So, I've been in a bit of a quandary about Alfie and Jonah's colouring. Both were registered as blue minks, and they LOOKED like blue minks as kittens, but as they have gotten older, they have matured into very different colouration. They both have goldy eyes.... so are they even minks at all? So I asked the advice of two very experienced breeders I know.
Alfie now. Both the breeders I have chatted to (and I didn't ask them if I could say who they were, so I won't, but you know who you are and many many thanks!) agree that he is a caramel, both feel he is indeed a mink, despite the eyes. As for Jonah, whilst both agree that he looks mink, one thought he looked more lilac and one thought caramel. *grin* And both reassured me that they get it wrong regularly- it's a hazard of Tonk-dom, it seems.
Jonah, man of mystery!
One lady told me that you do get Tonks seen occasionally on the show bench that don't have perfect eye colour. It's not uncommon, it seems. And the other said that it can take up to three years for a Tonk to fully settle into his eventual eye and coat colour- for all their quickness to mature in other areas, coats and eyes take their time. So we may yet see eyes lightening or coats darkening and change our minds about colours all over again! Jonah may eventually start to look more obviously one or the other
I will say this- I thought lilac minks were born white/ pale cream, and all of my babies were a pale beigey colour. So at the moment I am tending towards the caramel for Jonah. It will be interesting to see if I have any lilac minks in my next litter (a possibility, but I'm not telling you any more at this stage!) so I can compare photos as they grow. It will be interesting to see.
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