|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 17:39:55 GMT -5
So i'm a little bit confused. I was reading a ferret book and I was wondering if there is a difference between a ferret color and a ferret pattern when it comes to health issues? or is it all the same unless you get a sable or and albino. Albino ferrets are my favorite but i was just wondering what the difference is between color and pattern if there is any.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 24, 2012 20:00:14 GMT -5
Colours= silver, cinnamon, champagne, DEW Pattern= blaze, panda, milk toes At least as I understand it. I will bow to anyone who has knowledge of this as my interest lies in original colours. All the above are dilutions of the original colour, the mixing of albino and sable. There has been suggestions that the more one mixes to create different colours and patterns, the more health issues appear to become involved. There was a chart with some very good pictures, I believe that it is on the AFA site that will give you names to the colours and some of the markings. The absolute best book for this is the "Fret Popper's The Coat Colour Book" It explains the genetics behind the colours and where the whole colour thing destroys the health of the ferret. ciao
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 20:15:32 GMT -5
ok i just wasnt sure. i want a true albino that doesnt have fancy colors lol. but i was told about patterns not affecting health. and it didn't make alot of sense to me. i thought i understood but turns out i don't.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 24, 2012 20:43:04 GMT -5
It gets complicated because you can get albinos out of mixed litters of coloured ferrets. More times these 'binos are what is called a pink eyed white. They're very difficult to distinguish from a true albino but are a product of a mixed colour litter. They will occasionally pop up as a "throw back" (a near ancestor was a 'bino) Unfortunately, they carry all the messed up genetics that their parents and siblings carry . It's rather a simple way of explaining it but that's how it works. That is why "true" albinos are cherished by the old breeders. We've done so much messing around with colours, trying to get something different that we've all but destroyed the albino ciao
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 20:55:56 GMT -5
ok i understand that better. thats really sad that people breed for just the color instead of just keeping the original sable and albino color and breeding to better the health of the ferret.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 21:03:25 GMT -5
Id love a true albino too, Hunter is from a litter DEW's and mitts, not a true albino. Unfortunately in Australia we are seeing more and more fancy coloured ferrets cropping up
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 24, 2012 21:22:58 GMT -5
Unfortunately, you being in Ausratalia does present some problems I know how difficult it is to find these 'binos and how difficult it's to get some of the old time breeders to give up their precious little ones. Albinos were considered "expendable" as most people got creeped out by the eyes and they diluted the harder colour of the original ferret. What no one seemed to think about was by taking the possible eye issue of the albino and mixing it to a regular colour you magnified and created new problems Now the only real albinos live with some of the old ferreters who don't trust a lot of people to have their precious hunting ferrets. ciao
|
|
|
Post by crazyferretlady on Oct 24, 2012 21:25:37 GMT -5
Hunter was from a litter of albinos and sables. His father carried the albino gene.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 21:51:52 GMT -5
There are different types of mutation that cause "dilutes" in any species. Albinism is associated with with a lack of melanin only. A true albino lacks ALL melanin. there is another form on "light pigmentation" that is NOT albinism - it's different - leucism is caused by a lack of multiple skin pigment genes (not just melanin). Albinism and leucism of varying degrees may overlap. In many species, leucism may result in "spots", patches of color and/or diluted colors. This is thought to be true of ferrets. (White patches - not just on the heads...some ferret colors tend to have patches on the chest/knees, etc.) Dilute colors may also be associated with leucism as well. In some species, albinism is associated with health issues. In some species, leucism, is associated with issues. The degree of problems may vary by species I have done a bit of research on leucism - I myself may be leucistic (definitive diagnosis would require a genetic test) If you look at my picture in the old forum, you'll see that I am definitely a "blaze", which started at 17-18 years of age. (I'm now a "spring chicken" at > 50 !!!!) I also have relatively unpigmented eyes (gray - not blue - not green - not hazel - just plain-a$$ gray!!!!) Although rare, other such occurrences exist in my blood lines. -jennifer
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 21:52:28 GMT -5
i've always liked the true albinos. I've never been into all the fancy colors. Do you breed teo true albinos to get more albinos or do you have to breed the sable and the albino? I know some animals its not recommended to breed two albinos together.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Oct 24, 2012 22:26:37 GMT -5
In ferrets because the albino is a true colour for them, to get a true albino you need to breed albino to albino. As soon as you breed sable to albino you get a different beast. The combination of these two are what creates the problems. If you have an albino, who has had siblings or parents of another colour then you no longer have a true albino. You have a pink eyed albino. Albinos, true albinos have no tyrosinase to initiate pigment production from tyrosine....so basically you have no way to make pigment....the problem happens when you break that process down. So, to put a rather complicated message in it's simplistic terms (you can study this for awhile) A true albino carries pigment cells but no colour, the pink eyed dilute (which can be an albino but has coloured parents or has colour in it's heritage) carry the colour but have no pigment cells to put the colour in....this is where the problems come in. Does that make some sense? It's a whole couple of chapters in Fret Popper's The Coat Colour Book. So, you can get an albino in a litter of various mixed colours....that albino isn't a true albino, it's a pink eyed albino . ciao
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 22:28:31 GMT -5
I do not breed. I could not handle it - way too much stress.
Albinos do occur naturally in wild populations of polecats an "domestic ferrets"....the albinos do survive.
I am unuaware (but certainly no expert) of any known significant issues with ferret albinos. They do NOT see as well as other ferrets .(something with the rods/cones - cannot remember), and they may be more prone to eye/sight issues as they age.
I do not know much about breeding - I do know that, at one time albinos were preferred in Europe/UK because ferrets were used for hunting rabbit. The albinos were easy to spot in the bruh - sables could get lost much more easily. I do not know if albinoss were bred to albinos.....I can try to find out.
Any form of breeding MUST be done VERY carefully - I would never breed because I don't have the temperament (I'm a control freak and I come unglued too easily). HOWEVER, I will be involved in helping with breeding when I retire within the next 3 -5 years, I will then have some time to do something meaningful!
-jennifer
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2012 22:44:41 GMT -5
Heather yes that does make sense. thank you mustelidmusk for the info on the wild polecats:)
|
|
|
Post by lorelei0922 on Oct 25, 2012 11:26:01 GMT -5
you all in the US need to speak up and say you want Binos!!! So i can breed a litter of them !!! i'm desperate to replace my own Bino line but cant justify the breeding of them without homes to back them up.. sighs.. here it is next to Impossible to home binos...
|
|
|
Post by joan on Oct 25, 2012 11:33:46 GMT -5
I believe Heather is planning a litter of albinos in the next couple years or so which come from many generations of albino only breeding
|
|