In many cases, whether an organism is homozygous or heterozygous will only affect its physical characteristics, like hair length or eye color. If each gene in the pair is different, it is said to be “heterozygous.” If both alleles for a gene are the same, the organism (in this case, the rabbit) is said to be “homozygous” for that gene. The combination of alleles that your bunny has is responsible for the colors that you see in your rabbit. In this article we will also refer to alleles. For the average rabbit owner, having your bunny genetically tested is probably a little over the top, unless you plan to breed with a very specific result in mind. While certain phenotypes suggest an underlying genotype, the only way to really know the genotype of your bunny is to have it tested. What you actually see, or the appearance of your rabbit, is called the “phenotype.” The combination of genes any organism carries is known as its “genotype.” The genotype determines the characteristics your bunny will display. We don’t need to get too complicated, however. To understand how there has come to be such a wide variety of rabbit colors, we need to understand a little bit about genetics. The name given to the ring color depends on how many color bands there are down the shaft of the hair, and the patterns these bands follow. This is the color or colors you see when you part the fur. Sometimes breeders will talk about the “ring color” of the rabbit. BEW (Blue Eyed White) – Similar to the bunnies mentioned above, these rabbits are all white, but they have blue eyes.They are white all over and have red/pink eyes. REW (Red Eyed White) – These rabbits are sometimes referred to as “albino.” No color pigment at all can be found in their fur.Himalayan – This refers to rabbits with color at the points only.If your rabbit’s color is described as having “points,” these tips will be darker than the fur on the rest of the body, like a Siamese cat. Points – The “points” on the rabbit refer to the extremities, such as the ear tips, nose and feet.Tortoise – This refers to a mixture of orange or fawn and black in the coat.Broken – This refers to a rabbit with patches of color on its coat.This creates an interesting effect when the hair passes over bulges, such as at the shoulders of the rabbit, making the bunny look textured. Chinchilla – This coloring is lighter toward the base of the hair and darker at the tips.Over the years, not only have rabbit breeders been able to create many different color variations, but they have also bred bunnies with different hair lengths and textures.įrom black and white to steely blue colored bunnies, from velvety soft Rex rabbits to scruffy Lionheads, let’s take a moment to have a look at some of the different rabbit colors you can choose from when selecting a pet.Īs a guide, here are some common terms that relate to rabbit colors, and what they mean. This color laid the foundation for developing many fascinating color variations. You may have seen wild rabbits before, which have a flecked, fawn colored coat. Rabbits come in a huge variety of colors. Whatever your preferences are, let’s have a closer look at rabbit colors – including some information about the genetics behind different rabbit coat colors. Perhaps you are a fan of rabbits with splotches and patches of color, or maybe you like a more classic looking bunny, one that is white all over, for instance. Welcome to our complete guide to rabbit colors!Īre you thinking about getting a pet rabbit? You might be interested to know what bunny colors are out there.
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