Althought I am just starting out as an exhibitor of fancy mice, Taswell Stud currently breeds two varieteis; agouti - my first choice - and the compatible cinnamon, kindly received from the well known breeder and exhibitor Mr. Dave Safe. Cinnamons often appear in agouti x agouti litters and it is much easier to breed these two in the same stud than it would be if my second variety was, say, broken chocolate, or black fox.
Agouti
The genetics of the agouti mice kept at Taswell Stud will vary:
A/A B/* C/* D/* P/* (Homozygous agouti)
A/a B/* C/* D/* P/* (Hetrozygous agouti carrying nonagouti)
A/A B/bc C/* D/* P/* (Homozygous agouti carrying cordovan gene)
A/a B/bc C/* D/* P/* (Hetrozygous agouti carrying nonagouti and cordovan gene)
Homozygous agouti will consistently produce nothing but agouti litters, while both of the hetrozygous agoutis will occasionally throw out blacks (a/a) in their litters due to the recessive nonagouti allele (a) present. Both forms of agouti carrying the cordovan gene will also occasionally produce cinnamons (bc/bc) in their litters, as cinnamons are genetically agouti mice whos black pigment has been diluted to brown.
The agouti standard as described by the NMC is as follows:
"Eye Black. The Agouti shall be a rich brown or golden hue with even dark or black ticking all through. Undercolour black. The belly shall be a golden brown, ticked as on top and the feet shall match the body in colour and ticking."
A/A B/* C/* D/* P/* (Homozygous agouti)
A/a B/* C/* D/* P/* (Hetrozygous agouti carrying nonagouti)
A/A B/bc C/* D/* P/* (Homozygous agouti carrying cordovan gene)
A/a B/bc C/* D/* P/* (Hetrozygous agouti carrying nonagouti and cordovan gene)
Homozygous agouti will consistently produce nothing but agouti litters, while both of the hetrozygous agoutis will occasionally throw out blacks (a/a) in their litters due to the recessive nonagouti allele (a) present. Both forms of agouti carrying the cordovan gene will also occasionally produce cinnamons (bc/bc) in their litters, as cinnamons are genetically agouti mice whos black pigment has been diluted to brown.
The agouti standard as described by the NMC is as follows:
"Eye Black. The Agouti shall be a rich brown or golden hue with even dark or black ticking all through. Undercolour black. The belly shall be a golden brown, ticked as on top and the feet shall match the body in colour and ticking."
Common faults for the agouti include uneven ticking, as it naturally wants to be more concentrated along the spine and grow sparser towards the belly, light feet, toes or other extremities, light unders, and the colour not being rich enough or the right shade (though the latter can sometimes depend on the preferences of the judge).
Cinnamon
Cinnamon genetics are less varied:
A/A bc/bc C/* D/* P/* (Homozygous cinnamon)
A/a bc/bc C/* D/* P/* (Homozygous cinnamon carrying nonagouti)
As with the agouti, the homozygous cinnamon will only produce cinnamon as nothing else is hidden in the genes, whereas the homozygous cinnamon carrying nonagouti will occasionally throw out chocolate (a/a bc/*). These odd black and chocolate mice produced from the agouti and cinnamon litters will be carrying the genetic information to produce the Stud's varieties if crossed back, however as a rule these mice are not of any real use as their phenotypically agouti or cinnamon siblings will do that job much better.
The cinnamon standard as described by the NMC is as follows:
"Eye Black. The Cinnamon shall be a rich golden tan, lustrous in colour and
level throughout top and belly, with rich brown ticking clearly defined. Undercolour slate grey. No black ticking."
A/A bc/bc C/* D/* P/* (Homozygous cinnamon)
A/a bc/bc C/* D/* P/* (Homozygous cinnamon carrying nonagouti)
As with the agouti, the homozygous cinnamon will only produce cinnamon as nothing else is hidden in the genes, whereas the homozygous cinnamon carrying nonagouti will occasionally throw out chocolate (a/a bc/*). These odd black and chocolate mice produced from the agouti and cinnamon litters will be carrying the genetic information to produce the Stud's varieties if crossed back, however as a rule these mice are not of any real use as their phenotypically agouti or cinnamon siblings will do that job much better.
The cinnamon standard as described by the NMC is as follows:
"Eye Black. The Cinnamon shall be a rich golden tan, lustrous in colour and
level throughout top and belly, with rich brown ticking clearly defined. Undercolour slate grey. No black ticking."
Common faults for the cinnamon are similar to that of the agouti; light feet and toes, light bellies, uneven ticking, and incorrect colour/shade.