Volume 1, Number 6

Chinchillas.com Newsletter

Auction Update
Genotype of Ebonies
Preventive Medicine, Fungus

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Auction Update

This week on the auction, we have two top show quality standard females. After years of breeding and showing, many will find that their best animals trace back to a single, or a small handful of, top quality tail-female chinchillas. A tail-female is the animal at the end of the top side of the pedigree in chinchillas. This chinchilla needs to have both the genotype and the phenotype (i.e. the genes both that are expressing themselves, which can be seen, and the genes that are recessive and cannot be seen, but are equally likely to be passed on to the offspring.). When you locate such a line in your herd, be careful to retain the best females (and if exceptional, males) she produces. Either 1559 or 1537 should be a strong asset to a standard or mutation producer who wants to breed show quality chinchillas.

1615, a show quality silver male on the auction this week, is sired by a 2001 Reserve National Grand Show Champion Mutation (a white). As an adult, he should be an individual with both a strong genotype and phenotype.

Also offered this week, we have a nice violet ebony carrier (homozygous violet and heterozygous ebony) male. This is a great opportunity for someone who wishes to establish a wrap-around violet line in their herd. Additionally, a very uniquely marked show quality silver male is also listed. He would be a good candidate for a top black, ebony, or dark standard female, for an individual attempting to produce "extreme" mosaics. Last, there is an intermediate / show quality standard male. He would be an asset used with a hobbyist’s dominant mutation females.

Genotype of Ebonies

One of the most debated topics over the last 2 decades is the genotype of ebonies. Some breeders strongly affirm that ebony is dominant, and others are adamant that it is recessive. Both are correct, but it is more correct the say the "set of genes that produce a wrap belly", rather than ‘the gene." There have been at least 7 mutations recorded since the mid 1900’s that have caused the belly of a chinchilla to "wrap." Three are recorded dominants, and four are recessives. It has not been proven that all seven of these mutations are separate and distinct mutations. The recessives especially could have appeared in different herds simultaneously. One of the first to appear was the charcoal. Charcoal was believed to be a pure recessive, and in its heterozygous form it was not expressed in the phenotype (much like violet or sapphire). A homozygous charcoal was never solid black, but rather a blue-brown chinchilla with a matching belly. Later, black producing ebony genes mutated, and at least one of these is dominant. Many breeders and hobbyists today mistakenly call a heterozygous dominant ebony a "charcoal."

Many buyers who are seeking a solid black chinchilla often ask "is this ebony homozygous?" This is not technically the best question to ask. Breeders often produce a near solid black chinchilla that has only one ebony or ebony carrier parent, and conversely, they can also technically produce a homozygous (some variant of ebony) chinchilla that is not solid black. It is not reliable to refer to the genotype of an ebony in describing its phenotype. If, as a buyer, you want to know what an ebony looks like, ask for the phenotype (or just simply ask "what does it look like)?

Preventive Medicine, Fungus

A common practice of many breeders is to try to completely prevent fungus by routinely administering anti-fungal agents in the dust. This can be an ineffective, if not dangerous practice. The constant exposure to certain anti-fungal agents does not insure that all strains of fungus will be prevented, and when a strain does appear in a herd that uses a constant preventative, it is often a particularly difficult strain to erradicate. Captan 50, which is effective, is also very dangerous to inhale, both for the person administering it and for the chinchilla. Another anti-fungal agent which should be handled carefully is Furazone. Veterinarians now recommend that people use gloves and wash thoroughly after administering NitroFurazone, or Furazone (often bright yellow). It is now known to cause ovarian cancer in lab animals. Make sure that your disease is worse than your cure when you select a regimen for controlling skin fungus. Although ringworm is extremely tedious to eradicate, unsightly, and contagious, it is not generally life threatening. Betadine, iodine, and Tea Tree oil might be safer alternatives, but consult your vet for safety information, and be careful not to scald the skin of chinchillas when using these products. Chinchillas are, and always have been, extremely susceptible to fungus, especially when the humidity rises above 50% and the animal’s immune system is stressed.It has also been hypothesized that ringworm outbreaks are due to nutritional iodine deficiencies. It is perhaps best to be on the constant alert for ringworm, and to catch and treat it early.

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