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The B and D loci determine the colour of all of the eumelanin a rabbit has. Even if no eumelanin is visible on a rabbit they still have the genes to create one of these colours. This loci also play a role in determining the eye colour of the rabbit. Black and chocolate rabbits have brown based eyes, blue and lilac rabbits have grey based eyes. These two loci work closely together. If both loci have their most recessive genes the rabbit will be lilac.

Genes

B Loci
B - Black
b - Chocolate

D Loci
D - Black
d - Blue







If a rabbit is bb the eumelanin in the coat become chocolate. This can range from a deep shade to a washed out one. Some chocolates tend to have slightly lighter eyes than black based rabbits. If dd is also present the rabbit becomes lilac.






If a rabbit is dd the eumelanin in the coat becomes blue. Blue based rabbits have grey eyes. If bb is also present the rabbit becomes lilac.

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The A locus determines the base pattern of a rabbit. There are three different genes on this locus and all are completely dominant.
Genes
A - Agouti
at - Otter
a - Solid







Agouti causes eumelanin banded hairs on a phaeomelanin background, with phaeomelanin markings inside the ears, along the belly, around the eyes and nose, and sometimes around the neck feet, and chest. Agouti can vary from very heavy to very light.







Otter causes a eumelanin coloured rabbit with phaeomelanin coloured markings inside the ears, around the eyes and nose, on the belly, and feet. Markings can also appear on the chest, tail and on the back of the neck.






Solid, or self, causes a eumelanin coloured rabbit. Without additional genes there are no additional markings.

 

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The E locus determines how much phaeomelanin is visible on a rabbit. Phaeomelanin is the red toned pigment. It is important to remember that all rabbits have genes for eumelanin and phaeomelanin. The E locus closely interacts with the C locus.

Genes
Ed - Super Extension
Es - Steel
E - Normal Extension
ej - Harlequin
e - Non-Extension






Ed and E can appear completely identical in many situations. Ed will completely, or nearly completely mask the phaeomelanin in a rabbit's coat. E does not impact either eumelanin or phaeomelanin.

Es causes the base of the eumelanin hair to become solid and the tip to become phaeomelanin. This pattern is most obvious over aa bases.

ej causes a rabbit to have random patches of eumelanin and phaeomelanin. This patches can appear as band, lose ticking and everything inbetween. The pattern appears most clearly over aa bases.

ee prevents the full expression of eumelanin in the coat, leaving an entirely or partially phaeomelanin coloured rabbit. This colour is also often called recessive red.

 

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The E locus determines how much phaeomelanin is visible on a rabbit. Phaeomelanin is the red toned pigment. It is important to remember that all rabbits have genes for eumelanin and phaeomelanin. The E and A loci closely interact with the C locus.

Genes
C - Full colour
cchd - Chinchilla
cchl - Sable
ch - Himilayan
c - Albino






C is completely dominant and has no impact on the appearance of the rabbit.

cchd is also completely dominant it removes most red pigment, leaving a creamy or pearly cast to formerly red areas. It is responsible for creating chinchilla, magpie and marten pattern.

cchl is incompletely dominant with ch and c. cchl on it own creates a pointed pattern with a creamy coat. cchl with ch or c creates a pointed pattern with a white or pearly coat.

ch creates a pointed pattern on a white coat and also removes all pigment from the eyes.

c removes all pigment from the coat and eyes entirely, creating a white rabbit with red eyes. c functions over all other patterns.

 

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The Du, V and En loci all cause various white spotting patterns. White spotting is the complete absence of all pigments and layers on top of all other patterns. It is important to remember than the original pattern 'remains' underneath the white. Du, V and En all do similar but slightly different things and can all interact on the same rabbit.


Genes

Du Locus
Du - Not dutch
Dudu - White marked
du - Dutch

V Locus
V - Not vienna
Vv - Vienna marked
vv - Blue eyed white

En Locus
EnEn - Charlie
Enen - Broken
Enew - Broken white eared
enw- - White eared
enen - Not white marked






Dutch is incompletely dominant. Dudu rabbits can appear to have anything from no white markings to standard dutch type markings. Most Dudu rabbits have a blaze and white feet. dudu rabbits have a wide blaze and feature a coloured band on their hindquarters.






Vienna is incompletely dominant. Vv rabbits may not exhibit any markings at all or may have markings up to Dutch amounts. Vv rabbits may also have blue eyes or heterochromia. vv rabbits are always completely white with blue eyes.



