Black-eyed Lilac Campbells Dwarf Hamsters

Black-eyed Lilac

Black-eyed and Red-eyed Lilac Littermates

Black-eyed Lilac (BE Lilac -- aabbdd) is the three-gene color which is the combination of the opal, black-eyed argente (BEA), and black genes.  Since all three of these colors genes are recessive, the hamster must have two copies of each of these genes to appear BE Lilac.  It is not difficult to breed a BE Lilac if you have the three genes -- but you must have all three genes.  It is always easiest, though, to start with two two-gene colors which have one gene overlapping.  Then you can both predict what you get and recongize the colors when you get them.  It is also easier to know what genes your babies will carry when you start with a two-gene color and add the third gene. To breed an BE Lilac, you would start with two different two-gene colors like lilac fawn and blue (chocolate works equally as well if you make the substitutions).  Between them you need to cover the three genes needed for BE Lilac with one color overlapping.  Since lilac fawn is the two-gene color for opal and black-eyed argente, you are only missing the black gene to get BE Lilac.  Since blue is the two-gene color for opal and black, you are only missing the black-eyed argente gene to get to BE Lilac.  So you would breed the lilac fawn to the blue with opal being the overlapping gene.  All babies would be opal carrying BEA and black.  You would then breed two of these opals together.  From this pairing, you should get approximately 9/16 opals, 3/16 lilac fawns, 3/16 blues, and 1/16 BE Lilac. It is a bit trickier but still doable if you start with a two-gene color and a one-gene color.  Let's take the example of breeding a blue to a BEA.  Blue is the two-gene color for opal and black.  If you breed a blue to a BEA, you should get all normals carrying opal, black, and BEA.You then breed two of these normals together.  From this pairing, you should get approximately 27/64 normals, 9/64 opals, 9/64 black, 9/64 BEA, 3/64 blue, 3/64 chocolate, 3/64 lilac fawn, and 1/64 BE Lilac.  As you can see, it can take a lot of litters to get to BE Lilac this way with a lot of other colors popping up along the way.  The reality is that with a single pair you may never get an BE Lilac since these are all statistics.  Again, it is preferable to start with two different two gene colors instead.