Aurora Line
_This page is for rats that are involved in my Aurora line. Aurora rats are also known as Chinchilla. This line will develop into one of my main lines here at the rattery. I'm very proud to be able to work with these rats and I want to give a huge thanks to a great friend of mine, Tara, for giving me the opportunity to work with this wonderful variety.
I know not everyone knows about this variety of rat so I thought it appropriate to make a separate page for them and also explain a little bit more about them.
Auroras are a very interesting variety. These rats exhibit color fading over time. It starts from the sides and works its way up. It is only present in Agouti based varieties because the Fy gene removes the yellow pigment, yet does not affect the black. Blazes and Oddeyes are often common in this variety. They do have dominant markings which a lot of breeders do not work with. Many breeders spread negative information on this variety even though they do not and have never worked with them. I don't spread any misinformation about a variety that I do not work with. There are some very reputable breeders out there that do work with this variety. I look forward to working with this variety much more in the future and eventually make it one of my main lines.
Here is another look at the genetics aspect of this amazing variety:
The main part of the story is a spotting gene given the locus Cs, for Chinchilla spotting:
The white spotting gene has variously been referred to as Husky, American husky, Aurora Spotting, Dominant Blazed, or the High White gene. In the UK we tend to refer to it as Chinchilla white spotting, as the gene tends to only be found in Chinchilla lines.
In order to make the Chinchilla variety, the rat must also have a second gene alongside the white spotting. This second gene is given the locus name of fy, for fading yellow. Alleles at this locus are:
For more information about this variety please feel free to check out 'Our Lines' page or just send us an email. We will be happy to help answer your questions.
I know not everyone knows about this variety of rat so I thought it appropriate to make a separate page for them and also explain a little bit more about them.
Auroras are a very interesting variety. These rats exhibit color fading over time. It starts from the sides and works its way up. It is only present in Agouti based varieties because the Fy gene removes the yellow pigment, yet does not affect the black. Blazes and Oddeyes are often common in this variety. They do have dominant markings which a lot of breeders do not work with. Many breeders spread negative information on this variety even though they do not and have never worked with them. I don't spread any misinformation about a variety that I do not work with. There are some very reputable breeders out there that do work with this variety. I look forward to working with this variety much more in the future and eventually make it one of my main lines.
Here is another look at the genetics aspect of this amazing variety:
The main part of the story is a spotting gene given the locus Cs, for Chinchilla spotting:
- cs – Recessive wild type gene, no white spotting.
- Cs – Dominant white spotting gene, the rat has a white underside and often white facial markings (a blaze or headspot). The gene tends to reduce yellow pigment slightly.
The white spotting gene has variously been referred to as Husky, American husky, Aurora Spotting, Dominant Blazed, or the High White gene. In the UK we tend to refer to it as Chinchilla white spotting, as the gene tends to only be found in Chinchilla lines.
In order to make the Chinchilla variety, the rat must also have a second gene alongside the white spotting. This second gene is given the locus name of fy, for fading yellow. Alleles at this locus are:
- Fy – Incomplete dominant fading yellow gene. The black pigment is normal but the yellow pigment is reduced to pale yellow or white.
- fy – Wild type non-fading yellow gene. Yellow pigment is unaffected.
For more information about this variety please feel free to check out 'Our Lines' page or just send us an email. We will be happy to help answer your questions.
_Click on the links below and they will take you to the appropriate pages.