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Standard Grey Standard is the natural color of the chinchilla. Standards come in dark to light shades of grey and they have a blueish hue to the coat. The belly should be a crisp shade of white. Any color that is not standard is known as a mutation. Standard chinchillas are thought to have the best genetics of all the color varieties. A good standard is the foundation of any good breeding program.
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Black Velvet A black velvet chinchilla has a dark veiling of black over the top of the body with a crisp white belly. This color variety carries the Touch of Velvet gene. The TOV gene means that the animal has a dark veiling over the top and a lighter underbelly. A black velvet is also known as a TOV standard. This color is dominate and is often visible in the offspring. Touch of Velvet can not exist in a homozygous state; meaning a homozygous TOV is a lethal gene. Breeders should take care never to breed two animals that carry this gene.
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Ebony An ebony chinchilla can come in different shades of black; from solid black to light greyish-black. A heterozygous ebony carries one ebony gene and they can be light to medium black. The belly is dark and should not have any white on it. A homozygous ebony carries two ebony genes and is often dark to extra dark ebony. Ebony is a dominate color so only one parent needs to carry the ebony gene for it to show up in the kits. Ebony can also carry the TOV gene.
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Beige A beige chinchilla is cream to light tan in color with a white belly. Like ebonies, beige can come in both hetero- and homozygous states. Most beige are cream to light tan in color and have a crisp white belly. Some will have speckles on their ears. Hetero beiges carry one beige gene and are darker and more brownish in color with dark ruby eyes. A homo beige carries two beige genes and is more cream in color with bright red eyes. Beige is also a dominate color.
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Brown Velvet A brown velvet chinchilla is a cross between a black velvet and a beige. The brown velvet has the TOV gene that makes the top of the chinchilla dark brown while the belly is lighter in color. The beige gene brings a brown color to the coat and gives the brown velvet red or ruby colored eyes.
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Tan & Chocolate A tan chinchilla is a solid color. It can be light cream to dark chocolate in color depending on how strong and dark the ebony gene is. A tan chinchilla is formed by crossing an ebony and a beige (a tan will carry both an ebony and a beige gene). The ebony gene makes the body a solid color and determines the the shade of tan. Beige genes cause the coat to become lighter. A chocolate chin is just a dark shade of tan. Tans carry the gene for red eyes like the beige. Tans can also come in hetero- and homozygous states.
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Wilson White A Wilson white is the dominate white gene. A Wilson white is also referred to as the Predominately white. The body should be have solid white coat with dark ears and black eyes. No color is permitted in the coat. The best way to produce more Wilson whites is to breed it to a standard. White chins cannot exist in the homozygous state (lethal gene) like the TOV.
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Mosaic A mosaic chinchilla is white with grey, silver, or another coloring in the fur. A mosaic can have a pattern, have tipping in the fur, or have spots. A typical mosaic is a standard and white cross (known as a white mosaic). Mosaics can be formed by crossing white with almost any other color of chinchilla also. Mosaics carry one white gene, along with another gene. This can be standard, ebony, beige, TOV, violet, or about any others.
*See the violet mosaic image in the Violet section to see a violet mosaic. |
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Pink-White A pink-white chinchilla carries the beige and white genes. This chinchilla looks albino, but is not. The beige gene gives this chin pink skin on the ears, feet, and nose. Pink-whites will have dark ruby to bright red eyes. Pink whites can have speckles on the ears and cream patches on the coat; this is sometimes known as a pink-white mosaic. Pink-whites can be hetero- or homozygous for the beige gene.
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Violet Violets are a recessive gene. To get a violet, you must have two violet genes. Two violets or a violet and a violet carrier (VC) can produce a violet kit. About any other color can be a violet carrier. A violet can also carry other genes, such as ebony, TOV, or white. An ebony violet is known as solid violet, an ebony violet, or a violet wrap. A white violet or a violet mosaic is a violet chin carrying the white gene. Violets also come in ultra violet (a cross between violet and black velvet VC) and a few other variations.
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Sapphire & Royal Blue Sapphire chinchillas are a new color and are still being improved upon. Sapphire chinchillas are a recessive color like violet and they have no black tipping in the fur. The sapphire is more blue/silver in color, not smokey grey like the violet. A sapphire and black velvet (must be a sapphire carrier) will produce a royal blue. It should have a dark veiling of blue instead of black.
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Goldbar The goldbar is one of the rarest color mutations of chinchillas. The goldbar has a "golden" hue to the coat with a white belly. The eyes are a rudy red, however they are not color related to beige. The first one was born to a standard pair in 1995.
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