>If it's WHITE, or looks like it might be white if you washed it good and it
>has RED eyes, it's an ALBINO.  period.
 
First off, I'm going to say I don't breed ferrets, so I don't know anything
about their specific color genetic patterns.  However, I DO breed gerbils
and know a fair amount about THAT, and the above statement isn't quite true.
 
A "true" albino animal is albino when recessives on ONE gene locus overrides
all the color indicated by the other gene loci effecting color.
 
To use a basic example from gerbils, with three of the major color gene
loci.
 
AA or Aa gives you a non-self-colored animal, with a cream-colored belly and
feet while the upper body and tail are darker colored.  Without any other
expressed recessive, this gives you a wild-colored/agouti animal.
 
aa gives you a self-colored animal, the same color all over it's body,
except maybe for a white blaze on the throat.  Without any other expressed
recessive, this is black.
 
The P locus affects eye and body color.  PP or Pp gives you an animal with
large, dark eyes.  pp makes the eyes somewhat smaller and ruby (when no
other recessive are present), and the basic coat color is lightened.  Agouti
with black eyes becomes Argente with ruby eyes; Black with black eyes
becomes Lilac (blue-grey color) with ruby eyes.
 
The C locus is the "albino" locus, but in gerbils there is no true albino
gene that has been proven yet.  That would be c, so if you had AAPPcc, or
AaPpcc, or aappcc, or whatever, you would still get an albino animal.
 
The way it actually works with gerbils is this:
 
The closest thing we currently know of to an albino gene is actually the
Himalayan gene, or a partial representation of it, c(h).  If you have an
animal with ****c(h)c(h), you have a Dark-Tailed White gerbil -- a white
gerbil with pink eyes that develops a brown, black, or grey tail as it ages.
 
To get a Pink-Eyed White gerbil (or albino, if you want to call it that) you
must have both pp and c(h)c(h) present.  So, AAppc(h)c(h), Aappc(h)c(h), and
aappc(h)c(h) are all PEW gerbils.  But, since it takes recessives on TWO
gene loci to get there, they aren't true albinoes.
 
On a side-note, if you have two p's and one c(h), that also affects the coat
and eye color.  A*ppCc(h) takes Argente with ruby eyes to Argente Cream with
pink eyes -- soft gold to a pretty apricot color.  aappCc(h) takes Lilac
with ruby eyes to Dove with pink eyes -- medium blue-grey to a very soft
grey.
 
Anyway, I hope that was helpful and not presented too confusingly.
 
Michelle
Flutist
[Posted in FML issue 1918]