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Genetics and colours

Most chinchilla colours found at the moment are in colour groups which can depend on a dominant gene, but some colours can be carried by a recessive gene. Unfortunately the number of different coloured chinchillas that are available in the United Kingdom is not as great as those in the United States, but recently some new animals have entered the country.

Some colours are not possible to breed, like a homozygous white which has a lethal factor. If this is so, if you crossed two whites an average of 1/4 of the eggs fertilised would not develop into young. Of the 3/4 of the young that survive 1/4 of those would be standard in colour, and the other 2/4 of the young would be heterozygous, like their parents.

© Michael Dewhurst

If you want to know about chinchilla’s genetics more in detail, read a much detailed description at Treasured pets.

Silverfall Chinchilla has created a fabulous means of determining what kits might be produced based on the colouring of the male and of the female.

© Silverfall chinchilla

For some colour examples, visit Chinchilla farben.

The basic colour genes are on the first table. There is the name, the abbreviation used, and a note if it is a dominant or recessive gene.

Here are several examples of how these basic genes can combine to create the different colours seen in chinchillas.

© Nicholle Stoller - ChinCentral

See also

Chinchilla villa