ehh... aren't they exactly the same thing?

I always thought they were the same thing. Just different terms for it.  :huh:

oh...ok...well what triggered this post was mainly a piece of info from this site - http://www.boardmanweb.com/rattery/geneticcode.htm

"Pink Eyed Whites (PEW)

PEW?s are not albino, but rather a result of too many dilutions being mixed together causing the rat to be washed out of all color.

aa dd gg mm / A/- dd gg mm;  a add gg mm rr and others.

"

In the chart for all the codes it tells puts the albino. I then thought..."If PEW are not albino...then what are they? What are albino?"

Well...seems that was answered...I think.

Jessica

Genetically, PEWs and albinos are completely different, caused by different genes, just like the Boardman web site says.

That said, they can look so much alike, it's hard to tell the difference. I have one of each and the two of them are a little different. The albino has very pink eyes, and look almost clear, as if I'm looking all the way to the back of her eye (not possible, but it's a good way to describe it). The PEW has a little bit darker eye, not as clear. Also, the albino is a pure, crisp white (when she's clean), but the PEW has a bit of a color cast to her coat. Sometimes it looks a little grey, sometimes a little creamy, depending on the lighting. I wish I had a picture of the two of them side by side - but they won't tolerate each other.

Hope that helps.

Well guess you thought wrong...people did not know this...obviously.

Thanks for clearing that up Scout. 
Well....my lab boys must be albino?  They are pure and I mean pure white...and Casper is more on the creamy white side.  Also on my labs....well...LAB as in ONE since the other three are gone now,  I looked real close at Skittles eyes today and they are almost a transparent pink....like his eyes are made of pure glass and you can see the pink marble inside.  Its hard to describe.
Casper and sugar have red eyes, not ruby though.   My dumbo is an odd eye and one eye is black, the other is ruby.
Ruby is when the eyes are super dark red....almost seem black until they are in the light....dark ruby I guess you can call his odd eye.    Sugar and Caspers eyes are not light pink but not really red....just...fuschia?  LOL   I dont know!

Well ya learn something new every day dont ya?   Looks like the thread I posted was incorrect UNTIL you read the entire thing...which I didnt....and at the bottom it says that they are NOT the same.  LOL!  Go figure why the opening paragraph says that PEW is a rattie lover term for albino....and yet at the last few paragraphs and goes on to say they are different.
Hmmm..

So you wouldn't know if your rat was a PEW or genetically albino unless you bred it? What would you breed one to to find out (you know, if you were into that).

And I am NOT asking so I can test-breed my PEW. One rat with tumors is enough

Well, you can look at the pedigree to see the most likely possibility. If there are PED or other diluted rats in the pedigree, there are a good chances you have a triple dilute PEW. Then to test breed you'd want to breed to another PED rat. If you get PED babies, then you ahve a triple dilute PEW. If you don't get PED babies, you have an albino.

Also, if you have an actual white rat, you can compare coat color. As someone else said, a PEW can have a slight color cast, while an albino is a pure, crisp, clean white.

You people should know this!   GAH!!
FOR SHAME!
..........................................

..........................................


errr......just kidding!   

there's different genes out there that result in PEW color...  while it's hard to know if it's a  true albino (I was once offered a true albino mouse who came from a long line of siamese mice..  I didn't take him obviously because I had no purpose for it.. I don't breed domestic mice). 

Wow, this is cool stuff. I thought they were the same. sigh.


I have a rescue from a feeder tank that I've been calling a himi for the sake of a better term. Obviously I'll never know what she is genetically but I'd like to be as acurate as possible with her color. Hey, I used to show cats so I'm really into calling my animals the proper colors.    She was pretty white a youngster but has gotten a creamish tint and a slightly darker (but still faint) cream shadow of a hood that you can see in certain light. Her ear tips, nose, end of muzzle (area also extends slightly up toward the eyes), around the base of her tail (about ahalf inch wide) and her tail are all brown I've seen siamese and her coat is lighter than that (or at least the ones I've seen) and her eyes are red. When you look really close you can see a small spot in the center that I'd say is dark ruby but the rest just looks red, not transparent and not ruby.

Heh... I always thought they were the same, too!

Uh... so what is Sam? (rat in signature)

ooooohhhh...look what I have started!!!

Looking at mne I would say that they are all Albino...bar 1...I didn't breed her myself...she was given to me. She has the faintest hood.

ok...now what i was wondering...Was on that site it listed albino under both agouti and black. How does that come across dominate/recesive wise?

Jessica

That website made me come up with another question: If rex/wavy coats are dominant, why are there so many standard coated rats?
What kind of marking is this?: Roberts / Essex: H(ro) ? in addition to markings, causes fading of coat