Hello Fml - Bob Martin Writes:
>In an albino, all history of cinnamon is GONE.
 
Sorry Bob - would have to disagree by virtue of my own eyes!  One of my
ferrets, Sugar Baby aka Grumpy, is an excellent cinnamon.  Out of coat she
appears orange from ginger-red guard coat hair.  In coat, her guard hairs
are a very fine deep red.  She is quite a beautiful cinnamon and a good
example of one.  Of course, you could say I am prejudiced, but she has also
done very well at shows and has been used as an example of a good cinnamon.
She is not a dilute chocolate.  She is a cinnamon.  Her mother is an albino.
Any who would dispute this are invited to view Grumpy, presently in coat.
 
You go on to say:
>The first 'albino' prevents the production of malenine, the second inhibits
>the movement of it to it's final visible location, although it still exists.
>
>True cinnamon, reddish brown, should be separated from Champagnes which I
>regard as diluted chocolate.
>
>An albino which produces (TRUE) cinnamons cannot exist, (mutations excluded)
>but one can produce chocolates or diluted chocolates (which LOOK kinda
>cinnamon).
 
Again - as above - would disagree.  Now I breed (among many other colors and
patterns) for cinnamons and chocolates and certainly know the difference.
Also, as a champsionship judge, I have to know the difference!  And I am
rather a stickler on judging cinnamons for the reddish tint in guard hairs.
 
Sugar Baby aka Grumpy is now retired as a breeding ferret, but she was
prolific and her children, um, literally litter the east coast!  She was
only bred to Von Schokolade a true dark chocolate and they bred true,
producing cinnamons and chocolates.  And this pair produced some really drop
dead cinnamons as well as chocolates.  (definitely prejudiced!) But I think
the owners of their progeny would agree.  Their children's children have
gone on to produce the same.  No albinos have appeared as yet in down-line
breeding from this pair.  So, Grumpy's mother passed on some very beautiful
cinnamon genetic traits.
 
Now, as a point of some minor interest, I also breed black sables and have
some very nice blacks (again prejudiced) who have collected lot of black
sable trophies.  In one of my lines, way back in the pedigree of only black
sables is - an albino.  For many generations, only black sables or sables
came from this line.  And then about a year and a half ago, albinos started
to appear.  The sister of one of my blacks owned by another breeder and bred
to a black, produced 3 albinos in a litter.  I should never have laughed
when this was reported to me!  My black sable jill, sister of the above,
later in the season, when bred to a black sable, produced 3 albinos in a
litter of 8.  Quite a contrast with little coal black kits and snow white
kits.  Daddy is a black sable and although albino did not appear in his
genetic line, had to be there or my girl was sneaking out to see the "milk
man ferret"!  This litter also produced Black Molly and Black Magic (back to
that in a sec).
 
Well, it did not stop there.  One of my black sable hobs, Black Hawk, nephew
of the above jill, bred to one of my silver jills, produced an albino along
with black mitts.  Another of my black sable jills (not in this line) when
bred to my Blaze hob, produced 3 albinos in a litter of 8.  Would expect
albinos from him, but obviously she also carried a recessive albino trait.
Last year, albinos, for the first time, started simply popping up
everywhere.  All of this caused some hilarity from other breeders who
started calling me the snow queen.  I did not breed until then for albinos,
but In fact, the only litters that did not produce albinos last season were
German or bred in with German origin ferrets.
 
Well - comes this season and Black Molly was bred for the first time.  I was
not surprised to see albinos.  Black Magic is in his first stud muffin
season and since he is a really very good black (stays total black in color
distribution while in coat) his dance card is getting filled - however - all
interested breeders have been warned - albinos may be on the horizon!  I
have come to really like albinos.  Didn't know I bred for them until last
year!  Fortunately, they have been in demand.
 
Cheers to all, Meg
 
P.S.  Genetics?  Go figure!
[Posted in FML issue 1907]