Rebecca Allbritton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>I wonder about the use of the term pied for these dark spotted gerbils, and
>the way you describe the difference between patched and pied on your web
>site. The gerbils I have, that seem healthy, are just barely spotted,
>whereas the ones you've been seeing you've called pied, presumably because
>of the large amount of white on the body.
Every gerbil I have seen with either a permanent dark patch, or, like
the gerbil I saw on Saturday, a different colour, has been heavily pied.
>
>I wonder if there might be a connection between the amount of white
>spotting and the deleterious effects of the dark mosaic pattern? My
>Verence, who has several dark spots in different places, has only a small
>amount of white on his head. His DPP offspring also has just a mark on the
>head and a small collar, but hasn't been bred yet (eyes still closed ;) ) A
>patched rather than a pied, in other words. The pictures on your web site
>show gerbils with much more white than my two, and you said there were
>multiple problems with their offspring. Any thoughts on this line of
>reasoning? I will be breeding the youngster with a relative and a
>non-relative to see what happens. I plan to stay with the dove/lilac colors
>to simplify things.
The extensively pied lilacs with dark patches proved poor breeders. The
offspring were often undersized. We still have some but no longer try
and breed them. Mosaicism may be the sign of further genetic problems so
in my opinion, if there is a possibility of mosaicism only healthy
animals should be bred from.
--
Julian
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* Jackie and Julian *
* [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
* National Gerbil Society *
* http://www.gerbils.co.uk/ *
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