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]