Persian Jirds – Breeding And Genetics Glossary

Persian Jird Facts – Definitions and Glossary

Persian Jirds 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 ourselves – or something new develops.

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 – so far the only gene being expressed in Persian Jirds

AA

the way of writing the dominant version of the Agouti gene is the only gene available as all Persian Jirds out there are currently agouti.  Also, as Persian Jirds currently only have agouti pups it is unlikely there is anything else out there. However, the recessive form of the gene (a) will be recessive and so two animals both carrying this recessive version would need to be bred together to create a black Persians.  Seeing as there aren’t many Persians about these days, the chances of this happening are slim – 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

A* (or A^ or A-)

the way of writing that you only know for sure that your Persian has at least one agouti gene (making it agouti in colour as it is dominant on its own).  The symbol after the A indicates that there may be an unidentified gene present that we do not yet know about

Agouti (Golden Agouti)               

the color of a wild Persian Jirds (and all our pet Persians so far) – it has a golden brown ticked coat, with dark eyes and a white belly.  It is the only expressed colour so far as no other colour mutations have yet been found (or reported)

Agouti Gene      

this gene is the gene which determines whether jirds and other wild rodents have a ticked coat and white belly as adults.  

Argente

this color does not yet exist in known Persian 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.

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 Persian stock

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 Persian is ‘allowed’ to have – you may or may not know what this gene is.  Often, when this is used to refer to the second or unused gene – it is often called a ‘hidden gene’

Clan (singular)

this is the name given to a group of two or more Persian Jirds living together in the same cage or other set-up.  A Persian clan usually has a dominant female gerbil, her partner and then all the others (their younger offspring) fall into a sort of pecking order downwards.  Clans are very loosely bonded, and they often disperse and need to live singly as adults

Clan (plural)

this is the name given sometimes to a whole collection of Persian Jirds (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 jirds names to show where they came from and to distinguish them in show circles – for example Rodent Zone Feisty Fraggle (where Rodent Zone is the clan name and Feisty Fraggle is the individual jirds name (where Feisty shows the line she was from and Fraggle is her 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 Persian Jirds, but we could assume either AA is it (ie the jird is agouti in colour and that is the only gene available) 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 Long-Haired or Satin coats. Persian Jirds do not yet have any reported coat types other than that of the current stock

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 Persian Jirds (still only 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

the word used to describe a version of a gene that always shows itself in the color or appearance of a Persian Jird if it is present – like Agouti (A).  You cannot carry a dominant gene – it can’t be ‘hidden’

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 Persian Jirds.  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

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.  Persian Jirds can be shown at standard gerbil shows and it is is in the very early stages of becoming a fancy.

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 jirds color, hair type (or anything else that makes your Persian Jird a Persian Jird) – like the ‘Agouti gene’ or the ‘Spotting gene’ (not yet reported)

Gene Pool

this describes the genes available within a collection of Persian Jirds.  It can mean just within your clan – the genes you can use over and over to create the best Persian Jirds possible (like bigger ears, bigger eyes, fluffier tail); or it can mean all the genes in all the Persian Jirds of the world

Genetic Nomenclature

this phrase is used to describe how a Persian Jirds 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

Genotype

this word describes the genes that are present in your Persian Jirds whether you can see them or not (basically it is your genetic notation)

Gestation

this is the word used to describe the length of time mummy jird carries her pups – from fertilisation of the eggs (usually just after mating) to the time she gives birth. In Persians this is around 28 days and an average litter is around 3-5 pups

Inbreeding

this term usually describes 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 the fancy – as breeding with closely related individuals over and over again in a small population can ‘bring out’ or inflate the likelihood of negative traits.  It can also be used carefully to bring out a favourable trait in a small population where it is known as Line Breeding which can be an essential tool when starting out with a relatively ‘new’ pet like a Persian Jird

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 or 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

Litter Size

this is the phrase used to describe the number of pups born at any one time – and in Persians this is around 3-5 on average – but can be as many as 10 pups between 2 females if you have a breeding 1.2 trio

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 individuals and is the reason why you don’t look exactly that same as your brothers, sisters or your nan

Meriones persica

the binomial name for the species ‘Persian Jird’.  Even though it is in the same genus as the Mongolian Gerbil (Meriones unguiculata) it is grouped within a seperate subspecies – parameriones – along with the King Jird (who sounds rather awesome…)

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 if can mean something more simple like pet Persian Jirds may have slightly longer-fluffier tails than in the wild as they would most likely have been selectively bred over time to look more and more cute

Persische Rennmaus

this is the German name for Persian Jirds (well, rennmaus means ‘racing mice’ and is used for most Meriones sp as it is the literal translation of it) if you are searching for more info online (like us) 

Phenotype

this word describes the appearance of your Persian Jirds from the outside.  A phenotypic change in your Persian Jirds would be if for example it was born with a really short tail, or it had enormous ears  

Piebalding

this describes the increasing amount of white fur on an animal, from one spot to a virtually white creature.  Piebalding is not yet reported to be present in wild or domestic Persian Jirds

Population

this describes the Persian Jirds 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

Racing Mice

this is the central European name for the jirds (well, it is used for all Meriones sp.), it is the literal translation, so you often hear of Persian Jirds being refered to a ‘mice’ in translated web pages (Persians are big in Germany and the Czech Republic)

Rennmaus

this is the German word for ‘racing mice’ and is used for most Meriones sp as it is the literal translation of it (although rennratte is also used: Shawi rennratte and Mongolische rennratte, etc 

Selective Breeding

this word describes the process by humans or 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 Persian Jirds may have larger feet to help them escape from their many predators – however pet Persian Jirds don’t need to worry about that. So, over time, by selecting the healthiest Persian Jirds with also have the smallest feet, breeders can gradually reduce the ‘natural’ size of the feet by the accumulation of that effect.  A more simple use of the term will be where breeders who want to show the Persian Jirds with the fluffiest tail – so when selecting their breeding stock will only select those Persian Jirds with the most fluffy tails to breed from in the first place. They will select against (not choose) Persian Jirds with bald or short tails with the effect of increasing the chances of getting more and more fluffy tails in their litters

Ticked Coat

this phrase is used to describe the appearance of an agouti-based Persian Jirds coat – and is created by the individual hairs being three different colors throughout its length.  If you part a Persian Jirds fur, it will appear a different color underneath. You should see black tips, gingery middle and a greyish base

Very Elegant

the phrase used to describe most Persian Jirds

Weaning

this is the word used to describe the time it takes for a young jird to be almost ready to survive entirely on solid food – rather than still being dependent on the nutrition in their mom’s milk.  It doesn’t mean that they are ready to LEAVE mom – no – they still have leaping skills to master

Featured Image: Persian Jird: Trevor Graham/Louise J Lowe