Colors
Leucistic - A leucistic is a white sugar glider with black eyes. Also called a Leu.
Leu het - Usually a gray glider that has one parent that is a Leu so it carries one copy of the Leu gene. If bred with another Leucistic or Leu Het glider the joeys could be Leu's Black Eyed White - Another name for a leucistic, also called BEW.
Albino - An albino is a white sugar glider with red eyes. Also called a T- albino.
Cremeno - A cremeno is an off-white sugar glider, with light cream markings and burgundy eyes. Also called a T+ albino.
White Face - A white face can be blond or gray.
Standard - Some breeders sell standard variations, such as cinnamon. Standards can vary from grey to brownish to reddish, but I don't believe that these should be sold as a color, other than standard, because standards can change color due to environmental issues. This is too hard to regulate.
Lion - A lion is a golden brown sugar glider. They are a standard variation, and the only standard variation that I believe truly exists.
Mosaic - A sugar glider with white patches. Also called white variation and ring tail. Does not include white tip sugar gliders.
White Tip - A sugar glider with a white tip on it's tail. A white tip can be standard or white face.
Platinum - A silvery grey sugar glider.
Champagne - Normal marked grey with a fading to disappearing stripe along the lower back. Most of these that we have ever seen have been female.
Cinnamons -Cinnamons are the most commonly misidentified color morph of gliders. Diet and housing conditions can turn normal grey gliders to a brownish/rusty color. Often, if there are several males in a single area, they will mark their territory (including their mate) causing their fur to turn brownish/rusty. Included is a picture of just such a glider. A true cinnamon will display these colors at birth - not just as they mature.
Blonde - Usually a lighter grey than normal gliders. Light areas tend to be a "creamy" color. There will be NO black stripe under the ears. Many gliders have light faces, but they are not "blondes" unless there is no stripe under the ear.
Platinum -White body with silver or black tinting or stripe. Black eyes. The amount of coloring on the glider varies from glider to glider.
Leucistic - Solid white body. Black eyes. No silver, grey or stripe of any kind. (at this time we do not own a leucistic)
Albino - Complete lack of color pigmentation. No silver, grey or stripe of any kind. Eyes are pink. Ears are translucent.
Buttercream - Creamy brown color with a yellowish to cream colored head, stripe is usually brown to red.
Calico - Multi colored throughout the body, bands wrap the body in various colors, white included.
Chocolate Apricot -
Black Beauty - Has darker markings Thick circles under the eyes and ears all black is more dark then regular gliders
Recessive Inheritance:
Example One - Both parents carry a normal color gene (H) and a recessive color gene (h). They are (Hh). The parents show the normal color. Offspring carry (Hh), do not carry (HH), or show (hh) the color. Example Two - 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. More about recessive is below. 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) Dominant is pretty easy. 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 will have mosaic babies. 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. Recessive Colors: Leucistic, Albino, and Cremeno Dominant Colors: Mosaic and White Face Unknown Colors: White Tip, Lion, Platinum 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.
This is the most confusing part of color breeding. Recessive breeding is where we get hets and possible hets. Recessive colors include leucistic, albino, and cremeno. 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: It is my opinion that this kind of breeding should never be done. The bloodlines of our leucistics are not spread out enough to support it. Leucistic + 100% Leu Het =
* Leucistic (50% of the time)
* 100% Leu Het (50% of the time)
Notes: It is my opinion that this kind of breeding should never be done. The bloodlines of our leucistics are not spread out enough to support it. Leucistic + Normal =
* 100% Leu Het (always)
Notes: This is breeding out, and a recommended pairing. Normal color offspring. 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. These are sold as having a 66% chance of having the leu gene. This is not breeding out and is not a recommended pairing. 100% Leu Het + Normal =
* 100% Leu Het (50% of the time)
* Normal (50% of the time)
Notes: This is breeding out, and a recommended pairing. Normal color offspring, sold as 50% possible leu hets. Possible Het Pairing Numbers:
* 66% + 66% = 33%
* 66% + Normal = 33%
* 66% + 50% = 25%-33%
* 50% + 50% = 25%
* 50% + Normal = 25%
If any possible het pairing produces a leucistic both parents are then 100% hets.
Vocabulary
Here are some common abbreviations, words, and terminology used when speaking about sugar gliders, their colors, and genetics:
Alleles- Each alternate form of a gene. The alleles are represented by letters on a punnett square.
Dominant- Refers to an allele of a gene that is always expressed in heterozygotes. Shown with a capital letter in a punnett square.
Gene- Section of a chromosome that carries the information for a specific trait.
Het- Short for Heterozygote.
Heterozygous- Having two different alleles of a gene pair. (one dominant, one recessive example Aa or Bb).
Homozygous- Having the same allele at the same locus on a chromosome; two recessive genes are paired, or two dominant genes are paired. (either one dominant, one dominant ~0R~ one recessive, one recessive example aa or AA).
Punnett square- A diagram shows possible gene combinations of offspring to a mated pair.
Recessive- In order for the trait to be expressed, there must be two copies of the allele. The gene or trait is hidden in the presence of a dominant one. Shown with a lower case letter in a punnett square.
WF- White Face, a sugar glider lacking the bar under it's ear.
WFB- White Face Blonde, a sugar glider lacking the bar under it's ear, plus the blonde coloration.
