# some black mice



## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Here are some black mice I've bred.

Krakatoa and Mauna Loa (granddaughters to the mouse in my profile pic):









Saint Helen:









Eyjafjallajökull:









They all look identical so the only way I can tell them apart is by keeping them in separate cages. 

That's actually not pee on the fabric, btw. I had soaked the rosebuds overnight to make them open up, so they were wet. You can see the water drops on the roses.


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## JustMouse (Jul 23, 2010)

Oh man, they are absolutely gorgeous. I love black mice and yours are PERFECT. And I love the third one's name!


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Haha...thank you. They're actually not perfect. They have a few white hairs, near their noses and on their chests. They're also small, but that's just how (good) blacks are.

I also feel like their ears are too light inside (which is really weird now that I type it out) and they have pink soles.

Their names are all the names of volcanoes. I can't pronounce Eyjafjallajökull, so I just call her Ellen (it rhymes with her sister's name, Saint Helen).


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## zany_toon (Apr 3, 2010)

They are really beautiful jack! I'd love some of your mice but think I'm a little far


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## Matt Haslam (Mar 13, 2010)

nice Jack nice.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Thanks, y'all!


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

You named them after volcanos? :lol:

Can you even pronounce the last one? -EDIT- Oh wait, duh, just read your other comment. :roll:


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## GypsyTails (Jul 14, 2010)

Beautimouse, as always Jack. Beautimouse! I won't be able to look at my Blacks today and still hold my head up! :lol:


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## Kallan (Aug 16, 2009)

*is jealous*

*very very jealous* :love

I call that volcano Eyjaffacake


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## miss.understood (Apr 20, 2010)

Stunning, absolutely stunning.

...lol to Kallans jaffacake-y bit lol xx


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

they look good and in excellent health to.


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## The Village Mousery (Aug 1, 2010)

green eyed monster here


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## Megzilla (Oct 12, 2009)

Beautiful Jack!!


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Thanks, guys. 

Blacks are so special. It's odd to me how they're always so small (compared to my PEWs or doves). They remind of of black holes: small, dense, and dark.


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## Kallan (Aug 16, 2009)

...and mysterious, and enigmatic, and I WANT ONE!!!! :lol:


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## WillowDragon (Jan 7, 2009)

I can see pale toes on Helen...

Oooo picky picky!!!! LOL Seriously though, nicely done.

W xx


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## windyhill (Jan 19, 2010)

Nice


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

WillowDragon said:


> I can see pale toes on Helen...
> 
> Oooo picky picky!!!! LOL Seriously though, nicely done.
> 
> W xx


No, no, you're absolutely right. And like always, I appreciate valid criticisms as much (or more than) compliments.

The pale toe disease (what I call it in my head, lol) bugs me to no end. It's not the toes as much as it's the whole sole, I think. The lighting was off in this picture, but you can see the pale sole better:










It's so frustrating!

The insides of their ears and the bottom of their feet (which carries onto their toes) are the hardest parts to get black!


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## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

They are beautiful!!


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## Seawatch Stud (Feb 8, 2009)

Those mice are in tip top condition Jack. I won BIS recently with a black at the London champs, and I have to tell you , you would love my blacks!. In a show in England one white toenail or one white hair is enough to keep you out of the cards. They have to be black as black from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. The areas you have identified are the problem areas, but when you get them right they are very hard to beat. In my opinion, a near perfect black mouse is as good a show animal as you will ever see.


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## Megzilla (Oct 12, 2009)

Seawatch Stud said:


> Those mice are in tip top condition Jack. I won BIS recently with a black at the London champs, and I have to tell you , you would love my blacks!. In a show in England one white toenail or one white hair is enough to keep you out of the cards. They have to be black as black from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. The areas you have identified are the problem areas, but when you get them right they are very hard to beat. In my opinion, a near perfect black mouse is as good a show animal as you will ever see.


Jack, you would love his mice! I've fallen in love with them


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## Fun Family Rodentry (Dec 1, 2009)

I would not mind having one of those black here =] I love the tail set on. Its amazing.


