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Albino Interest

Posted By: Dayton Gliders

Albino Interest - 08/20/13 08:21 PM

Okay, so I have a LITTLE bit of an obsession with albino sugar gliders. If you could pair any glider to an albino, what would you pair them to? I don't think we know enough about albinos to do accurate pairings to them, but I know I have thought, when was the last time you saw a mosaic or piebald 100% albino het? Probably not much. I know I have always wanted to have a breeding program based around albinos, due to their nature and the little we know about them compared to other colors such as leucistics and platinums, but, what would you pair an albino to if you had one. Personally, I would probably breed an albino to a black faced black beauty, a piebald mosaic or even another color.

Due to the albino's nature, albinism is a complete lack of pigmentation. Therefore, they cannot express any color. The fur, in a sense, is not white, but blank. It shows no color. Also, although their eyes may appear red, it is actually the red blood cells in the retinal blood vessels within the eye. So, therefore, albinos show do color whatsoever.

Now, when people I have seen are trying to claim they have albino mosaics or look to breed for a specific color that is also albino, you cannot have any coloring mixed with albino and call it albino. The complete definition of albino would be the COMPLETE lack of pigmentation. Whereas the color of fur or eye color are not present in any way. As stated above, the "white" fur and the "red eyes" are actually blank canvases and have no color present.

So, in short, albinism in gliders really fascinates me and I hope, with the Sugar Glider Genetics project we can really learn much more about this coloring. Although the lifespan of albinos is much shorter than an average colored sugar glider due to their nature and missing of an important enzyme, we really cannot do much to help their albinism, but we could help the general community by breeding the color out and we can help the general albino breeding programs out there.
Posted By: CindyBee

Re: Albino Interest - 08/21/13 03:55 AM

Sorry no one has responded..Hopefully I can bump it up a bit for you smile

I, like you, and very excited to see the results of the Sugar Glider Genetics project. I think it will bring so much of the unknown to the glider community. thumb can't wait!
Posted By: hwh4ev

Re: Albino Interest - 08/30/13 10:33 PM

i liked your article reggie. i think an albino bred with a bfbb would be interesting.

with the problems in albino's, it is disturbing to me that some well known breeders are now going to and are breeding albino to albino.

the new thing now a days, seems to be anything goes.

i am not against breeding color to color but i draw the
line at albino x albino. i would hope alot of other breeders feel the same way.
Posted By: Tigerlily

Re: Albino Interest - 08/31/13 02:27 AM

I don't see much difference in breeding color to color with albino to albino. Both are recessive traits. I understand that albino is associated with many more detrimental inheritance issues, but we really don't know that breeding any two recessive traits together won't produce the same results. The problem with phenotypes that don't normally occur in the wild is that you never know what other genes might share a similar locus, so the chance of inheriting something else that could be negative increases greatly. I've always been a little nervous about breeding any two recessive colors together, such as plat to leu, or cremeino to leu, but it's not quite the same thing.

Albinism does interest me though, I'm excited to see what we may learn about it in the near future. I've thought about adding it into my breeding program, but it still makes me a little nervous to be breeding something that could be less healthy and hardy.
Posted By: SarahSuggies

Re: Albino Interest - 08/31/13 04:56 AM

Reggie

I am glad you are excited about albinos. I do not know enough information to talk intelligently about their genetics as I am still learning. However, I just put together my first albino breeding pair and have been asking questions of the veteran breeders who have experience with albinos and they have been very helpful.

The thing with albinos is there are way too many myths floating around with no real hardcore data to back up these myths (or at least that I am aware of). Albinos can and do live as long as other gliders. They can and do live healthy lives.

Yes, some people will shy away from albinos because of these myths. Also because they are somewhat rare as only a handful of breeders breed for them and can still be pretty expensive. I have not chosen to do so and I am glad because my Abby is the sweetest.

