Greenwood Chinchillas

Paw Spats

When a chinchilla have velvet genes (commonly referred to as Black genes) in its genetic make up, then quite often it is easy to identify

 

Where the black velvet gene is present is  an animal it has a distinctive effect to the fur in that it creates a darker veiled pattern to the face, spine and legs.  This shows itself by intensifying the underlying colour making it deeper and stronger.

 

A simpl way to check for velvet genes is to examine the legs of the animal for what are known as paw spats.

 

This are dark lines of velvet fur that will extend down both the front and rear paws as shown in the pictures below - the colour of the paw spat depends upon the underlying fur colour.

 

Black white crosses may or may nor show paw spats depending upon whether the  white or standard genes show through on the legs - the only way to be certain if they do carry the velvet genes is to breed from the animal and see if any velvet kits are produced when paired to a standard

 

These paw spats should be clear on both the front and back paws. 

 

Black Velvet Paw Spat	Brown Velvet Paw Spat	Ultra Violet Paw Spat

 

In some very darkly veiled standards there may be paw spats present, but this does not mean that they are also velvets - the paw spat is an indication of depth of colour to the fur.

 

When assessing if your animal is a velvet or not - look at the face for a dark mask and the paw spats together - though in some cases the only way to be sure is to breed the animal to a standard.

 

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