About the Albino there is only one thing to say: There
are no Albino cavies! The Albino lacks all dark pigment,
but there are no such cavies.
About the Albino there is only one thing to say: There
are no Albino cavies! The Albino lacks all dark pigment,
but there are no such cavies.
What about the Albino guinea pigs in the laboratories then?
Well, that is just it: they are not real Albinos, they are just
pale Himalayans!
I even have a scientific book called The Coat Colors
of Mice by Willys K. Silvers, that, among other interesting
things, states that the guinea pig of the laboratories are
genetically Himalayans.
The Albino gene is commonly assigned the symbol c, the rat has
this gene, and so has the mouse, among other genetically well
known species. But the cavy do not have this gene.
The white guinea pigs in the laboratories have points that
slightly darkens when they grow older: what is commonly known
as Himalayans (chch). To get the points
darker you need some colour breeding... or hope that one day the gene will come!
And what about the Self Pink Eyed White show
cavies then?
If you want to show Self Pink Eyed White you want a cavy that is
as white as possible, so you combine genes.
You start with a Black
Himalayan (chch) and want to get rid of
the darker snout, ears and feet (i.e. the points) that
eventually will show up when the cavies grow up. These points
are sepia in colour, and to get rid of them you use the gene e,
that with excellence erases most black and brown pigment from
the cavy's fur.
So now you have a white cavy (chchee).
But this cavy will have a dark
skin, which will reveal itself under the judges eyes...
To get rid of the dark skin on this white looking cavy you
need the brown gene b (bbchchee). Now
we have our Self Pink Eyed White!
Copyright Eva Johansson.
Last update: 10th of February 2006.