[SarahC]

I'm hoping this is finally a pearl,I've only seen a picture not a live one before.There were three in the litter,two does and a buck.Alas the buck was one of those flat bellied weaklings and has had to go.I am hoping to mate the two does back to the father but hes very old with a lump that has just burst.Hope he can hang on a few more weeks.

 

[julieszoo]

He certainly looks like the pearl pic I have seen, well done Sarah for saving them!! Fingers crossed you can get them safely established.

 

[Maplewood Stud]

there was an article on the lscmrc main webpage, i dunno if that would be any help to u sarah x

 

[ian]

How exciting, I had heard they had all gone!

 

[SarahY]

It's beautiful!

Sarah xxx

 

[Halcyon]

oh congratulations, so pleased this colour has been saved

 

[Cait]

It looks like the last pearls I saw 'in the fur' from that picture. Fantastic news that you have managed what many have tried and failed to do, you obviously have more patience

 

[Mark]

Ooooo i did read somewhere about pearl coloured mice dying out.

glad your making progress

What going into creating pearls then ? or is it a case of mixing certain colours/genes over a period of time and hoping one pops up??

 

[Jack Garcia]

According to Finnmouse: http://www.hiiret.fi/eng/breeding/varieties/pearl.html

...they're a/a B/b C/* D/* P/* si/si, i.e. a heterozygous chocolate who is silvered on a black background.

They always struck me as a particularly delicate-looking variety, but still beautiful. Only one person on this continent breeds them, but I've heard that they (hers at least) have really wonky molts that prevent most of them from being shown...

 

[laoshu]

very pretty.. it looks very simular in colour to a young dark phazed pearl rat.

 

[Jack Garcia]

When I said "on a black background" I meant in the sense of "on a non-agouti background." I just realized that could be confusing!

 

[WillowDragon]

Definately looks like a Pearl to me!

Very well done!! I have always thought that this variety was very beautiful, I hope to one day see one in real life myself!

Willow xx

 

[moustress]

Very pretty; I think my transgenic line has produced individuals who look like this. (The transgenic factor produces a lot of 'mock' types of meeces.) They are sort of like roans, aren't they? Except for the gradual shading into the white belly. I thought pearl ratties were sort of marbled looking.

 

[Cait]

These are pearls unrelated to Sarah's line (not mine)

Link to the scant pearl info on my site:
http://www.fancymice.info/whattolookforpearl.htm

 

[WillowDragon]

What colour are Pearl mice before the silvering starts coming in? Would just be interested to know!

Willow xx

 

[julieszoo]

Very delicate looking colour, I can see why it is so hard to get right. Pearl rats are much paler, and made in a very different way.

 

[SarahC]

What going into creating pearls then ? or is it a case of mixing certain colours/genes over a period of time and hoping one pops up??

as ever I know nothing.I had very dark silver greys crop up with a white base to their coat,presumably pearls of a sort and I have selected for lightness from them.The mouse in the picture has a white undercoat but I think could do with more defined dark tips at the end.I was under the impression that they can't be made as such.The owner of the last pearl buck pictured on the lscmr website also gave me a couple of bucks from its last litter before it died.I mated these to my lightest silver greys.The two bucks were black as they were outcrosses.I've kept this line seperate and inbred constantly.So far just two silver greys from them and loads of black ones.

 

[MiceGalaxyDK]

WOW.. what a beautiful color!!

 

[SarahC]

What colour are Pearl mice before the silvering starts coming in? Would just be interested to know!

Willow xx

The silvering is there early but the white under coat is the colour that shows the most.A whitish/grey.

 

[julieszoo]

That's really interesting. Pearl rat kittens look almost white in the nest, then the ticking develops. Are the best examples the ones that look the palest when young?