Mongolian Gerbil - Major Colors

Major Colors

• Golden Agouti — All Mongolian Gerbils in the wild are Golden Agouti, also called Agouti. The hair shafts on the back are grey at the base, gold in the middle and tipped with black, making an even mix of golden brown with black ticking. The belly is creamy white. An Agouti gerbil has black eyes.

• Black — A Black gerbil is black both on its back and on its belly. It most often has a "bib" or white line running down its chin. It also may have some white on its paws. A Black gerbil has black eyes.

• Argente — An Argente gerbil is orange with a white belly. It has deep ruby eyes. If one were to brush back the fur on its back, one would see that the roots are grey.

• Argente Cream — An Argente Cream gerbil is an Argente lightened by a Himalayan gene, c(h). It is light orange with a white belly and ruby eyes. The undercoat is grey like the Argente Gold, but diluted due to the c(h).

• Argente Fawn / Topaz — A Topaz gerbil is an Argente lightened by a gene called Chinchilla Medium, c(chm), formerly called Burmese, c(b). This color is lighter than an Argente Golden but darker than an Argente Cream, and it often has slightly darker points at the ears, nose and tail. It has ruby eyes. The undercoat is grey, but diluted due to the c(chm).

• Lilac — A Lilac gerbil is dark grey all over. It has ruby eyes.

• Dove — A Dove gerbil is a Lilac lightened by the Himalayan gene, c(h). It is a powdery light grey all over. It has ruby eyes.

• Sapphire — A Sapphire gerbil is a Lilac lightened by a gene called Chinchilla Medium, c(chm). This color is lighter than a Lilac but darker than a Dove. It has ruby eyes.

• Pink-eyed White — A Pink-eyed White gerbil is completely white with light ruby eyes.

• Burmese / Colourpoint Black — A Colourpoint black gerbil is an all over chocolate color. Around eight weeks or so, it will begin to develop darker points on the tail, nose, feet and tips of the ear. Often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. It also may have some white on its paws. All Burmese gerbils have black eyes.

• Siamese / Light Colourpoint Black — A Siamese gerbil starts out a light mushroom color. Around eight weeks, it molts and the tail, nose, feet and tips of the ear go black. The main body color stays the same. A Siamese has black eyes. It also often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. May also have some white on the paws.Younger Siamese gerbils can have lighter bands on their feet, but will fade on the back but may stay on the front. Their color is also described as "Musroom colorpoint".

• Colorpoint Agouti — A Colorpoint Agouti has an off-white to grey base with a liberal amount of silvery-brownish ticking along the back. The belly is white and the eyes are black.

• Light Colorpoint Agouti — A Light Colorpoint Agouti has an off-white base with silvery-brownish ticking along the back. Its belly is white and its eyes are black.

• Grey Agouti — The hairs on the back of a Grey Agouti are dark grey with white in the middle, making an even salt-and-pepper look. They often have gold intermingled into the coat. The belly is white. Grey Agoutis have black eyes.

• Slate — A Slate gerbil is a greyish black color. Often has a "bib" or white line running down the chin. It may also have some white on the paws. A Slate has black eyes with a reddish reflective shine in bright light or flash, however this can also appear on Black gerbils with certain recessives ie c(chm).

• Ivory Cream — An Ivory Cream gerbil is creamy colored on its back with a light cream belly. It has ruby eyes.

• Ruby-Eyed White — A Ruby-Eyed White gerbil is white all over. It has ruby eyes. Also known as Red Eyed White.

• Dark Eyed Honey — A Dark Eyed Honey gerbil starts out with a bright orange back with a white belly and flanks. At 8 weeks it molts and a small amount of black ticking appears along its back. A Dark Eyed Honey has black eyes.

• Nutmeg — A Nutmeg gerbil starts out with a bright orange color over its entire body. At 8 weeks it molts and liberal black ticking appears along the back with a lesser amount on the belly, changing the color from an orangey-brown to almost pure black, depending on the extensiveness of the ticking. A Nutmeg gerbil has black eyes.

• Silver Nutmeg — A Silver Nutmeg gerbil's first coat is an ivory color. At 8 weeks the gerbil molts and the liberal greyish ticking appears along the back with a lesser amount on the belly. A Silver Nutmeg gerbil has black eyes.

• Red Eyed Honey / Yellow Fox — A Yellow Fox gerbil has a bright orange back with a white belly and flanks. It has ruby eyes.

• Saffron / Red Fox — A Red Fox is a bright orange color over its entire body, with the color lightening somewhat through the belly area. Often there is a "bib" or white line running down the chin. There may also be some white on the paws. A Red Fox has ruby eyes.

• Polar Fox — A Polar Fox starts out a creamy ivory color. At 8 weeks the gerbil molts and minimal greyish ticking appears along the back. The nails are clear. A Polar Fox has black eyes.

• Schimmel — A Schimmel gerbil starts out as an orange color. At eight weeks old it molts and the coat begins to lighten to a creamy white. The gerbil's body continues to lighten throughout its life until it can be left with a white body, while the tail, nose, feet and tips of the ears retain the orange. Schimmel gerbils have black eyes. A schimmel with ruby eyes is a Ruby Eyed Schimmel.

• Black Eyed White — A Black Eyed White gerbil is completely white with black eyes. Some have greyish ear tips and dark claws.

• Spotting - Dominant spotting can be in any coat variety and will lighten the fur around it. How the spotting will look depends on modifiers.

• Collared - A thick, unbroken band of spotting around the neck connecting to the white belly.

• Collar and blaze - A thick, unbroken band of spotting around the neck connecting to the white belly and an unbroken white blaze connecting the three spotting areas (neck, forehead and nose).

• Pied - The base coat color may be of any standard type except for white. There is a thick band of white around the neck and shoulder area to form a collar that is connected to a blazed down the forehead and face. The distinguishing feature are small spots on the rump and back area around the spinal area. These spots usually do not have clear edges. The gerbil may be 50% white before it is considered a mottled gerbil as long as the spotting pattern conforms to the standard, accepted pattern.

• Mottled - The coat color of the gerbil may be any standard coat color broken by small white patches accompanying a collar and blaze. The gerbil may be up to 75% white until it would be considered a variegated gerbil.

• Variegated - The variegated pattern is when any standard coat color is broken up by small white patches along with a collar and blaze. The difference between the variegated spotting form and the mottled spotting form is the amount of white. The variegated spotting is an extended form of mottling. There is more white on the back and rump, allowing less color to show through. This can form a 'dalmatian' pattern. Often the tail tuft and the end of the tail is white or lacking pigment.

• Extreme White - The extreme white pattern is associated with any standard color except for white. Here the coat color is 90% white and barely any of the base coat color, or any pigment, is remaining. There have been health concerns circulating about extreme white gerbils. Head tilts, lack of good balance, and repetitive running and circling has been reported in these gerbils. It has been found that these health concerns mostly affect gerbils with unpigmented (light pink/not very opaque) ears.

There are other spotting "types". Any that don't conform to show standards are usually classed as patched.

Note: Although some US gerbil owners call some coat varieties "fox" ie yellow fox, the fox gene is not in gerbils and this is therefore incorrect.