Varieties
Marked
Variegated (*/var)
W/+
"A variegated mouse shall be of any standard colour, evenly splashed over and under body and must be free from any spots or solid patches as those found in evens and brokens. Eye colour to be as in standardized variety."
Breeding information below the pictures.
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sh black variegated buck Ch Astralis Kämp (Click the pic for a larger image.) |
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sh black variegated doe Ch Astralis Dreams & Nightmares (Click the pic for a larger image.) |
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Lightly marked Variegated with good distribution of splashing. SH black variegated buck |
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Variegated with somewhat heavier markings. Should have more white and more, smaller splashes. SHS blue variegated doe Omniscientia |
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Too heavily marked variegated. Needs plenty of more white on the head and rump. Lk black variegated naaras Knuspergardens Madame Butterfly |
Note: This article is old and waiting to be rewritten.
Quick Look
Variegated was a popular variety in UK during the 1940's and -50's but nowadays it's quite rare. Variegated differs considerably from evens and brokens, as no solid patches are required. The splashes should not be clean cut but rather ragged at the edges.
Best combinations appear to be variegated to variegated and too light to too dark. The darker mice have better belly markings than the light mice, who have a less visible head spot, caused by dominant white spotting gene. There will be a few anemic double-variegated babies in the litter and they can be culled. The rest of the litter are mainly variegateds and a few 'selfs'. These selfs can be used to enlarge the stock, but on the long run they will cause dark mice cropping up. The main goal is the evenness of colour splashes, not the evenness of colour. Blue tends to be the best colour to show due to the 'mealiness' of the Blue colour itself.
Some examples of different kinds of variegateds:
All of the above Astralis variegateds, b., ow. & pic: Johanna Salo.
This mouse is a variegated as well, though it could pass for a merle. b., ow. & pic: Anniina Tuura.