>From:    Laurie Christ <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Ferret Stamp
 
A source is Acme Ferrets
        http://www.acmeferret.com/
 
They are very nice stamps - we have several.  Most of the other ferret
stamps we have are the Black Footed Ferret rather than the domestic.
 
>From:    adp <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Fara Shimbo's A Tao Full of Detours, The Behavior of the
>         Domestic Ferret
 
This is a book we recommend.  FURO basically died when their officers
decided they didn't want to do it anymore and had no-one else in line to
take over.
 
Fara's books are quite interesting to read but being relatively early in the
history of ferrets as housepets as opposed to working animals that also
served as pets they have some inaccuracies.  There are two others to consider
        FURO Book of Ferrets
and
        FURO
We like the Tao the best...
 
>From:    Paul Ogles <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: babies
>This isn't conclusive, but I don't think Cinnamon has anything to do w/
>Chocolate, and her young are solid evidence that it has a lot to do w/
>albino.
 
You still seem hesitant to believe us though its been pretty much agreed on
for years - even check the book mentioned above though you have to realize
Fara's cinnamon is everyone else's Red Sable and the commonly called
cinnamon is AFA's champagne and Fara's dilute.
 
Di Bachman are you listening in?  You breed a lot of cinnamons, do you get
both chocolates and albinoes mixed in with your cinnamons?
 
Based on what you've described as the litter makeup: the mother is
"sable/chocolate" heterozygous color gened.  She is also a heterozygous
"full color/albino".
 
We don't agree with your your light/dark demarcation.  As far back as
breeding ferrets was discussed by colors it was known the English (albino)
color was recessive to Fitch (sable).  So your "sables, blazes and silvers"
could have been heterozygous "full color/albino".  You can't tell too
easily.
 
>The other mother is a Sable out of a Cinnamon and a Sable.
 
So mom is heterozygous on the color gene by the common assumptions.  You
didn't mention any of the white "modifiers" so we'll assume none.  She could
be either heterozygous or homozygous full color - would suspect homozygous
based on ten with no red eyes.
 
>Anyway, the father (BigFoot) carries albino.
 
Didn't cleary see anything else you said about his coloration.  Makes it
hard to tell on color.  Any albinoes could be blazes underneath (or pandas).
You with this litter actually have the potential for anything from what I
can tell.  Even a DEW is potential but probably not.  The blaze father can
bring about mitts, blazes, pandas, dew patterns or dew.  Colors can be
champagne (cinnamon), black (silver), chocolate or sable.
 
>I was fairly sure from last year's litter that Nosey carried Cinnamon
>rather than albino (6 young- 4 darks, 2 Cinnamons), and I think this litter
>confirms that.  At any rate, all 10 young have dark eyes.
 
Well we disagree believing these are the same thing.  If the father was
chocolate or heterozygous sable carrying chocolate this is about the
expected.  Close enough to half full color and half dilute.
 
But some are not really convinced chocolate and sable are different colors
rather different locations or ranges on a continual scale.
 
>From:    William Chenoweth <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Magical Color Changing Ferrets
>Within the past 48 hours, our chocolate male Arvind has grown a white
>triangle-shaped patch exactly in the middle of his head, between the ears.
 
Is there anything in their "room" which they could have rubbed their heads
on a lot lately?  If they lost the guard hairs on the top of the head from
wear it could do this.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1924]