Fun Facts to Know and Share About DQs: Part II Colours

This article is in 2 parts because it's kind of long. The General/Ailments/Structural DQ section is in Part I.

The sections on eye and toenail colours from Part I are repeated here because they are connected to colours in general.

• Eyes(*) Any eye colour other than the one called for in the standard is grounds for a DQ.
  DQs also include marbled (unless expressly allowed in your breed), mismatched, two or more distinct pigments in one eye.

• Toenails(*) ALL toenails must be present AND their colour must match the the colour of the feet.
  Mismatched toenails on any one foot are a DQ, as are toenails that do not match on corresponding (i.e. both front or both back) feet. White toenails are a DQ in ALL coloured rabbits - including Californian and Himalayan colours. Coloured toenails are a DQ in white rabbits. Broken colours should have toenails that match the colour of the toe.

In most breeds, colour only forms a small part of the overall points for the breed, but perhaps because it is so obvious, it gets a fair bit of attention. It's also one of the best understood aspects of the rabbit, genetically speaking (not including “modifiers”, which are basically genes that affect the colour that we have not yet identified).

Each breed has specific colours (often grouped into Varieties) that are described in the Standard of Perfection. These are the ONLY colours that are showable.

One way in which colour DQs are different from other kinds of DQs is that even though they are (usually) permanent AND they are almost always genetic, they may still be useful or even valuable in a breeding program. A prime example is broken colours such as tris and especially those breeds such as English Spots, Checkered Giants, Rhinelanders, and others. Because of the genetics of broken patterns, breeding brokens to other brokens only, can result in a degradation of the pattern. There is also a connection between “Charlies” (i.e. brokens who have BOTH broken genes EnEn) and a condition called Megacolon. Megacolon is a condition where the small intestine is abnormally short, resulting in persistent digestive issues. It is believed to be genetic, so in order to prevent it from becoming too common in your herd, it is useful to keep some solid coloured versions (often called sports) in your breeding program.

Aside: Simply because a rabbit is lightly marked does not prove it is a Charlie. In order to be a true Charlie, it must have BOTH copies of the broken gene (EnEn). There are numerous modifiers that affect where, what size, and how many spots there will be, so it is possible to have a very lightly marked rabbit that is not a true Charlie. A true Charlie will always produce broken offspring. If it ever produces even one solid coloured rabbit, then it can't be a true Charlie.

Broken refers to any colour rabbit that also has white markings, and the following DQs apply to any breed that allows a broken pattern in addition to other varieties. There are some breeds that only recognize a broken pattern (like those mentioned above) and these usually have very specific requirements for the colours, placement, and size of the coloured markings. Refer the the specific breed standards for info on those.

The general DQs for Broken Colour apply only to breeds that include broken as one of the allowable varieties.

ALL of these calls are based on the Judge's opinion and are not open to protest. This is a subjective call, and in borderline cases, some judges may DQ a rabbit while others place them. That's just how it is.

There are 4 categories of disqualification for brokens:

1. too much colour
2. not enough colour
3. lack of markings on face and/or ears
4. unrecognized colour

Note that Cals and Himis are not broken, nor are shaded varieties.

Many breeds have specific requirements for one or more of these categories, so always check the Standard of Perfection for your breed to be sure.

The Standard simply says, “so heavy as to resemble a “Booted broken”. Many used to specify no more than 50% colour, but many breeds are now going with a more general description. As always, check the Standard for your breed.

A Booted Broken is one that has colour over the entire body, possibly with white socks, chest, and some white on the head. They may or may not have coloured bellies. When assessing a broken rabbit, unless it is a specifically marked breed, the overall goal is for a pleasing balance of colour and white.

A Booted Broken can still be very useful in a breeding program even though it can't be shown. One would hope they had superior type to compensate.

