>From:    Justin & Deana <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: COLOR QUESTION???
 
It is very common to have ferrets go through different patterns in different
seasons.
 
>His winter coat consisted of a chocolate tail and legs, a v-shaped mask
>and his body was a light creme color.
 
If you mean the color of milk cholocalte this is "Chocolate Point" or
"chocolate Siamese".  If you mean the color of bitter sweet chocolate or
coffee to almost black this is "Sable Point" or "Sable Siamese".
 
>He still has the same color tail and legs, and still has a creme colored
>body but there are now dark guard hairs mixed in on the body and two dark
>parallel markings on his forehead just above his mask [...] The dark guard
>hairs on the body run in a line down his back and they are almost black in
>appearance as well as the two parallel markings on the forehead.
 
So still chocolate or sable... Okay I've seen ferrets that I believe are
heterogeneous sable/chocolate and seen it show up as brown and brown/black.
This might be one of those.  The dark color you describe is probably this.
No standard I know of has a term for this.  Mutt general refers to any
pattern color that is ot standard.  Guess we might have a sable/chocolate
mutt.  Though most people expect a mutt to be just a blaze/panda/odd ball it
can be a color mixture.  The "tri-color" which is still not really easy to
reproduce (we have one and I've seen only one other) is usually a black mitt
(or also called silver) with a sable portion of his body.  One of the two
had one dark leg and the other has a brown mark around the torso.  I've seen
mitts with brown patches on their bellies that I think is related
genetically.
 
Most breeders are highly interested in the "tri-color" but not the
sable/chocolate mix.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
[Posted in FML issue 1628]