# Can someone classify these colours/vareties for me please?



## AyJay658

Three of the babies from my three litters (21 babies altogether) are satin. Two of them are the most beautiful gold colour and one is a slightly lighter pinky gold and white. None of the parents were satin although the buck was a very pretty grey colour. The does were advertised as champagne but I am pretty sure they arent.. Anyway, take a look!


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## AyJay658




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## SarahC

no pics showing.


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## AyJay658

Third time lucky!


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## jadeguppy

Are you in the US? I'd say the two orange are fawn, possibly genetically recessive yellow or seriously undermarked brindle.


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## AyJay658

No, I'm in the UK. What about the other one? They are satin yeh?


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## SarahC

they are all satin.The odd one looks argente pied.The other two are looking to be fawn pied and fawn if the eyes are pink.It's possible that they are all different shades of argente though,if as they get older the coat is blue ish when blown apart then that will be the case.If it's solid orange they are fawn(if eyes are pink)or red(if eyes are black).Very pretty.


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## Gill

The two pied ones look very similar to two of my does, also satins; one fawn pied and one dove pied. However Sarah is more likely to be correct as your non-fawn one has a slight reddish hue.


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## SarahC

Gill said:


> The two pied ones look very similar to two of my does, also satins; one fawn pied and one dove pied. However Sarah is more likely to be correct as your non-fawn one has a slight reddish hue.


I'm only basing it on the fact that fawns throw argente,where as dove is a pink eyed black, so looking at the siblings argente seems the most likely outcome.Time will tell though,they are lovely babies.


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## AyJay658

Thanks very much everyone =) I fell in love with satins the moment their coats came through! The look like little gold coins to me =)


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## Frizzle

Are you going to be breeding these, or just keeping them as pets? I agree, satin is a really cool variety!


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## moustress

Oh, they are just lovely! Let us know when the eyes open.

That lighter beige one has a really lovely fat tail. I would gladly add that one to my mousery if I could.

I'll have more of these myself, soon enough, though, I'm pretty sure. My new pairings are starting to show results in teh form of pretty satin does that are rising like shiny little biscuits.

Anyroad, good work!


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## AyJay658

@Frizzle actually these are just the three satins that came out of my 21 babies. I would really like to keep one of them but the others will be sold on. 
@Moustress I will post some more pictures as they change! I was looking at one of your posts from august and saw you had a few which look like my pied fawn =) I was so amazed when I saw there coats come through. I had no idea it was possible the mother or father had any satin in their blood! I guess its the woman in me being drawn to shiny things =P


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## Frizzle

Do you know who's the mom is to the satins? Idk what you know about genetics, but satin is a recessive trait which means their mom is a carrier for it, as well as their siblings could be carrying it as well. If you wanted to make more satins, you could use her as well as her offspring to make future generations.


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## moustress

All the ones in that litter will carry satin. I breed back to standard coated satin carriers from time to time to help prevent any bad double recessives form cropping up. They are lovely, though, especially in the red eyed dilutes and any of yellow/red colors.

It's so nice to see nice big healthy babies like these in satin.

Later: Oops; did I make a goof!


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## AyJay658

Well it could be one of two mothers. The one who gave birth last has the smallest babies (hoping its just their age though) which are two days younger than the oldest. And the satins are not in this litter. Do people stud mice? I live in a university house and my mice are kept in my room so I cant start up a massive breeding programme or anything! I know practically nothing about genetics other than what a-level biology taught me! I would consider breeding from them again though.

Ahh I thought Rosie had peed somewhere. Just found it on my number 2 key =P

@moustress awww thanks! Are they really in good condition? =) I was looking at a post earlier and a guy was saying some babies were underweight and it made me panic a bit that mine might be too!

What do you feed your nursing does to boost protein? Ive been feeding them dry dog food. But I am unsure of how many pieces to give them. Atm I am giving them 2 each a day. Is that enough?


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## AyJay658

Also, I am starting to think maybe my PEW is a satin =S Its kind of hard to tell but I always thought her coat looked glossier/less matte than other PEWs I have seen.


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## AyJay658

Ha. It seems so obvious now. If I am right, she is indeed a satin. I cannot believe I never noticed before!
















Is her coat OK? I have just come back to uni from the christmas holidays and I am thinking it might be a little warm in my room. All my mice are getting a bit of a sweaty look about them...Hoping its nothing more serious than that!


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## SarahC

It is a satin,pew satins are known as ivory.Looks in good condition.Sweaty coats are usually a result of cages that need more ventilation .


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## AyJay658

Ahh that would explain it. My room tends to get a little stuffy. I will open the window today then! Thanks


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## Stina

> All the ones in that litter will carry satin. I breed back to standard coated satin carriers from time to time to help prevent any bad double recessives form cropping up. They are lovely, though, especially in the red eyed dilutes and any of yellow/red colors


They would only all carry satin if one of the parents was satin...and she said she didn't even know they carried satin, so they must not be satin. As such, both parents would be carriers of satin and the cross would be Sa/sa x Sa/sa, yielding 25% satins, 50% satin carriers, and 25% non-carriers. Of all the non-satins, ~66% will be satin carriers.


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## skinnybaby212

i love the light coloured one


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## AyJay658

Skinnybaby212 - she is called Ruby =) I will add some pictures of the other babies soon!


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## AyJay658

Skinnybaby212 - she is called Ruby =) I will add some pictures of the other babies soon!


