Francesca Hartop <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote >Hi, I'm new to your listserv, but have had gerbils for a couple of years now. >Recently we had a lilac female, during the last week or so of her pregnancy, >change from a solid light color lilac, to light lilac with some dark lilac stripes. >We are now 2 months post-birth, and it seems that her color now has these >different shades of lilac permanently. > >Has anyone else seen this? Does anyone know what causes this? I know >human females can get a mask of pregnancy, which generally >fades/disappears after a while, but don't know that gerbil fur should work the >same! > >Any thoughts, please share. Thank you! > >francesca >Ohio >
Gerbils moult continuously and the new hair is often a slightly different colour. This is most noticeable with lilacs. The line where the coat is changing can be seen as a dark line in Agouti colours. Pregnancy and other factors can affect this colour change, the coat tends to fade slightly as it ages and is then replaced by new darker fur. Please note that this list is closing as the hosting organisation is shutting it down. Please move to the new Gerbil Mailing List at ww,Topica.com. Mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] to subscribe. -- Julian [EMAIL PROTECTED] National Gerbil Society http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
