Duprasi Facts – Definitions and Glossary
Duprasi are quite new as pets, but there is still plenty to know about them – so we have started a glossary to get things started for us all – and we will add more as we learn more ourself.
They are in alphabetical order as best we can, but will be repeated throughout if they have lots of definitions or ways of being described – just to make sure you find what you are looking for.
Right, here goes…
A
the way of writing the dominant version of the Agouti gene – as with all wild rodents they usually bear their natural ‘wild colored’ coat (pale brown speckled coat with a white tummy)
AA
the way of writing the dominant version of the Agouti gene. This gene was the first gene available in duprasi and all but a very few duprasi are currently agouti. However, the recessive form of the gene (a) could well be lurking out there (which usualy create a black coat) – but two animals both carrying this recessive version would need to be bred together to create a black duprasi. The chances of them meeting at the moment are slim because there aren’t many duprasi about these days and not many are travelling between countries right now either (2020-22). Only greatly inbreeding current stock – or widely outcrossing with unrelated stock – could make this a reality but until then we won’t know if it exists either way. So using the genetic nomenclature of A* (or A^ or A-) are all acceptable for now
A* (or A^ or A-)
the way of writing that you only know for sure that your duprasi has at least one agouti gene (making it agouti in colour). The symbol after the A indicates that there may be an unidentified gene present that we do not yet know about. In reality, most duprasi would AA currently as there is only the first images of recessive genes in their genetic make-up (a dark-eyed white and a pied)
Agouti (Golden Agouti)
the color of a wild duprasi (and all our pet duprasi so far). Agouti expresses itself as a golden brown ticked coat, with dark eyes and a white belly. It is the main expressed colour so far in doops – although two other color mutations have been found but are not widely available yet
Agouti Gene
this gene is the gene which determines whether gerbils have a ticked coat and white belly as adults
Albino
this color (or absence of color) isn’t yet found in duprasi stock, but was one of the first colour mutations to appear in Mongolian gerbils many moons ago (back in the 1970s)
Algerian Duprasi
this is one of the origin countries for duprasi and these stock tend to have a more pointy face than the alternative Egyptian stock
Argente
this color does not yet exist in known duprasi stock, but is one of the most likely ‘first’ colour mutations as seen in most rodents in the pet trade. It would give red eyes and a more ginger coat – but would keep the white tummy
Beer Mat Gerbils
a slightly unflattering – yet true – colloquial name given to duprasi, due to their habit of flattening their bodies to the ground and looking like a giant beer mat
Black
this color doesn’t yet exist in duprasi stock but should be one of the first to appear – being the ‘opposite’ to agouti. This colour is created simply by the recessive form of the A gene (and means basically ‘no agouti’)
Black-Eyed White
this color has recently appeared in duprasi in Thailand and was found in 50% of the offspring from each litter – they appear to be inherited in a recessive fashion (although this hasn’t been confirmed). These duprasi are totally white in appearance (although sometimes with a hint of pale cream) with black eyes. These also have both sets of white whiskers (where normal coated have both a black and a white set) and they have white hairs on the tail (instead of ginger).
Burmese
this color doesn’t yet exist in duprasi stock either but would be much sought after if it did. This colour is created with the colorpoint gene (or a variant of it) which has not yet been reported in duprasi
c
this would indicate a standard recessive version of the colorpoint gene. It represents ‘albino’ in many other rodent fancies, but this gene has yet to be identified/reported in duprasi stock
C
the way of writing the dominant version of the colorpoint gene (meaning that a duprasi ISN’T colorpoint in appearance). Duprasi today could be described using genetic nomenclature from other rodents as being AACC (AA = not black and CC = not colourpoint)
carries (i.e. carries a gene)
to carry a gene means that that specific gene is one of the two genes at a particular locus that each duprasi is ‘allowed’ to have – but you may or may not know what this gene is or if it is actually even there. Often, when this is known to be present, it is used to refer to the second or unused gene – and is often called a ‘hidden’ gene
Clan (singular)
this is the name given to a group of two or more duprasi living together in the same environment or domestic set-up. A wild duprasi clan has a dominant female gerbil and then all the others (usually offspring) falling into a sort of pecking order downwards. Clans in the wild are very loosely bonded, and they often disperse and live singly as adults. In domestic clans, they don’t have this option and so bullying or tail biting will be seen to signify their intolerance of each other in this current setting
Clan (plural)
this is the name given sometimes to a whole collection of duprasi (or other rodents) held by a breeder (also sometimes called a kennel). Breeders are able to choose a Clan Name (a show or kennel name) that they can attach to their individual duprasi names to show where they came from and to distinguish them in show circles – for example RodentZone Lovely Latte (where RodentZone is the clan name and Lovely Latte is the duprasi name (where Lovely shows the line he was from and Latte is his pet name)) NB: you can follow any naming pattern you want – and you don’t need to be a registered breeder or regular show attendee to use them
