Basic Rabbit Colors
B-Series: Black or Brown

Black-Based Colors (B_)
|
Brown-Based Colors (bb)
|
D-Series: Dense or Dilute
Dense Colors (D_)
|
Dilute Colors (dd)
|
A-Series: Agouti, Tan or Self
Tan(at) is recessive to agouti, but dominant to self. Tan rabbits will have a white to cream belly, eye circles, and inner ears, just like agouti, but instead of having banded hairs over the rest of their body, each hair will be one color from root to tip (determined by the B- and D-series). They usually have a line of cream to rust between the colored area and white/cream areas. Some rufus modifiers may extend the rust completely through the white/cream areas, such as with the Tan breed.
Agouti Colors (A_)
|
Tan Colors (at_)
|
Self Colors (aa)
|
E-Series: Normal, Steel, Harlequin, non-extension
Steel (Es_) is the most dominant gene. It is incompletely dominant to normal coloration. On agouti rabbits, a single copy of the steel gene pulls the tip color down the shaft, and leaves the tip of the hair silver to orange. Two copies of the steel gene make a rabbit look like a self. Also, there is no apparent effect of the steel gene on a true self (aa) rabbit.
Japanese (ej) is recessive to normal, but dominant to self. It is responsible for the Harlequins and Tricolor. Essentially, it makes the hairs grow in patches of cream-to-red and the B-/D-series color, creating a checkboard, brindle or patchwork effect.
Normal Colors (E_)
|
Non-Extension (ee)
|
Steels (EsE)All gold-tipped and silver-tipped steels
Japanese (ej_)
|
C-Series: Full Color, Chinchillas, Shaded, Pointed, White
Chinchilla (cchd) is recessive to normal coloration, but dominant to all other C-series genes. The Chinchilla gene turns any yellow (cream to rust) pigments white.
Shaded (cchl) is recessive to normal and chinchilla genes, but incompletely dominant to the other C-series genes. Rabbits which have two copies of the shaded gene will be darker and more evenly colored than rabbits with only one copy of the shaded gene. The shaded gene lightens up the rabbit's color over their back, turning it to a white-cream to sepia brown (depending on whether they have one or two copies and other genes), that shades into a darker color on their flanks, belly and extremities. The color is temperature sensitive, so they will appear lighter-colored during warm seasons, and darker during cold seasons.
Himalayan/Californian/Pointed (ch) is only dominant to white. Some suggest that it is incompletely dominant because pointed rabbits which carry white often have lighter markings. The ch gene makes the rabbit's eyes ruby red (pink iris, red pupil, as with albinos), and turns the body white, leaving color only on the extremities (ears, nose, tail, feet). The color is temperature sensitive, so will be lighter during the summer, and darker during the winter. It is not uncommon for does to end up with spots on their dewlaps and hips from pulling fur, especially during winter. Pointed rabbits will also frequently get eyebrows during winter.
Normal Colors (C_)
|
Chinchilla Colors (chd_)
Shaded (chl/chl)
Shaded (chl_)
|
ch_Californian/Himalayan, sometimes called Points or Pointed Whites (red-eyed)
ccALWAYS Red-Eyed White (REW)
|