Rabbit Color Calculator
Predict your kits' coat colors from the sire's and dam's genotypes across the 5 main rabbit color loci — A (agouti), B (black/brown), C (color), D (dense/dilute), E (extension). Plus a 39-color library, reverse genotype lookup, and allele glossary.
Predict kit colors from two parents
Pick each parent's genotype per locus (or Unknown — treated as equally likely to carry any allele at that locus). Probabilities are exact fractions from per-locus Punnett squares combined across loci.
Standard color library (39 colors)
Typical genotype shown per color — "_" means any second allele with the same top (dominant) allele. Full possibilities: see the reverse lookup tab.
Amber
A_ bb C_ D_ E_Agouti full-color chocolate ("chestnut" for black).
Black
aa B_ C_ D_ E_Self solid black.
Black otter
at_ B_ C_ D_ E_Tan/otter pattern: solid black back, tan belly & markings.
Black steel
A_ B_ C_ D_ Es_Steel: Es extends dark pigment, light guard-hair tips. Only visible on the agouti pattern.
Black tort
aa B_ C_ D_ eeTortoise: non-extension on self — black shading at the points.
Blue
aa B_ C_ dd E_Self solid blue.
Blue otter
at_ B_ C_ dd E_Tan/otter pattern: solid blue back, tan belly & markings.
Blue steel
A_ B_ C_ dd Es_Steel: Es extends dark pigment, light guard-hair tips. Only visible on the agouti pattern.
Blue tort
aa B_ C_ dd eeTortoise: non-extension on self — blue shading at the points.
Chestnut
A_ B_ C_ D_ E_Agouti full-color black ("chestnut" for black).
Chinchilla
A_ B_ cchd_ D_ E_Chinchilla: yellow/red removed, full black base.
Chocolate
aa bb C_ D_ E_Self solid chocolate.
Chocolate chinchilla
A_ bb cchd_ D_ E_Chinchilla: yellow/red removed, full chocolate base.
Chocolate otter
at_ bb C_ D_ E_Tan/otter pattern: solid chocolate back, tan belly & markings.
Chocolate steel
A_ bb C_ D_ Es_Steel: Es extends dark pigment, light guard-hair tips. Only visible on the agouti pattern.
Chocolate tort
aa bb C_ D_ eeTortoise: non-extension on self — chocolate shading at the points.
Cream
A_ B_ C_ dd eeNon-extension dilute: blue pucat krem.
Dominant black
A_ B_ C_ D_ Ed_Ed covers the agouti pattern: looks intense black. The Ed allele is rare; most black rabbits are normal selfs (aa B_ E_).
Harlequin
A_ B_ C_ D_ ej_Japanese brindling: patches of black and orange/yellow on separate hairs. Full pattern needs agouti (A_); on self it looks like faded brindle.
Lilac
aa bb C_ dd E_Self solid lilac.
Lilac chinchilla
A_ bb cchd_ dd E_Chinchilla: yellow/red removed, full lilac base.
Lilac otter
at_ bb C_ dd E_Tan/otter pattern: solid lilac back, tan belly & markings.
Lilac steel
A_ bb C_ dd Es_Steel: Es extends dark pigment, light guard-hair tips. Only visible on the agouti pattern.
Lilac tort
aa bb C_ dd eeTortoise: non-extension on self — lilac shading at the points.
Lynx
A_ bb C_ dd E_Agouti full-color lilac ("chestnut" for black).
Magpie
A_ B_ cchd_ D_ ej_Harlequin + chinchilla (yellow removed): white + black brindling.
Opal
A_ B_ C_ dd E_Agouti full-color blue ("chestnut" for black).
Pointed white (Himalayan)
A_ B_ ch_ D_ E_White with black points on nose, ears, feet, tail (Californian type).
Red
A_ B_ C_ D_ eeNon-extension: pigmen gelap hilang, tersisa merah/oranye/fawn.
Red (tan)
at_ B_ C_ D_ eeNon-extension on tan pattern: red with tan markings.
Ruby-eyed white (REW)
A_ B_ cc D_ E_Albino: cc covers all other loci. A/B/D/E genotypes not visible.
Sable
aa B_ cchl_ D_ E_Shaded group (seal/siamese sable): black with dark shading.
Self black (chinchilla)
a_ B_ cchd_ D_ E_Chinchilla on self: looks dark solid with a silvery effect.
Self blue (chinchilla)
a_ B_ cchd_ dd E_Chinchilla on self: looks dark solid with a silvery effect.
Self chocolate (chinchilla)
a_ bb cchd_ D_ E_Chinchilla on self: looks dark solid with a silvery effect.
Self lilac (chinchilla)
a_ bb cchd_ dd E_Chinchilla on self: looks dark solid with a silvery effect.
Shaded sable (agouti)
A_ B_ cchl_ D_ E_Shaded on agouti pattern: lightened black + shading.
Shaded sable (tan)
at_ B_ cchl_ D_ E_Shaded on tan pattern: lightened black + shading.
Squirrel
A_ B_ cchd_ dd E_Chinchilla: yellow/red removed, full blue base.
What genotypes can produce this color?
Pick a phenotype — every genotype combination (across all 5 loci) that produces it, enumerated from the same engine as the predictor.
Allele glossary — the 5 loci
Alleles ordered from most dominant (top of the ladder) to most recessive. Hierarchies spot-checked against rabbit genetics references (Oregon State Extension, TAMUK, BMC Genomic Data).
