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Colour and Varieties
Descriptions and Genetics.
Raculator - our very own genetics engine.
Hawthorn Varieties - a comprehensive varieties guide with loads of pictures.
This page consists of a 3 tables detailing colours and their genes, and then a list detailing each gene and what it does. This page is not yet finished - I will add more colours at a later date, and there will also be genetics tutorial very soon. Also, any photos that can be donated would be greatly appreciated, and the breeder/owner will be credited.
Single Gene Varieties
| Colour |
Gene |
Description |
| Agouti |
A- |
This is the colour of the wild rat. At first glance the hair looks brown, but closer inspection reveals that each hair is banded - dark grey at the base and muddy brown on top, often tipped with orange, ticked with black guard hairs. The belly should be grey and the eyes should be black. The ears should be brown. This colour can can range from a rich dark brown, to grey-brown, to a faded orangey-brown.
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| Black |
aa |
This colour should be a pure, unbroken black as dark as possible. The feet and ears should be black also, and so should the eyes. Extremely well coloured animals have black toenails.
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| Cinnamon (Classic) |
A- bb |
This is a rusty brown with darker brown guard hairs. The base fur should be silver-grey and so should the belly, and the eyes are black. Other names – Chocolate Agouti
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| Chocolate |
aa bb |
This is a warm, rich brown without any light or dark patches and the eyes are black. This is a tricky colour to breed however, as young rats have a wonderful colour, but it tends to fade as they get older, and then they resemble a poor black. It is a rare colour in the UK, which is a shame because a good chocolate is a beautiful animal.
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| Albino |
cc |
A pure white with pink eyes, devoid of yellowing. It's important to mention that this variety is genetically very different to Pink Eyed White, despite the fact that the two look identical.
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| English Blue Agouti |
A- dd |
Overall, this colour appears a bluey-brown, and the hair is slate blue at the top and bottom of the shaft, and brown in the middle. The eyes are black, and the ears are silvery blue. Other names – Slate Blue Agouti, American Blue Agouti, Slate Blue Agouti, Opal.
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| English Blue |
aa dd |
a medium cold slate blue with black eyes. There should be no shading or white hairs, but the blue colour can range from pale to dark. Also called slate or American blue
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| Cinnamon |
A- mm |
This is a rusty brown with darker brown guard hairs. The base fur should be silver-grey and so should the belly, and the eyes are black. Cinnamon made with mink is slighter brighter than Chocolate based, and as such is preferred in shows. Other names – Dilute Agouti, Mink Agouti.
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| Mink |
aa mm |
This is an attractive medium grey with a brown cast. The eyes should be black.
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| Silver Fawn |
A- pp |
A bright fawn, ticked with silver guard hairs. Eyes are pink and the belly is white. Other names – Argente, Amber
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| Champagne |
aa pp |
This is a warm, rich magnolia, devoid of white patches or brindling. Eyes are pink. Other names – Pink Eyed Cream.
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| Topaz |
A- rr |
A rich, bright orange with ruby eyes. Belly is white.
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| Buff |
aa rr |
An even rich beige all over, with red, ruby or black eyes.
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| Russian Blue Agouti |
A- rbrb |
Overall, this colour appears a dark bluey-brown, and the hair is russian blue at the top and bottom of the shaft, and brown in the middle. The eyes are black. This is warmer, darker shade of Blue Agouti.
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| Russian Blue |
aa rbrb |
A dark, deep blue with a metallic sheen, looks just like the Russian Blue in cats and mice. Black eyes. Unlike English Blue, the shade of Russian Blue doesn't vary much from rat to rat. Also, Russian Blues tend to have short, dense, velvet-like fur.
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Multiple Gene Varieties
| Colour |
Gene |
Description |
| Lavender Agouti |
A- bb dd |
This variety appears as a pale English Blue Agouti with ruby eyes. Belly is silver. Other names – Light Blue Agouti
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| Lavender |
aa bb dd |
A very attractive pale creamy blue with ruby eyes. Other names – Light Blue
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| Coffee Agouti |
A- bb mm |
A rich milky coffee colour, ticked with brown guard hairs. Belly is cream and eyes are black.
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| Coffee |
aa bb mm |
A rich milky coffee colour all over, with black eyes.
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| European Lynx |
A- bb rbrb |
A paler, more orange blue agouti with a silver belly and black eyes. Other names – Lilac Agouti
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| Dove |
aa bb rbrb |
A cool pale brown with a blue cast. Black eyes.
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| Platinum Agouti |
A- dd mm |
A bright silvery colour, ticked with silver and blue hairs. The eyes should be black.
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| Platinum |
aa dd mm |
A bright silver. Eyes are black.
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| Apricot Agouti |
A- dd pp |
This is pale fawn, with an ice blue undercoat, and ticked with silver guard hairs. Eyes are pink and the belly is white.
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| Blue Champagne |
aa dd pp |
An icey cream colour all over with pink eyes.
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| Blue Topaz |
A- dd rr |
A bright fawn, with a blue undercoat and red eyes. The belly is silver.
