Examples of Chinchilla Colors

If there is a problem on any of the pages, please hit the refresh button. Page 1 Individual Chin Information If there is a problem on any of the pages, please hit the refresh button.:) New Arrivals June Arrivals June Arrivals #2 June Arrivals #3 July's New Luv 'N Chins Family Members Smokey & Storm's Family Eileen & Cotton's Family Suzie & Dusty Missy & Half-Pint Star & Midnight Mocha & Punkin Daisy & Jack Jo-Jo & Puff Snow White & Sam Julia & Sandi Furby & Grumpy Fritter CHINCHILLA COLORS Below is listed some of the colors of the beautiful chinchilla. You will note that I list some of the combinations used to produce the different mutants. I also would like you to realize that breeding mutants to mutants over the generations can produce a smaller, weaker chinchilla. Many think the tiny or miniature chinchillas are "cute" because they always look like a 'baby', but they also have much weaker genes than the original chinchillas and are not as hardy. Standard Gray ~ The 'original color of chinchillas is a beautiful gray ranging from light gray to a very dark gray, almost black. The eyes are black, the belly white and the ears gray. The Gray or Standard Gray chinchilla is the base for all other colors of the chinchillas. Below is listed some of the different mutant colors man has been able to derive from the original gray chinchillas. WHITE CHINCHILLAS White ~ Believed to be the first color mutant, a white male, born on a ranch in 1955 in North Carolina, named the Wilson White. Their fur is a pure white with gray ears, gray pads on the paws and dark eyes. Pink White ~ A white chinchilla with pink ears and reddish eyes. To produce more pink white chinchillas, it is best to mate them with a Standard Gray. You have a chance to get nice pink-white chinchillas from black velvets, brown velvets, beiges and homo beiges if you mate them with a white mosaic, also. This one, as well as all of those considered to be in the "white" category, carry the lethal factor when mating another one in the family of 'white chinchillas'. Silver ~ Another of the chinchillas considered in the grouping listed as white chinchillas. The beautiful Silver Chinchilla, according to the "ole timers", is evenly tipped in silver with the middle half of the fur being white and the base being gray. It is said, for it to be a "true silver" you can blow on the fur on any part of the body and the gray fur base can be seen. If any part of the base of the fur is not gray it would not be considered a "True Silver". White Mosaic ~ A mixture of white and gray or white and black, usually having gray or black at the base of the tail and in other areas forming beautiful patterns, thus prompting some to be named after other animals or objects the patterns resemble, such as the 'panda' (marked similar to a panda bear) and the 'reverse' mosaic (with more gray than white). Golden Mosaic ~ A take off of a Beige and a Pink White chinchilla, mostly white with creamy golden beige spots and patterns similar to that of a white mosaic, usually most obvious on the forehead Silver Mosaic ~ A chinchilla having gray or silver fur on some parts and a gray base with a white center and tipped with silver on the other parts of the body. A true silver crossed with a gray or ebony chinchilla. BEIGE AND BROWN CHINCHILLAS Homozygous Beige ~ A 'homo' beige has two dominate genes and has a lighter creamy beige coat and pinkish eyes with a white iris instead of the reddish eyes of the hetro beige. They are more rare and usually more expensive than the 'hetro' beige. To produce a homozygous beige it is bets to use two beige chins ... one a hetro and one homo ... the results is a 50-50 chance of a homo beige chin and a hetro beige chin. Another way that it is possible to get a homo beige (but with a smaller percentage of success) is to mate a pink white with a homo beige. Or you can even get a homo beige/pink white which has the eye color of the homo beige and is usually very white and creamy as a general rule. Heterozygous Beige ~ In September of 1955 in Oregon, the mutant now known as the beige, first appeared. Their fur is a creamy golden color to a dark beige. They have red eyes, pink ears and a white belly. The 'hetro' beige has one dominate and one recessive gene and generally has a beige parent and a gray parent or two beige parents. Charcoal or Mahogany ~ The "Charcoal" or "Mahogany" chin looks similar to the ebony and TOV Ebonies. These are often used to help darken the black in the Ebony or Black Velvets and to darken the brown in the Tan or Brown