Locus A — Agouti locus
Base coat pattern: agouti (banded), tan/otter, or self (solid).
A — Agouti — banded hair (color rings), wild/"chestnut" pattern. Most dominant at the A locus.
at — Tan — tan/otter pattern: tan belly, eye circles & ears, solid back.
a — Self — solid one color, no agouti/tan markings. Most recessive at the A locus.
Locus B — Black/brown locus
Base pigment: black (B) or brown/chocolate (b).
B — Black — black base pigment (or blue if dilute). Dominant over b.
b — Brown/chocolate — brown base pigment (or lilac if dilute). Recessive.
Locus C — Color locus
Color expression: full color, chinchilla, shaded/sable, pointed (himalayan), or albino/REW.
C — Full color — full color, yellow/red fully expressed. Dominant over all C alleles.
cchd — Chinchilla dark — yellow/red removed, base color stays full (chinchilla, squirrel).
cchl — Chinchilla light / shaded — lightened base color + shading (sable, seal, sable point).
ch — Himalayan/pointed — color only at the cold points: nose, ears, feet, tail (Californian).
c — Albino — all color lost: white with red eyes (REW). Covers ALL other loci (epistasis).
Locus D — Dense/dilute locus
Pigment density: dense (full) or dilute (diluted: black->blue, brown->lilac).
D — Dense — full pigment in each hair shaft. Dominant over d.
d — Dilute — pigmen encer: hitam->biru (blue), cokelat->lilac. Resesif.
Locus E — Extension locus
Pigment extension: dominant black (Ed, rare), steel (Es), normal (E), harlequin (ej), non-extension (e).
Ed — Dominant black — intense dominant black, covering the agouti pattern. RARE in the population.
Es — Steel — dark pigment extended, light hair tips; only visible on agouti (A_).
E — Normal extension — normal pigment extension. The "default" allele of most rabbits.
ej — Japanese/harlequin — dark & yellow pigment separated onto different hairs (harlequin, magpie, tricolor).
e — Non-extension — dark pigment not extended: red/orange/fawn (agouti) or tort (self).
Frequently asked questions
What does the A locus control in rabbits?
The A (agouti) locus sets the base hair pattern. Dominance order: A (agouti, banded hairs) > at (tan/otter pattern) > a (self, solid color). A rabbit showing agouti (A_) cannot carry tan or self invisibly — the dominant allele is always the one you see.
What are the 5 alleles of the C (color) locus?
From most dominant to most recessive: C (full color) > cchd (chinchilla dark) > cchl (chinchilla light/shaded, e.g. sable) > ch (himalayan/pointed) > c (albino, REW). Each step down removes more color from the coat.
If both parents carry the albino gene (Cc x Cc), what percentage of kits will be REW?
Albino (c) is recessive, so only cc kits are ruby-eyed white: 25.00% (1/4) of the litter on average. The other 75.00% are colored but half of them silently carry c.
Two chestnut rabbits, both heterozygous at all 5 loci (AaBbCcDdEe x AaBbCcDdEe) — what share of kits are chestnut?
Each locus independently gives a 3/4 chance of the dominant phenotype, so (3/4)^5 = 243/1024 (23.73%) of kits are expected to be chestnut. About 1/4 (25.00%) are expected to be ruby-eyed white (REW).
What genotype makes a blue rabbit?
Blue is black pigment diluted: aa (self) B_ (black-based) C_ (full color) dd (dilute) E_ (normal extension). In shorthand: aa B_ C_ dd E_.
How do you get a lilac rabbit?
Lilac needs chocolate pigment plus dilution: aa (self) bb (chocolate) C_ (full color) dd (dilute) E_ — shorthand aa bb C_ dd E_. It is the rarest of the four self base colors because it needs two recessive pairs (bb and dd) at once.
What is the steel gene (Es) and why is it invisible on self rabbits?
Es (steel) extends dark pigment up the hair shaft, leaving light tips on the guard hairs. It only shows on the agouti pattern (A_) — on a self rabbit (aa) there is no banding for it to modify, so an aa Es_ rabbit simply looks like a normal self.
What is the difference between harlequin and magpie?
Both come from the ej (Japanese/harlequin) allele: ejej or eje. Harlequin shows patches of dark color and orange/yellow; add the chinchilla allele (cchd_), which removes yellow, and the yellow patches become white — that is magpie.
What does the non-extension gene (ee) do?
Two copies of e stop dark pigment from extending up the hair shaft. On agouti (A_) the black vanishes and you get red/orange/fawn (cream if dilute); on self (aa) you get tortoise — e.g. black tort, blue tort — shaded darker on the points.
What is the dominance order at the E (extension) locus?
Ed (dominant black) > Es (steel) > E (normal extension) > ej (harlequin) > e (non-extension). Ed is the most dominant but rare in most populations — assume a solid black rabbit is a normal self (aa B_ E_) unless proven otherwise.
Why can two colored rabbits produce REW kits, or a REW produce colored kits?
Because cc (albino) masks every other locus: a REW rabbit can silently carry any A/B/D/E alleles underneath. Two colored Cc carriers average 25.00% (1/4) REW kits, and a REW bred to a colored rabbit can throw fully colored kits.
What does this calculator simplify or leave out?
It models the 5 major loci with independent assortment and exact Punnett math. It does NOT model modifier genes (rufus red intensity, wideband, broken En, Vienna white, Dutch, silvering), linkage between loci, or polygenic traits. Treat results as the Mendelian expectation — real litters vary.
Free tool by NRTechStudio