Possible lethal white baby?

rbwhite-88 · Post » Mon Jul 24, 2017 11:05 am

Hi guys, I'm new to the forums and am seeking some help!

A few weeks ago I purchased two lovely guinea pigs from a breeder that was liquidating his stock. The sow is a tri-color roan, and the boar a chocolate Dalmatian. He told me that they had been caged together for a time, and that the sow might be pregnant. Having had several pet pigs over the years but having never been a breeder, I didn't know at the time the possible ramifications of breeding two pigs of these genetic makeups.

I've read quite a lot at this point about the lethal white babies that can occur when two copies of the roan allele are inherited, and I'm so disappointed that a proclaimed breeder would take that risk.

Last night Charlotte had three lovely babies - with one being solid white with pink eyes. I nearly cried. He/she appears physically normal, and is not the smallest of the three. The eyes appear normal in size/shape, and from what I can tell this baby is not blind or deaf. I have not been able to check to see if the incisors are normal, though.

My question is, are all white/pink eyed babies born to two roan parents 'lethal'? Or is there a possibility that some of them can be normal with no issues?

bpatters · Post » Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:20 pm

No, not all PEWs born to roans are lethal. Sounds like you lucked out. But be very sure that neither the parents nor the babies are allowed to breed again.

rbwhite-88 · Post » Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:28 pm

This is mom's last litter. I'll either be keeping the babies or adopting them out to family members who will keep them as pets only. Thank you!

mmeadow · Post » Mon Jul 24, 2017 2:00 pm

I hope the parents were separated before Charlotte gave birth? Shockingly, they come into heat immediately afterwards.

rbwhite-88 · Post » Sat Jul 29, 2017 2:49 pm

Charlotte and Avery (the father) are always housed separately anyway. :)

PinkRufus · Post » Sat Jul 29, 2017 10:11 pm

Hopefully your little one is just a PEW, but be on the lookout for any other signs of lethal white syndrome. It can have varying degrees of severity. Definitely have his/her teeth checked and possibly have an x-ray done to screen for other defects. I would weigh him/her daily to make sure he/she is getting enough, especially once he/she is weaned.

It was very irresponsible of that breeder to put a roan in with a dalmatian. By liquidating his stock, do you mean he is getting out of breeding? I hope so!

Kimera · Post » Sun Jul 30, 2017 3:27 am

If the baby can see and hear, it is not a lethal, just a regular pink eyed white piggie. Not all babies of two roans have to be lethals, just the percentage of them being so is quite high, 25% per each baby.

PinkRufus · Post » Sun Jul 30, 2017 7:19 pm

The lethal white gene can affect more than just sight and hearing, it can affect any of the nerve functions. The white hair on a lethal is because of the lack of nerve functioning (it's not just white hair), they can also have dental issues or missing teeth. Of course it is possible to have a regular PEW born to roan, but in this situation, I would err on the side of caution and have him/her checked out.