# blue varieties



## angelofwhimsy (Dec 11, 2011)

So.. if I wanted to get into mouse breeding, specializing in blues and maybe silver/dove.. what would I need to start with? How easily does the blue gene translate to other patterns? Who would be best to talk to?


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## candycorn (Oct 31, 2011)

Well first where are you located? Blues are pretty common in the eastern US anyway. The look great in pied, dutch, self, and fox!


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## angelofwhimsy (Dec 11, 2011)

The UK, I'm afraid! While I am interested in showing/exhibiting too, it would be more a pet project, with really good quality show-type mice. I'd be aiming for blues/silver/doves in self, fox, satin, pied/broken, splashed with the eventual hope of tricolours - there is someone on here with blue tris and while blue has long been a favourite colour, the results of her litters were just stunning and I was in love 

Having said that I am a million miles away from starting any such project. I have a mouse colony who are all pet and few would contribute with, I guess, the exception of a self blue boy, as they are all 1-1.5 years old. However waiting to start over, I can at least start asking questions, going to shows to see what I am aiming towards and meeting other breeders/showers so I can have a good idea when I start.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

blue is ressive so will take a little more work to get it in diffrent markings than it would be to get black, also be harder if the marking u want is also ressive.

for example (going by mice bred for showing so you know what they carry) if you want blue fox and cant get one you could put a blue self to a black fox and get all black tans carrying blue, breed them tougher to get black, blue, black tan, blue tan, black fox and blue fox. However you must rember when mixing varities the results will most likely not be the same as the ones being shown, as they have been bred for the right shade and the crosses would be bred to get the colour.

If you wanted blue rumpwhite and cant get one you can put a blue self to a black rumpwhite and get more black rumpwhites carrying blue and black self, put the rumpwhites back to the blue and you get balck and blue rumpwhites and black and blue self.

I have two lines my mice to show and my mice ive been breeding up with from my first ever pet type mice with the aim to oneday show, so if you were intrested in showing you could do a simaler thing, have a line of blues to show and keep back spairs of theose to use to make blues in diffrent markings. If you do that just rember to never put your marking line back into your show line as you will ruinin it, only put your show line into your marking line.


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## angelofwhimsy (Dec 11, 2011)

I think definitely I am going to have to learn to keep strict records!

That's useful to know, I guess realistically I could start with all blue bucks and work my way from there. How many does do people tend to keep for a breeding project?

Also are there any breeding taboos? No siblings pairings for example. Or any combinations that produce 'lethal genes'?


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

I like to keep 2 breeding bucks per prodject, doe's i tend to keep as many as i can happerly fit in my boxes. When i get good babies they replace the adults when there old enough.
Inbreeding is used alot in mice, as its the best way to get type where they all look the same and to strengthen dasirable traits however you need to keep in mind that it can also strengthen and bring foward hidden traits you might not want. Those mice with faults or helath problems need to be removed from the breeding program. 
There are some genes that have leathal problems, ay reds is leathal in 2 doese ay/ay however embrios with that arnt viable and die and are reasorbed so never born so the litters are smaller. Variegated is another, double doeses of the gene cause the babies to become anemic and they should be culled (humanley killed) to prevent them suffering. Sexlinked Brindle is usualy leathel for males, also read they can get wobblers where they wobble and its neurological.

Realy it comes down to how confotable you are with breeding them, some people are happy to breed Variegated to Variegated and will cull any animec mice so there is no suffering, others may not be happy with the thort that they are doing a matting that will produce unhealthy offspring that need culling. The same geos for inbreeding, some are fine with it and others are not.


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

If you're interested in exhibiting mice, read this thread: http://www.fancymicebreeders.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=7744

That'll help you decide if it's for you


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

angelofwhimsy said:


> So.. if I wanted to get into mouse breeding, specializing in blues and maybe silver/dove.. what would I need to start with? How easily does the blue gene translate to other patterns? Who would be best to talk to?


It depends which marked varieties you're aiming for and how long you're prepared for it to take to get there/what kind of results you're looking for. It should be fairly easy to find blue pet mice, marked and self. Finding blue exhibition quality mice will be more difficult as they aren't hugely popular in show circles. You may still be able to find some though, both self and marked.


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## kiowa_ruby (Aug 27, 2012)

I dont think brindles are sex linked in the US ..?

I have a brindle male who is healthy .. and brindle male babies who are just fine ??


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## Cordane (May 22, 2012)

Pretty sure in US you get both x linked and "normal"


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