# Ear sets ect



## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

Hello, im currently starting a breeding program for fox's but once ive got the colour i want i want to work on improving other areas, is there any spersific ear set that is considered correct, what about ear and tail size? and infor or diragrams would be great.

thank you.


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

The ears should be set at 10 to 2, like the arms of a clock. Or, as Loganberry told me when I was really new, the space between them should be the right size and shape to rest a ping pong ball in. Any lower and you're getting into dumbo realms :lol:

I think this picture shows a good ear set:









Ears should be as big as possible, but if they get too big they will feather at the edge and look frayed and untidy, like this doe:









The tail should be as long as, or longer, than the body and head. If you bend it backwards over the mouse, it should reach past the nose. It should be as thick as possible and it should have a good, long thick set so it grows gradually out of the body, rather than look stuck on:









Hope this helps you!

Sarah xxx


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

I love them the ears are gorgeous.


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## minibears (Jul 30, 2010)

nice tip about measuring tails


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## icedmice (Oct 4, 2009)

I actually measure pups from rump to tail at weekly intervals (because on occasion I breed manx). When bucks are 5-6 weeks of age I grab a ruler and measure rump to tip on larger bucks as one of many factors I consider when selecting a stud as a keeper.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

that was fabtastic SarahY! i hope to one day breed a show winning mouse allthough i would have to sell it to someone else to show as ive been told there are no shows in south wales.


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## mouser (Dec 24, 2010)

good thread, how about other tips for measuring improvements in type . I'm starting with pet type and feeders so need some scales to go by . I can see there is marked difference in size but proportions and build are more difficult . any tips for judging young there ? I would prefer to be able to cull or at least separate as young as possible to give everything t o the good ones .


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## bethmccallister (Mar 5, 2010)

I use the width of the skulls on pinkies when culling for size and not color. I keep 4 to 6 biggest skulls in the litter each time. It's really hard to work on type and select for variety at the same time...it never fails that the biggest nicest pinkies have color flaws. I'm gradually working towards PEW will all my coat type varieties for this reason. You really can't go wrong with albino color.


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