Greenwood Chinchillas

A Touch of Velvet

Chins are referred to as Velvet or TOV when they have a darker mask and darker mutation fur extending across the top of the head and down the back to the rump.  This darker fur should then extend as far down the sides as possible - preferably right down to a clear white belly (through this ideal has yet to be reached selective breeding can help to increase the move towards this).

 

The Term TOV is used in America to refer to the velvet mutation fur, and stands for touch of velvet.  It is sometimes referred to as Black as well - but this is not strictly correct as is present in the Ultra Violet and Brown Velvets but shows up in he underlying colour fur but with more intensity and depth. Black was the first colouration in which the intense fur and mask was identified so it is referred to as black in genetic literature.

 

The term touch of velvet was coined to refer to the difference that the mutation of the Black Velvet fur had upon other colour mutations.  The term came into being at such times as only Gunning Blacks (Black Velvets), Wilson Whites and Tower beiges were common colour mutations.

 

The first combination to be recognised for showing was the Gunning Black to the Tower Beige.  This combination was referred to as the Touch of Velvet Beige (now commonly the Brown Velvet in the UK).  TOV whites were simply judged as mosaics (now commonly called a Black/White Cross).

 

When breeding any animal with Velvet (black) genes there is a fatal combination - please be sure to read more about this here.

 

These days there are many variations on mutation and velvet combinations - the effects of which  can be seen for some below.

 

 

	Mutation	with Velvet
Standard  >>> Black Velvet
Beige >>> Brown Velvet
White >>> Black White Cross
Violet >>> Ultra Violet
Sapphire >>> Royal Blue
Charcoal >>> Char Black

 

 

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