Established in 1961
American Chinchilla Rabbit Breeders Association
Fur to Fall in Love With
The Fur of an American Chinchilla
American Chinchilla fur should have a gentle rollback, meaning when you stroke the coat from the hindquarters toward the shoulders, it returns to position gradually. The proper fur length ranges from 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches, with 1 1/4 inches being ideal. When evaluating length, a coat that is longer or shorter is still acceptable if it maintains density, as density is preferred over perfect length without substance. The fur should be dense, fine in texture, bright, and smooth with a gloss, showing excellent condition. It must also be free from molt and hutch stain, reflecting cleanliness and overall quality. This combination of density, texture, rollback, and condition is essential for proper American Chinchilla fur.
Color and Rings
American Chinchilla color should resemble the look of a real chinchilla, with five clearly defined color bands on each hair shaft. Starting at the base, the under color ring should be a dark slate color and wider than the intermediate band. Above that is the intermediate ring, a bright pearl, followed by a narrow black band at the top edge of the intermediate color, this definition between the pearl and black is important. Above that sits a very light band, and finally, the hair ends in jet-black, slightly wavy tips. Together, these five rings create the breed’s classic chinchilla look and are a major part of proper color and quality.
The American Chinchilla’s surface color should blend naturally across the body, with the neck fur being lighter than the main body color in a triangular shape. The chest should show light, even ticking over a soft pearl shade that is just a touch lighter than the body. The belly has a white outer color, while the under color may be either white or blue. Eye circles must be narrow, well-defined, and a light pearl color that complements the facial markings. The tail shows clear contrast: the underside is white, while the topside is darker than the top coat. Together, these markings create the bright, balanced look that defines proper American Chinchilla type and color.
Guard Hairs
Guard hairs should be one of the first things you notice when examining a chinchilla's coat. The guard hairs create a wavy pattern when you look closely. Some refer to this as chicken wire, others refer to this as honeycomb, but in our standard it's known as "wavy jet-black hair" it is the 5th ring and has a lot to do with defining the American Chinchilla. When you stand back you should be able to see a black halo that encases the rabbit. This means you have nice length guard hair!
A Conditioned Rabbit
An American Chinchilla should present a clear appearance of health and vigor, showing strength and vitality in its overall look. The eyes must be bold and bright, reflecting alertness and good condition. The rabbit should carry a good coat that is firmly set in the pelt, indicating proper density and body condition. Flesh condition is extremely important: the rabbit must be firm and well-muscled, never fat or soft, and never thin or bony. The flesh should be deep, smooth, and even across the entire body, giving the rabbit a balanced, solid feel from shoulders to hindquarters. Altogether, these qualities show a rabbit that is healthy, well-conditioned, and properly maintained.
Brown Surface Colors
Some lines of American Chins will have a brown coloring to the kits. Sometimes it even stays until the rabbit is in its intermediate stage. It is not a DQ in young rabbits. However, it is a DQ in adults.
Faults and Disqualifications
Faults in American Chinchilla color generally come from weak ring definition or poorly balanced shading. A salt-and-pepper surface color with an uneven appearance takes away from the clean, distinct ticking the breed should show. Faded undercolor is another fault, as it weakens the bold slate base needed for proper ring contrast. The intermediate ring should not be too narrow; a thin pearl band indicates poor color structure. Finally, smoky or cloudy ring definition—where the bands blur together instead of forming crisp, separate layers—prevents the coat from displaying the classic five-band chinchilla pattern. These issues reduce clarity, contrast, and overall color quality.
Certain color issues are considered disqualifications in American Chinchillas because they break the essential pattern and purity of the breed. White spots or mixed brown patches anywhere on the body are not allowed, as they disrupt the correct chinchilla coloration. An extreme brownish tinge in the ring color indicates serious color contamination and is a disqualification. The coat must also show the full five-band ring structure; the absence of ring color is grounds for disqualification because it removes the defining feature of the breed. Finally, the rabbit must have clear, light pearl eye circles—their absence is also a disqualification. These requirements ensure that only rabbits expressing true American Chinchilla color can be shown.
Black lacing on the ears
Wavy jet black guard hairs
Ring color with less density
Ring color with better density and dark slate under color
Under belly view
On the wideband gene in American Chinchilla Rabbits
By Dr. Steve Roush
Let me start with an observation most judges (well- the better ones) know but that often breeders may not. Is it “wideband” as made by the “ww” or just a “wider band?” Simply blow in the belly fur. Does it have undercolor? If no, then the chin is genetically a wideband. If it has blue undercolor, then it is not wideband. Note that the standard allows for “either white or blue belly undercolor.” Thus you can show either!
Breeding wideband to wideband yields 100 percent wideband. As for the non-extension gene, it should never be in an American Chin program. It eventually creates what the Europeans call Sallander, lf self. It’s like a gorgeous Tort but no brown coloration.
Some of you who may have the ww and ee genes in other breeds will get Ermines, a very light, almost white, looking rabbit with black tipping at the ends of the hair shaft. Does it clarify ring definition or crisp up the light pearl bands? IMO that varies with your strain characteristics, some gene modifiers and your preference. Won’t we all agree that “light pearl band” is really interpreted by us and the judges as “whiter is better”?
Clearly density is a huge factor in ring definition. Obviously, those rabbits starting or in a molt have poor ring definition due to the many different stages of hair growth that muddies the appearance when we blow into the coat. If you haven’t done it, go look at Rex or Mini Rex Chin coats. Their density varies significantly and correlated with that is the ring definition.
In showing your chins, be sure to listen to judges’ comments. If they don’t mention ring color, ring definition, ring undercolor, density and length, you are getting shortchanged. Also, to truly see ring definition, I condense the fur and then blow into it. Helps to reaffirm the definition, collects all the guard hairs to the surface and thus shows a solid black surface. It’s a good practice when evaluating your stock.
NOTE: Dr. Roush originally shared this information on a Facebook post and offered it to us to use it in our newsletter.
--Walt