Possible High White

[TorachiKatashi]

A friend of mine is picking up a six-week-old boy (he's the only male in the litter who isn't already gone to a home, unfortunately,) who will hopefully be a future cage mate for her current boy. She sent me a picture of him - I pointed out the markings on him I believe to be high white and sent her the link the high white/megacolon information from here on the forums, but I wanted to get your opinions on if this is high white or if I'm incorrect. She's definitely taking him regardless of his markings, but I want her to have all the information she needs, in the event that something does go wrong in the future.

 

[Dazzle87]

Unless he is a banded (which I can't tell from the picture) he is not high white but just has a head spot.

 

[TorachiKatashi]

Banded, how do you mean? Like a collar of white? She should be home in an hour or two, I'll get more pictures from her of him from the back.

 

[hopefloats]

Unless he is a banded (which I can't tell from the picture) he is not high white but just has a head spot.

What is banded?

 

[Dazzle87]

Banded is like a berk but the white comes up higher, not high enough to make it look hooded though.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=band...4&tbnw=195&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

 

[hopefloats]

Thanks! I havent seen that term before......

 

[TorachiKatashi]

She just send me some more pictures. He's not "banded" as you described; his head is coloured (other than that white spot) about to his shoulders and down to about his ears (his chin is white, then he has a few coloured spots down his back.)

 

[lilspaz68]

He has a lower risk high white marking. The other babies were like him or were any more heavily spotted or blazed?

Banded is very much high white...the difference with banding (and why they thought your baby might be) is the white comes up the jawline and in a relatively straightline along the body.

See the bottom of Otto's head?

 

[SQ]

I thought head spots as well as an incomplete cap (white markings under chin) could be indications of high white, as both have white where it shouldn't be,
although the spot is not as strong a high white marking as a blaze would be.

 

[lilspaz68]

I thought head spots as well as an incomplete cap (white markings under chin) could be indications of high white, as both have white where it shouldn't be,
although the spot is not as strong a high white marking as a blaze would be.

There's safer markings and headspots are one of them.

 

[TorachiKatashi]

Pye's white does come up to his jawline. His colour doesn't go the whole length of the top of his body as in a banded, though, only back to his shoulders. Would that be better or worse?

Edit: I asked my friend about his littermates. To the best of her memory, one was a berkshire and the rest were hooded. No other high white markings she can remember. She never saw the mother or father, though.

 

[lilspaz68]

Pye's white does come up to his jawline. His colour doesn't go the whole length of the top of his body as in a banded, though, only back to his shoulders. Would that be better or worse?

Edit: I asked my friend about his littermates. To the best of her memory, one was a berkshire and the rest were hooded. No other high white markings she can remember. She never saw the mother or father, though.

Caps can also look like that as well so don't worry

 

[TorachiKatashi]

Thanks a ton you guys! She's still reading the megacolon info for "just in case" because it's always a risk, but it's a relief to know that he's not high risk.

 

[M0onkist]

I think he's fine - since he's survived past weaning he's low-risk (there's always some risk with high white genes of adult-onset, but it's always milder).

The biggest thing to keep in mind is never to breed him (though I'm sure your friend won't!). It's the only sure way to prevent high white from destroying precious future lives.

I have a rat who is also high-white (though we know for sure that her genes have high white in them). My sweet, very very impish Cera (she's the one in front):

As you can see she's got very similar markings. We know she's high white because both her parents were, and one of her brothers died from MC at weaning. She's fine, since she survived weaning and eats solid foods - but I always keep an eye on her in the event of adult-onset MC.

 

[Sorraia]

He looks like a very mismarked hooded/bareback. That would make him NOT high white. Your description of the siblings supports this.