Here is my Abby:




If you know of any real data to support these myths please feel free to message me as I would love to read them.
Posted By: Chattenoire

Re: Albino Interest - 08/31/13 06:01 AM

You will notice that when an albino sugar glider is younger, you will see it's stripe on the head, and it'll eventually fade away/get lighter as it gets older. So couldn't you tell if an albino is mosaic, should it have white going through it's line?
Posted By: Cora

Re: Albino Interest - 08/31/13 08:36 PM

I have an Albino, 50% Leu Het paired with a 100% Albino Het, 50% Leu Het, 50% Plat Het.
Posted By: GliderChaser

Re: Albino Interest - 09/01/13 12:52 PM

I love the albinos as well or any white colored SG.. nice post
Posted By: Dayton Gliders

Re: Albino Interest - 09/05/13 10:57 PM

Albinism in gliders is just like in any other species; they are pure white with complete lack of pigmentation. Although, since more people have been seeing other colorings along with the albino gene, I think that a post informing people exactly how albinos are classified, their health issues, etc, is much needed!

What Is An Albino?
An albino is a sugar glider that has complete or almost complete, lack of pigmentation. Their fur expresses no color and their eyes are clear (the red shown is the red within their blood vessels in the eye). Their feet are pink and they have a pure white tummy. So, in short, they have no colorings. Although, there are forms of albinism that do express color.


What Kind Of Albinos Are There?
Albinos are classified into four categories, OCA1 Albinism, OCA2 Albinism, OCA3 Albinism, and OCA4 Albinism. All albinos have a genetic defect in their tyrosinase, their P protein, the SLC45A2 protein, or their TYRP1 protein. So, now let’s see a breakdown of the different albino categories.

OCA1 Albinism: OCA1 Albinism results in a genetic defect with their enzyme called the tyrosinase. This type of albinism shows complete lack of pigmentation to the fur and eyes. (Possible colorations with OCA1 Albinism): Our “classic” albinos.
OCA2 Albinism: OCA2 Albinism results in a genetic defect with their enzyme, the P protein (which helps the tyrosinase to function properly). This type of albinism shows almost complete lack of pigmentation and a small amount of melanin produced. (possible colorations with OCA2 Albinism): a Minimal Marked Albino or a darker albino.
OCA3 Albinism: OCA3 Albinism results in a genetic defect with their TYRP1 protein, which is related to the tyrosinase. Albinos with OCA3 Albinism can have substantial pigmentation and can produce a substantial amount of melanin. (possible colorations with OCA3 Albinism): A cremeino albino, a caramel albino, an outstanding marked
OCA4 Albinism: OCA4 Albinism results in a genetic defect with their SLC45A2 protein. The SLC45A2 protein helps the tyrosinase to function properly. This affects the production of melanin and pigmentation Similar to OCA2.


What have we been producing with Albinos?
Although, yes, there are Albino sugar gliders, what other colors have we produced with Albinos? Well, here is a short list. We have not really experimented with the albino gene too often, so here is what we have produced:
Ruby Leu – Albino x Leucistic
Ruby Leu – Albino x Platinum
Ruby Leu – Albino x Cremeino
Cremeino Albino
Caramel Albinos/Carminos (Not produced from our native sugar gliders, imported)
Albino Mosaics
Albino Hets


Are We Learning More About Albinos?
We are hoping to learn more about Albinos with The Sugar Glider Genetics Project!


~~ Source: My post in Sugar Glider Fanatics (SGF)

Information Also Stated with this post:

LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCED BREEDERS TO COMMENT ON THIS, GIVE SUGGESTIONS, MAKE EDITS WHERE NEEDED, ETC.

THIS IS INFORMATION I HAVE PERSONALLY GATHERED WITH THE HELP OF OTHER BREEDERS WITH KNOWLEDGE IN GENETICS. AS YES, THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE MORE EXPERIENCED THAN ME, THIS IS WHAT I HAVE FOUND.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MAKE COMMENTS ON ANYTHING
Posted By: QueenSue

Re: Albino Interest - 09/23/13 05:23 AM

If I had an albino, I'd probably breed it with an albino het so I would get some albino joeys too. I like when gliders can produce a rainbow of babies lol
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