[CBE Rodents]

This girl was just gold and white when I got her. Now she has that dark patch and that weird stripe down to her back. I have golds that darken quite a bit but not in weird patches before:

These babies are gold - but most of them have odd black patching. It's not brindling. It is pretty faint... Would these be just a poor gold?:

(when they were younger- looks like patches of brindling!)

 

[CBE Rodents]

Forgot to say that the mice are not related...

 

[Marjolijn]

Looks like the Umbrous gene. This is a dominant gene, that gives a darker top. A good sable usually has the Umbrous gene.

The gene effect almost all colors, except black and white. It'll also be hard to see on chocolats and blues.
I find you can see it best on red (can even look sable without a tan gene) and agouti colors.

The gene is really effected by shredding hairs, than you'll get small dark and light spots. This happens sooner in broken mice. It can even look like a tri color!

 

[CBE Rodents]

That makes sense, I knew about the Umbrous gene but hadn't ever seen them darken in patches. Mine just seem to darken over time. The mother is a very darkened doe, and I rather like the look. I have a brindle doe that darkened to where you can barely see her stripes, though.

 

[Marjolijn]

I found my pic of my red banded (not a very good one) longhair male. He looks sable, but doesn't had a tan gene.

When he became older, he became a tricolor. Red head, dark brown neck and the rest white!

 

[WillowDragon]

Are they yellow from the agouti gene rather than a diluted red?

Just starting to get a bit more into rodent colour genetics, the agouti gene confuddles me sometimes lol

Willow xx