# Black Tan/Blue Himi



## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

TinyHart's Pumpkin, our black tan buck, has been bred to NE Mice's Vodka, our blue himi doe, and she gave birth while we were out of town to THIRTEEN pinkies, all black-eyed. I'm SO EXCITED to start the new year off with so many wonderful little babies, born the first day of the year! I've culled out three of the males, and will likely either cull out a few more or foster them over to her daughter, an agouti who's due tomorrow or the next day. I'll get photos up either when the second doe pops or when they fur up, whichever happens first.

While it may seem odd to pair these two specific mice, rest assured I had an awful lot of reasons in mind. Knowing that Pumpkin carried p, and fearing that Vodka did as well, along with all the other recessives each of these either has to carry (because of their parents, siblings, or other offspring) or were believed to carry, meant that there were FORTY phenotypes possible from this combination. Selfs, tans, piebalds, c-dilutes, splashed, all sorts of crazy stuff! Since we've got no pink-eyed pups, that cuts things down considerably. More than a few of the babies were black-eyed but pale, and the others were very dark, so I have high hopes for the quality of the litter. Increasing the temperature of the mousery does seem to have made a major difference, as has getting a much better mouse-sitter for when I go out of town.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Woo! Picture time. Kahlua (the agouti doe) had her litter today, so I'll be finishing culling down Vodka's litter and fostering a few over tomorrow. Also, I did not name these does. Believe me, officer, I'm not a party kinda girl! For now, pictures of the first litter:

Overall, they range from very dark:









To mid-colored:









To light grey:









And one with a big splot of white on her face:









Taken together, they make a good range of grey:









Currently, the other litter is identical, save for the mixture of black and pink eyes. I was expecting more pink eyes than black, since the buck's p/p c/c and the doe's P/p C/*, but from my peeks under the log, it looked like a fairly even split. When I sex and cull those tomorrow, well see how even the split really is.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

While I'm here, a few more photos!

Kahlua, eating some Diamond while protecting her nest:









Cranberry, the buck to Kahlua's litter, on our Christmas/Yule Tree:









A terrible shot of Bailey, Kahlua's sister and nanny (agouti himi):









And to bring it back around, TinyHart's Pumpkin, the buck to Vodka's litter:


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

D'awwwww! Grand babies!
Pumpkin carries that headspot thing, it's supposedly some sort of "irish" spotting, it's some kind of dominant s/s patterning.
Speaking of Pumpkin, he looks like his belly is pretty darkish. Are the colors in that picture true?

Also, if there are any chocolate babies would you let me take a look at color? I'd love a chocolate buck but I can't find one dark enough.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

I doubt we're getting any chocolates, as these are all really quite blue-grey-black (no surprise, since the doe's a blue), and I've culled out the remaining bucks (just before sitting down, actually, sorry!). In general, though, I'll keep an eyeball out for brownish pinky bucks, and see if I can't keep those around for you. I do have yet another litter coming in, but it should mostly be longhair agouti/argente himi and pew.

The walls of the room are a lilac color (not the blue seen in that photo), and the light is terrible, so the color is undoubtedly off. He does, though, still have a lovely orange belly, definitely better than the tans I started with! I can try and get him outside for more accurate color tomorrow. Mostly, the photo was to show you that he's doing well, happy, and still the big boy who eats all the food! :lol: Vodka's previous litter had also thrown a piebald looking like this (though also only one), so if they both carry it, I'm glad I ended up mostly with selfs! Spotty mice just aren't my thing.


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

It's strange. I bred Pumpkin's dad to a mom that was S/S and got two of those piebalds. It has to be some sort of weird dominant spotting.
I am so glad he's so well! I love seeing pictures. Does he still have a little baby face? 
I should be getting my own litters of blue tans/black tans soon too from his sister and half sis...cannot wait.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

And we've finally got a day where I'm not busy painting the coop plus there's plenty of sunshine!

For Tinyhart:








A better image of Pumpkin's belly.

And... more photos, because I'm a photodump kinda person. Also, our blue himi doe Vodka may actually be blue agouti, explaining that mid-range level of gray babies, who are now coming in a lovely dark and rich agouti (  ). What can you do? Well, other than rehome those girls and move on. 









You can see the black doe really stands out. I'm hoping good things for her, since she's the only one.



























I didn't knock her over. She just fell over. And it was too cute.




































A close-up of one of the three agouti does, this one very lightly spotted.









One of the palest blue does with the black doe.









The piebald blue surrounded by the darker blues and the agoutis.


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## Emfa Mouse (Dec 14, 2011)

I love the blues :love1


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

WOw!!! You do have two Irish babies...weird stuff! The agouti certainly is very dark.
Widdle Pumpkin haves such a beb face....squeeee!!! :mrgreen:

O, I am visiting Irish at the end of the month. Any chance you can? Do you know if you'd be back anytime soon? I wouldn't mind a few does maybe, if you are sparing any.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Thanks, Emfa! 

I'd be happy to spare several, particularly if you want agouti (tan?) or blue agouti (tan?). I could probably swing by on a weekend, but it'd be a trip just for this, unless I can also drag my girl to the zoo (hmm...). The pied is one of the two real blues, and then there's the lightly spotted agouti, two unmarked agouti, and two blue agoutis. The black agoutis are really dark. It was a while before I realized that they weren't just not-quite-as-black as the black doe. Only one black in the whole mess! They're starting to get belly fur, but it'll be a few days still before I stop fearing that some of them aren't tan. Mum's thrown foxes before, so it'd be no surprise if all the does did turn out tan. Assuming they fur out tan, I'd like to keep the blues and black. It's just the ticked does who're no good to me. I'm toying with separating with the pied blue, but the girl always really likes the pieds ( :roll: ), and three is a good keeper number. Also, you should know, I'm super-pleased with the feet on these! Pumpkin's feet are good, and I hoped that crossing him with the himi, who has good foot color also, would continue that. Thus far, it's good things.


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## Emfa Mouse (Dec 14, 2011)

quick question... whats an Irish baby?


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

IrisheaglesOne is a member here who is local to Tinyhartmouseries and me. I assumed she was saying that the doe I gave to Irish has had babies, though now I remember that Irish is also a marking in rats. They have a white belly spot and white feet, while English Irish have a white triangle on their chests, and white front feet. I have neither such marking in my bubs, so I continue to assume that she meant Silky (the doe) has a litter.


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

NO I am sorry, I was told that the spotting pattern with the belly spot, partial band, and headspot was an "Irish" marking. I could be wrong but hey, that's what I learned anyway.


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## Emfa Mouse (Dec 14, 2011)

Ok, thanks.


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## Lucy (Jan 7, 2012)

The babies are lovely


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Thanks! They're on Day 14, so I'm just waiting on their eyes to open. I'll get more pics when that happens.


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

And more photos! These were actually taken on the 15th, but then I got busy with import things and forgot to post them for you. I'll try to get belly pics soonish.


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

Cuuuuuuuuute!!!!!! :mrgreen:


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

Ahh... I love them all squeezed into the cups... Like a shot of cuteness!


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

And now fully-weaned photos of the C/ch tans, keepers first, then the does who are up for grabs. These young ladies were born on January first of this year, making them 8 wks on Saturday.

Cumin, the black tan doe









Ahipa, the blue tan doe









Canna, the other blue tan doe









Sapphire, the piebald blue agouti tan doe









Up for grabs, blue agouti tan doe

















Up for grabs, piebald agouti tan doe









Up for grabs, umbrous agouti tan doe


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