# Help me!!



## OfMiceAndMe (Jan 29, 2015)

What's the difference between roan/Merle/agouti/chinchilla?

I thought my mice were blue Merle?
Or are they silver agouti? Blue roan?
I think one is chinchilla.


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

If you post some nice clear pictures of your mice, we could identify them for you!

Roan can be any colour, but roughly half of the hairs are white, like a silvered mouse. Merle is the same as roan genetically but with solid patches of the original colour. Silver agoutis are a mix of grey and black hairs, like an agouti but greyscale. Chinchilla is a silver agouti with a white belly.

From the Finnmouse varieties pages:

Roan: http://hiiret.fi/eng/breeding/?pg=4&sub=11&ala=8
Silver Agouti: http://hiiret.fi/eng/breeding/?pg=4&sub=4&ala=7
Chinchilla: http://hiiret.fi/eng/breeding/?pg=4&sub=4&ala=5

And from elsewhere on this forum:

Merle: http://www.fancymicebreeders.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=4836&hilit=merle&start=70


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## Roland (Aug 17, 2009)

SarahY said:


> If you post some nice clear pictures of your mice, we could identify them for you!
> 
> Roan can be any colour, but roughly half of the hairs are white, like a silvered mouse. Merle is the same as roan genetically but with solid patches of the original colour. Silver agoutis are a mix of grey and black hairs, like an agouti but greyscale. Chinchilla is a silver agouti with a white belly.
> 
> ...


Hi,

after some time I thought it is a good idea to look what happened to the merle I distributed to UK and NL some time ago. Looks as if they are doing well in the UK. Great!

Since all merle in Europe have their origin in my stud I can tell you a little bit about the genetics:
Merle is not just a recessive inheritance, there are additional genetic factors involved, probably an unstable factor, meaning that during embryonic development, some of the roan-like cells of the embryo mutate back to the basic color.

"Roan like" mice are not identical with the original dominant roan described by Green in 1966. Roan is dominant, while the phenotypically very similar "Roan-like", which is the basis for Merle, is recessive. In Merle the roaning is stopped more in areas, leaving solid patches. So all Merle bred in Europe having nothing to do with Roan, they just look similar and therefore the merle without patches are called "roan-like".

Best regards, Roland


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## OfMiceAndMe (Jan 29, 2015)

Ok, I have identified some of them! but what about these?


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## OfMiceAndMe (Jan 29, 2015)

Oh, here are the others... I'm still trying to figure out how to post properly. Also, I have been referencing AFRMA color standards.


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## Apex (Apr 12, 2014)

OfMiceAndMe said:


> Ok, I have identified some of them! but what about these?


This one looks like a variegated. I've never seen one marked quite like this!


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