Hi, All,
I have been running around for the last 15 minutes w/ a stick of cinnamon in
my hand, finding ferrets and comparing them in all sorts of light.  My wife
is quietly talking to someone on the telephone, and has a desperate look in
her eyes.  I just hope they take me to a vet rather than a shrink!
 
In Bob's post:
>If you hold an actual stick of cinnamon spice next to a chocolate or
>champagne ferret, the difference will be in the hue, the lack of ruddy
>redish brown, and the spice will almost match a cinnamon ferret.
 
If you have only seen 1 Cinnamon, vs. dozens (?) of Champaigns, why was
there only one of the Cinnamon?  What was it's background?  Source?  Was it
bred?  How old was it?
 
Only one of my ferrets is as red as a cinnamon stick- a young male who has
never shed, and may need a bath to wash out a bit of yellowing.  The others
may have been as bright at his age- a jill the same age was, but most of her
hair is lining a nursery at the moment.  there is no question that albino is
involved w/ this color in my ferrets- they are in a similar color range, and
2 had an albino mother.
 
Pam, it sounds like there is no way to tell an albino from a red eyed white?
What is the evidence that there are 2 traits?
 
I'm not sure I'm reading your post as you mean it, so I'd appreciate
elaboration.  For instance, all of my albinoes trace back to dark ferrets,
i.e., have 'pigment in their genetic background.' I think I've
mis-understood your statement.  Also, if you breed an albino (as opposed to
an REW) to anything else, I'd expect pigmented young.
 
Have you, or others here, bred apparent albinoes to each other and gotten
pigmented young?  That would be strong evidence for 2 traits, but I haven't
known it to happen.  What colors resulted?
 
And Pam said:
>If you breed a true albino to a true albino, the litters are guaranteed to
>be all albinos.  If you breed a REW to anything, including an albino, you
>could have pigmented kits.
 
I agree that this is all a bit academic- when you breed ferrets to each
other you get wildly energetic and engaging babies.  Color is a separate
interest.  And, the real reason to learn about ferret genetics is to know
how to avoid unhealthy ferts.
 
I've asked an old friend who works w/ genetics at Drake U.  for some help w/
all this.  He was the one who got everyone breeding tropical fish to use the
same vocabulary/models.  I doubt that he has any interest in ferrets, but
his personal library of genetics and access to information is extensive.
You'd think that with the lab work done on ferrets something useful to the
animals should be available by now.  I'll pass along anything he is willing
to dig up.
 
Paul
[Posted in FML issue 1907]