Pink eyed white
PEW doe bred by Cait Walgate
The PEWs we see on the show bench today are big typy animals, and any that fail in this respect are not likely to go very far. Many fanciers keep PEWs as outcrosses to other varieties and they should be easy to get hold of if you intend to get started with this variety.
Yellowing of coat with aging
This can make the variety a problem for the beginner, who will be able to show mice in the u/8 classes and then have adults who will not do very well. In the past, some fanciers advocated the washing and powdering of adult whites in order to win while others believed that this practice was unfair. Of course, selection of whites will help with the colour and without this no amount of preparation will make an also-ran into a winner.
Thin belly
As with other pale varieties, PEWs may have only a thin covering of fur on the belly. This is more obvious in does, especially when you can see the nipples very clearly. Judges may often make the comment 'thin under' or 'line under' in show reports. However, if the mouse has a good under it may also be 'long in coat' on top. This makes it very difficult to breed the perfect PEW. The only thing that can be done about this is to breed from mice with good belly coverage and reject those with thin fur for breeding purposes.
Using the PEW as an outcross
One of the first things to point out about the PEW is that because it is simply a normal coloured mouse unable to express that colour, there are almost as many types of PEW as there are coloured mice. Exceptions to this are the varieties in the same series as albino, which an albino cannot carry (including chinchilla, Siamese/Himalayan, cream, marten sable, fox and argente creme).
When using the PEW as a cross it is important that you know what colour it is carrying. This may mean that you need to conduct a test mating to produce coloured mice that will tell you what kind of PEW you have. Many breeders both in the past and present have advocated the use of PEWs that carry PE silver.
Husbandry of PEWs
Since light coloured mice must, as with any variety, be shown to their advantage, it is important to keep both them and their environment clean. Regular cleaning should help to achieve mice in good condition. The mice should not be overcrowded as again this can lead to unsanitary conditions.
Yellowing of coat with aging
This can make the variety a problem for the beginner, who will be able to show mice in the u/8 classes and then have adults who will not do very well. In the past, some fanciers advocated the washing and powdering of adult whites in order to win while others believed that this practice was unfair. Of course, selection of whites will help with the colour and without this no amount of preparation will make an also-ran into a winner.
Thin belly
As with other pale varieties, PEWs may have only a thin covering of fur on the belly. This is more obvious in does, especially when you can see the nipples very clearly. Judges may often make the comment 'thin under' or 'line under' in show reports. However, if the mouse has a good under it may also be 'long in coat' on top. This makes it very difficult to breed the perfect PEW. The only thing that can be done about this is to breed from mice with good belly coverage and reject those with thin fur for breeding purposes.
Using the PEW as an outcross
One of the first things to point out about the PEW is that because it is simply a normal coloured mouse unable to express that colour, there are almost as many types of PEW as there are coloured mice. Exceptions to this are the varieties in the same series as albino, which an albino cannot carry (including chinchilla, Siamese/Himalayan, cream, marten sable, fox and argente creme).
When using the PEW as a cross it is important that you know what colour it is carrying. This may mean that you need to conduct a test mating to produce coloured mice that will tell you what kind of PEW you have. Many breeders both in the past and present have advocated the use of PEWs that carry PE silver.
Husbandry of PEWs
Since light coloured mice must, as with any variety, be shown to their advantage, it is important to keep both them and their environment clean. Regular cleaning should help to achieve mice in good condition. The mice should not be overcrowded as again this can lead to unsanitary conditions.