Not very good at colors and genetics- any ideas?

[crittercrazy]

I'm trying to figure out the colors/genes of my three girls. . .  I've never understood the genetics thing much but I did read some things on it and am maybe starting to get it.
But could someone confirm for me the coloring on my gerbils?  I have guesses but I'm not sure.
This is Pixel-  argente cream?

s947.photobucket.com/user/crittercrazy5/media/newcamerapics017_zpscd733da6.jpg.html?sort=3&o=34
s947.photobucket.com/user/crittercrazy5/media/ApicsanimalsbasementDenvertrip015_zpsc6cedb3d.jpg.html?sort=3&o=13

Peppermint-  ruby-eyed-white or pink-eyed-white I'm guessing,  but what's the difference?  I can't really tell much of a difference in the eye color in different pictures of white gerbils. . .  is it just to do with the genes?

s947.photobucket.com/user/crittercrazy5/media/FoxgerbilsApics085_zps4f1167e0.jpg.html?sort=3&o=14
s947.photobucket.com/user/crittercrazy5/media/ACpics147_zps9669e20e.jpg.html?sort=3&o=19
(She's in the middle)

Peanut-  argente golden?

s947.photobucket.com/user/crittercrazy5/media/Christmas088_zpsfc2861f2.jpg.html?sort=3&o=57
s947.photobucket.com/user/crittercrazy5/media/Christmas097_zps4e6bef33.jpg.html?sort=3&o=55

Finally,  if you only know the gerbil's color,  can you tell the genes?  Going off of some websites it sounded sort of like you could,  by saying that,  for instance,  argente golden is A- CC pp or according to a different website: A- CC E- G- pp.  Like I said I still don't really understand the whole genetics thing so I'm probably wrong on that,  but I'd like to understand it so I'd appreciate any advice/help!  (and if I could figure it out I'm sort of hoping to breed gerbils in the future)
Thanks!

[betty]

Unless you know their parents and other siblings you will be using a lot of those '-' marks to show that you don't 100% know that gene. But look on some of the genetic articles on here to get the basic terminology right (for example 'G' was replaced by 'U' after further investigation). But generally you can always write them out in the full set up: AA CC DD EE PP UU (where D is a new gene not common in many places).

You are right however that you can know the basic genes of most gerbils if you know their colour as they all have set markers - and these ones can show just their obvious genes: like the A- CC pp you used earlier. This is not so easy for all of them though, including the PEW and REWs and creams....

To be an Argente Golden you could be definite of: A- CC E- pp U- but to be a PEW you can only be sure of a tiny few: -- c(-)c(-) -- pp -- because everything is 'hidden' by the dilution effect (unless you knew the parents of course).

So assuming these 3 are related you could start to pull together their genes - and do you know their parents to fill it out further?

[crittercrazy]

Thanks Betty!
Pixel and Minty were related, but Peanut isn't and I don't know any of the parents since there are no breeders around here so I have to get them from Petco.
So does the fact that Pixel and Minty are sisters help with the genes thing? Because I also know the coloring of one of their other sisters. Here she is:

s947.photobucket.com/user/crittercrazy5/media/newcamerapics144_zps7997cadf.jpg.html?sort=3&o=27

I'm guessing either a lilac, or since she was pretty light, maybe a sapphire or dove? You can't really tell in the picture but she had white markings, a collar around her neck and a stripe down her face I think, like this:
s947.photobucket.com/user/crittercrazy5/media/Christmas104_zps7867a734.jpg.html?sort=3&o=50
s947.photobucket.com/user/crittercrazy5/media/Christmas101_zps65c6a064.jpg.html?sort=3&o=52

Thanks again!

[Shooting Star]

betty - It's 'Uw', not 'U'. 'U' is used for the Umbrous locus in hamsters. 'Uw' is used for the Underwhite locus in both mice and gerbils. The Uw-locus alleles relevant to gerbils are 'Uw' (wild-type dominant, f.k.a. 'G'), 'uw[d]' (underwhite-dense, f.k.a. 'g'), and 'uw' (underwhite or underwhite-cream, f.k.a. 'g(x)' or "satin").

crittercrazy - Pixel looks like a Red-Eyed Honey. Peppermint is most likely a PEW. Peanut is some type of Argente (Gold, Fawn, or Cream).

REW aren't quite white, they're a little creamy. They're also supposed to have slightly darker eyes.

The relationship between Pixel, Minty, and the third sister means that Pixel likely carries Colorpoint (c[chm]) or Himalayan (c[h]), and might carry Nonagouti (a). Minty might carry or be Nonagouti (Aa or aa), and might carry Recessive Yellow (e).

So what you have is:
Pixel: A- C- ee Uw- pp (possibly Aa Cc[-] ee Uw- pp)
Peppermint: -- c[-]c[-] -- -- pp (possibly -a c[-]c[-] -e -- pp)
Peanut: A- C- E- Uw- pp

[crittercrazy]

Thanks!
I looked up some pictures of Red-Eyed Honey gerbils and Pixel does look more like those.
And Peppermint is white, not creamy, so thanks for clearing that up too.
One more question, if I were to breed gerbils in the future, then are there certain. . . genes or something I should avoid in the parents? Or does it totally depend on what genes/colors you want the pup's to have?
The thing is going to be I guess if I were to breed that I can't actually know for certain what the parents would be as there aren't any breeders in my area as far as I can tell, so the parents would have to be from a pet store.
Thanks again!

[Shooting Star]

It really depends on what pup colors you want. I'd avoid mixing Colorpoint/Himalayan (c[chm]/c[h]) with Pink-Eyed Dilution (p), though. You end up with a lot of PEWs, which aren't very popular with adopters.