WT- Wild Type or Normal this refers to the color most often found in the wild.
Leu het - Usually a gray glider that has one parent that is a Leu so it carries one copy of the Leu gene. If bred with another Leucistic or Leu Het glider the joeys could be Leu's Black Eyed White - Another name for a leucistic, also called BEW.
Albino - An albino is a white sugar glider with red eyes. Also called a T- albino.
Cremeno - A cremeno is an off-white sugar glider, with light cream markings and burgundy eyes. Also called a T+ albino.
White Face - A white face can be blond or gray.
Standard - Some breeders sell standard variations, such as cinnamon. Standards can vary from grey to brownish to reddish, but I don't believe that these should be sold as a color, other than standard, because standards can change color due to environmental issues. This is too hard to regulate.
Lion - A lion is a golden brown sugar glider. They are a standard variation, and the only standard variation that I believe truly exists.
Mosaic - A sugar glider with white patches. Also called white variation and ring tail. Does not include white tip sugar gliders.
White Tip - A sugar glider with a white tip on it's tail. A white tip can be standard or white face.
Platinum - A silvery grey sugar glider.
Champagne - Normal marked grey with a fading to disappearing stripe along the lower back. Most of these that we have ever seen have been female.
Cinnamons -Cinnamons are the most commonly misidentified color morph of gliders. Diet and housing conditions can turn normal grey gliders to a brownish/rusty color. Often, if there are several males in a single area, they will mark their territory (including their mate) causing their fur to turn brownish/rusty. Included is a picture of just such a glider. A true cinnamon will display these colors at birth - not just as they mature.
Blonde - Usually a lighter grey than normal gliders. Light areas tend to be a "creamy" color. There will be NO black stripe under the ears. Many gliders have light faces, but they are not "blondes" unless there is no stripe under the ear.
Platinum -White body with silver or black tinting or stripe. Black eyes. The amount of coloring on the glider varies from glider to glider.
Leucistic - Solid white body. Black eyes. No silver, grey or stripe of any kind. (at this time we do not own a leucistic)
Albino - Complete lack of color pigmentation. No silver, grey or stripe of any kind. Eyes are pink. Ears are translucent.
Buttercream - Creamy brown color with a yellowish to cream colored head, stripe is usually brown to red.
Calico - Multi colored throughout the body, bands wrap the body in various colors, white included.
Chocolate Apricot -
Black Beauty - Has darker markings Thick circles under the eyes and ears all black is more dark then regular gliders
Recessive Inheritance:
Example One - Both parents carry a normal color gene (H) and a recessive color gene (h). They are (Hh). The parents show the normal color. Offspring carry (Hh), do not carry (HH), or show (hh) the color. Example Two - 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. More about recessive is below. 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) Dominant is pretty easy. 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 will have mosaic babies. 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. Recessive Colors: Leucistic, Albino, and Cremeno Dominant Colors: Mosaic and White Face Unknown Colors: White Tip, Lion, Platinum 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.
This is the most confusing part of color breeding. Recessive breeding is where we get hets and possible hets. Recessive colors include leucistic, albino, and cremeno. 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: It is my opinion that this kind of breeding should never be done. The bloodlines of our leucistics are not spread out enough to support it. Leucistic + 100% Leu Het =
* Leucistic (50% of the time)
* 100% Leu Het (50% of the time)
Notes: It is my opinion that this kind of breeding should never be done. The bloodlines of our leucistics are not spread out enough to support it. Leucistic + Normal =
* 100% Leu Het (always)
Notes: This is breeding out, and a recommended pairing. Normal color offspring. 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. These are sold as having a 66% chance of having the leu gene. This is not breeding out and is not a recommended pairing. 100% Leu Het + Normal =
* 100% Leu Het (50% of the time)
* Normal (50% of the time)
Notes: This is breeding out, and a recommended pairing. Normal color offspring, sold as 50% possible leu hets. Possible Het Pairing Numbers:
* 66% + 66% = 33%
* 66% + Normal = 33%
* 66% + 50% = 25%-33%
* 50% + 50% = 25%
* 50% + Normal = 25%
If any possible het pairing produces a leucistic both parents are then 100% hets.
Vocabulary
Here are some common abbreviations, words, and terminology used when speaking about sugar gliders, their colors, and genetics:
Alleles- Each alternate form of a gene. The alleles are represented by letters on a punnett square.
Dominant- Refers to an allele of a gene that is always expressed in heterozygotes. Shown with a capital letter in a punnett square.
Gene- Section of a chromosome that carries the information for a specific trait.
Het- Short for Heterozygote.
Heterozygous- Having two different alleles of a gene pair. (one dominant, one recessive example Aa or Bb).
Homozygous- Having the same allele at the same locus on a chromosome; two recessive genes are paired, or two dominant genes are paired. (either one dominant, one dominant ~0R~ one recessive, one recessive example aa or AA).
Punnett square- A diagram shows possible gene combinations of offspring to a mated pair.
Recessive- In order for the trait to be expressed, there must be two copies of the allele. The gene or trait is hidden in the presence of a dominant one. Shown with a lower case letter in a punnett square.
WF- White Face, a sugar glider lacking the bar under it's ear.
WFB- White Face Blonde, a sugar glider lacking the bar under it's ear, plus the blonde coloration.
WT- Wild Type or Normal this refers to the color most often found in the wild.