English is incompletely dominant. EnEn rabbits are 90-100% white, with colour clinging to the ears, around the eyes, muzzle and along the spine. Enen rabbits have 10-90% white. En creates uneven white patterning, unlike Vienna or Dutch. It can cause small and large patches of colour. ew causes completely white ears. En and ew can interact together creating a white eared rabbit with 10-90% white. enen have no broken white markings.

 

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The W removes the middle bands of eumelanin on the hair shaft. This leads to larger and deeper looking phaeomelanin portions of the rabbits coat.


Genes
W - Normal
w - Wideband






ww has minor interactions with most patterns, but very obvious interactions with at and solid red rabbits. Solid red rabbits become deeper and more intense looking, and with less lightening on their undersides. Otter patterned rabbits have larger phaeomelanin areas and are then referred to as 'Tan' as opposed to otter.

 

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The Si locus determines if a rabbit shows silvering. Silvering causes tips of the hair, and in some cases nearly the entire hair, to lighten to white. Si can be somewhat incompletely dominant, with some Sisi rabbits showing a few stray white hairs. Si acts on both eumelanin and phaeomelanin. sisi rabbit can show either partial, light silvering or fully, heavy silvering.


Genes
Si - Normal
si - Silvered

 

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The P locus causes the coat to be unable to express eumelanin based pigments. It also causes pink eyes.

Genes
P - Normal
p - Lutino






Lutinos always appear to be red to cream, but they will still display whatever pattern they have. The sole exception to this is when lutino and Ed interact.

 

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Some loci change more than just the colour and pattern of a rabbit. These loci create physical changes.









Genes
F - Upright ears
f - Lop ears

Lops have ears that hang down instead of standing upright. True lops have fully hanging ears, those in some cases physical damage to an ear can also cause it to hang.



Dwarfism



Genes
Dwdw - Dwarf
dwdw - Not dwarf


Dw is a dominant gene that causes dwarfism. Dwarfism creates rabbits that are significantly smaller and stockier than full sized rabbits. Homozygous dwarfism is lethal.

 

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Genes in this post are all novel genes that are currently restricted. You may request customs, semi-customs and pick-one-things with one of these genes, but not more. The mechanisms of these genes may or may not be known.



Structural



ml - Megalop

A recessive mutation that causes extra long lop ears.


ar - Astrex Rex

A recessive mutation causes a full, curly coat.



Colour



pe - Peach

A recessive mutation appears to cause a peach colour on phaeomelanin.


??? - True Blue

Mutation appears to cause a bright true blue colour.


??? - Cinnamon

Mutation appears to cause a warm cinnamon colour.



Pattern


Ge - Green Eyes

A dominant mutation that causes a green eye colour.


??? - Tabby

Mutation appears to create a tabby pattern on the coat.


??? - Purple Eyes

Mutation appears to cause a purple eye colour.


??? - Bright Eyes

Mutation appears to lighten and brighten eye colour.


??? - Merle

Appears to cause patchy dilution of eumelanin.

 

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Every now and then totally new genes can crop up in the rabbit population. Genes that are brand new and have unknown interactions appear in this post until more is known about them. Please note that while genes remain listed in this post they are not considered to be generally available.



Structural


??? - Half Lop

Mutation appears to cause one upright ear and one lop ear.


??? - Tusks

Mutation appears to cause the growth of small tusks.


??? - Mane

Mutation appears to cause the growth of extra hair on the head and around the neck.


??? - Long Tail

Mutation appears to cause a long tail.




Colour



??? - Red Eyed

Mutation appears to cause eumelanin coloured coat and strips all pigment from eyes.


??? - Orchid

Mutation appears to cause an orchid colour on eumelanin in coat.


??? - Midnight
Mutation appears to cause a midnight blue colour on the coat.


??? - Sky Blue
Mutation appears to cause a sky blue colour on the coat.


??? - Indigo
Mutation appears to cause an indigo colour on the coat.


??? - Fawn
Mutation appears to cause a warm fawn colour on the coat.



Pattern



??? - Inversion

Mutation appears to cause an inversion of white markings.



??? - Moonspots

Mutation appears to cause random, rounded lightening of pigment.


??? - Retto

Mutation appears to cause an inverted otter pattern.



??? - Brindle

Mutation appears to cause eumelanin stripes over a phaeomelanin base.