I have a pair of gerbils, as follows:
AaCc(h)ee(f)ggPp male
aaCc(h)e(f)e(f)GGppSp+ female (pictures featured by
Emily F. recently)
To date, they have produced a total of 9 surviving
young in two litters. The older litter will be 8
weeks old on Jan. 20th, the younger will be 4 weeks
old on Jan. 27th. The offspring are as follows:
4 Schimmel Spot/Extremely pied DEH
2 PEW/DTW
1 YF/RE Schimmel (died at 3wks)
1 YF Spotted
1 light nutmeg/Schimmel
The "extremely pied" individuals, (providing they are
not Schimmel Spot, which I will know later) have very
light orange aspects to portions of their dorsal fur,
almost like a "splash" of orange. The YF spotted is
classic spotted, with a clearly defined white spot, a
small snip of white on the nose, and a larger spot on
the neck, not large enough to be a collar. The spots
are not connected, and she does not have a white tail
tip.
Her spotting pattern does not resemble that of any of
her siblings or her spotted parent (prior to her
molt).
If modifying genes affect the amount of spotting on an
animal carrying Sp, and only one parent of a pair
carries Sp, does it follow that all spotted offspring
will be similarly pied? If not, how much variation
can be expected in a litter? How much is known about
the inheritance and action of the modifying genes?
A related question - what is the normal coloration of
the very tip of a polar fox's tail? My PF's tail tip
is white, and I'm wondering if this is a possible
indication of Sp. He doesn't show any other
indications, such as pink toes or white on the face or
neck.
Thanks,
Amy aka MScottMGP
President/GC Chairman
American Gerbil Society
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