Ok, here once again I'm delving into something I know nothing about directly
(not being a ferret breeder) but since I did work a lot with color genetics
of the Netherland Dwarf rabbit when I bred those for years, thought I might
be able to help just a bit.  BTW, a great basic introduction to color
genetics of animals is a book by Bobby Schott called something like "The
Color Genetics of the Netherland Dwarf," often available from small-animal
supply mail-order companies.  It opens with a chapter about terminology, the
use of Punnett squares to predict color and genotype, and has great
information on what actually produces color - it will help you understand
what's happening with albinism and patterns!
 
Anyway, what we call chocolate in rabbits is a what would be a black animal
if it didn't have genes which made it express brown pigments instead of true
black.  Dilution is something different - the dilute of a black is a
beautiful true blue (looks like a Russian Blue cat), and the dilute of a
chocolate is known as a lilac (a pastel sort of pink dove-gray).  Both
dilution and chocolate are recessive to full color and black.  Based on what
I've gathered from the argument however, I don't think your chocolates and
rabbit chocolate are the same at all.  The alleles for cinnamon and red
color traits (two different things completely) are on different alleles from
the others already mentioned - it's extremely complicated!  This breed of
rabbit has 36 recognized color varieties, and several dozen more commonly
seen but not accepted for show.
 
I second the motion that a group of knowledgeable breeders should get
together, standardize color names and descriptions, and struggle through
some detailed genetic analysis.  The patterns can wait until after you work
through what's happening with the very basic self and sable-type colors.
Good luck, I don't envy your positions!
 
        --jessi, kindjal, and chani
[Posted in FML issue 1927]