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## AyJay658

The babies revolted today. I heard squeaking in the cage that sounded like one of the babies had fallen out the the nest. I went and had a look and sure enough there were two babies (still suckling from mum but upside down) on the floor of the cage. I watched to see if the mums would take them back inside but they were distracted looking at me and waiting for treats! After that another mouse thought he would join in the fun and hopped out of his nest. Then as soon as the mothers started to pick the babies up another baby walked out, causing the doe to drop that baby and go after the other one. This went on for a while until 6 babies were running around investigating the does nest box (which they did not take kindly to!) and getting themselves into little gaps between the nest boxes so the mothers couldnt get them. One of the babies even nipped back at the mum when she tried to pick him up by the ear! It was mayhem! And I got a photo of it!


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## Cait

Be careful that the babies can't get through those bars....


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## AyJay658

Dont worry. The base is pretty high up the walls so they should be fine. The bars are only 8mm also. But once they start moving around more I plan to move them into a tank.


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## Cait

They will easily get up there and may well be able to fit through that gap - you'd be surprised. I'd move them as soon as you safely can without upsetting the does.


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## Frizzle

AyJay658 said:


> Dont worry. The base is pretty high up the walls so they should be fine. The bars are only 8mm also. But once they start moving around more I plan to move them into a tank.


Mice are quite the climbers, I have a few who like to push their backs against the glass, while using their paws to wall climb up water bottles that don't have much for a purchase. They then proceed to walk around upside down the the screen lids. So athletic!


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## Gill

Those babies look about the same size as mine which are already jumping to the top of their "house", which is at least 3" high. I always keep litters in a tank until they are four weeks old because otherwise I tend to find baby mice in very strange places. Voice of experience, unfortunately.


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## moustress

Don't let the mousies get a cold draft, though.


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## AyJay658

Can someone please tell me what the best way to get ventilation to mouse cages is? I dont want the mice to get cold by leaving the window open in this weather. But one of my mice (Rosie) has had a respiratory infection since I brought her home from the garden centre and she breathes easier with some fresh air around. She is currently on antibiotics but it does not seem to be making much difference (been two weeks now). I am not really sure what to do! I want to make them all happy! I have a conjoined toilet to my room so could keep the babies and mummies in there but as there is a radiator in there and it is rather a small room I am worried they would get too hot. What can I do?? Would a fan help? Thanks everyone


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## AyJay658

Oh and I have heard the mummies sneezing on occasion as well.


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## Gill

I wonder if your mice are allergic to their bedding? My favourite doe (my pet, as opposed to the breeding stock) sneezes if I use anything except wood shavings.


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## maddeh

What type of cage are you keeping your mice in? As the room can be well ventilated, but if there isn't enough ventilation in the cage itself it won't make much difference. 
As long as your mouse has enough bedding, I wouldn't expect her to get too cold with the window open a little.
I hope she gets better soon, but 2 weeks seems a long time to be on medication without any improvement. I am not very experienced with ill mice though, so perhaps someone else can comment on this?

Ah an allergy! Didn't think of that!


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## AyJay658

Both are in regular barred cages. Both on display so exposed on all sides. Its the babies getting cold I am worried about. I used to use woodshavings but switched to carefresh original when I realised she might be allergic to the woodshavings. It didnt make much difference. I think it must be something to do with my room because whenever I go to my boyfriends with them her breathing improves. Or when I take her on the train or to the vets she is a bit better too. I just dont understand what it could be about my room! The house is very old so there is a bit of a problem with damp and I know this affects asthmatics so I wondered if that could be making it worse. I have cleaned it away now. But she honestly did have it ever since I got her so I don't know. I have had her for months now. Might need another trip to the vets! She sounds OK now to be honest but it always gets worse again =( She doesnt seem to be unhealthy in any other way. She eats fine and runs on her wheel ALL night. She is tame and doesnt spend 24 hours in her nest or anything. So not a clue what is up! Her fur sometimes looks a bit rough though. Those are the only clues I have.


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## Gill

Old houses tend to have dust in the air and, if there is damp, fungal spores as well (My cottage dates from the 1860's, and the old family home from the 14th centuary. The latter gave me hay fever). If either of these are the cause, there isn't much you can do about it short of rehoming her. Could your boyfriend keep her for a while, just to see if she gets better?


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## AyJay658

Oh no =( That is sad. I am only here until June though. Uni house you see. I am sure he would love to! He is always trying to convince me to let them stay at his because he enjoys their company. I will see what he says.


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## AyJay658

Well its happened! The babies eyes have started to open! So far we have 8 who can now see the massive hand that has been holding them for the last two weeks! Here are some photos =)








Some of my many babies








Barely open =)








Edit - I am such a bad person. I dont even know my own mice when I see them! This isnt ruby, this is one of the unnamed boys! Ruby is the one below.
















My golden girls tying themselves into knots!


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## moustress

Adorable; little meeces are just about the cutest things in the world at this age.


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## Gill

As you have named her, I take it Ruby is the one you will be keeping. Funny you should refer to your golden girls - I named my doe, who is almost identical to Ruby, Gold.
And now I understand about the housing problem. Although it was a long time ago, I went to Strathclyde University, and some of the Glasgow tenements we stayed in weren't that good for people, let alone pet mice, though it wasn't uncommon to see wild ones!


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## AyJay658

I havent actually decided yet! I have named almost all the distinctive ones but I will be keeping either Ruby, Golden Girl or Ginni. All three of the ones in the last picture. Aww bless. Do you still have Gold?


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## Gill

Yes, along with her sister, a dove pied named, very originally, Silver. I'm trying to breed long-haired satins in interesting colours, and both carry the necessary gene, as well as being very pretty satins. So long as the wretched hermaphrodite didn't get them pregnant, they will be ready for their first litters in March.


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## maddeh

Long haired satins sound wonderful. 


> a dove pied named, very originally, Silver


 - haha, don't worry my dove is named Pidgeon 
Very pretty mice you have there *AyJay658*


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## AyJay658

Thanks very much =D Going to be really hard to part with them in two weeks though...


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