Quote Originally Posted by hoax View Post
I was calling my albino a caramel. It has a caramel color to it but with red eyes.

I think Connie calls them ruby eyed? Correct me if I am wrong.
Ruby eyed is a working title... lol. I'm working on the genetics behind the cinnamon vs the ruby eyed to find out if they are the same gene but with just slight variations in color.

Where does the pink eye diluted name come from? Is there a reason for this name? If it is not an albino I do not think that is what we should call it. I also do not think we should call them ruby eyed, because what if we discover another ruby eyed ASF with different patterns or body colors. I like "ruby eyed caramel" maybe, I think it is a very descriptive name.
Pink eyed dilute is described in the domestic rat (Norway rat) as being the suppression of the Eumelanin (brown and black) production, while leaving the phaomelanin (yellow and red) behind.

"The p allele dilutes whatever color it is found with, by reducing black-brown pigments and leaving the red-yellows alone. The net result, in rats, is reduction in the dark eumelanin pigments, resulting in a pale [yellow] coat and pink eyes." (ratbehavior.org)

The pink eyed dilute on an agouti hair (yellow banding) creates the amber color in norway rats, which is very much like the color on our false "albino" ASF's. To that effect, I have begun to refer to the yellow/orange ASF's as "Amber" or "PED" for consistency.

From what I have read and seen in my crosses, the Agouti color is dominant, and the cinnamon's (including the ruby eyed) are simple recessive.

The agouti would be a genotype of "AA"
The cinnamon would be "cc"

I have two working theories into the true genetics of it, but honestly I haven't paid such close attention.

One would be that the cinnamon with light pink ears (for now will call type 1), but almost black eyes, is actually a product of two separate genes, agouti and cinnamon equally. With a genotype of AA, cc.

The other theory is that the agouti and the type 1 cinnamon are on the same locus, where AA, and Aa would be agouti, and aa would be the type 1 cinnamon. Just today though I have disproved that theory.

Right now, I have set up a few colonies with the express purpose of trying the different colors against one another. To determine the ruby eyed and type 1 cinnamon, I have a self ruby eyed male crossing with a pied type 1 cinnamon. All of their offspring will be head spotted, and I will be able to easily record their colors.

The second female the ruby eyed male is with is a head spot agouti (the dark grey colored animals). They have had a litter and I just took pictures today of their colors and will review them tonight while working through my theories.

Sorry no pics as of yet, I have a couple on my website, but I've been working on that page lately so there really aren't very good pics yet.