Linda:
 
No a silver flecked ferret with some yellowing is not a champagne.
 
Long ago I threatened or promised to write a short article on the
genetics of ferrets but STILL haven't gotten around to it.  I'll go ahead
and write a bit about ferret coloring and patterns tonight.  The colors
and patterns are important only to those of us who show ferrets but are
interesting to most ferret owners.  I personally show ferrets in shows
under the AFA, LIFE and some independant sanctioning.  I'm also familiar
with the FURO standards.  I'm in training to be a judge under the
auspices of the AFA (as far as I know they are the only one's right now
that have an active judge training program) but enough prologue...
 
Originally ferrets were white haired with red eyes.  They were later
cross bred with various European Polecats to get coloring.  In books
dating from the first half of the decade only two 'colors' were
specifically noted.  The English (white with red eyes) and the Fitch
(Dark Brown or Black markings) ferrets.  As ferrets were working animals
at that time nobody cared very much about colors.
 
Later ferrets moved into homes as companion animals instead of as working
mousers/ratters or rabbit hunters.  Just like with dogs and cats the
colors became more important.  Through selective breeding certain colors
and patterns that were most desirable were emphasized.  Heavy in-breeding
brought highly recessive genetic colors into being.  Not the ferret world
is more prone to excessive crossing out and some of the colors are now
lost again.
 
Well enough history on to the current color standards.  I'll be more
exacting on FURO and AFA standards as I have copies in front of me as I
type.  I'll have to remember how LIFE, NAFA and some of the independant
shows refer to colors as I do not have standards at my disposal.
 
The ALBINO is the old true ferret color.  White with red eyes and pink
nose.  A dark-eyed white can have very light eyes and can possibly be
confused with an albino.  These can actually range from white to cream
colored with the whiter the color the better.
 
FURO recognizes the TANGERINE (or Ginger) which is beer to pumpkin
colored all over with red to burgandy eyes and  pink noses.  AFA at this
time does not believe these to be other than sun or diet darkened
albinoes.  I have yet to see one.
 
A DARK EYED WHITE (often called a black eyed white) is a ferret with
white guard hairs but eyes darker than the red of an albino.  Often these
are ROANs that have lost all dark pigment.
 
The colors recognized by AFA are BLACK, SABLE, CHOCOLATE, BLACK SABLE,
CINNAMON, CHAMPAGNE.
 
FURO recognizes BLACK, SABLE, CHOCOLATE, and CINNAMON.  These can be
diluted from BLACK or SABLE to BLUE and CHAMPAGNE; from CHOCOLATE to
LILAC or CHAMPAGNE and from CINNAMON to LIGHT LILAC or TAFFY.  Dilution
refers to having less pigmentation leading to lighter version of the colors.
 
In FURO, BLACK has blue black guard hairs with no golden or brownish
cast.  This compares to the AFA BLACK which is true black with white to
cream undercaot and the BLACK SABLE which is dark ash black with no brown
undertones.  These also provide what in LIFE is the various shades of silvers
(the ferret asked about would appear to be some degree of this color).
 
In FURO the SABLE has rich dark brown guard hairs with golden
highlights.  Equivalently in AFA this is described as a warm deep brown.
This is the same in LIFE and NAFA as far as I know.
 
In AFA the chocolate is described as warm milk chocolate brown with a
white to golden undercoat.  FURO describes this as dark to milk chocolate
with golden or amber highlights.
 
The CINNAMON which is EXTREMELY rare in true form is in AFA a rich light
reddish brown with a golden to white undercoat.
 
The AFA CHAMPAGNE (most ferrets described as cinnamon actually fall here)
is a tan (diluted chocolate - that is a chocolate with less pigment and
hence lighter color).
 
The FURO CINNAMON has light, clear tan gaurd hairs with "pinkish" or
"purplish" highlights.
 
I haven't actually had anyone show me a BLUE, LILAC, LIGHT LILAC or TAFFY
to actually know how these compare to any other groups standards
 
As to patterns:
 
AFA recognizes SOLID, STANDARD, and COLOR POINT (SIAMESE).  FURO
recognizes SELF, STANDARD, POINT, BAY and GREY (ROAN).
 
A SOLID or SELF is a ferret with equal distribution of dark guard
hairs over the whole body.
 
A STANDARD has 90% of the concentration of dark hairs on the body that
are on the legs and tail.
 
The POINT has distinctly different darkness of the legs and tail (the
'points') to the lighter body.  A FINE POINT is an extreme of this with
only a darker saddle on the back where the body's guard hairs differ from
its undercoat.
 
In FURO a BAY is a point with the lighter hairs having a definite redness
(I have never seen one of these).
 
Modifiers to the above colors and patterns are usually an overlaying
pattern of white.
 
FURO recognizes a SILVER as a tendancy for the guard hair to lighten to
white evenly over the body.  As a ferret ages each progressive coat
change has a higher percentage of white rather than dark guard hairs.
Eventually the ferret could be all white.  AFA calls this a ROAN when 40
to 60% of the guard hairs are white.
 
FURO recognizes a GREY or ROAN to be like the SILVER but unevenly
lightening stating on the hips and tail.  I haven't seen a ferret
explicitly pointed out as this pattern.
 
FURO recognizes several white markings.  THROAT STAR is a white spot on
the throat; a THROAT STRIPE as a white mark leading from the light face
down the throat; a BIB as a much broader white marking leading from the
face down the throat to the belly; a NECKLACE as white marking on the
lower throat looking that's right almost like a ring around the neck;
WHITE TOES as the obvious; a MITT as white only on the feet; a STOCKING
as white feet going up onto the leg; a BLAZE (BADGER, SHETLAND) as a line
on the top of the head leading from the nose onto the back; a COLLAR as
white around the neck on top; and PANDA as a fully white head.  AFA does
not distinguish between TOES, MITTS and STOCKINGS as a genetic trait.
FURO's position was that the MITT and STOCKINGS are different genetic
traits.  AFA recognizes BLAZE and PANDA.  AFA judges do recognize the
other markings but the AFA standard doesn't comment on them except that
they should be pleasing.
 
Hopefully I didn't bore anyone to much....
 
 
Oh and by the way, I get to announce we have a new addition to the family
but of the two legged not four legged type.  A new son - Derek Harrison
Killian born February 20th.
 
bill (and diane) killian
zen and the art of ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 1118]