Syrian Hamster

White Bellow/White Sprinkled

Description

White Bellow/White Sprinkled (bsbs) is a new pattern of fur in Syrian Hamster. This new mutation is recessive. Gene is still in research, but here are written basics we know now. Gene is behaving different with different colours of fur with very similar effect like already known mutation White Bellied/Roan (Whwh). It is needed to say that we have to try some more combinations with different colours but I am sure that we can already partially say how it will behave.

With most of known colour mutations, it is quite hard to recognize that gene is present. Main effect is a little bit bigger spot of white on lower abdomen, running usually a little bit to groins. Its shape is similar to shape of linden leaf, and hamster usually has also more white on the bellow neck and chest. That is why this mutations was named White Bellow (bsbs).

Used by permission of Patricie Handšuhová, b.s. Ze Zvířetníku, http://www.zezviretniku.ic.cz/

With Cream gene (bsbsee) it makes something wonderful. Hamster looks alike Black Eyed Cream Roan (eeWhwh). Of course this same effect is also in other colour combinations with Cream - e.g. Sable (bsbseeU_), where the effect is better seen because of darker fur. The same effect seems to be also with Yellow gene (bsbsTo_). Fur of White Sprinkled e.g. Sable hamster is equally marbled with white. Animal looks like sprinkled by white colour - that is why it was named White Sprinkled (bsbs).

Another quite dramatic change you can see when gene is combinated with Dominant Spot (bsbsDsds). Here is in play common seen co-effect of white patterns, when power of genes is enlarged. Dominant Spot White Bellow (with most of colours) e.g. Black (aabsbsDsds) increases white parts so much that animal looks almost like a dalmatian dog. Eyes of Dominant Spot White Bellow hamster (bsbsDsds) are black at the first sight, but if you look more detail or use battery light in the dark, you can see big red circle. The same circle you can see in animals, who are Dominant Spot carriers of our new gene (BsbsDsds).

We have to wait to results of co-effects with other known patterns of fur. Probably it will increase amount of white parts. Maybe we will be surprised by Banded hamsters with white blaze on nose or completely white animals.

History

In October 2006 I saw on exhibition of small rodents in Prague unusually patterned Syrian Hamster. Owner Líza Švejdová told me that she bought him on bursa Živá exotika in Prague at the beginning of October and that seller has many of these. I asked Jan (The River Road Hamstery) by e-mail to hear what she thinks about it, why it is so few spotted. Jan after asking some breeders of Dominant Spots answered me that it could but might not be something new and it is worth-folowing.

In November 2006 I went to bursa to meet seller. I bought two hamsters also so few spotted and I saw he had many of these. I sent story on HIF. Seller got his new name Dalmatian man and he is named so forever. After asking him about I learnt that he imported it from Holland from some similar bursa, that he is crossing them together to get these and he told me that he sometimes get also unpatterned ones. I saw some answers about on HIF, and there was also opinion about being Dominant Spot White Bellied DsdsWhwh, because of it I was scared to make crossing with two few spotted animals together because from crossing DsdsWhwh x DsdsWhwh, which I had planed could come anophtalmic white hamster WhWh. In the evening before next bursa in December I was contacted by Janice (Holmden Hill Haven) who I met on HIF, with asking me to buy for her some of these for export. During the night we firmed up to do export to USA.

In December 2006 I ran to bursa for 2 males for me and 6.6 for export with Janice. I asked Dalmatian Man, if he got some defect puppies or blind. He said no.

In January 2007 were 6.6 nom spot Dominant spots successfully exported to the USA.

In book Encyclopedia of rabbits and rodents from Esther Verhoef-Verhallen published in 1998 in Netherlands there is one photo of the same few spotted Syrian. Every feet goes to Holland until now, so I consider Netherlands like country this mutation occured the first time.

However there are some more or less confirmed occurences of these hamsters in surrounding European countries - namely beyond talked Holland also in Germany, Denmark and Finland. And bought in Prague also in Slovakia and Hungary.

Provisional name "nom spot" for this mutation created on forum HIF, used in years 2007 - 2010, was not good chose and it led to different misunderstandings in between breeders. That`s why I decided to change this name radically mainly because of gene didn´t do any spots at all. New proposed name polywhite (created by Americans as well) I also didn´t find as suitable so as a discoverer of this mutation, I feel my right to name it. So I suppose that name White Bellow/White Sprinkled will be fully respected and used for this mutation.

Genetics

White Bellow/White Sprinkled (bsbs) is new recessive gene in Syrian Hamster.

In combination with most of colours and patterns, it is named White Bellow, e.g. Dark Golden, White Bellow (bsbs) or Black, Dominant Spot, White Bellow (aabsbsDsds).

In combination with Cream (Yellow) gene it is named White Sprinkled, e.g. White Sprinkled Sable (bsbseeU_).

Used by permission of Patricie Handšuhová, b.s. Ze Zvířetníku, http://www.zezviretniku.ic.cz/

Breeding

Basically, you can breed with this recessive gene same way like with any other recessive gene in Syrian Hamster. Until now, we didn´t find any defects in babies during the breeding. The first lines were entirely in Black colour.

You can keep the line of White Bellow animals (bsbs), so without adding Cream (or Yellow) gene, but I think that line with Cream is more attractive.

More effective is to keep it with Cream (Yellow) combinations (bsbsee), which gives nice marbled appearance, efect will be stronger in combination with Sable (bsbseeU_), which is more contrats then Cream. I also found White Sprinkled Yellow quite beautiful.

Gene is very attractive in combination with Dominant Spot gene (bsbsDsds), when animals look like dalmatian. Here is also good to keep it in high colour contrast. I can recommend Black (aabsbsDsds) and Golden (bsbsDsds) colours.

If you mix more factors which are increasing white, I suppose that you will not get nicer animal, but just whole white. Anyhow e.g. combination of White Bellow and Banded gene could maybe nice suprice breeders. On the other hand Cream DS White Bellow (bsbsDsdsee) will be probably not much attractive whole white animal.

Experimental Proofs of Gene Character and Transmission

Research started in 2006 and we are still proving the gene. First crossings showed us, that it will be recessive gene. Later in 2010 was found that gene is behaving different when crossing to cream line (Janice Bourell, Holmden Hill Haven, Ohio, USA, 2010).

Here is my original article of resarch of this gene.