bubblz
06-28-06, 03:01 PM 06-28-06
Hey guys it's about that time. If you think baby hamsters are cute and are thinking about breeding there are MANY THINGS to considered.
Physical Defects
There is one gene in the Campbells and one in the Syrians which will cause babies with physical defects. Both problem situations are very predictable and follow traditional genetic principles of inheritance. The Campbells gene is the Ruby-eyed Mottled Gene (Mi). The Syrian gene is the Anopthalmic or Roan/White Bellied gene (Wh). Each of these genes is a wonderful gene and produces beautiful babies when bred responsibly. When bred irresponsibly, though, deaths or physical deformities will arise. (Note: Each time the term “mottled” is used in this article, it refers to the Ruby-eyed Mottled gene Mi and not the Mottled gene Mo which is not known to be in the United States.)
And just a reminder for those not familiar with the Ruby-eyed Mottled gene. These hamsters do not necessarily have red/ruby eyes. You can have a Ruby-eyed Mottled Black hamster. It will appear to have black eyes. The eyes will only appear “ruby” when a flashlight (torch) is shined on them. (For more information on this gene, see my Mottled article.)
The Mottled Gene
The Campbells Mottled gene, in a double dose, will produce a baby which is believed to be eyeless and toothless. Such babies will be snow white, will be smaller in size than its normal siblings, and will typically die at the age of 2-3 weeks.
How can we avoid this? It is very easy. You never pair a male Ruby-eyed Mottled to a female Ruby-eyed Mottled. That eliminates this problem. Since this is a dominant gene, to get a double dose, both parents must be mottled. If you eliminate this situation, you eliminate the possibility of producing these eyeless, toothless white runts who die very young (at least through this cause).
Will breeders who violate this recommendation have better Mottleds? I have heard this theory and don’t believe it. I get the entire range of patterning in my Mottleds, and I do not breed Mottled to Mottled. I have confirmed this result with friends both in the US and in Europe, and all agree that the quality of the Mottled patterning is random. You can get a show winner equally quickly without resorting to irresponsibly pairing Mottled to Mottled.
The Anopthalmic Gene (Roan/White Bellied)
The Anopthalmic gene is similar to the Ruby-eyed Mottled gene. Only in a double dose is there a problem. In a single dose, this gene produces either a roaned animal or a white bellied animal. In a double dose, this gene produces a white baby who is eyeless. Now this baby will not die because of this defect. Actually, since hamsters don’t use their eyesight much, the hamster can live a mostly normal life (although I have heard reports that the lifespan may be shorter than normal). The question is why you would ever knowingly produce one of these hamsters. So we don’t do it if we are responsible breeders.
Again, to avoid it, we never pair a Roan or White bellied male with a Roan or White bellied female. Then, the potential for creating eyeless white Syrians is eliminated (at least through this cause). And for anyone who has not seen a White bellied hamster, they are not always easy to distinguish. In colors like Black, it is common around here for a Black hamster to have a white patch on the belly. Some of these patches are quite large. A White-bellied black would also have a white patch and could easily mimic the white patch on a Black without this gene. So you need to be very careful with this gene. You must know the lines of the animals you buy, and you must notify buyers about this gene is there is any possibility that the hamster they are buying has the Anopthalmic gene.
Breeding the Mottled or the Anopthalmic Gene to Colors Which Would Mask It
There are a couple of situations in which you cannot tell a Mottled or an Anopthalmic hamster. We’ll discuss each separately since the dwarf genes and gene combinations are a bit different than the Syrian ones.
Masking the Mottled Gene
Some colors “hide” or “mask” other colors or patterns. Let’s take a common example. There is an Albino Campbells. The Albino lacks all pigment. What if one parent of the Albino was a Mottled but carried Albino while the other parent was an Albino? You would expect to get some babies who appeared to be Albino but were genetically also Mottled. You would not be able to positively identify which Albinos were also Mottled by appearance alone. Thus, you would never want to breed an Albino from one of these litters to a Mottled or you would be creating the exact scenario above of breeding a Mottled to a Mottled. You would expect 25% of the babies to be eyeless, toothless white babies who would die.
So we avoid any pairings which could create such a situation. Now there may be rare times when someone would do this pairing for another reason. In these cases, you would always inform the new owner of the potential for this hamster to also be Mottled. Thus, they would only accept this baby into their breeding pool IF they knew they would not be mating him to a Mottled.
