What is an Azure?

Genetically an Azure coloured gerbil is a Slate gerbil which carries one recessive ‘gx’ gene and one recessive ‘g’ gene at the G locus. The new mutant gene lends a blue hue to the slate gerbil, and also the eyes are slightly more diluted than a normal slate gerbil. The Slate gerbil has a slight reddish hue to their eyes due to a very small amount of pigment dilution here being caused by ‘gg’, and with the combination of ‘gxg’ this dilution is enhanced.

When I first began to breed this coat type, I had initially thought they were normal Slates. When I bred two Azure coloured gerbils together, and these produced the Satin coloured pups mentioned on the Satin coat colour page. I knew then that both parents carried a mutated gene and were not normal Slates as I had first thought.

How did the name arise?

The name Azure was chosen because of the Bluish hue this new gene lends to the normal Slate coat colour.

It was thought by some sources that I may have had the dilute gene (d) that produces the Blue coat colour on a black ‘aa’ background. This wasn’t the case because of the Satin coloured offspring being produced in breeding tests with pairs of my Azure blue gerbils.
I knew I had something very unusual happening, so my next step was to try and find out which locus this gene was on and how or if it interacted with other known mutant genes.

Nail Dilution

The nails of the Azure Slate are further diluted, being much lighter than a normal Slate as you can see in the gallery pics below;

Gene Codes

Slate- aaC-DDE-ggP-

Azure- aaC-DDE-ggxP-

Azure X Azure (aaC-DDE-ggxP- X aaC-DDE-ggxP-) will give rise to all pups being Satin (aaC-DDE-gxgxP-), Azure (aa C-DDE-gxgP-) and Slate (aaC-DDE-ggP-)