The Recessive Dappled Gene is a recent gene discovery. As best we can determine, its origins are in Estonia, a Baltic republic in Eastern Europe. While I was living in Belarus, a republic in the former Soviet Union, I traveled to Estonia. I purchased a beautiful syrian female -- what I now believe was a Black Recessive Dappled. I bred her to my Black male, and they had a litter of Blacks. Although I was surprised that the entire litter was unpatterned, I chose not to bring her back to America since I didn't think she would tolerate the trip well. She was very high strung. She was left with friends in Belarus.
Once I returned to the United States, I was surprised to learn that there were similar hamsters on the East Coast who had the same pattern as mine and which were brought in from Estonia. I have now received a few of these hamsters from The River Road Hamstery and have the chance to work with this gene more fully.
For more history and details on this gene, please see The River Road Hamstery's documentation at:
http://hometown.aol.com/theriverrd/dappled.htm |
