Fur Color Table - Upright Eared Rabbits

This page will list the ARBA recognized fur colors for upright-eared rabbits (other than the long-haired "angora" or "lionhead" types), and the breeds of rabbits in which ARBA recognizes those colors. You should realize that unless you are sure you have a purebred bunny, this may not be of a lot of help - a mixed breed rabbit could be in pretty much any color, and even if the rabbit is purebred, if you got it through a pet shop or rescue it could have been there exactly because it was unshowable because it was not in an ARBA-recognized color for its breed.

• For long-furred rabbits, see UPRIGHT / ANGORA
• For Lionhead rabbits, see the Lionhead page
• For lop-eared rabbits, see LOP EARS

Black Color

Solid black:

Broken black:

• Beveren
• Britannia Petite (Polish in UK)
• Dutch (with white triangle on face, white shoulders)
• Flemish Giant
• Havana (solid and broken (white with black))
• Mini-Rex (Rex fur) (solid and broken (white with black))
• Netherland Dwarf (solid black, tan (blue, black, chocolate or lilac with tan nostrils, eye circles, chin and sides of head, inside of ears, collar, feet and legs, underside are tan))
• New Zealand (solid and broken (with white))
• Polish (solid and broken)
• Rex (Rex fur) (solid and broken (white with black))
• Satin (Satin fur) (solid and broken (with white))
• Silver (black with silver ticked fur)
• Silver Fox (black with silver ticked fur)
• Tan (with intense mahogany tan markings on underside, notstrils, eye circles, inside of ears)

Gray / Blue / Steel

Some gray colors are called Blue, Steel, Lilac, or Opal.
Steel (in Dutch rabbit):	Blue:
Lilac:	Opal:

• American
• Beveren
• Champagne D’Argent (blueish white with some longer black hairs, darker nose, underside)
• Dutch (with white triangle on face, white shoulders)
• Flemish Giant (Blue, Steel Gray, Light Gray)
• Havana (solid and broken (white with blue))
• Lilac (medium dove grey, with pink cast on surface)
• Mini-Rex (Rex fur) (lilac - solid dove grey, broken (white with blue), opal (blue banded fur with white underside and tail), lilac,
• Mini Satin (Satin fur)(opal (blue with white underside and tail))
• Netherland Dwarf (steel, lilac (solid dove grey), Siamese smoke pearl (pearl grey shading to darker grey on head, ears, back, outside of legs and tail), opal (blue banded fur with white underside and tail), squirrel (blue banded fur mingled with white), tan (blue, black, chocolate or lilac with tan nostrils, eye circles, chin and sides of head, inside of ears, collar, feet and legs, underside are tan))
• Polish (solid and broken)
• Rex (Rex fur) (blue, lilac, broken (with white), opal (blue banded fur with white underside and tail))
• Satin (Satin fur) (solid, broken (with white))
• Tan (blue or lilac with intense mahogany tan markings on underside, nostrils, eye circles, inside of ears)

(Also see "Chinchilla", below)

Chinchilla Color

Chinchilla is a varicolored gray fur, similar in color to the fur of the "real" chinchilla (the rodent). Note that Chinchilla is both a color and a breed family.

Chinchilla breed family:

• American Chinchilla
• Standard Chinchilla
• Giant Chinchilla

• Mini-Rex (Rex fur)
• Mini Satin (Satin fur)
• Netherland Dwarf
• Rex (Rex fur)
• Satin (Satin fur)

Brown Colors

Some brown colors are called cinnamon, chocolate, sepia, sable, castor, chestnut or amber:
Castor:	Chocolate:
Sable:	Cinnamon:

The following breeds are ARBA-approved in a brown color:

• American Sable (sable with darker muzzle, ears, feet)
• Belgian Hare
• Cinnamon (reddish brown with darker muzzle)
• Dutch (chocolate with white triangle on face, white shoulders)
• Havana (solid and broken (white with chocolate))
• Mini-Rex (Rex fur) (solid chocolate, broken (white with chocolate), castor (brown banded fur with white underside and tail), sable point (brown with darker nose, ears, feet))
• Mini Satin (Satin Fur)(Siamese - medium brown shading to dark sepia on ears, head, feet, belly, tail)
• Netherland Dwarf (chocolate, sable point (brown with darker nose, ears, feet), Siamese sable (brown with darker head, ears, back, outside of legs, tail), chestnut agouti (brown banded fur), sable marten (brown with lighter on underside), tan (blue, black, chocolate or lilac with tan nostrils, eye circles, chin and sides of head, inside of ears, collar, feet and legs, underside are tan))
• Polish (solid and broken chocolate)
• Rex (Rex fur) (solid amber or chocolate, and broken (white with amber or chocolate), castor (brown banded fur with white underside and tail), sable (brown with darker nose, ears, feet), seal (dark sepia))
• Satin (Satin fur) (solid chocolate, broken (with white), Siamese (brown with darker sepia on ears, head, feet, tail))
• Silver (brown with silver ticked fur)
• Tan (chocolate with intense mahogany tan markings on underside, nostrils, eye circles, inside of ears)