There is an additional gene combination which will also mask the mottled color in the Campbells. This is the Dilute Platinum. Even though we do not fully understand what creates the Dilute Platinum (REW or BEW), we do know that this combination produces an entirely white hamster and will mask the Mottled gene. Thus, it is risky to combine Platinum with Mottled. If Dilute Platinums appear, you need to treat them exactly as you would treat the albinos in the above example: never breed them to a Mottled and warn all potential buyers of the situation. Additionally, if your Platinums are light in color (as many around here are), you should minimize any breedings which pair a Mottled to Platinum. When you do these pairings, it will be hard if not impossible to distinguish the Mottled Platinums from the Platinums (at least I have found this difficult in my light-colored Platinums). Thus, make sure you notify anyone who buys from this litter that the babies may be mottled – and that they understand what that means.
Masking the Anopthalmic Gene
There is a common Syrian color gene which masks the Anopthalmic gene. That’s the Dark-eared White gene. Since this is again a pure white hamster, any pattern such as the Roan pattern is not visible. Thus you must again either avoid these pairings altogether or warn potential buyers of any DEWs that they may be getting an animal which also has the Anopthalmic gene. Make sure they understand the significance of this and that they only accept the animal if they are willing to forego breeding to another hamster with the Anopthalmic gene. Remember too that this includes any color combinations created using the DEW gene such as Flesh-eared White which is genetically DEW plus Cinnamon.
Now would this be the only gene which would mask the Anopthalmic gene? No. If you created a Black-eyed or Red-eyed white using another gene combination (i.e. the Dominant Spot Gene or the Silver Gray plus Cream), you would also face the same situation. Err on the side of caution. Always warn the buyer of the potential problem and explain it fully to them. Let them make an informed decision.
Would “masking” be the only situation which might “hide” the Anopthalmic gene? No. If the Anopthalmic gene presents itself in the White-bellied form as it does in Goldens or Blacks, you need to avoid the other pattern genes which produce a white belly. Thus, do not cross this gene into Banded or Dominant Spot. If you do, you will find it almost impossible to identify which of the white bellied babies have the Anopthalmic gene. Thus, you will not be able to breed any of them yourself and you must notify all buyers of the potential problems derived from this situation.
Physical Defects
There is one gene in the Campbells and one in the Syrians which will cause babies with physical defects. Both problem situations are very predictable and follow traditional genetic principles of inheritance. The Campbells gene is the Ruby-eyed Mottled Gene (Mi). The Syrian gene is the Anopthalmic or Roan/White Bellied gene (Wh). Each of these genes is a wonderful gene and produces beautiful babies when bred responsibly. When bred irresponsibly, though, deaths or physical deformities will arise. (Note: Each time the term “mottled” is used in this article, it refers to the Ruby-eyed Mottled gene Mi and not the Mottled gene Mo which is not known to be in the United States.)
And just a reminder for those not familiar with the Ruby-eyed Mottled gene. These hamsters do not necessarily have red/ruby eyes. You can have a Ruby-eyed Mottled Black hamster. It will appear to have black eyes. The eyes will only appear “ruby” when a flashlight (torch) is shined on them. (For more information on this gene, see my Mottled article.)
The Mottled Gene
The Campbells Mottled gene, in a double dose, will produce a baby which is believed to be eyeless and toothless. Such babies will be snow white, will be smaller in size than its normal siblings, and will typically die at the age of 2-3 weeks.
How can we avoid this? It is very easy. You never pair a male Ruby-eyed Mottled to a female Ruby-eyed Mottled. That eliminates this problem. Since this is a dominant gene, to get a double dose, both parents must be mottled. If you eliminate this situation, you eliminate the possibility of producing these eyeless, toothless white runts who die very young (at least through this cause).
Will breeders who violate this recommendation have better Mottleds? I have heard this theory and don’t believe it. I get the entire range of patterning in my Mottleds, and I do not breed Mottled to Mottled. I have confirmed this result with friends both in the US and in Europe, and all agree that the quality of the Mottled patterning is random. You can get a show winner equally quickly without resorting to irresponsibly pairing Mottled to Mottled.