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| Blue Buff |
aa dd rr |
An icey beige all over with ruby or black eyes.
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| Russian Silver Agouti |
A- dd rbrb |
This variety is a pale blue agouti with ruby or black eyes. Other names – Silver Blue Agouti
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| Russian Silver |
aa dd rbrb |
A bright blue with a cream undercoat, which makes this variety look soft and velvety. The eyes should be black.
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| Cinnamon Pearl |
A- mm Pepe |
A bright orange with a blue undercoat. Eyes are black.
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| Pearl |
aa mm Pepe |
This variety is a creamy silver with black eyes.
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| Havana Agouti |
A- mm Rr or rr |
Cinnamon with ruby eyes.
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| Havana |
aa mm Rr or rr |
A silvery chocolate with ruby eyes. Other names – Ruby Eyed Mocha
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| Dove Agouti |
A- mm rbrb |
A pale but warm blue agouti. Eyes are either ruby or black. Other names – Russian Cinnamon
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| Dove |
aa mm rbrb |
A soft smokey grey with ruby or black eyes. Other names – Russian Mink
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| Pink Eyed White |
Any combination of lots of diluting genes |
This is a white rat, as bright as possible, devoid of dinginess or yellow with pink or red eyes. It should be noted that although identical this breed is very different genetically to albino, as albino is the lack of colour and PEW is rather too much colour.
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Shaded and Other Varieties
| Colour |
Gene |
Description |
| Siamese |
c(h)c(h) |
This variety has a beige body with dark brown points (ears, nose, feet and rump). The dark brown at the base of the tail should carry on up the back and blend into the beige midway on the rat's body. The eyes are red, but a black eyed version has been bred.
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| Himalayan |
cc(h) |
A white body with sepia points (ears, nose, feet and base of tail). There is no shading on the body. The eyes are red, but a black eyed version has been bred.
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| Blue Point Siamese |
c(h)c(h) dd |
A silvery body with blue points. The eys are red, but a black eyed version has been bred.
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Index of the most common Loci
AA = Agouti Banding of the hair, and this is a homozygote (dominant)
Aa = Agouti Banding of the hair, except that this is heterozygote (carries the
recessive)
aa = Non agouti colouring, self instead (recessive)
Dominant
BB = Black homozygote
Bb = Black heterozygote
bb = Non black (brown)
Recessive
CC = Coloured
Cc = Coloured
cc = Albino (no pigment)
cc(h) = heterozygous pointed - Himalayan
c(h)c(h) = Homozygous pointed - Siamese
Dominant
Siamese and Himalayan are almost like an albino - if a rat has this gene then
it will look like a siamese/himalayan no matter what colour it is - just like
the albino gene turns any colour or genetic structure white. However, it differs
from the albino in that to get blue point Siamese the rat must also exhibit
a blue gene (rbrb or dd - see further down)
DD = Standard, no effect
Dd = Carrier of dilute with no effect
dd = Dilutes black to blue
Recessive
DuDu = Standard, no effect
Dudu = Carrier of dumbo with no effects
dudu = Dumbo
Recessive
HH = Non-hooding with no effect, self
HHe = Modified non-hooded - Irish
Hh = Heterozygous hooded - Berkshire
Hhe and Heh = variberk, usually looks like variegated with too much colour or a berkshire with brindling up the sides.
Hehe = modified heterozygous hooded - variegated
hh = hooded
hhe = splodgy hooded, sometimes with a head spot.
hehe = capped, masked, true Black Eyed White
This is purely what I have discerned from breeding marked varieties. There are many contradicting speculations as to how the H locus and its modifiers work and no two people will say the exact same thing, but this way matches with all of my marked litters so far
MM = Non mink with no effect
Mm = Carries mink
mm = mink
Recessive
PePe = Double pearl gene, which is a lethal homozygous (death in womb)
Pepe = Pearl. However, the rat must be mink also or it won’t show (mm
Pepe)
pepe = No effect
Dominant, but dependant on mink.
PP = Non Pink Eye Dilute with no effect
Pp = Carries P.E.D
pp = Is P.E.D
Recessive
RR = Non Red Eye Dilute
Rr = Carries R.E.D
rr = Is R.E.D
Recessive
RbRb = Non Russian Blue
Rbrb = Carries Russian Blue
rbrb = Is Russian Blue
Recessive
ReRe = Double Rex (nearly hairless)
Rere = Rex
rere = Non Rex/straight hair
Dominant
So, an Agouti with no carried traits or any markings, using all of these loci
in the code, would be:
AA BB CC DD DuDu GG HH MM PP pepe RR rere
But we don’t have to write all of these down, so usually the most common
ones make up the written genetic code.
To work out the genetic code:
The code is aa bb CC DD GG MM PP pepe RR
· aa = non agouti
· bb = means non-black/brown
· CC = the rat has colour and is therefore not an albino
· DD = non dilute
· GG = no greying
· MM = non mink
· PP = non pink eye dilute
· pepe = non pearl
· RR = non-red eye dilute.
So what we have is a rat that is a self and brown, therefore chocolate.
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