Some Pied or Variegated gerbils in the United Kingdom have started to show distinctive dark patches. These are most easily observed on Lilac gerbils although I have seen them on Doves, Blacks and Argentes. They appear as patches, usually one, usually round and displaced slightly from the midline of the back or belly. This appears to be an area where the coat has not been diluted by the the genes causing pieing. For example a Variegated Lilac will often look more Dove than Lilac. The dark patch will therefore appear as a clear dark Lilac mark without any sign of dilution. I call these gerbils Dark Patched Pied (DPP).

I have heard some people call these Tri-Colours. A tri-coloured animal is much prized because they are rare but attractive. For example, the search for a tri-coloured mouse went on for decades. However, these are not tri-colours because the base colour is always the same as the dark patches. It is only the intensity of colour that changes. An example of what is really meant by a tri-colour would be an animal with patches of white, black and gold. Clearly, that is something we in the gerbil world have to look forward to!

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