# True Mice



## FranticFur (Apr 17, 2014)

Some novice genetic questions of mine but i'll never learn if I never ask.

So we all know mice have types like Siamese, Himalayan, or chinchillas so on...
If a mouse has the coloring for Chinchilla is it a chinchilla? What I mean is what qualifies a mouse to be that type.
Because the mouse looks like a chinchilla and has the markings is it indeed a chinchilla or does the genetics play a larger part? 
I have heard terms like pretend chinchilla or mock chinchilla (keep in mind it doesn't have to be chinchilla just using an example)
So this leads me to believe mice can have a color but aren't that true variety because maybe they have hidden genes.

Sorry if it's hard to understand


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

There isn't a black and white answer to that.Generally if it looks like a chinchilla it is called a chinchilla and if you showed it, would be entered as a chinchilla.The genetic history is really only of importance for breeding purposes,specifically if you want to create something.If a chin looks like a chin but isn't you aren't going to be able to make a fox from it.In that sense you couldn't pass it to someone and say it's a chin.Silver in the UK is a good example.We call them silver,show them as silver (or silver tan)but genetically they are dove.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

also to add on to sarahs post, some colours can be mabe with different mix of genes however the colour will look slightly different depending on the genes used so allthought it would look enough like say a chinchilla it would be say more browney than the standard called for as it wasn't the 'right' genes. it would still look like a chinchilla and I you prob call it one but it would be a 'good' one. if you get what im saying.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

here is an example below 3 chinchillas right?























The first one is the normal chinchilla cch/cch so has 3 chin genes, the second is cch/ce so chin and extream dilution gene, the third is cch/ch so a chin and himilayan gene.
The first one is more more grey/blueish the second is more grey/slight brownish, the third is grey/browny


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## FranticFur (Apr 17, 2014)

Thank you for the responses I have a much better understanding now. 
I continue to learn each day from the cite so I will post more questions soon.


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