The Standard simply says, “so light in pattern to resemble a “Charlie”. Some breeds state that there must be at least 10% colour. This is nearly impossible to measure but is meant to give people a sense of what too little colour means. This rabbit was DQd by some judges and placed by others. None of them were wrong. This rabbit is borderline, so which side of the “enough colour” line it falls on is the judge's decision.

This is not specifically mentioned under general DQs but is included here because most breeds that allow brokens include some variation of this as a breed-specific DQ. Most breeds require the ears to have at least some colour; there must be colour around each eye; and some colour on either side of the nose in what's called the “whisker-bed” (the area where the whiskers grow). The rabbit pictured would be DQ'd for lacking nose markings.
As always, check the Standard for your breed to find out the specifics.

Note: The Dutch breed is an exception here. It requires a white blaze down the front of the face with NO nose markings. Dutch markings are very exacting and are not addressed in the general DQs.

This is also not specifically mentioned in under general DQs, but again, most breeds that allow brokens list specific allowable solid colours. Usually, Broken only includes the broken versions of those other varieties, plus tricolour. Any colour or pattern that is NOT listed under the solid colours will not be accepted as a broken.
An example would be a broken silver marten in a breed that does not recognize silver martens.

One of the hallmarks of the agouti pattern (which includes castors, chestnuts, opals, chichillas, and others) is that the individual hairs have multiple bands of colour. When the fur is parted, one should see very distinct bands of colour.
A lack of clear banding in an agouti is a disqualification.

In addition to distinct bands (tipping, surface colour, midband, undercolour), each variety also specifies what colours each of the bands should be. Here is where each breed will have its own requirements. For example, in most breeds, the undercolour in Opals should be slate blue or grey. In many breeds it is a DQ if the undercolour of an opal is not blue/grey. In Rex, it is just a fault. ALWAYS check the standard for your specific breed. More on this later.

Some breeds allow harlequin patterned varieties; others do not.
NO breed allows a harlequinized appearance in any other variety.
The pictures here show harlequinized versions of an agouti (Castor) and an otter.

Pointed Whites, Himi, and Cal varieties that show any sign of a tan (or agouti) pattern in the coloured parts are disqualified. Pointed Whites, Himalyan, and Californian colours are all genetically self colours (i.e. they are neither agouti nor otter). Therefore any variation in the colour of the shaded areas other than a gradual change from white to colour at the borders is likely to be disqualified.
Both rabbits in the photo are agouti cals. The light edges around the nostrils, and the lighter colour inside the ears give it away.
The Californian colour as well as the breed may only be black, so the one pictured left is chocolate, which is ALSO a DQ.

Tri coloured rabbits can only ever be one of these four “shades”:

Black and Orange	Chocolate and Orange
Blue and Fawn	Lilac and Fawn

The genes responsible for Shaded Whites, Himis, and Cals reduce the amount of black pigment that is normally added to the hairs as they are formed. As a result, ALL shades of these colour will appear lighter than they would in a regular self coloured rabbit. Even the ones that are genetically black will have points that typically appear closer to sepia than true black.

Any visible pattern (such as tan) in the coloured parts are a disqualification. Patterns are usually visible around the nostrils, in the ear lacing, and the underside of the tail. It is common for the underside of the feet to be lighter than the upper parts, so this does not necessarily indicate an off colour.

In addition, MOST breeds also disqualify for colour (i.e. smut) on any usable part of the pelt. Even if your breed has never been used to produce pelts, imagine what parts of the body would be included here if it were spread out as a pelt. That normally includes anything above the elbows or hocks, the dewlap (if they have one), and the “skirt” of fur around the hindquarters. Since the formation of colour in these varieties is temperature dependent, this is a temporary DQ. It will very likely change with the next moult.

Smut is a temporary DQ.

While the amount of smut is not genetic, the degree of sensitivity to temperatures might be.

The gene associated with Cals and Himis is the same one in both colours (c^h). While there are actual Cal and Himi breeds, the terms also apply to those colours in any breed. The difference between Cal and Himi as colours is that Cal can only be black, while Himis can be any of the basic “shades” (namely: black, blue, chocolate, and lilac).

