At first glance, it looked like a bad golden agouti, the top color was black, the belly was red, only the ticking was missing.

He was absolutely enthusiastic about this because he had already looked for this gene in cavies for many years.

From breeding experiences with small animals, it is known that by breeding in silver agoutis, there will also be varieties with a white belly. Some of the products of these first breeding attempts were sold to England and presented to the general public in January at the Bradford Show. They created vast amounts of curiosity amongst the cavy fans because it is not that often that something totally new occurs with our cavies.

You can imagine Tan and Fox cavies to be “unticked appearing” versions of the corresponding agouti. In theory, they are possible (and partially also present) in all color combinations we know from the agoutis:

Black with red belly = Black Tan

Chocolate with red belly = Chocolate Tan

Lilac with golden belly = Lilac Tan, etc

Black with white belly = Silver Fox (In the States, they are called Silver Martens because of the according name for the color in rabbits)

Chocolate with white belly = Chocolate Fox (Chocolate Marten)

Lilac with white belly = Lilac Fox (Lilac Marten), etc

All of the above possible colors have the single tipped hairs (showing the belly color)in common which are present at the flanks marking the transition from the belly to the back. It is also characteristic that the belly color is clearly visible around the eyes and at the chin. According to the standard draft for the US, this is supposed to be like this (just like on the rabbits having this color).

Genetically, this is a new agouti factor called a (raised) t. In the dominance scale, this factor stands between A = Agouti and a = self color. We are not sure at this time, how the dominance is toward the solids but we believe that the Tan factor is recessive towards the solid gene.

In order to get a Silver Fox, you best pair a Black Tan with a self black animal, which has fallen out of silver agouti (carrying the chinchilla factor = gene to change the red hair tips into white). This would be the fastest way because the Tan gene is dominant over self colors, and the black animal already brings the chinchilla factor which is necessary for the Silver Fox marking. These matings will yield 100 % Black Tans which are Silver Fox carriers.

This color has been known and popular in rabbits for a long time. The markings of a Black Tan are described in rabbits as follows:

The belly color is visible around the eyes, at the front and inside of the ears, at the nostrils, at the lower chin, the chin edges, the triangle behind the ears, the chest, the belly, the inside and back sides of the rear legs and the front legs show specks of it.

According to the description of the rabbit standard it can be assumed that this indeed has to be the same with the Black and Tan cavies, i. e. that these animals show features in their markings which would be severe (and disqualifying) faults in the “normal” agoutis. For example, the presence of red color at the chin or around the eyes (eye circles) on an agouti would be a minor to severe fault.

Gaby Prust and Sigi Tooson

Black Tan

Silver Fox