Velvet and can look like an Ebony or a TOV ebony. They can appear as ebonies to most who see them. Here, again, is the reason I stress knowing the background or history of the colors of the chin's ancestors when you purchase a chinchilla, especially if you plan to breed and/or show your chinchilla. Tan ~ The tan, or tan rap, or chocolate brown as they are referred to, are produced by mating a beige rap and an ebony. The introduction of the ebony produces more of a brown-black tint to the fur instead of the creamy sandy color of the beige. The tan is also a recessive mutation. They have red eyes, pink ears and pink skin on the bottoms of the paws. Again, as with the ebonies, they are among the rare mutants, and you should expect to have to pay more for them than most mutant chins.If a pastel is mated it with a homo ebony, you have a 50/50 chance of getting a darker tan (med. tan). To get the really dark chocolate brown chin, you would have to take a medium or Pastel Tan and pair it with a Homo Ebony and then you have a 50/50 chance of a really dark tan. This is as far as most good breeders will go and then the dark tan or chocolate brown chin would be bred back to the biggest, blockiest standard carrying ebony or hetero ebony that could be found to add strength to the genes and size to the chin. Remember, the more generations of mutants you breed to mutants, the smaller the chin becomes and the weaker the genes. TOV OR 'TOUCH OF VELVET CHINCHILLAS Black Velvet ~ Sometimes known as the Gunning Black, produced by Bob Gunning in 1956, in the state of Washington. The black velvet has the markings referred to as TOV or touch of velvet. It has a black 'mask' on it's face which extends the black across the top of the head and back as it gets older and 'stripes' on it's paws. The black on it's back will blend into shades of gray to it's white belly. They have black eyes and dark gray ears. Unfortunately, when mated with another velvet, carries the lethal factor and should not be mated to velvet for this reason. Brown Velvet ~ Brown velvets are marked with the TOV pattern like the black velvet, but in a dark beige or tan color instead. It's fur varies from a dark to a light tan or beige and a white belly, striped paws, pink ears and reddish eyes. A brown velvet may be produced when mating a Black Velvet to a beige chinchilla mate. To get a darker brown velvet, the brown velvet may be mated to an ebony. Be very careful not to carry this through many generations without introducing a gray to strengthen the line. Again, being in the 'velvet family' they do carry the lethal factor when mated to another of the velvet family. White Velvet ~ Known as a White TOV and looks like a white mosaic with the stripe on the paws and dark fur on the face and/or head. Ebony Velvet ~ This is an ebony that has been crossed with a velvet (ei: Black Velvet, Brown Velvet, etc.) and carries the TOV genes and markings and can carry the 'black all over' look. Homo Ebony ~ Homo ebonies are black all over, including the stomach. Their fur is jet black and silky shiny in appearance over the entire body. Ebonies are referred to as recessive mutants. Their eyes are black to go along with the rest of their body. They are among the rare mutant colors and therefore will be more expensive. It takes two ebonies (one hetro and one homo ebony) to produce an ebony and then you only have a 50-50 chance of a homozygous ebony. Again, please be careful not to continue breeding the generations of ebonies more than 3 generations without introducing a standard gray chinchilla to the line. Hetro Ebony ~ Hetro ebonies may have some gray fur that blends with the black, but again has the black/gray mix on the stomach. Ebonies are referred to as recessive mutants. OTHERS Pastel ~ A pastel is usually a first generation kit born of a beige chin mated with an ebony chin or a tan chin. It can be a wrap around pastel or sometimes have a white tummy but be a darker than a beige. Sometimes a pastel can look very similar to a wrap around beige. Sapphires ~ Sapphires are among the rarest of the chinchilla mutants and are not known for their hardiness. Their fur is a dark blue gray, blending to a white belly. They have gray ears and black eyes and carry the recessive genes, also. Violet ~ Another of the rarest and expensive mutants. Similar to the sapphires, but with a purple hue to the light gray fur with pure white bellies. These originated in Africa in the mid 1960s. Email me with your questions about chinchillas Get your own free Guest Counter Compliments of the Chinchilla Club!