BLACK TORT: in Lionheads, the points and shading are usually not nearly as dark as in, say, a Holland Lop. I have seen them range from black, gray, smoky bluish-gray, brown, reddish brown. Their eyes will be brown with NO ruby cast, and you can usually see the most shading on their belly. Even in the poorly colored ones, you should see very dark lacing on the ears, and usually shading (sometimes almost like ticking) on their sides, and the tops of the feet. Color Standard: The surface of the body is to be a rusty orange color on the loin, blending with a gray-black on the sides, rump, belly, feet, and tail. The color is to extend well down the hair shaft to an off-white under-color. Eyes - Brown Faults - Stray white hairs; underside of tail light in color. |
 
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CHOCOLATE TORT: is way more orange, bright and clean, and can usually be spotted immediately in the nestbox. Most choc tort have a ruby cast to their brown eye. From a distance, they will appear as if they are orange all over. On closer inspection, you may see a light dusting of light chocolate on the outsides of their ears, feet and tail. Generally, they have minimal shading on their bodies. Usually right around the nostrils is where you will notice the chocolate the most, but it is a washed out lighter color, and not at all a deep dark chocolate. Sometimes people will label a poorly colored black tort as a chocolate tort. ARBA judges are not concerned with genetics, so they go by what the rabbit looks like. In fact, those that resemble chocolate tort are allowed to be shown as chocolate tort, even though that may not be their true genetic makeup. Genetically speaking, in order to produce a chocolate tort, both parents must carry genes for chocolate (small "b"). To find out for sure if you have a true chocolate tort, breed yours to a chocolate. If it produces black or black tort kits, it is not genetically chocolate tort. If it produces more chocolate tort or chocolate, then it is a true chocolate tort. Color Standard: The surface of the body is to be a rusty orange color, blending with a light to medium chocolate "shading" on the sides, rump, belly, head, ears, feet and tail. The color is to extend well down the hair shaft to an off-white undercolor. Toenails are to be uniform and may be medium to dark brown. Eyes – Brown. Ruby cast permissable. Faults: Surface color too light or too dark, smut over the back, scattered white hairs. Light color on the underside of the tail is undesirable. |
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BLUE TORT: has gray-blue eyes, and has a more "mealy" type color to their coat, and not so much rust or orange color (sort of reminds me of cinnamon toast crunch cereal). They usually have nearly all blue ears, very pronounced blue on the muzzle, feet and tail. The blue coloring is usually deep and unmistakably blue. A lot of times, but not always, their entire body has a bluish cast. I have seen some that start out with almost a white undercolor, but be patient--that will shed to a pretty cream color. We have a theory that this could be caused by the rabbit carrying an underlying shaded gene ("chd", "chl" or the elusive "chm") that wreaks havoc with the wool color and undercolor. Color Standard: The body color is to be fawn, blending into a blue shading over the rump and carrying well onto the haunches. Top color should carry well down into the undercolor blending into a cream color next to the skin. Top of the tail should match the body color, with the underside to be blue, blending into a cream next to the skin. Belly should match shadings, with cream undercolor. Head shadings should be darkest blue at the whisker bed, blending into a lighter shade along the jaw line, darkening again at the ear base and blending up into the ears to match the body color. Eyes – Blue-Gray Faults: Stray white hairs, faded shading Disqualifications from Competition - white belly or tail |
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LILAC TORT: these rabbits have blue gray eyes with a ruby cast 100% of the time. They look almost like a saltine cracker in color, very very light, almost mealy color over the body. Their shading is less pronounced than that of a blue tort and is more of a powdery dove gray or lavender. Think "muted". Very very light over the body, and can tend to give the whole rabbit a sort of "pinky glow". They look very "washed out", especially around the face. Genetically speaking, in order to produce a lilac tort, both parents must carry genes for chocolate (small "b") and dilute (small "d"). Sometimes people will label a poorly colored blue tort as a lilac tort. As with chocolate tort, ARBA judges go by what they see, not what the rabbit genetically is, so in order to know for sure, you would have to breed with a chocolate or lilac to find out what you really have. Color Standard: Surface color on muzzle, ears, feet and tail to be lilac. Saddle and belly to be a medium creamy beige or almond that carries well down the hair shaft with an off-white undercolor. Saddle color to blend to a light dove-gray lilac shading on the lower rump and haunches. Toenails may be light but not white and must be uniform. May show lap spots on belly Eyes: Lilacs will show a Ruby cast Faults: orange or rusty surface color, Body color that lacks beige or almond so it looks almost white Disqualification: White underside of tail, shading that is black, chocolate, or blue. |
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