It is one of the genes that affects how the pigment itself is put into the individual hairs as the hair itself grows. It is the temperature of the surface of the skin that causes more or less pigment (colour) to be added to the hair as it is being formed. The hairs themselves don't change colour, but the amount of pigment that's added to the hair CAN change as the hair emerges from the skin, depending on temperature.

Colder skin = more pigment.

This why Cals and Himis have coloured ears, nose, tail, feet, and sometimes eyebrows and dewlap.

A Cal or Himi DQ'd for smut could easily moult it out given the right temperature, and it is common for Cals and Himis to appear to “fade” in summer.

Cals and Himis are always born white, and the colour typically doesn't really start to develop until they start to venture out of the nest box. Occasionally, a baby will become chilled before all the hair has grown in. The result is called a “Frosty”. When the new hair grows, it will grow out. Notice also that only the ends of the hairs are coloured. This is because as the hair grows, it covers the skin better, and so the skin is warmer, reducing the amount of pigment.

(*) Sable and other shaded colours are somewhat subject to temperature sensitivities, but it is not nearly as pronounced as it is in Cals and Himis.

Shaded varieties include Sable and Seal. These colours must have a noticeable shading. In other words they can not look like a regular self-coloured rabbit. While these colours often darken with age, they must still retain their characteristic shading.

Any foreign coloured spot in a coloured area (or coloured spot on an otherwise white rabbit) is a disqualification.

The most common example of this is white spots on a coloured rabbit. These typically have 2 sources: one is genetic, and the other not.

Sometimes a white spot will appear at the end of a toe, or the tip of the nose. These could well be genetic as these are places where white markings are most likely to 'begin'.
Often, people will claim that they are the result of the Vienna gene, but in a breed that has never had this gene as part of its genome, it is unlikely.
These white spots could be the result of nestbox injuries, but they could also be genetic.
If white spots like this turn up several times in the related litters, then it is more likely to be genetic.

Non-genetic white spots most often come about in the nestbox. Perhaps the doe accidentally pokes one of the babies with a toenail, or there's a leftover scar from when she cleaned up the umbilical cord. These scars will sometimes damage the pigment producing parts of the the skin (melanocytes) so that when the hair grows it has no pigment. In other words, the hair grows out white.
This is a permanent condition but it is NOT genetic.
The reason this is a disqualification is because it isn't possible to tell whether it was in fact the result of an injury or if it is a genetic white spot.
These kinds of white spots are rarely genetic, but that can't be guaranteed.

This is another one of those that is completely up to the judge's discretion and can not be contested.

In a solid coloured rabbit, there should be no white in any coloured parts. Note the scattered white hairs in the ears of this solid black buck. This may or may not be disqualified. It's completely up to the judge. There are clearly white hairs there. Whether or not there are too many is the judge's call.
Sometimes these will go away after the next moult, but sometimes not.

Scattered white hairs are more common in broken rabbits as seen in the broken black on the right. When they are born, the skin usually looks spotted and as they grow the spots come together to form patches. Sometimes the hairs in between the now connected spots continue to grow white hairs. In the case of the doe on the right, they did not moult out.

Note: The silvering seen in breeds like Silver Fox or Argente Brun comes from a specific gene and is not included in this general DQ.

Each colour has specific requirements for what colour the undercolour should be. Any noticeable deviation from that colour is a disqualification.

For example, in most breeds, the undercolour in Opals should be slate blue or grey. In many breeds it is a DQ if the undercolour of an opal is not blue/grey. In Rex, it is just a fault. ALWAYS check the standard for your specific breed.

When it comes to colour, almost ALL colour faults are genetic, so there's really no point in creating a table like we have in Part I.

The only exceptions(*) to the genetic nature of colour faults are smut in a Californian or Himalayan coloured rabbit (regardless of breed) and some white spots (when they are the result of an injury that damages the pigment producing part of the skin).