Color question.....

[Srlampron]

I have a question about the color of my Lilly. I thought when I adopted her that she was a homozygous beige chinchilla. I am not sure if that is the case. I am having a very hard time getting a good photo of her so that all of her color characteristics are visible.

She has:

Very pink eyes
light beige/ivory fur
pink toes
her fur is lighter near the root and darker at the end
Long white whiskers
pink skin in ears
a few freckles on her ears

she also has:

No white belly
Darker beige shading around her back and near her tail

Is there such a thing as a beige wrap or TOV? I can't figure out what she might be. I will try to get a good picture, but so far it has been impossible.

 

[Srlampron]

Also have these pictures from my phone. Sorry about the lighting.

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[greychins]

Yes, there is such a thing as a beige wrap -- those are called tans, they come in light, med, dark.... I don't see any TOV in your chin, looks to me like a light tan.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I agree, she is a light tan.

 

[Riven]

I clearly see a white belly in the second picture of the top post...

I would say it's a homo beige, but without breeding it you'll never really know for sure because although genes produce certain traits, they're not guaranteed. I have a female who looks homo beige, but she's hetero beige.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Nice catch. On my computer the white doesn't really stand out so I missed it.

 

[Cat75]

I would say a homo beige also. I also see a white belly in the second picture.

 

[Srlampron]

I couldn't tell if her belly was actually white or not. Is the darker shading around her shoulders and tail typical of beige?

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[Kylelemler]

I can't see clearly what you are talking about with the dark areas. But it is more than likely just veiling.

 

[EMSChins]

I agree - I can see a white belly also.

 

[ChinchillasByDesign]

She/he is a beige. As far as being a homozygous beige, who knows. As said above, a very light heterozygous beige can have many of the same characteristics as a homo. Do you know what the parents were? At our house if we have a kit born that is from 2 beige parents and looks like a homo beige, than we assume it is until we are proven wrong. So far that has not happened here, but I do know other people that has happened to. Btw, even if she/he had a dirty belly, there is a such thing as a homo tan.....though I have never seen one in person.

 

[Cat75]

As Nicole pointed out it would be helpful if you know what the parents were. I have a homo tan (proven by breeding her) and her belly is the darkest part of her.

 

[Srlampron]

I've never bred or even seen a breeding herd. What would we "prove" by breeding her. I'm not at all familiar with the genetic sciences involved. Some of the breeders on this forum seem like its second nature to them. What might Lilly produce if she were a tan? Or a homo beige?

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[ChinchillasByDesign]

Breeding her (in the long run) would potentially prove if she is homozygous or not. If she is, then she would only ever produce animals with a beige influence: beige, tan, tov beige etc. But there really is no reason to do so with your pet. If you love her no matter what than it shouldn't matter if she is homo or not.

 

[ChinchillasByDesign]

Forgot to say....

As far as genetics go. Some of us have put a lot of time and energy into learning them. At least for us(and many others) this is more than just a fun hobby, we have put our lives into our animals. Learning everything we can, especially from our own mistakes, so that we can breed stronger, healthier, more beautiful animals. The knowledge of genetics is something we have taken the time to learn, some of it can be rather confusing. Maybe I'm kind of dumb, but defiantly not a second nature to me, it's work, sweat, and tears.

 

[Srlampron]

I have no intention of breeding Lilly. I love her no matter what color she is. I just find the small variations in the colors fascinating because each bit I learn is new to me and one more piece in the giant puzzle of chinchilla breeding. I am intrigued by the ins and outs but could never be a breeder due to a lack of space and time.

My apologies for the way it may have sounded. I, in no way, meant by "second nature" that it wasn't hard work to acquire the knowledge. I am very impressed by anyone that can learn the intricacies of breeding. I don't think I could remember all of the possible outcomes. Especially knowing there can be fatal results if the wrong genetic carriers mate.

I, for one, thank you and all breeders. If it weren't for your work to make such healthy, beautiful animals, I wouldnt have Lilly at all. And there certainly wouldn't be so many different varieties of chinchillas for us all to adore.



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[Riven]

A homo beige can only offer the beige gene, so all of it's offspring must have some form of beige, like said above.

The female I have had a white kit when bred to a white. If she was homo beige it would have had to be a pink white or beige. There are some really fun genetics calculators out there to play around with which are great for seeing what kind of offsrping colors a chin could have!

With any color though, variations are normal. They will even change throughout the year depending on their priming lines and tips.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I have a homo tan kit here, picture below. He is the 4th or 5th homo tan born here and looks a creamy white. I have discovered that if you blow into the belly fur, a beige chin's fur will be white at the tips, a band of beige, and then light colored the rest of the way to to skin. A tan chin will have dark tips and then light on the rest of the fur shaft.

 

[Srlampron]

I have a homo tan kit here, picture below. He is the 4th or 5th homo tan born here and looks a creamy white. I have discovered that if you blow into the belly fur, a beige chin's fur will be white at the tips, a band of beige, and then light colored the rest of the way to to skin. A tan chin will have dark tips and then light on the rest of the fur shaft.

Thank you! This trick worked like a charm. She has white at the tips, a strip of beige and a cream/off-white to the root. That makes her a beige. Thank you for the cool trick. I may not need it again, but it is nice to have the information!

Thanks to everyone that helped solve our little mystery!