Bunny changing colour? (pic heavy)

[whiskylollipop]

This is Merlin Bunny, age 3 months:

He's the blue-grey one, which I put in contrast with his mostly white brother Rose. See how dark he was?

He's been getting lighter and lighter. He's almost Rose's colour now.

This is him around 4 months:

See how light his back and cheeks got? I used this head-on picture for another reason. Besides getting lighter, he's also developed a pattern on his head:

This is him now, basically, at nearly five months:

He's several shades lighter than the carpet when he used to be several shades darker than it. And he has a little white mask.

What's up with that?

 

[Azerane]

Some rabbits do change colour as they go through molt, it's not too uncommon. The "mask" on his face is probably where the molting is still progressing.

 

[Ilovemyrabbit]

Yes that does happen, my Ash who is nearing the end of his molt has been getting lighter and lighter. He also has a mark on his head like that. Cute bunny!

 

[whiskylollipop]

Is he going to stay this colour, or is the dark blue going to come back? Not that it matters of course, it's just interesting to know. Boyfriend theorises that the light coat is his "winter coat"! We live in the southern hemisphere, so it's winter now

 

[woahlookitsme]

Most likely the color is not going to come back darker. He will continue to get lighter unless he lives outside(cold weather can cause darker color points). If I had your permission I can repost your picture on a forum with some genetics gurus and they might be able to give you a better idea on why he go so much lighter. Right now he looks Sable point. But when he was younger I would have guessed totally different. I know some shadeds go through some crazy moults but no idea why its that much of a difference

 

[whiskylollipop]

I got suggestions of "blue tort" when I got him, but he looks pretty far from that now. Sure, go ahead and repost if you wish, I'd love to find out what his official colour is! I'd say his coat's mostly an off-white with a tinge of dove grey, blue point maybe?

 

[Zaiya]

Yes, like posted before, rabbits can change color as they get older in different molts. For example, my friend got a rabbit when it was 10wks old, and it had a bluish color. Now, he's a Siamese Sable!

 

[woahlookitsme]

I got some answers for you! Here you go:

"I think it's a blue point - dilute sable point.

Shaded colors can change a lot as they mature. A couple of my darker sable points molted out to be lighter."

"I'd say it's a blue point. Reading the COD from my NALRC guide book states, the points (nose, ears, feet and tail) are to be a medium bluish gray color. The point colors fades to a light creamy white body. And could have something that's making her hold on to the blue color making it dove. Like a missing butterfly on some brokens? The body of the kit in my NALRC guide book shows the color of a blue but then lightens. It just goes in stages. I watched my Marten change from sable to silver. Then when he gets ready to molt again it starts to darken. So this rabbit's coat could darken and that could be the "winter" coat, which is after the molt.
Lovely coloring and it is so interesting to watch them change as they mature and molt out that baby fur. Plus during their adults life as well. I have read many times from many different breeders with certain colors and patterns, you really need to see them at mature age (6 months in Lion heads) to know their true color. Unless you have a true genetic code, I would think.
Lovely rabbit. Wishing them all the best and hoping all of them have a lovely rabbit experience."

"I wouldn't have called the 3 month picture blue tort -- not enough orange tone -- but on the other hand I'm not sure what I WOULD have called it.
Might be a breed difference in the color names (I know a number of the 'same colors' are called by different names in the lops than in my angoras), but based on the current pictures I would call him a smoke pearl (aaB-chl-ddE-) or smoke pearl point (aaB-chl-ddee) -- depending on whether the blue color is truly restricted to the points. A LOT of variability in the smoke pearls (apparently even in the same rabbit from one molt to the next) -- some of them are really light, but the color generally goes higher on the hindquarters (not just the tail) even in the really light smoke pearls."

 

[RabbitGirl101]

Most likely the color is not going to come back darker. He will continue to get lighter unless he lives outside(cold weather can cause darker color points). If I had your permission I can repost your picture on a forum with some genetics gurus and they might be able to give you a better idea on why he go so much lighter. Right now he looks Sable point. But when he was younger I would have guessed totally different. I know some shadeds go through some crazy moults but no idea why its that much of a difference

I agree that was the first color that popped into my head too, they look like Sable points to me too

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

The rabbit that changed appears to be blue point, which is the dilute version of sable point. Shaded colors change A LOT as they mature. The broken colored bunny appears to be regular sable point.

 

[whiskylollipop]

Wow, thanks whoalookitsme! How insightful. The prevailing opinion seems to be blue point. In retrospect, I probably should have posed him on a white background so the colour filters through more accurately, but blue point does seem about right to me. The one shade he hasn't lost is a definite bluish tinge.

Thanks everyone for your input, and whoalookitsme for getting the expert opinions! <3 <3

 

[SablePoints]

yeah...same thing happened to me