# Pinkeyed Splashed / Tricolors ?



## Roland (Aug 17, 2009)

Breeders often have some uncertainty about the following points:
1.) Is Spl/* visible in pinkeyed c-diluted mice?
2.) Is Spl/* visible in pinkeyed mice which are NOT c-diluted?

Splashed is color-on-color whereas variegated is color-on-white. As a general rule Spl/* has an effect only when two C-dilute alleles are also present. The splashed gene disables C-dilutes in patches. Whereever the „splashes" appear, the coat color remains unaffected leaving the mouse dark (undiluted) in that area.
The color of the splashes is the color of the mouse, which would be visible with the same genetic makeup, but C/* instead of c*/c/*. 
Mice, which are C/*, can "carry" Spl/*, but normally it is not visible. A black mouse can be Spl/*, but we do not see the splashes, because blacker than black is not possible.
The contrast in fur color of a splashed mouse is higher, when the basic color, which would be visible if the mouse would not be c-diluted, is dark. The basic color could be a pale color, e.g. lavender (a/a b/b d/d) too, but lavender splashes on a pale cream background are nothing great, at least from my point of view. On the other hand, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder only...

Of course the basic color can be a pink eyed dilution too, eg. dove or champagne or Argente. As said before, the contrast should be visible and strong. Therefore from my point of view dove (a/a p/p) or champagne (a/a b/b p/p) with splashes or with Tricolor is nothing great.
Here is an example for a splashed dove doe, which is 9 weeks old and offspring from breeding my lines, very well bred and selected for type only by N. Krewisch:

Fotos here: http://tinyurl.com/ybh5rth

For better contrast in pinkeyed Splashed or pinkeyed Tricolors Chilloutarea Mousery breeds for Argente Cream Splashed only. Unfortunately the british lines, which I used to improve the type and ears of my own lines, are stubbornly pale, and I have to work hard with the offspring to get them darker and brighter, while trying to keep the benefit of their nice type. This work will keep me busy for a while, especially the missing amount of pheomelanines (not eumelanines) is a problem.

Here are pics of a 25 days old Argente Cream Tricolor girl and her 7 weeks old halfsisters.

Fotos here: http://tinyurl.com/ybh5rth

Another interesting point in breeding splashed pinkeyed mice is the interaction between Spl/* and p/p. Normally Spl/* is visible on c-diluted mice only. The C-locus and the P-locus are very close connected on chromosome 7. This is probably the reason for some interaction between Spl/* and p/p. C/* p/p Spl/* mice show (pale) splashes on a pale fur as babies. As described above, there should no splashes be visible on a C/* mouse, since normally they are visible on a c-diluted mouse only. The p/p mouse seems to be different, if you look at the mouse with the eyes of an expert, you will notice splashes.The contrast is lost in adolescence, when the fur darkens:

Fotos here: http://tinyurl.com/ybh5rth

Best regards, Roland
Chilloutarea Mousery - Tricolor , Splashed , Merle , Recessive Red
The place where science meets fun!


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Roland:

There are also the yellow/red tris and splashed. I have bred them both in the A^vy bred to not show brindling and in the recessive e. And I have had them with both black and red eyes and one oddeye. These colors do not fade, but actually become deeper with age.

Like this:



-ms


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## Roland (Aug 17, 2009)

moustress said:


> There are also the yellow/red tris and splashed.
> -ms


Hi moustress,

of course, there are even more colors possible, there is no doubt, that "the color of the splashes is the color of the mouse, which would be visible with the same genetic makeup, but C/* instead of c*/c/*." See above. 
This is not the interesting point, the interesting point is the interaction between p and Spl/*
MS, your mice are always really cute!

Regards, Roland
Chilloutarea Mousery - Tricolor , Splashed , Merle , Recessive Red
The place where science meets fun!


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Do understand correctly that you are saying splashed can show even when there is a full strength C in that locus? Or are you saying that the reversion is to the full C hue? And that champagne?

Oh, I just reread what you wrote; Yeah I agree that champagne and dove do not show out well on tris. I'd love to see an argent/agouti tri; I have had argente cream in my mousery, and I think I have one now....Frost, a young buck. He lacks the golden glow the show argente creams have, and he's been bred. I have one litter at three weeks and and new ones were just born today! I know it's been argued that it's rare, but what else could he be when he gives out champagne, argente, and agouti, as well as some very diluted little mousies.



He's way too dark to be a show argente cream, but the regular argente in this litter are way, way too dark as well; so dark that they look fawn. And the champagnes look like dove.


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## WNTMousery (Jun 2, 2010)

Moustress, Argente Creme is chillated Argente. That mouse looks Dove which could produce Champagne, Argente and Agouti depending on who it was bred with. Champagne has nothing to do with Argente Creme.


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

Yeah, definitely not an argente cream...

Does he throw agouti with non-agouti does?...


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

He's a ticked mousie; the undercoat is bluish. The lighter top color band is very narrow, and quite light.

[IMG=http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7712/img6615d.jpg][/IMG]


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

He does look like a mealy dove to me as well. Mealiness makes the tips of the hairs paler and gives that ticked effect. Argente creme is an extremely pale lemon yellow, with a very pale, icy blue undercoat. I've had lots in my Abyssinian line, but I only have this picture to hand and it doesn't show the undercoat but you get a good idea of the general colour strength:









Sarah xxx


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## WNTMousery (Jun 2, 2010)

Yes, as Sarah said. I've had poor Doves who looked ticked because their undercoat was much darker than the rest.

What are his parents, Moustress?


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## Roland (Aug 17, 2009)

moustress said:


> -ms


Hi mousestress,

this mouse does not look splashed or SPL/* based Tricolor at all. Yellow + c-dillution give cream, this mouse does not show any cream. It looks like a simple broken american brindle, which are quite common in US pet shops, cute nevertheless. Are you sure that it has a c-dillution? Which one?

Best regards, Roland
Chilloutarea Mousery - Tricolor , Splashed , Merle , Recessive Red
The place where science meets fun! [/URL


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## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

Roland, that mouse looks like an A^vy brindle tricolor to me. If it was just A^vy it would not have a pale yellow over half of its face next to bright gold on the other half...besides that it also looks odd eye which pretty much never happens on anything BUT splashed and tricolor mice. I guarantee you it is a tricolor and not just a broken brindle.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Stina, I think you are right about Odd-ball. Roland, the cream is on the left side of the face and also on the right flanks. He may actually be both A^vy and ee. My new line of yellow tris will be both. I had several bucks with big patches of cream.

I wouldn't bring him up as an example if I wasn't sure he was tri or splashed. My red satin boys that will anchor my new line include Penuche, who has produced tricolor offspring. I wasn't certain the tri/splashed genes were there in my little survivors, but now I know that at least one of them does. The other brothers are red self, and we'll see what comes of that. I made pairings, maybe a tad prematurely (the does will be about 12-13 weeks old when they throw their litters) and I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival and furring up of those litters.


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