The Anopthalmic Gene (Roan/White Bellied)
The Anopthalmic gene is similar to the Ruby-eyed Mottled gene. Only in a double dose is there a problem. In a single dose, this gene produces either a roaned animal or a white bellied animal. In a double dose, this gene produces a white baby who is eyeless. Now this baby will not die because of this defect. Actually, since hamsters don’t use their eyesight much, the hamster can live a mostly normal life (although I have heard reports that the lifespan may be shorter than normal). The question is why you would ever knowingly produce one of these hamsters. So we don’t do it if we are responsible breeders.
Again, to avoid it, we never pair a Roan or White bellied male with a Roan or White bellied female. Then, the potential for creating eyeless white Syrians is eliminated (at least through this cause). And for anyone who has not seen a White bellied hamster, they are not always easy to distinguish. In colors like Black, it is common around here for a Black hamster to have a white patch on the belly. Some of these patches are quite large. A White-bellied black would also have a white patch and could easily mimic the white patch on a Black without this gene. So you need to be very careful with this gene. You must know the lines of the animals you buy, and you must notify buyers about this gene is there is any possibility that the hamster they are buying has the Anopthalmic gene.
Breeding the Mottled or the Anopthalmic Gene to Colors Which Would Mask It
There are a couple of situations in which you cannot tell a Mottled or an Anopthalmic hamster. We’ll discuss each separately since the dwarf genes and gene combinations are a bit different than the Syrian ones.
Masking the Mottled Gene
Some colors “hide” or “mask” other colors or patterns. Let’s take a common example. There is an Albino Campbells. The Albino lacks all pigment. What if one parent of the Albino was a Mottled but carried Albino while the other parent was an Albino? You would expect to get some babies who appeared to be Albino but were genetically also Mottled. You would not be able to positively identify which Albinos were also Mottled by appearance alone. Thus, you would never want to breed an Albino from one of these litters to a Mottled or you would be creating the exact scenario above of breeding a Mottled to a Mottled. You would expect 25% of the babies to be eyeless, toothless white babies who would die.
So we avoid any pairings which could create such a situation. Now there may be rare times when someone would do this pairing for another reason. In these cases, you would always inform the new owner of the potential for this hamster to also be Mottled. Thus, they would only accept this baby into their breeding pool IF they knew they would not be mating him to a Mottled.
There is an additional gene combination which will also mask the mottled color in the Campbells. This is the Dilute Platinum. Even though we do not fully understand what creates the Dilute Platinum (REW or BEW), we do know that this combination produces an entirely white hamster and will mask the Mottled gene. Thus, it is risky to combine Platinum with Mottled. If Dilute Platinums appear, you need to treat them exactly as you would treat the albinos in the above example: never breed them to a Mottled and warn all potential buyers of the situation. Additionally, if your Platinums are light in color (as many around here are), you should minimize any breedings which pair a Mottled to Platinum. When you do these pairings, it will be hard if not impossible to distinguish the Mottled Platinums from the Platinums (at least I have found this difficult in my light-colored Platinums). Thus, make sure you notify anyone who buys from this litter that the babies may be mottled – and that they understand what that means.
Masking the Anopthalmic Gene
There is a common Syrian color gene which masks the Anopthalmic gene. That’s the Dark-eared White gene. Since this is again a pure white hamster, any pattern such as the Roan pattern is not visible. Thus you must again either avoid these pairings altogether or warn potential buyers of any DEWs that they may be getting an animal which also has the Anopthalmic gene. Make sure they understand the significance of this and that they only accept the animal if they are willing to forego breeding to another hamster with the Anopthalmic gene. Remember too that this includes any color combinations created using the DEW gene such as Flesh-eared White which is genetically DEW plus Cinnamon.
Now would this be the only gene which would mask the Anopthalmic gene? No. If you created a Black-eyed or Red-eyed white using another gene combination (i.e. the Dominant Spot Gene or the Silver Gray plus Cream), you would also face the same situation. Err on the side of caution. Always warn the buyer of the potential problem and explain it fully to them. Let them make an informed decision.
Would “masking” be the only situation which might “hide” the Anopthalmic gene? No. If the Anopthalmic gene presents itself in the White-bellied form as it does in Goldens or Blacks, you need to avoid the other pattern genes which produce a white belly. Thus, do not cross this gene into Banded or Dominant Spot. If you do, you will find it almost impossible to identify which of the white bellied babies have the Anopthalmic gene. Thus, you will not be able to breed any of them yourself and you must notify all buyers of the potential problems derived from this situation.