Breeding Colors


Colors

Standard - Our Classic Grey Glider. There are some variations within it ranging from very dark(Black Beauties) to Reddish Tones(Cinnamon, Lion, etc.) to lighter hues(Buttercream, Strawberry, etc.)

Patterns

White Face - A glider that lacks the dark ear bars.

Mosaic - A sugar glider with various white patches & markings. There are several mosaic variations: White Mosaic, Ringtail Mosaic, Piebald Mosaic, etc.

Recessive Colors

Leucistic - A leucistic is a white sugar glider with black eyes. Also called a Black-Eyed White(BEW).

Albino - An albino is a white sugar glider with red eyes. Also called a T- albino.

Cremino - A cremino is an off-white sugar glider, with light cream markings and burgundy eyes. Also called a T+ albino.

Platinum - A silvery/taupe colored sugar glider that often has a reduced/thin stripe. There are two Platinum lines - Haley & Silverbelle. The Platinum & Leucistic genes can interact to produce a Platinum glider.

Other Colors/Patterns

White Tip - A sugar glider with a white tip on it's tail.

Genetics

Dominant: The offspring show the color if they get the gene and you only need one of a certain color parent to pass it. One mosaic and one standard can produce mosaic joeys. The babies that are not mosaic will not carry the mosaic gene. White face is the same, if it shows it's there. If it doesn't show it's not there.

Dominant Inheritance Example: One parent (Ff) has a dominant color gene (F). This gene over rides the normal color gene (f). The parent shows the dominant color. When mated with a normal color sugar glider (ff) the offspring either get the color (Ff) or do not (ff). There are no carriers. If the gene is present it shows. (mosaic and white face)

Recessive: Gliders that inherit two copies of the recessive gene will show the recessive color. However, a glider that inherits only one copy of the recessive gene will be a carrier for it and can pass that gene along to its offspring. Physically, they will look like a standard grey glider. Recessive Colors include Leucistic, Platinum, Albino, and Cremino.

Recessive Inheritance Example: Both parents are carriers (Hh) Their genotype consists of the dominant wild-type (H) and the recessive (h). Their phenotype(or physical appearance) is that of the dominant wild-type color(standard grey).

Another Example: One parent shows the recessive color gene (hh) and one parent is normal color (HH). ALL offspring will carry the recessive gene (Hh) because the parent that shows the color only has that gene to pass.

Het: Het is short for heterozygous, and means possessing two different forms of a particular gene, one inherited from each parent. In this case we are talking about the color gene. A het is a normal color glider that carries a recessive color gene.

Possible Het: A normal color sugar glider that has a chance to carry a recessive color gene.

Recessive Breeding

This is the most confusing part of color breeding. Recessive breeding is where we get hets and possible hets. Recessive colors include leucistic, albino, cremino, & pure platinum(from non leu lines). The following information applies to all of them but I will use leucistic as my example color. Normal applies to any sugar glider that is not from the leucistic line.

Leucistic + Leucistic =
  • Leucistic (always)

Notes: This type of breeding is often discouraged as it will produce only the recessive colored gliders. While we haven't seen issues such as "lethal whites" in the glider community, out-crossing is always preferred.
Leucistic + 100% Leu Het =
  • Leucistic (50% of the time)
  • 100% Leu Het (50% of the time)

Notes: This cross should be done after carefully analyzing the lines & pairings. The lines are more spread out where there may be acceptable pairings of this nature.

Leucistic + Normal =
  • 100% Leu Het (always)

Notes: All Normal color offspring that are carriers for the leucistic gene.

100% Leu Het + 100% Leu Het =
  • Leucistic (25% of the time)
  • 100% Leu Het (50% of the time)
  • Normal (25% of the time)

Notes: Approximately 1 in 4 offspring will have the recessive color. 3 in 4 offspring will have the normal color. 2 in 3 of the normal color offspring will have the recessive color gene, which is why the standard grey colored offspring are sold as 66% hets as they have a 66%(2 out of 3) chance of having the leu gene.

100% Leu Het + Normal =
  • 100% Leu Het (50% of the time)
  • Normal (50% of the time)

Notes: Normal color offspring, sold as 50% possible leu hets.

Probability of a Carrier Inheritance Chart

Breeders can use this chart to determine the likelihood a particular sugar glider is a carrier(often referred to as a het or heterozygous individual) for a color gene. The percent het is the probability, or chance, that the offspring will inherit the designed gene. A glider will either inherit the gene, making it a 100% het(aka a carrier for the gene) or it won't. For example, if you have a 33% het, the probability of that glider inheriting the gene is 33% while it has a 66% chance of not carrying it. You will need to carefully choose a pairing to prove out if the glider is indeed a carrier for the gene or not. Once the color is produced by a particular pair, you have proven your gliders carry the gene and records should be changed to reflect "100% het (proven)".

A color calculator is also available - this can calculate the probability standard grey offspring inherit the recessive color gene & a few other neat things.

  Last Edited April 10, 2013


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