D-Locus Rabbit Colors

‘D’ stands for dense color. ‘D’ is completely dominant.
‘d’ stands for dilute. ‘d’ is completely recessive.

There has been just one mutation at the D-locus. A defect occurred in the production of a protein essential to carrying pigment molecules to their permanent homes as the fetus develops. Therefore, in 'dd' dilute rabbits, only a partial load of pigment is put into place over the body of the little fetus. This results in:

• An obvious decrease in the intensity of color. Black becomes blue. Chocolate becomes lilac.
  
  The rabbit pictured is a blue American rabbit.

• The dilution occurs in eye coloration as well. Dark brown eyes are gray-blue. The ruby-casted brown eyes in chocolates become ruby-casted gray-blue eyes.
  
  
• It’s not like dumping a can of white paint into the black paint and ending up with gray paint. The mutation does not change the chemical construction of the pigment itself, only the effectiveness of its transport. The number of molecules that end up actually containing that pigment is reduced, therefore the rabbit’s color ends up looking faded, which is actually quite nice.

• Black-based and chocolate-based rabbits carry either DD or Dd at the D-locus.

• With a double ‘dd,’ the black becomes grayish-blue, known as blue.

  The rabbit pictured is a self lilac mini rex rabbit.

• With a double ‘dd,’ chocolate-becomes becomes pinkish-dove-gray, known as lilac.

  
  
  

• Black otters become blue otters.

  The rabbits pictured here are Otter Rex Rabbit siblings. The Black Otter is 'D_;' the Blue Otter is 'dd' or in full: at_BBCCddEE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Chestnut agoutis, also called black agoutis (such as castor in Rex) become blue agoutis, sometimes called opals
  
  Pictured is a chestnut agouti rabbit, called 'castor' in the Rex breed. Chestnut agoutis carry full density, or 'D_'
  
  
  
  
• Chocolate agoutis (Amber - see "Maurice" above) become lilac agoutis (lynx)

You can clearly see the gray-blue eyes of this broken blue otter rex rabbit.

Is your Lynx Rabbit a Lilac Agouti
or a Smutty Fawn?

But unfortunately, in some USA breed standards, including the Rex rabbit, the smutty fawn rabbit more closely matches the lynx description, than does the lilac agouti rabbit.

• A lilac agouti (lynx) is: A_bbC_ddE_
  
  This is an agouti animal with lilac tipping over a rich fawn middle ring. This animal also has a slate blue undercolor, even on the belly as does every agouti animal with full extension (E_) of color. (Note that the Rex standard for 'lynx' disqualifies a slate blue undercolor...oops!)
  
  
• A smutty fawn (bred to match the lynx phenotype) is: A_B_C_ddee + smut modifiers - may be lilac-based, but most likely is blue-based.
  
  This is a blue agouti animal with the double-recessive non-extension 'ee' genes, that wipe out all the blue on an otherwise agouti animal. The non-extension 'ee' also eliminates the slate blue undercolor, leaving just white on the belly (matching the standard). Yet just as in self-non-extension torts which have a considerable amount of remaining black smut, smutty blue fawns in the USA have been bred over years to allow modifiers that permit a dusting of blue smut over the entire colored portion of the rabbit.

  And yes -- they look almost exactly like a lilac agouti ... until you blow into that belly and find nuthin' but white.

Right now, the term 'lynx' is really a phenotype description toward which there are two genetic paths (more or less). Breeders are successfully showing both of these genotypes.

You need to know which of your lynx rabbits is which, so that your breeding program will go in the direction you intend it to go.

To determine the genotype, take a look at the pedigree. If you see black-based animals such as:

• chestnut agouti (castor)
• opal
• black
• red
• fawn

If the pedigree contains chocolate based animals such as:

• chocolate agouti (amber)
• chocolate
• lilac

But test-breeding will tell you the real truth about D-locus rabbit colors and which type of lynx you have. If you breed to a chocolate or a chocolate agouti and get NO chocolate-based rabbits, the likelihood spikes that the animal in question is a blue-based smutty fawn.

Here are some other links you may enjoy:

• World of Raising Rabbits

• Pet Rabbits

• Homemade Pet Food

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