AFRMA - Fancy Rat Genes, Black-based Colors

Fancy Rat Genes, Alphabetical Name Listing

Black-based Colors

For more rat genetics, see the AFRMA Rat Genetics book, specific articles listed with the various standards descriptions, and the articles on the Info Pages: Breeding – Colors/Genetics – Rat Genetics, part 1, Rat Genetics, part 2, Rat Genetics, part 3. See also the Rat Biology article Where do Rat Coat Colors Come From?
See the AFRMA Rat Color Standards book and the Standards pages for photos.

Go to Fancy Rat Genes, Alphabetical Name Listing for a complete list.

Go to Fancy Rat Genes, Agouti-based Colors,
Fancy Rat Genes, Marked Rats, or
Fancy Rat Genes, Coats & Misc.

See also Fancy Rat Genes, Genetic Code Listing for breakdowns by genetic code.

A B C D H I L M P R S W

Black-based Colors
A
Albino	cc (covers up the actual color/marking so can be either an agouti-based or black-based color; a.k.a. P.E. White)
Aussie Mink	aa momo (see page 7 of the article)
B
Beige	aa rr or aa bb rr (ruby-eyed Black; Buff U.K.)
Black	aa
Blue	aa gg* (selected for dark shade)
Blue-Beige	aa dd rr
Buff (U.K.)	aa rr or aa bb rr (Beige U.S.)
Burmese	aa c^ec^h+ (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
Burmese: Blue	aa c^ec^h+ gg (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
Burmese: Russian Blue	aa c^ec^h+ dd (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
Burmese: Sable	aa c^ec^e+ (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
C
Champagne	aa B– pp (P.E. Black)
Champagne: pale	aa bb pp (P.E. Chocolate)
Champagne: dark–eyed	aa B– mm rr
Chocolate	aa bb or aa bb Rr or aa BB Rr
Cocoa	aa bb mm (Coffee in U.K.), aa bb mm Rr, aa Bb mm Rr, aa Bb mm Rr (Havana in U.K.)
Coffee U.S.	? (coffee with cream/gray-brown color)
Coffee U.K.	aa bb mm (See also Hawthorn Rat Varieties: Coffee)
D
Dove	aa gg mm, aa bb gg
H
Havana: U.K.	aa Bb mm Rr
Himalayan: Black-eyed Seal Point	aa cⁱcⁱ⁺ (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
Himalayan: B.E. Blue Point	aa cⁱcⁱ⁺ gg* (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
Himalayan: B.E. Russian Blue Point	aa cⁱcⁱ⁺ dd (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
Himalayan: Blue Point	aa c^hc gg*
Himalayan: Russian Blue Point	aa c^hc dd
Himalayan: Seal Point	aa c^hc
I
Ivory/B.E. Cream	cⁱc⁺ (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
L
Lilac	aa mm or aa amam (selected for lighter color) See photos from 1978 of original U.S.A. Lilac male Hershey and here, owned by Karen Hauser. He was found in a pet shop in Riverside, CA.
Lilac U.K.	aa bb gg mm Rr*; see also Hawthorn Rat Varieties: Lilac
M
Marten	aa c^mc^m#
Marten: Himi	aa c^mc^h# (Marten with points)
Merle: Mink/Lilac	aa mm Me– pepe* or aa amam Me– pepe*
Merle: Pearl	aa mm Me– Pepe* (selected for most of the hair shaft to be white)
Merle: Silver Mink/Lilac	aa mm Me– Pepe* or aa amam Me– pepe* (selected for colored hair shafts)
Mink	aa mm (selected for darker color)
P
Platinum: black-eyed	aa bb gg*
Platinum: pink-eyed	aa bb gg pp*
Platinum: ruby-eyed	aa gg mm*
Pearl	aa mm Pepe (selected for most of the hair shaft to be white; is a dominant lethal)
Powder Blue	aa gg* (selected for light shade)
R
Russian Blue	aa dd
Russian Dove	aa dd mm, aa bb dd gg, aa dd gg mm, aa bb dd
Russian Dove: pink-eyed	aa dd mm pp, aa bb dd gg pp, aa dd gg mm pp, aa bb dd pp
Russian Dove Pearl	aa dd mm Pepe, aa dd amam Pepe
Russian Platinum	aa bb dd gg, aa dd gg mm, aa bb dd, aa dd mm
Russian Silver	aa dd gg pp, aa bb dd gg pp, aa bb dd gg mm pp, aa dd pp* (P.E. Russian Blue originally called Blue-Champagne)
S
Siamese: Black-eyed Seal Point	aa c^hcⁱ⁺ (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
Siamese: B. E. Blue Point	aa c^hcⁱ⁺ gg* (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
Siamese: B. E. Russian Blue Point	aa c^hcⁱ⁺ dd* (similar to extreme dilute gene in mice)
Siamese: Blue Point	aa c^hc^h gg*
Siamese: Chocolate Point	aa bb c^hc^h
Siamese: Russian Blue Point	aa c^hc^h dd
Siamese: Seal Point	aa c^hc^h
Siamese Sable: light/show version	aa c^sc^#
Siamese Sable: medium	aa c^sc^h#
Siamese Sable: dark (shown as Sable)	aa c^sc^s#
Silver	aa gg pp* (P.E. Blue)
Silver Black	aa B– (selected for silvering)
Silver Blue	aa dd gg* or aa dd gg mm?*
Silver Chocolate	aa bb (selected for silvering)
Silver Lilac	aa mm Pepe or aa amam Pepe (selected for colored hair shafts and lighter color)
Silver Mink	aa mm Pepe (selected for colored hair shafts and darker color)
Sky Blue	aa gg* (medium shade)
W
White: black-eyed	h^eh^e or any h (marked selected for no spots; in either agouti-based or black-based color) Note: could also be slsl (Spotting Lethal); these suffer from aganglionic megacolon associated with white coat color, usually BEW but occasionally have small spot on head and hips and die usually within first week to 35 days after birth
White: pink-eyed	cc (albino; covers up the actual color/marking so can be either an agouti-based or black-based color) Note: extremely diluted P.E. Self colors or a P.E. Marked with all markings bred off can look like a P.E. White

C: Albino Locus (Burmese)⁺ (codes by Nichole Royer)
C	Full color (no dilution)
c^e+	Extreme dilute
c^h	Acromelanism (Himalayan/Siamese)
cⁱ⁺	Intense dilute
c	Albino (Pink-Eyed White)

C: Albino Locus (Marten and Siamese Sable)^# (codes by Nicole Housel)
C	Full color (no dilution)
c^m#	Marten
c^s#	Siamese Sable
c^h	Acromelanism (Himalayan/Siamese)
c	Albino (Pink-Eyed White)

Note: Many rat colors/varieties have not been studied by geneticists so codes are given by fancy rat genetics experts or are unknown

Note: Capital letter=dominant genes unless otherwise noted; lower case letter=recessive genes

“–” means that either the dominant or recessive allele could occupy that space without affecting the outcome

* = g or Me or Dal code by Nichole Royer

** = Cscs Fyfy code by Ann Storey, N.F.R.S.

+ = c^e or cⁱ code by Nichole Royer

++ = H^ro code by Sheila Sowter, N.F.R.S.

# = c^m or c^s code by Nicole Housel

? = genetics unknown

Updated November 30, 2024