Standard is the color that is "natural" for chinchillas to be. A good standard should have a bluish tint to it's color, even veiling, and a nice white belly. Standards can be light, medium, or dark phased. Breeding mutations back to standards is very important to maintain quality.

Standards can be light gray to nearly black in color, the white on the belly does not go all the way to the root of the hair which should be blue in color with a white tip. The fur everywhere else should be blue in color, there should be a clear white bar, and the tip should be black.

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Whites can be any color of chin with white any place other than their belly. Some chinchillas have a blocky mosaic pattern, while other's look peppered. Mosaic is a term used for whites that have patterns on them. The first whites appeared in 1955 at the ranch of Blythe Wilson, which is why they are sometimes also known as Wilson Whites. Some whites will have nearly no guard hairs, some will look like a standard with only a couple white spots that are "out of place", and others can be anywhere in between. Whites should not have a yellow or creamy look to their fur.

The white gene is a incomplete dominant gene. When bred homozygously the white genes have a lethal factor. Although this will not kill the female, it will result in the offspring dying before birth and being reabsorbed by the female. When bred a white can offer standard or white genes.

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The pink white is a hybrid created by breeding a white to a beige. It should have a white body, sometimes with markings, but more often without. It will always have pink ears, opposed to a white which has dark ears. The pink white often has a creamy tint to it, although this is not desirable. Some pink whites may get ear spots or freckles with age. When breed pink white can offer white, beige, or standard genes, unless it is a homozygous pink white, in which case it can offer white or beige.

	Photo courtesy of MishisM Chins
Heavily marked pink white

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The Lowes Recessive White first appeared in 2003 in the herd of Bob Lowe. The recessive white is technically a beige. It is a true recessive that is being worked with by several breeders in the US and Canada for improvement and continument of the mutation. The kits are born a light champange color then tend fade to white with age, sometimes keeping a slight dusting over the back.

A Lowe's Recessive White will produce a carrier when bred with any other mutation unless it is a recessive white or a recessive white carrier.

Recessive white kit

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White ebony is accomplished by breeding a white to an ebony. A white ebony can have a dark belly, and will often have noticably darker markings and sometimes lack of veiling on colored sections of the animal. A white ebony can offer the standard, white, and ebony genes to it's offspring.

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Hetero Beige, or the Tower beige, first appeared in 1960 in a herd belonging to Nick Tower. This today is commonly just called beige. A beige should have a blue undertone and a crisp white belly. They range in color shades from light to dark, and are known to oxidize easily if there is poor air circulation or high ammonia conditions. When bred the hetero beige offers the beige or standard gene.

Very blue beige	Dark beige with oxidation

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Homo beige is the beige in it's homozygous state, this means it only carries the beige color gene. This can be accomplished by breeding two animals that are or carry beige. Ex: A beige and a pink white. It can offer it's offspring only the beige gene.

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Brown velvet or TOV beige is a beige animal that carries the TOV modifier gene, this is accomplished by breeding a beige or beige carrier animal with a black, or other TOV modified color creating a dark face mask and darker coloring over the back. A TOV beige can offer standard and beige genes to it's offspring as well as the TOV modifier gene.

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Tan is accomplished by breeding a beige to an ebony creating the wrapped affect of the colored belly. A tan animal can offer it's offspring the tan, standard, beige, or ebony genes.

Photo courtesy of Little Chincha Photography

Photo courtesy of Little Chincha Photography

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White Tan is accomplished by crossing a tan with a white. The white tan can offer it's offspring the following genes: tan, ebony, beige, standard, pink white, white, and white tan.

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Black velvet also called TOV or Touch of Velvet was first known as the Gunning Black. It first appeared on the ranch of Robert Gunning in 1960. The TOV gene creates a dark mask and dark veiling over the back, though the years the TOV has gotten darker through selective breeding. The black is technically a standard with the TOV gene. The TOV gene can be expressed in any other mutation color as it is a modifier, not an actual mutation color. The black should have a soft "velvety" fur with a black face and back fading down to a crisp white belly. When breed the black can offer the standard gene and the TOV modifier gene.

Photo courtesy of MishisM Chins

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Ebony can range from very light grey to solid black. Ebonies have a dark belly. When breeding chins you should also note a chin as an ebony carrier if it is born standard as ebony can carry for generations before showing again. Ebony can be used as a modifier gene when crossed with other mutations to create a solid belly, such as tan, violet wrap, etc. When bred ebony can offer the ebony gene in any phase.Ebonies should be a blue black color, red coloring is unacceptable. A solid black ebony is often called a homo ebony, but this is a misnomer as it is not homozygous for the ebony gene.

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Charcoal in the US has been basically lost due to crossing it with ebonies. Although very similar the charcoal mutation has a soft matte type look opposed to a shiny look of the ebony. They can also have a brown tint to them which is acceptable, unlike the red tint in ebonies. There are several breeders in the UK that are working hard on keeping this mutation alive. The charcoal is a recessive gene.

Photos courtesy of Davidson Chinchillas, UK

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Violet mutation first appeared in 1967 in the Sullivan herd. Violet is a recessive mutation that has a blue lavender color with a crisp white belly. Violets can be very light to very dark in color. The violet is expressed only in the homozygous state so a violet will only offer the violet gene to their offspring.

Photo Courtesy of Lowcountry Chinchillas

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Violet wrap is accomplished by crossing a violet or violet carrier with an ebony violet carrier, or two ebony violet carriers. This results in the belly being completely violet in color. When bred the violet wrap can offer the violet gene and the ebony modifier gene.

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White violet is accomplished by crossing a violet or violet carrier with an white violet or white violet carrier. This results in a white chin with any spots being violet in color. When bred the white violet can offer the the white gene and a standard gene and always the violet gene.

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TOV Violet is accomplished by crossinga violete or violet carrier with any other animal that expresses the TOV gene and is a violet or violet carrier. The results are a violet chin who has a dark violet face mask and back. When bred the TOV violet can offer the violet gene and the TOV modifer.

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Sapphire is a recessive gene. Both parents must carry the gene to produce a sapphire. A sapphire should have a very blue color with a white crisp belly. The sapphire first appeared in Merle Larson's herd in the mid 1960's. It is generally considered one of the weakest mutations. When bred a sapphire can offer it's offspring the sapphire gene.

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TOV Sapphire is a sapphire with the TOV modifier creating a dark face mask and darker back. The TOV sapphire can offer it's offspring the sapphire gene and the possibility of the TOV modifier.

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White Sapphire is accomplished by crossing a sapphire or sapphire carrier with an white sapphire or white sapphire carrier. This results in a white chin with any spots being sapphire in color. When bred the white sapphire can offer the the white gene and a standard gene and always the sapphire gene.

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