Coat Color
coat color genes affect the color of the coat itself and in Mongolian gerbils are represented with the letters A C D E P and Uw). We don’t yet know the coat color genes available for duprasi, but we could assume either AA is it (ie the duprasi is agouti in colour) or we could assume they would follow the genes available in the Mongolian Gerbil and assume that they were all currently AACCDDEEPPUwUw
Coat Type
coat type describes the effects that can be laid over the top of the coat color to give it a different appearance – including Rexoid and Wavy coats. Duprasi do not yet have any reported coat types other than that of the current standard stock. Some duprasi do appear to have more greasy or ‘longer’ coats in general – but these often buff up smooth after a sand or hay bath. There has been a female duprasi photographed (in 2021) who had a very short coat – but this was only held for one moult cycle so far – returning to normal coat afterwards
Colour Mutation
this word describes a genetic change where the standard colour of an animal is changed by a mutation of a normal gene. So the strong agouti gene (giving a ticked gingery appearance) changes/mutates into something that stops this ticking and just makes the coat appear black, for example, is a colour mutation. There are no extra legs or toes involved in these types of mutation
Colourpoint
this word describes a type of coat colour in most animals where the animal has a darker nose, ears, feet and tail and a white or creamy-pale body. The classics being a Burmese cat, or a Himalayan rabbit (however as duprasi don’t have a tail ‘colour’ this might not present as such)
Domestic Animal
this describes animals that have been bred over time from a wild animal into one that is more suited to living with humans. Many exotic pets like duprasi (still only really found in their ‘wild’ color coat) are not to be confused with ‘exotic pets’ which are from different countries and have specific temperature/humidity/UV or other specialised requirements
Dominant (genetically)
the word used to describe a version of a gene that always shows itself in the color or appearance of a duprasi if it is present – like Agouti (A). You cannot ‘carry’ a dominant gene – it can’t be hidden – it is either showing on the gerbil itself or it isn’t present at all anywhere
Dominant (personality)
the word used to describe where a particular animal is ‘in charge’ of the clan, for example a mother duprasi is dominant to her pups – meaning they will always do what she says without challenge (or will get a clip round the ear if they do!)
Doops
a word used affectionately within the fancy to identify your duprasi to other duprasi lovers (short for dooprasi)
Duprasi (usually pronounced doo-pray-zee, or duh-pray-zee)
the name given to the species of rodent we call duprasi – who’s full scientific name is Pachyuromys duprasi – but we just use the last part of that to identify it as a species. We call them fat-tailed gerbils also to distinguish them from (Mongolian) gerbils
Egyptian Duprasi
this is one of the origin countries for duprasi and these stock tend to have a wider face than the Algerian stock. They can also have a greyish colour as pups before it fades back to the standard agouti colour, this is not a new color variety of duprasi, it is just a temporary moult
Expressed
this word is used to describe the visible effects of a gene, so for example if the two recessive genes for a black duprasi are expressed, the duprasi will be black. Conversely, a single recesssive gene for a black duprasi will not be expressed (ie the duprasi won’t be black)
Exotic Animals
this word is used to describe one of three things: 1) species of animals that have been pets for a long time but are still quite unusual in the world of mainstream pets (for example snakes and chipmunks); then 2) species of animals that haven’t been pets for very long and so are closer to their wild counterparts – like duprasi. As a result there is less know about their diets, behaviour and breeding as well as their medical care and other needs (for example Great Gerbils and Prairie Dogs); and 3) species of animals that have to have specialist care based on their original habitat and who usually can’t survive without it (for example tree frogs and salt-water fish). Some vets even call normal gerbils exotic pets…
Fancy (the gerbil fancy)
a word used to describe the love of a certain domestic animal to the point where people are breeding them for pets and for show. Duprasi can be shown at gerbil shows and it is is in the very early stages of becoming a fancy or its own
Fat-Tailed Gerbil
a name used to describe duprasi based on their appearance. Their fat tail distinguishes them from their other gerbil- and jird-like relatives
First Generation
this is used to describe all the pups from two single parents – regardless of how many pups they have together. All their pups only have the genes given to them from these same parents. It is usually shown as F1, where the F stands for ‘filial’
Gene
the word used when describing the thing that will (or won’t) affect your duprasi coat color, hair type (or anything else that makes your duprasi a duprasi) – like the ‘Agouti gene’ or the ‘Spotting gene’
Gene Pool
this describes the genes available within a collection of duprasi. It can mean just within your clan – the genes you can use over and over to create the best duprasi possible (like bigger ears, bigger eyes, fatter tail); or it can mean all the genes in all the duprasi in the world
