Recessive Silver?

[Deleted]

Having read through various books and resources on ferret genetics, and reading on here ... silver seems to be accepted as a recessive gene carried by many.

Does anyone have this in their lines?

The silver in my ferrets is a simple dominant gene, and I never double it (for fear of 'double merle' type problems, homozygous fatal etc), and I haven't ever had a silver crop in a litter out of two non-silver parents. Having said this, it might happen if I bred an albino out of a silver parent ... as they might be silver underneath their bini.

How common/uncommon is the recessive type and dominant type and what type have people come across?

[Deleted]

One of my jills is silver and Vinnie's mother is a silver panda, when I bred my silver jill with Vinnie (albino), I only got 2 sables in the litter and only one silver and he was a very light silver like his mother. My chocolate jill is the sister to my silver jill so she has silver in her background too.

[crazylady]

Hi most people consider silver as the dominant gene or the poley showing out ( the first silver kits where bred from an albino father to a roaned out light poley called irish iris ) there where three silvers in the litter two light poleys and 1 albino male the silver often shows on kits like a cross on there back ( think of a donkey ) line going down back and line over shoulders forming a cross take care bye for now
Bev

[Deleted]

Just a thought, could mitts be a natural mutation not a mutation caused by selective breeding like the other pattern? I'm wondering because stoats and weasels have mitts.

[crazylady]

Hi well stoats and weasels are related to ferrets so they may carry a recessive gene remember any animal can produce an albino even us humans ! take care bye for now
Bev

[Heather]

I know a human who is albino. Her daughter is not
ciao

[Sherry]

I also know one. He is sterile.