Sorry for the delay - phone lines were out most of the weekend... >From: Sukie Crandall <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: allergies, foods, genetics, Mike Janke >I disagree about mitts. There are marked feet which sometimes show up >with WS head markings though I don't know if they are caused by the same >things, but have seen clean mitts along with clean bibs and such reverse >markings which seem to very possibly not be at all related to WS. We might not really disagree. Have you seen those on a ferret that wasn't a black or a grey or a silver? That is mitts on a sable, chocolate, champagne or cinnamon seem to be Waardenburg. Those on a silver or black mitt might not be. Some breeders have polluted the black/silver mitts to the point that it really is hard to find a mitt that doesn't exhibit some Waardenburg traits separate from the mitt traits but they do exist. That pollution is why we are not as sure enough of the black/silver genetics as we are of the other colors. >Till there are the number needed in great enough amounts any genetic >statements have to be taken with a grain of salt. Let's not get ahead of >ourselves. Perhaps some breeders are ahead of the curve. bill and diane killian zen and the art of ferrets [Posted in FML issue 3165]