Genetic Nomenclature
this phrase is used to describe how a duprasis genes can be written down. It uses a system of uppercase and lowercase letters (one for each gene) as well as symbols to represent unknown or unproven genes for example AACcD*
Genotype
this word describes the genes that are present in your duprasi whether you can see them or not (basically it is your genetic nomenclature)
Gray Agouti
this duprasi color is not yet a reported colour in the fancy – however it has been reported that stock from Japan thought they had produced Gray Agouti duprasi – but it was actually believed to be a young duprasi, which have been found in the wild as a grayer colour than the parents. These ‘gray’ pups always moult into their adult agouti coat as they age
Himalayan (colour)
the duprasi color does not exist but was one of the first Mongolian Gerbil color mutations to be seen – so this may be true for the duprasi also – watch this space
Himalayan (gene = ch)
this would indicate a Himalayan recessive version of the colorpoint gene. It represents ‘albino’ in many other rodent fancies, but this gene has yet to be identified/reported in duprasi stock
Inbreeding
this term is usually used to describe the action of ‘indiscriminate breeding of close family members together’ – like mothers to sons and uncles to nieces, etc. It is usually looked on in a negative way in most animal fancies – as breeding with closely-related individuals over and over again in a small population can ‘bring out’ or inflate the likelihood of any negative traits that are present being expressed. However, this isn’t always the way it is used. If you know all of your stock have favourable genes already, why would you want to introduce a new and unknown individual to that – when that individual could bring in something unfavourable? Inbreeding, can also be a great tool to bring out a favourable trait in a small population (when it is known as Line Breeding) which can be an essential tool when starting out with a relatively new pet like a duprasi
Line Breeding
this term usually describes a concerted effect to breed in and increase the likelihood of a specific trait appearing in a population – for example; a longer tail, a new color – like spotting, or a coat type; or to eliminate an undesirable gene from a small population. It is also used in founder populations, to make sure the species stays pure (ie there is no cross breeding of other similar subspecies). Line Breeding involves breeding close relatives together (known as a ‘line’) and is carefully planned and executed over a period of time for the safest results (or is at least able to assess whether it isn’t safe when careful and precise records are kept)
Maternal Aggression
this phrase is often used in rat breeding circles and is where a female with a newborn litter attacks or bites a human hand if it gets to close to their litter. In most animals this is expected and totally normal – and in duprasi we would call it ‘protective’. It isn’t something that has so far been proved to be inherited or passed on in general character – so a pup from a protective mother won’t necessarily result in an aggressive pet – they are all individual regardless of upbringing.
Meiosis
this describes the biological action of gene sorting and cell division. An egg or sperm cell has only half the information of a whole cell. This happens because you need two halves to make a whole new cell (a baby). Anyway, to get these half cells; a normal whole cell has to divide into two – but before it divides in half – it mixes up all the information inside and lays it out slightly differently. This re-shuffling process produces unique individuals and is the reason why you don’t look exactly that same as your brothers, sisters, or your nan
Mongolian Gerbil
this is the full name of the small animals we know as ‘gerbils’ and they are specifically: Meriones unguiculatus. They are also known as the Clawed Jird, but the species name is the same. There are many other gerbils and jirds across the world – but only one Mongolian gerbil
Morphological Features
this word describes the shape, size and structure of an organism. It can be different within the same species depending on what those different animals do (for example dog breeds are all morphologically different) but on a smaller scale it can mean something more simple like pet duprasi may have slightly more cute faces than in the wild as they would most likely have been selectively bred over time (by humans) to look more and more cute (only to those humans of course – it could be totally counter-productive to the duprasi themselves)
Mutation
this word describes a change in a gene, not necessarily growing a third eye or sprouting a second head. Mutation is totally normal biological process that helps animals to evolve into better and better animals within their environment – but in a domestic setting – sometimes these mutations aren’t directly helpful to the animal itself – like a colour mutation
Outcrossing
this word describes the action of breeding together unrelated stock for the purposes of mixing new gene pools together. If you only breed from your own stock over and over, you will never get any new genes mixed in – so the chances of hidden recessive genes coming together from around the world are zero. Imagine only have plain flour for your cakes – you can only create plain sponge cakes – but imagine if you found a bag of flour from another baker that had chocolate powder in it and you added it to your stock – only now can you make chocolate cakes!