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## SiamMeece (Sep 21, 2010)

Jack Garcia said:


> It's so frustrating!
> 
> The insides of their ears and the bottom of their feet (which carries onto their toes) are the hardest parts to get black!


The pinkish inside of their ears is probably due to their Siamese origin. (I think I read in one of your posts that their ancestors were meant to darken the points of Siamese?) I see that in the black offspring of Black x Siamese pairings. Just keep on patiently breeding Black x Black (but of course you know that...  )

Btw, great mice, really breeding material


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Thank you, everybody! I love my black mice! Even though they're small, they probably conform more consistently than any of my other mice.



Megzilla said:


> Seawatch Stud said:
> 
> 
> > Those mice are in tip top condition Jack. I won BIS recently with a black at the London champs, and I have to tell you , you would love my blacks!. In a show in England one white toenail or one white hair is enough to keep you out of the cards. They have to be black as black from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. The areas you have identified are the problem areas, but when you get them right they are very hard to beat. In my opinion, a near perfect black mouse is as good a show animal as you will ever see.
> ...


I know I'd love them! I'm lucky enough to have descendants (going back a few years) of one of Seawatch's chinchillas.



Seawatch Stud said:


> Those mice are in tip top condition Jack. I won BIS recently with a black at the London champs, and I have to tell you , you would love my blacks!. In a show in England one white toenail or one white hair is enough to keep you out of the cards. They have to be black as black from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. The areas you have identified are the problem areas, but when you get them right they are very hard to beat. In my opinion, a near perfect black mouse is as good a show animal as you will ever see.


I agree with everything you've said and I take your compliments very highly! I am working hard on my blacks. Part of the problem for me is that some of them carry Siamese. I wonder (though I can't prove) if that affects the occasional pink toe. I never ever have pink tail tips, thankfully. Just toes and, less often, ears. If I come to England you have to sell me some of your blacks, and chinchillas, and, and... 

I love blacks. When bred correctly, they're an absolutely excellent example of a show mouse. As far as I know I am the only person in the US who is trying to breed them to the same standard used in England. I've adopted a few culls out to other people but they're all doing other things with them.


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## thekylie (Mar 6, 2010)

I just have to butt in here and say that by naming you're mouse Eyjafjallajökull, you've probably become one of like 12 people in the world other than vulcanologist who actually have some idea how to spell it.


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## Seawatch Stud (Feb 8, 2009)

Jack, you get here and you can cherry pick two trios of my blacks for nothing, thats a promise. I am glad to hear you had some of my chin stock I sent to the U.S. I sent blacks too, but cant remember who had them. Cait (mousebreeder) would perhaps remember. Ive bred more winners from my blacks than any of my other varieties, yet they are still a mystery to me. They are the "dark art" of the mouse fancy.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

thekylie said:


> I just have to butt in here and say that by naming you're mouse Eyjafjallajökull, you've probably become one of like 12 people in the world other than vulcanologist who actually have some idea how to spell it.


It's really quite funny you should say that because I had to go to the mouse room and take the cage label so that I would remember how it's spelled! :lol:



Seawatch Stud said:


> Jack, you get here and you can cherry pick two trios of my blacks for nothing, thats a promise. I am glad to hear you had some of my chin stock I sent to the U.S. I sent blacks too, but cant remember who had them. Cait (mousebreeder) would perhaps remember. Ive bred more winners from my blacks than any of my other varieties, yet they are still a mystery to me. They are the "dark art" of the mouse fancy.


Thank you. When I come, I will definitely take you up on that! I wish I could fast forward a couple years and have the funds to travel already!


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## GypsyTails (Jul 14, 2010)

Jack Garcia said:


> I wish I could fast forward a couple years and have the funds to travel already!


Oh my gosh, that's how I feel! :lol:

My taller half said last night. "You want to spend how much to import mice???" However, traveling someplace new and incidentally bringing mice back didn't get as big of a negative reaction. I guess maybe I'll take a mini vacation when that time comes! Save some face, have a little fun AND get some nice mice. :lol:


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