chin color mutations?

[soysauce]

I have a question about all of the color mutations. I've researched all of the show color mutations (standard, white beige, etc), but I've seen discussions about all the other "less" common ones. Can someone post an entire list of all of the mutations or a link to a website or something? I am not trying to get into breeding or anything like that I am just curious. And I know that in other countries the mutations are named differently or are there other new ones entirely?

Thanks

 

[Ash]

Goldbars and charcoals are the only two lesser known or worked with mutations I can think of. There are many mixes of mutes (viophire) for example and beige-violets that some people worh with. Angoras are another mute that's kept hushed up in the US. There's also the recessive white and the fading white, but I can't remember if they are the same or not. Other than that, I can't think of any, and I'll let people who know more about them talk about them so I don't get anything wrong.

And charcoals are like ebs, but are a true recessive and come from two carrier parents like violets and sapphs.

 

[RDZCRanch]

Standard is not a mutation. Anything BUT a standard is a mutation.

These would be the common colors. Then, because all of the mutations occur at different stretches of the DNA code, you can have multiple mutations together that will show through in the phenotype (i.e. pink white, brown velvet, white violet)
Beige
Black Velvet
Ebony
Mosaic
Violet
Sapphire

The less common mutations are the following. These mutations are deemed "rare" not because they are unattainable but because so few breeders are willing to work with them. These are just color mutations, not coat variation mutations. I may miss one or two.
Sullivan Recessive Beige
Wellman Recessive Beige
White Tail/CA White (often referred to as "fading white")
Lowe Recessive White
Stone White
Goldbar
Charcoal (We no longer have pure strains of this mutation in the US)

Here is Sumiko's website, she has some good pictures of the majority of the mutations and then she also has a page for the multiple mutation colors.
http://sites.google.com/site/chinchillachateau/chinchillacolors

 

[mishalaa]

The Stone White and the Wellman Recessive Beige may be, eh I can't think of a better word than "extinct". We have reports of them existing and they are described in the Kline book, but the information in that book is now going on 40 years old and I do not know of anyone working with these mutations now. The Albino and the Piebald also fall into this category of unaccounted for rare mutations. However, they could be out there, tucked away secretly in someone's barn.

In addition to Tab's list is the Deutsch (or German) Violet. To my knowledge, this mutation is currently only in Europe.

Fur type mutations are the Angora and the Locken.

Body mutation is Dwarfism.

 

[soysauce]

thanks ladies especially for that link

Albinism cannot go extinct, i thought, because it is a recessive gene that can occur at random and it also can be expressed in isolated spots on the animal or on the entire animal.

 

[soysauce]

I have another question, is the different mutations do the foot pads of the chinchillas change to match the coat color? Im asking because some of the standards and other pictures that i have seen the foot pads can have pink and gray on them.

Also, does anyone know why the red or ruby eyes appear in some of the mutations? Is this albinism of the eye pigment?

 

[mishalaa]

There are many types of albinism, any mutation on the C gene that results in the impairment of tyrosinase (an enzyme necessary for the first step of pigment synthesis) is a form of albinism - the Stone White was a form of albinism. So far, all such mutations in any mammal have been recessive. But what is referred to as the Albino in the Kline book is a specific mutation which may no longer be bred for.

Another mutation on the C gene may spontaneously occur at any time, but that can be said about any gene. The likelihood that the exact same mutation reappears spontaneously is even less than a new mutation occurring.

I am not aware that albinism can occur in isolated spots, unless you're getting into chimeras. White Spotting is not albinism, it has to do with distribution of melanocytes rather than pigment synthesis.

 

[mishalaa]

I have another question, is the different mutations do the foot pads of the chinchillas change to match the coat color? Im asking because some of the standards and other pictures that i have seen the foot pads can have pink and gray on them.

Yes. The pigment that is produced into the hair shafts also goes into the skin/fingernails/eyes, so where there is pigment it will follow the same pattern. Not everywhere is pigmented, like palms of hands in people, hence the pink spots on foot pads - but the grey spots on standards would be blue spots on sapphires and brown spots on beige, etc.

Also, does anyone know why the red or ruby eyes appear in some of the mutations? Is this albinism of the eye pigment?

No. The beige mutations are a reduction in the deposition of eumelanin pigment granules. The reduction causes paler fur and eyes. Since the eyes of rodents are pink without pigment, they appear more pink with the less pigment that's in them. Other mammals have blue eyes when pigment is absent.

 

[soysauce]

Interesting. Thanks a lot for the answers.
Are there any other resources to find info about chinchillas in general? Libraries arent exactly the best place for this research I've tried and didnt have much luck. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[Whimsy]

Interesting. Thanks a lot for the answers.
Are there any other resources to find info about chinchillas in general? Libraries arent exactly the best place for this research I've tried and didnt have much luck. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Yes.
Here is a good place to start.
Seriously though, the forums are a great resource, and folks here are generally quick to point out bad information.