Pachyuromys duprasi
this is the species specific name for the duprasi we have as pet today. Pachyuromys is the genus name, and duprasi is the species. There is talk of a sub-species though for those who are more particular, but it is generally accepted that they are all one and the same in the pet trade – and have been bred together as one for so long that only a completly new wild line of each could re-divide the two types for sure.
Phenotype
this word describes the appearance of your duprasi from the outside. A phenotypic change in your duprasi would be if, for example, it was born with really long legs, or it was born with pink fur
Piebalding
this describes the increasing amount of white fur on an animal (outside of the normal white tummy of the agouti) from one spot to a virtually white creature. Piebalding has literally (2022) just been reported to be present in domestic duprasi – and once investigated further will most likely be called a ‘spotting’ gene in line with other gerbil fancies, depending on how it is inherited and expressed on the duprasi themselves.
Population
this describes the duprasi that are able to breed with each other as required. It could mean just your own clan, your clan plus neighbouring breeders, or your clan and your whole country. Basically, the population of a species, biologically speaking, is those individuals which can meet and produce more young
Recessive
this word describes the way a gene works when it isn’t dominant – and you always need 2 of these recessive genes for them to be expressed. So, in humans for example, the blue eye gene is recessive to the brown eye gene so the brown eye gene would be ‘BR’ for example and the blue eye gene would be recessive – say ‘bl’. So if you have a pair of eye colour genes where one is brown and one is blue – BRbl – you will only see brown eyes (as it is dominant (and bigger) and so hides the blue gene). Whereas if you had two recessive genes blbl – you can only get blue eyes anyway as there is no BR to get in the way
Ringtail
this word describes a condition where the tail appears to have concentric rings around it that look ‘pinched in’ – like an invisible elastic band is around them in one or more places. This isn’t an inherited condition – it is environmental. Sometimes doops do just have tail wrinkles – but if it is a full ring it could be a sign of an environment that is too dry or too absorbant. You can also coat the tail in lanolin for a few consecutive days to see if it improves
Selective Breeding
this word describes the process used by humans for changing or controlling the appearance or health of an animal over time to improve, enhance or remove a feature or series of features that are either desirable or undesirable. For example; wild duprasi may have bigger ears to help them hear predators – but domesticated duprasi don’t need to worry about that. So, over time, by selecting the healthiest duprasi (which also have the smallest ears), breeders would gradually (and totally accidently) reduce the ‘natural’ size of the ears by the accumulation of that effect. A more simple use of the term will be where breeders who want to show the most gingery-coloured duprasi will only select those duprasi with the most gingery coats to breed from in the first place. These breeders will actively ‘select against’ all the other shades of duprasi (that aren’t so gingery) so they will (inadvertantly but on purpose) reduce the chances of duller duprasi coats in their future litters and so in the population as a whole
Short-Haired Duprasi:
there has been a female duprasi photographed (2021 in the UK) who had a very short coat when she was a young adult – but this was only held for one molt cycle. Her coat returned to normal length/appearance at the subsequent molt. However, as they are still young, it may well return – or be replicable in her pups – so watch this space.
Spotted Duprasi
this has just been reported in the UK for the first time (Aug 2022) where 2 out of a litter of 4 pups have a large amount of white patches on their sides and a face blaze each. This isn’t the normal neck and head white spotting of the Mongolian Gerbil and so this will be worked on by the breeder to see how it develops as they age.
Ticked Coat
this phrase is used to describe the appearance of an agouti-based duprasi coat. It is created by the individual hairs being three different colors throughout their length (like virtually all agouti coats). If you part the fur of a duprasi, it will appear a different color underneath. You should see black tips, gingery middle and a greyish base. This is why when a duprasi wears the hair of its nose away say, when bar chewing, the fur appears grey – not brown
Very Cute
the phrase used to describe most duprasi…
White Duprasi
this color has recently appeared in duprasi in Thailand and was found in half of the offspring from each litter – they appear to be inherited in a recessive fashion (although this hasn’t been confirmed). These duprasi are totally white in appearance (although sometimes with a hint of pale cream) with black eyes. These also have both sets of white whiskers (where normal coated have both a black and a white set) and they have white hairs on the tail (instead of ginger).
