This article is from the Nov./Dec. 1991 AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

By Troya Duncanson

From Michele Buck, Rootstown, OH
I’m working on some mice similar to the Panda (pied) hamster. So far they breed true. They’re not spotted but an intermingling of white hair with a color, whatever it may be. They also have to have colored ears and color around their eyes. They’ve also produced Black-eyed Whites with dark ears. A Your mice marked similar to Panda hamsters sound interesting. If the white hair is very noticeable, you may have Variegated mice (a dominant trait). The fact that they’ve produced Black-eyed Whites tends to support this. There are some lines of mice that I’ve had with the recessive spotting, but they all had more of an intermixing of color patches and white, some getting fairly intricate. I only mention this as a possible alternative. (I liked the look of these mice, so continued to have some around, in spite of them being totally wrong for the standard). Karen Hauser sold a Brindle mouse to me, and he is producing some lovely Brindled family. Brindle is a dark orange-yellow mouse, with spidery-striping across their body, usually black, but I’ve seen stripes in other colors. It’s a dominant trait and like other dominant yellow mice, they get quite fat without due care. You may have seen Brindled dogs. To get a picture of what I’m describing, think of the stripes on Great Danes, Greyhounds, Boxers, or Bulldogs. (As of yet, mice don’t get the black masks that dogs do.) See the May/June ’91 issue, pg. 7.

ED. NOTE: Variegated mice are a white mouse with color splashes and usually a solid rump band, colored ears or other large solid colored areas and some intermingling of color in the white. The ideal show Variegated would not have the rump band or large colored spots and not very much intermingling of white and color. Some breeders have managed on all of the above except for the rump band (in England they do have Variegated without the rump band). For more information on breeding Variegateds, see the Jan./Feb. ’87 and May/June ’87 issues.

Jessica Jakubanis, Norridge, IL
Q Can you somehow breed Blue Point Siamese from regular Siamese, and how?

A Siamese mice are essentially Black mice with a Siamese gene limiting the color to the familiar points. To get a Blue Point Siamese you have to breed Blue into your Siamese line. First litters should be entirely Black Self mice. If you then breed these Black Self mice with each other, you will get several more Black Self mice, some Blue Self, some Siamese, and a few Blue Point Siamese. The expected ratio would be 9:3:3:1. Do not save any of the second generation Black Self (or keep them for your own purposes). But you may wish to breed second generation Blue mice to second generation Siamese (or either of them to the first generation Black mice). There is a significant chance that these second generation mice carry the other desired trait and may also produce Blue Point Siamese. Note: To avoid close inbreeding, make a few different Siamese and BI ue crosses in the beginning, then you won’t be forced into brother x sister breeding. Personally, I use quite close inbreeding in my own mice. Blue Point Siamese mice are quite light. If you are interested in a Silver Siamese, a different program is in order and will be discussed in the next issue. (Silver Siamese are light gray mice with dark gray points.)

ED. NOTE: See the March/April ’85, May/June ’85, and Sept./Oct. ’87 issues for more on breeding Siamese mice.

Michele Buck, Rootstown, OH
Q Are there any new coat colors or fur types being developed on the West Coast?

A As far as new colors and fur types, I’ll leave the question open for member comment. For me, Brindles, Roan mice, and Silver Black were all new colors that I only heard of a few years ago. I also acquired some Banded mice which are new to the Fancy. These are a solid color with one white band circling the body at the midsection. I would love to hear from anyone about any new mice that they come across.

ED. NOTE: The current colors breeders are working on to Standardize is Silver Black and Blue in the rats; Brindled and Blue Point Siamese in the mice. Breeders are also working on the Masked rat and Banded mice.

From Michael Emerson. Londonderry. NH
RE: Sept./Oct. ’91 issue - 4 colored mice.
I have photos of my 4 colored mice somewhere. I’ll have to look. Both mice have died. The Agouti/Orange/English Gold and Lilac has produced an offspring who has an Agouti nose spot and English Gold rump. I have not bred him yet. I’ve also had several tri-colored rats. They were Mink Berkshires and had a black Blaze on their faces like the Agouti pictured.

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