Banded
Black banded bred by Cait Walgate
The banded mouse was only standardised in 1992, but since I did not start showing mice with the NMC until 2002, it has always been an established variety like any other to me. I have always appreciated the contrast of colour with white on a marked mouse, and over the years I have kept brokens and rumpwhites as well as bandeds.
First of all I would like to state that my banded stock had pet shop beginnings. I tried very hard to get hold of bandeds from within the fancy, making a lot of phone calls and sending emails, only to be told that no-one had any, or at least none to spare. I was determined not to give up, so I examined the stock of any pet shop I happened to pass until I managed to get hold of a banded. Luckily the most common gene that causes the banded marking is dominant, so one was all I really needed to make a start.
If for any reason a breeder finds themselves with only a low number of bandeds suitable for breeding, or is just starting out and needs to increase their numbers, it is not too difficult to overcome this problem because the type of banded commonly found is a dominant gene (there is also a recessive version available in the UK). Unlike rumpwhites, where an outcross does not seem to produce anything like the same markings in the first generation, bandeds can produce passable specimens when crossed to selfs. This also lets you improve colour and other aspects more easily than with, say, a broken, where you have to cross back for many generations before you arrive back at good spots.
A (nonagouti-based) banded that is mated to a self will produce 50% banded babies and 50% self babies. That is because a mouse with the required band width is heterozygous. If you mate banded to banded you will produce the same 50% banded babies, but 25% selfs and 25% homozygous bandeds, also called ‘charlies’, or BEWs. The ‘charlies’ are only useful if you are breeding for BEWs or plan to mate them back to a self to produce more banded; the selfs should be discarded. This is easy to sort out in the nest after a few days.
First of all I would like to state that my banded stock had pet shop beginnings. I tried very hard to get hold of bandeds from within the fancy, making a lot of phone calls and sending emails, only to be told that no-one had any, or at least none to spare. I was determined not to give up, so I examined the stock of any pet shop I happened to pass until I managed to get hold of a banded. Luckily the most common gene that causes the banded marking is dominant, so one was all I really needed to make a start.
If for any reason a breeder finds themselves with only a low number of bandeds suitable for breeding, or is just starting out and needs to increase their numbers, it is not too difficult to overcome this problem because the type of banded commonly found is a dominant gene (there is also a recessive version available in the UK). Unlike rumpwhites, where an outcross does not seem to produce anything like the same markings in the first generation, bandeds can produce passable specimens when crossed to selfs. This also lets you improve colour and other aspects more easily than with, say, a broken, where you have to cross back for many generations before you arrive back at good spots.
A (nonagouti-based) banded that is mated to a self will produce 50% banded babies and 50% self babies. That is because a mouse with the required band width is heterozygous. If you mate banded to banded you will produce the same 50% banded babies, but 25% selfs and 25% homozygous bandeds, also called ‘charlies’, or BEWs. The ‘charlies’ are only useful if you are breeding for BEWs or plan to mate them back to a self to produce more banded; the selfs should be discarded. This is easy to sort out in the nest after a few days.
Expression of the banded gene
Faults to look for in the nest
Pied tails
The tail of a banded should be the same colour as the coat throughout its length. Sometimes you will get a mouse born with a white tail tip, which can vary in length, and all else being equal you can reject these. However, if you need to build up a stud you can keep the mice with pied tails as they do not produce only pied-tailed young.
Foot stops
As in a Dutch, banded mice do have stops. The standard simply states ‘feet white’, but obviously a clear stop in the right place makes the mouse look much neater. Often the mouse will have good stops, but sometimes one foot will be either over-coloured or under coloured. If the leg has no colour on it, look underneath the mouse, as this often means the band is running to the leg.
Top of the band
In very young mice you will only be able to see the top part of the band, as the stomach colour takes a few more days to appear. By all means reject mice with very bad top bands, but do not be over zealous at this stage. A mouse with an average band on the top may develop a very good band underneath, and this is the hardest bit to get right. You don’t want to get rid of what could be a valuable breeder just because the top band is slightly wrong. Since breeders who cull will be getting rid of roughly 50% of the litter immediately at this stage anyway (the selfs and BEWs/’charlies’) the doe will not be overloaded. You can then come back when the mice are starting to show their belly markings and reduce them further.
Pied tails
The tail of a banded should be the same colour as the coat throughout its length. Sometimes you will get a mouse born with a white tail tip, which can vary in length, and all else being equal you can reject these. However, if you need to build up a stud you can keep the mice with pied tails as they do not produce only pied-tailed young.
Foot stops
As in a Dutch, banded mice do have stops. The standard simply states ‘feet white’, but obviously a clear stop in the right place makes the mouse look much neater. Often the mouse will have good stops, but sometimes one foot will be either over-coloured or under coloured. If the leg has no colour on it, look underneath the mouse, as this often means the band is running to the leg.
Top of the band
In very young mice you will only be able to see the top part of the band, as the stomach colour takes a few more days to appear. By all means reject mice with very bad top bands, but do not be over zealous at this stage. A mouse with an average band on the top may develop a very good band underneath, and this is the hardest bit to get right. You don’t want to get rid of what could be a valuable breeder just because the top band is slightly wrong. Since breeders who cull will be getting rid of roughly 50% of the litter immediately at this stage anyway (the selfs and BEWs/’charlies’) the doe will not be overloaded. You can then come back when the mice are starting to show their belly markings and reduce them further.
Faults to look for in juveniles
Zip or belly spot under
The presence of a zip or belly spot becomes obvious as the mouse gets older. By 8-10 days it should be clear and enough like its final appearance to enable you to make a decision. If possible, choose mice with belly spots over mice with coloured zips, as these are one stage further on in the process of getting rid of unwanted excess of colour in the bottom band.
Colour
Colour is one thing that is sometimes neglected in a marked mouse. This is understandable – breeders need to concentrate so hard on the markings that the colour seems to be an aside. Still, colour does get 15 points and cannot be forgotten entirely. With banded mice, there is the advantage that colour need never suffer the way it does in Dutch and brokens, because a self can be used as an outcross without the problem of generations of further breeding to return to the correct markings. Bandeds are by no means easy to breed, but they do have this advantage.
Tan vent
As stated above, outcrossing a banded is not as much of a problem as with other marked mice. This can be an advantage when trying to get rid of tan.
Zip or belly spot under
The presence of a zip or belly spot becomes obvious as the mouse gets older. By 8-10 days it should be clear and enough like its final appearance to enable you to make a decision. If possible, choose mice with belly spots over mice with coloured zips, as these are one stage further on in the process of getting rid of unwanted excess of colour in the bottom band.
Colour
Colour is one thing that is sometimes neglected in a marked mouse. This is understandable – breeders need to concentrate so hard on the markings that the colour seems to be an aside. Still, colour does get 15 points and cannot be forgotten entirely. With banded mice, there is the advantage that colour need never suffer the way it does in Dutch and brokens, because a self can be used as an outcross without the problem of generations of further breeding to return to the correct markings. Bandeds are by no means easy to breed, but they do have this advantage.
Tan vent
As stated above, outcrossing a banded is not as much of a problem as with other marked mice. This can be an advantage when trying to get rid of tan.