These are all sables (genotype of sable marten, but sable-based colors all work the same way). Notice that on NONE of them is the body color black. And on young ones, what will later turn a sepia brown is frosted colored. Silvery frosty tips. Very young ones appear almost dilute, but they don’t look QUITE right for blues. Many people mistake young sables for lilacs or weird blues.
Sables go through incredible coat color changes! This is a hallmark of sable based colors. If they don't go through similar transitions, it's not a sable! You might instead have a seal or a self chinchilla. More on that in the genetics section!
Sable-based colors include sable (AKA Siamese Sable), sable marten, sable chinchilla, smoke pearl, smoke pearl marten, smoke pearl chinchilla, and more. Bear in mind that some sable-based colors don't have enough color or are altered enough by other gene influences that you might not notice these transitions! Sable frosted pearl, for example, might have so little sable color that you just can't see the transition. Lilac sable will be so light in color already that you might miss the frosted out stage.
Sable Color Progression
Just look at the absolutely incredible color changes here! These are all the same rabbit!
4 days old
5 weeks old, next to his sire
14 weeks old
Sable Color Genetics
Genetically, all sables have one copy of the shaded (cchl) gene version and one copy of something more "recessive" than shaded. If you need a refresher on genetic terms, we have a great article here! Pointed white (ch), AKA Himalayan or Californian, is one such more recessive gene version. Ruby Eyed White (c), AKA REW or albino is another. So sable-based colors are all either cchlch or cchlc.
But what if they have two copies of the shaded gene version? Those are seal-based! Any rabbit that is cchlcchl is a seal-based color and will not go through these dramatic changes. In this case unless you know the genotype by parents or by offspring, it can be very difficult to tell some seal-based colors from sable-based colors. Again, amount of visible color makes a difference in what you can watch! If you see the weird frosted out stage, or they go from light to darker or dilute-looking to more brown, it is probably sable-based instead of seal-based.
We also mentioned self chinchillas above. What are those? Those are rabbits that will look quite a bit like a normal self (black, blue, chocolate, or lilac). However, they may have a bit lower quality color (not quite as intense). Black and chocolate self chinchillas may have blue-grey or marbled eyes. Those are two indications your rabbit might be a self chinchilla instead of a regular self. However, a lower quality black, for example, might just be a lower quality black! Test breeding or knowing that both parents could not produce a true black would tell you for certain.
More Sable Color Variation Examples
Add comment
Comments