Pinto spot? Opinions?

[KatesCritters]

I have a 5 months old male hedgehog who has a dime sized white spot on his side (see picture http://katescritters.homestead.com/files/pintospot.JPG )

As far as the breeder knows, there is no pinto in this hog's lines, but she isn't 100% sure. She is unable to contact the breeder SHE got her stock from right now, so it's going to have to stay a mystery unless I decide to breed him (haven't made up my mind if he is breeding quality yet, he needs to mature a bit more).

Anyone have any opinions? I have seen small collections of white spines on salt and pepper hogs before, but his spot is quite a bit larger then those....

[Nancy]

I don't know if that would be classed as pinto or not. I have numerous hogs like that and have never thought of them as possibly being pinto.

[KatesCritters]

I don't know if that would be classed as pinto or not. I have numerous hogs like that and have never thought of them as possibly being pinto.

That's what I thought. Pinto is just not in my area as far as I know, so I would be quite surprised (excited!) if it fell into my lap. But I won't get my hopes up. He's still the best little hedgepig, spots or no spots.

[yourmine]

From what I understand, that does TECHNICALLY make him a pinto (though most breeders do not consider that a pinto for breeding or pricing purposes).

[illinidairychic]

I think it might just be a small spot but not really pinto. I have a chocolate chip female that has a few 'patches' like that but they aren't large enough for me to think of her as a pinto.

[kaiteedyd]

I would consider it a pinto spot, but not one large enough to actually take much notice of.

Just because he doesn't have any pinto anesctors doesn't mean that it's not a pinto spot. The pinto hedgehogs we have to day started to happen at some point from breeding non pintos to non pintos.

[KatesCritters]

Just because he doesn't have any pinto anesctors doesn't mean that it's not a pinto spot. The pinto hedgehogs we have to day started to happen at some point from breeding non pintos to non pintos.

Yep, that crossed my mind (working with rare mongolian gerbil colors for years taught more than I needed to know about genetics! lol) but my guess is that I would not be lucky enough to have a mutation drop into my lap this easily.

But now my question is, regardless if it can be classed as pinto or not, is it possibly a stable mutation that I can work with? Or is it just a glitch in his quills that will not be passed on? I suspect no one can actually answer those questions, but I thought I'd ask 'em anyway. :P

[Elmer Atté]

From the International Hedgehog Association's web site:

PINTO
Pinto is a color pattern, rather than a color and as such may appear on any colored hedgehog. The Pinto pattern can be distinguished by a total lack of color on the quills and skin beneath in distinct patches or spots over the hedgehog's back. Ideally, the white patches are to be symmetrical between one side of the hedgehog, divided down the length of the body by the dorsal, and the other. The remainder of the quills - those with colored banding - remain consistent with the hedgehog's basic coloration.

Honestly, though, they describe something like 101 different colours of hedgehogs, and I get a headache each time I go through them... LOL

[Steph]

Is the skin colored under the quills in the white spot?? If so then it's not true Pinto. I've seen a lot of that in my snowflakes (which is what he is, Chocolate Snowflake) and usually I can't breed it in where Pintos usually pass that gene on to 50% of their babies.

[kaiteedyd]

Pinto is one of the easiest mutations so to speak to develop in animals. Dogs have it, horses have it, cats have it, fur foxxes have it, chins have etc...

It's a 50/50 shot whether the gene gets passed on once the gene is there. There are probably other genetic factors controlling the amount of white that is expressed.