How can you guarantee the colours of a pup?

[gerbilord]

Hi, prepare for some silly questions, but something that has interested me for a while is breeding gerbils for a specific colour, and different colours in litter mates.

How can you ensure that your two gerbils will produce an offspring that is the colour you want - can you tell whether the pups are going to have dominant or recessive genes? Or is it more by chance whether they'll be, for example, a Siamese or a Burmese?

What do you choose in the gerbils you are planning on bonding in order to get the colours - do you breed gerbils that are the same colour as the one you are trying to have as a pup (e.g. two Siamese gerbils breeding to have Siamese pups), or is it more complex, like having two different colours to make a pup that is a different colour to both? 

And another thing I wonder (also another silly question) is why gerbils in the same litter from the same breeding pair can be different - my gerbils are sisters and litter mates, but one is a nutmeg spotted and the other is a Siamese, so one has dominant and the other has recessive genes? (unless I'm wrong, which I very often am!) What makes one a different colour when they have both been born from exactly the same parents and backgrounds?

-I appreciate the questions probably sound obvious, but I get very confused about genetics and breeding. (and I have hopes to become a breeder lol )

Thanks x

[betty]

Sept 4, 2020 14:45:59 GMT -8 gerbilord said:

Hi, prepare for some silly questions, but something that has interested me for a while is breeding gerbils for a specific colour, and different colours in litter mates. No question is ever 'stupid' if its for something you have never done before or don't understand - ask away always...


How can you ensure that your two gerbils will produce an offspring that is the colour you want - can you tell whether the pups are going to have dominant or recessive genes? Or is it more by chance whether they'll be, for example, a Siamese or a Burmese? Understanding how to identify the genes your gerbils have is the first step. You can only start to 'guarantee' the colours of your offspring when you know what genes are in the pot in the first place. Putting two unknown common-coloured gerbils together can only usually help you predict a few colours for sure. Not all of the colours allow you to guess everything - but some of the colours allow you to know 100% of the pups' colours.

Gerbil have either dominant or recessive genes - and they can only have/display dominant genes if their parents had/displayed dominant genes in the first place. These dominant genes can always be 'seen' so that certainly narrows it down. You can't see the recessive genes if the dominant one is there - but you can if it isn't!

How confusing does THAT sound?


What do you choose in the gerbils you are planning on bonding in order to get the colours - do you breed gerbils that are the same colour as the one you are trying to have as a pup (e.g. two Siamese gerbils breeding to have Siamese pups), or is it more complex, like having two different colours to make a pup that is a different colour to both?  It depends on what you have in the first place and what you want as a result - and alos what you don't want - and in what percentage. The percentages can be really important for streamlining pup colours. It can also help to know the parents and siblings of the gerbils you intend to breed from.

As for choosing parents - if you want siamese pups, for example - they can't breed true because of the different genes they need (at the same spot) - so you will always get pinks-eyed whites (PEWs) pups breeding 2 Siamese together. But breeding two lilacs together will always give you 100% lilac pups. Breeding two agoutis together could give you the chance of EVERY SINGLE available gerbil colour - or (if you know their genes) you can get 100% agouti pups.

It is always about knowing what genes you have and what they can do.


And another thing I wonder (also another silly question) is why gerbils in the same litter from the same breeding pair can be different - my gerbils are sisters and litter mates, but one is a nutmeg spotted and the other is a Siamese, so one has dominant and the other has recessive genes? (unless I'm wrong, which I very often am!) What makes one a different colour when they have both been born from exactly the same parents and backgrounds? Same as us humans - gerbil coat colour is the same as hair and eye colour in humans - some are dominant over all others, some are dominant over some of the others and finally there are those that can only be seen if all other genes are missing. So brothers and sisters can be blonde, brunette or ginger, with brown, blue or green eyes from the same two parents. It is all about what was in the pot to begin with - and how they interact with each other.

So for your nutmeg and siamese - they are both already recessives (as their colours are not dominated by the agouti gene). The siamese is also 'recessive' at the colourpoint gene (the nutmeg is dominant).  And then, the siamese is dominant at the extension of yellow gene - where the nutmeg is recessive. It is all about the individual genes and who they are partnered with.

The key thing is: Dominant genes only need to be alone to be seen (A* = agouti) - but recessive genes need to be together to be seen (aa = no agouti).


I appreciate the questions probably sound obvious, but I get very confused about genetics and breeding (it is very confusing!) and I have hopes to become a breeder lol (that is how we all started - wanting to be a breeder so asking questions...).

Thanks x