Red Color

• Mini-Rex (Rex fur) (solid and broken (white with red))
• Mini Satin (Satin Fur)
• New Zealand (solid and broken (with white))
• Rex (Rex fur) (solid and broken (white with red))
• Satin (Satin Fur) (solid and broken (white with red))
• Thrianta

Orange and Fawn Colors

Fawn:	Golden:
Copper:	Lynx:
Japanese Harlequin:

The following breeds are ARBA-approved in orange or light tan (fawn), also called lynx or tortoise:

• Crème D’Argent
• Flemish Giant (Fawn, Sandy)
• Harlequin (Japanese variety - with particular pattern of black, blue, chocolate or lilac half-face and stripes or bars)
• Mini-Rex (Rex fur) (lynx (fawn tipped with lilac), tortoise (rusty red-orange blending to grey-black on flanks, head, belly and feet))
• Netherland Dwarf (solid orange and fawn, tortoise shell (rusty red-orange blending to grey-black on flanks, head, belly and feet), Lynx (banded fawn and lilac))
• Palomino (golden)
• Rex (Rex fur) (lynx (banded fawn))
• Satin (Satin fur) (copper (banded coppery orange))
• Silver (fawn with silver ticked fur)

White Color

Note that "white" rabbits on this list include those which are white with large areas of color ("broken") or some patterns (Californian, Dutch, Harlequin or Himalayan) or markings such as spots. Most white rabbits have red or pink eyes - where blue-eyed white rabbits are approved for a breed, it will be noted. See the special note on Red-Eyed-White (REW) rabbits in this key.

Solid White	Hotot
Californian / Himalayan:	Magpie Harlequin:
Broken:	Spots:

• American
• Beveren
• Blanc de Hotot (with dark eye rings)
• Britannia Petite (UK Polish)
• Californian (with black nose, ears, feet)
• Checkered Giant (with black or blue stripe and spots)
• Dwarf Hotot (with dark eye rings)
• English Spot (with black, blue, brown, gold, grey, lilac or tortoise stripe and spots)
• Flemish Giant
• Florida White
• Harlequin (Magpie variety - with particular pattern of black, blue, chocolate or lilac half-face and stripes or bars)
• Himalayan (with black, blue, chocolate or lilac colored nose, ears, feet)
• Mini-Rex (Rex Fur) (solid white, broken (white with any other recognized color or tricolor) and Himalayan - white with black or blue nose, ears, feet, tail)
• Mini Satin (Satin Fur)
• Netherland Dwarf (solid white (red or blue eyed), broken (white with any other recognized color), and Himalayan - white with black or blue nose, ears, feet, tail)
• New Zealand (solid or broken with black or red)
• Polish (solid (red- or blue-eyed) and broken with black, blue or chocolate)
• Rex (Rex Fur) (white (pink eyes), broken (white with any other recognized color or tricolor) and Californian (white with black nose, ears, feet, tail))
• Rhinelander (specific pattern of white with black and orange stripe, spots)
• Satin (Satin fur) (solid (pink eyes), broken (with black, blue, chocolate, copper, red), Californian (with brown/black nose, ears, feet, tail))

Otter and Marten Patterns

The Otter pattern has a dark-colored upper side, with a lighter color chin, underside, inside of ears, outside of tail, and possibly other areas).

The Marten pattern is similar, but with white replacing the lighter color.

• Britannia Petite (UK Polish) (Black Otter)
• Mini-Rex (Rex fur)(Black Otter)
• Netherland Dwarf (Black, blue, chocolate and lilac otter)
• Rex (Rex fur) (Black, blue, chocolate and lilac otter)
• Satin (Satin fur) (black. blue, chocolate and lilac otter)

The following breeds have ARBA-approved Marten colors:

• Britannia Petite (Sable Marten)
• Netherland Dwarf (Sable Marten, Silver Marten in black, blue, chocolate and lilac, Smoke Pearl Marten)
• Silver Marten (silver ticked fur, black, blue, chocolate or sable)

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© Copyright 2013 Mike Brown