Rabbit Color Calculator — Rabbit Genetics & Offspring Color Predictor

What Color Are Rabbits?

Rabbits come in a remarkable variety of colors and patterns — from classic white and black to rare lilac, sable, chinchilla, and opal. The color of a rabbit's fur is determined entirely by genetics. While hundreds of recognized colors and patterns exist in the rabbit world, five main gene groups — A, B, C, D, and E — account for the vast majority of color variations. Our rabbit color genetics calculator uses these five loci to predict what colors the offspring of two rabbits may have.

Rabbit Identification Color Chart

Below is a summary of the five main gene groups used in rabbit color genetics:

Rabbit Breeding Color Chart — How the Genes Interact

Genes interact in a hierarchical way — some are dominant and completely mask the expression of recessive alleles. Key interactions include:

• cc (albino) overrides all other color genes — an albino rabbit will always appear white with pink/red eyes regardless of what other genes it carries.
• ee (non-extension) produces orange, fawn, cream, or yellow coloring. The A locus and B locus genes are hidden but still passed on to offspring.
• Dilution (dd) transforms black to blue and chocolate to lilac. It also softens chestnut to opal, black tan to blue tan, and so on.
• The C locus interacts with the other loci to create patterns like chinchilla (silvery agouti), shaded (darker at extremities), and himalayan (white body, dark points).

Common Rabbit Colors and Their Genotypes

Rabbit Color Genetics — The Principles

Rabbit color genetics follows Mendel's laws of inheritance. Each rabbit carries two alleles at each gene locus — one inherited from its sire (father) and one from its dam (mother). For each locus, the more dominant allele determines what color is expressed. The recessive allele is hidden but can be passed on to the next generation.

When two rabbits breed, the offspring randomly receives one allele from each parent at each locus. This is the basis of the Punnett square method used by our calculator. For each of the five loci, all four possible offspring combinations are computed (sire allele 1 × dam allele 1, sire allele 1 × dam allele 2, etc.), and the resulting genotype frequencies are multiplied across all five loci to produce the final color probability distribution.

How to Use the Rabbit Color Calculator

1. Select your unit system — metric (kg) or imperial (lbs/oz) for displaying breed weight information.
2. Enter the sire's (buck's) genotype — select the genotype for each of the five loci. If you are unsure, choose the most likely genotype based on the rabbit's color. For example, a black rabbit could be aa BB CC DD EE.
3. Enter the dam's (doe's) genotype — same as the sire.
4. Click Calculate — the calculator will compute all possible offspring genotypes and map them to color names with probabilities.
5. Review the results — colors are listed from most to least probable, along with percentage probabilities and ratios.

💡 Tip: If you know a parent is a carrier of a recessive gene (e.g., a black rabbit that carries chocolate), select the heterozygous genotype (e.g., Bb instead of BB) for more accurate predictions.

Rabbit Names by Color

Rabbit breeds recognize specific color terms in their breed standards. Here are common color names you may encounter:

• Black — jet black coat, common in Mini Rex, Holland Lop, Lionhead
• Blue — a diluted black; appears as a medium grey-blue. Common in Beveren, Blue Rex
• Chocolate — warm brown, sometimes called "Brown". Seen in Holland Lop, Mini Lop
• Lilac — diluted chocolate; pinkish grey. Seen in Lilac rabbit breed
• Chestnut (Agouti) — the classic wild rabbit coloring; banded hairs of black, orange, and white
• Opal — diluted chestnut; blue-grey agouti. Seen in Holland Lop, Mini Rex
• Cinnamon — agouti pattern with chocolate base; russet brown coloring
• Chinchilla — agouti with chinchilla gene; silvery-white with dark tips
• Sable — dark shaded rabbit; darkest at tips and face
• Smoke Pearl — shaded rabbit; smoky grey-white with darker shading
• Albino (REW) — Red-Eyed White; all white with red eyes. New Zealand White is the most famous breed
• Orange/Fawn — non-extension colors; seen in Mini Lop, Holland Lop
• Black Tan — self-colored back with tan markings on belly and face
• Himalayan / California — white body with dark colored points (nose, ears, feet, tail)

Typical Rabbit Weights by Popular Breed

While color is genetic, size and weight vary by breed. Here are typical adult weights in both metric and imperial units:

FAQs

Can a black rabbit carry chocolate genetics?

Yes! A rabbit with a black phenotype (black fur) can carry one recessive chocolate allele (Bb at the B locus). It will look completely black but can pass the chocolate allele to its offspring, potentially producing chocolate kits if the mate also carries the chocolate allele.

Why might my rabbit's color not match the calculator prediction?

The calculator uses the five main gene loci (A, B, C, D, E). Additional modifier genes exist that affect color expression, including the W (white spotting), En (English spotting), V (Vienna blue-eyed white), and Si (silver) loci. These can modify or mask the underlying color genetics.

What is the difference between albino and white rabbits?

An albino rabbit (cc genotype) has no color pigment at all and appears pure white with red/pink eyes. A white rabbit can also carry other whitening genes like VV (Vienna) and may have blue eyes, or can be a self-colored rabbit that simply happens to be white in phenotype (which is much rarer). True albinos always have red or pink eyes due to the absence of melanin in the iris.

What colors can rabbits see?

Rabbits are dichromats, meaning they have two types of color receptors. They can perceive blue and green wavelengths but have limited ability to distinguish red and orange. Their color vision is therefore different from human trichromatic vision, but they are quite sensitive to movement and light changes.

Does temperature affect rabbit color?

Yes — particularly for himalayan (color-point) rabbits. The himalayan gene produces temperature-sensitive pigment. In warm areas of the body, the pigment enzyme is inactive, producing white fur. In cooler extremities (nose, ears, feet, tail), the enzyme is active and produces dark coloration. Baby himalayan rabbits are born all white and develop their points as they are exposed to cooler temperatures.