StoryBooks Pocket Pets
Appreciation, Understanding and Education of Small Animals
meOk, well lets get going
| . All Colors Molt Just to verify that ALL colors go through a molting time when pup coats turn to adult coats, or like dogs and cats during the molting seasons of Spring and Summer. It's easy to notice on ticked gerbils like Nutmegs and Agouti but colors like black and even this Dove can have a molting period  |
PEW "Pink eyed White"
**cb/ch ** ** pp
PEW with genetics like this can carry on any gene factor IE: Aa cbcb E* G* PP/ aa cbch ee gg pp or any other combo imaginable
To produce show quality PEW it's best to keep the CP's to a Siamese, DTW, or Burmese for true pure white color. Any aditional factor like Argente Cream, Topaz would pull a red factor like the picture below "Northern Lights" making the PEW look like a Red Point Siamese and this gerbils gentics are Aa cbcb E* G* pp. Even with a Dove or a Sapphire factor the gerbil maybe mistaken for a DTW as the purplish gray would show up. Though beautiful this is not a recognized show color for the AGS.
"ee" Pieds This is a real interesting marking that I absolutely LOVE and I'm trying to work my magick on this coat pattern. It's funny though cause it has been called pied, BUT I've bred pied "ee" gerbils as well as spots. Why the marking comes out as a racer stripe down the middle of the back is unknown. But if someone would like to share their thoughts please let me know. Whatever the marking maybe, You don't need spots to get them. I have achieved them from two "e" selves **which the two foxes below are from an "Ee" Lilac and an "Ee" Argente both self gerbils. But of course they are expected more with one spotted parent. They also make spots if put to a self gerbil.  As Pups  As Adults Pied Silver Nutmeg  |
 Notice the cream racer stripe on her back? This is a Honey Cream. Real Red cream color.. It may carry a recessive or just have a lot of white due to the parents being mottle or lots of white.  Left - Right - Spotted NM, CC HC, CC DEH Nutmeg Creams  There are not a lot of these that I've seen though I could have and mistaken them for HC and passed them on. These are a Pied Nutmeg and what you would think would be HC are actually Nutmeg Creams. Their parents are both Nutmegs and put to another NM gerbil they proved to be "aa" gerbils. As they mature they actually molt with little black ticks in their cream splashes. You can even see them starting to molt in this picture.  "Top"- Nutmeg Mottle or NMC - HC, RF, "Bottom" Red Fox pied, or RFC "You can just make out the red eye line.  Red Fox & NMC from litter above Red Admiral & Nuttin Honey  Pied Red Fox - RFC Now here is an interesting question..The pictures below, should this be called a Pied, Mottle or SOMETHING ELSE? We as US breeders have to ask this question. After all this is not a recognized coat pattern in UK shows. I would call it mottle as it does have a mottle pattern and not a Cream "pied/mottled pattern as the creams have been categorized as pied"  Mottled Red Fox Mottle flecking can be seen as in any mottle gerbil. It's not Creamed like the one's above.    |
One that looks like the Other
Argente Golden vs Yellow Fox
For the one's that have a little trouble at telling the two apart. Here are two "CC" gerbils to view.
Notice the Argente on the left in the top pictures. Her white belly doesn't come up as far as the Yellow Fox on the right. 
You can also see the blue undercoat beneath her golden hair in the bottom picture of the Argente on the right. The Yellow Fox on the left however has a creamy white undercoat and more fox like white markings on her body & face on the top picture.
Burmese vs Color Point Slate -CPS- Burmese are a dark Semi Sweet Chocolate color. The nose, ears, feet, and tail are almost black as adults. Often confused with a Burmese is the CPS aa cbcb E* gg P* These CP's are a warm milk Chocolate color. When adults the ears, feet, nose, and tails are much lighter and has a smoke like warm point and overall coat. The nose point can sometimes be so light it doesn't show at all.
With recognizing the CPS, the breeder must know the genetic background of both parents to be sure.
Purple vs Purple Lilac "CC", Sapphire "Ccb", Dove "Cch"  Can you see the difference in these three colors? Please look on the "a" Color Page to see more.  Sapphire and Lilac can be a bit tricky to tell a part unless bred. If Burmese result from a Burmese and a Lilac color gerbil, the gerbil is most likely a Sapphire |
"gg" Confusion
The "g" colors can be one of the trickiest colors to recognize.Fist, it's not often seen. Second, when combined with other recessive it can just be a real pain :)
Polar Fox - though this one if effective by ef it still shows good color
CP Polar Fox
Top- CC PF - Bottom Red eyed PF or Ivory Cream
CP Silver Nutmeg
Silver Nutmeg before molt
Grey Agouti vs CP Golden Agouti
Spt Grey Agouti & Pied Silver Nutmeg
Spt. Grey Agouti
Grey Agouti is as it states "Grey" Should have a light silver undercoat followed by silver midband hair and black tipping which makes up the ticking of the Agouti.
The CP Golden is often mistaken as a Grey when born to a new Enthusiasts. The CPGA has a brown woodland mid band which is very viable when next to a real Grey Agouti. Here you can see the brown tail and brown hues on the body of the APGA next to it's Grey Friend.
Black vs Slate
More to come on this but here you can see the Slate "g" black behind the normal Black gerbil
