Goldbar Chinchillas

The Goldbar chinchilla first appeared at Bob and June Baar's Royal Oakes Ranch in Jamul, California in or about 1990. The Baars spent many years propagating and developing their new mutation. The Goldbar mutation is believed to be a simple recessive. In the homozygous form, the Goldbar chinchilla is a pale whitish beige with varying degrees of golden coloration along the topline. As with all true recessives, it is important to routinely cross the Goldbar into high quality standards to improve the quality of the mutation, and to diversify the genetics.

There has been some debate about whether the Goldbar and the Lowe Recessive White are different chinchilla color mutations. There is strong evidence to suggest that they are not. The easiest way to tell if two recessive genes are the same or different is to breed them together. If the offspring are 100% phenotypically standard, then the two recessive genes are different. If the offspring are 100% the color of the parents, then the gene is the same.  We decided to try the experiment. Several Goldbar chinchillas from different breeders were crossed with Lowe Recessive White chinchillas from different breeders. The results were consistent... 100% Goldbar kits in all cases. These experiments would therefore indicate that the gene is the same. If correct, the mutation should be called Goldbar, which is the name given to it by the breeder in whose herd in which the mutation first appeared.

It is not uncommon for recessive mutations to 'reappear' in subsequent herds. This same situation likely accounted for the multiple early names for the various ebony or 'wrapping' mutations. A breeder may acquire, unknowingly, several chinchillas carrying a recessive gene. By chance two carriers are bred to one another, the recessive gene appears again, and the breeder then believes he or she has a new mutation. It is an honest mistake, but there should perhaps not be a renaming of the original mutation.

Visit the Chinchillas.com Auction database to view additional pictures of Goldbar chinchillas, or see new chinchillas for sale in the Sales Gallery.