> As you know, I know almost zip about genetics. I know that NGS Standards
> do not recognize a kinked tail -- but so what for pets? Perhaps
> Ann-Marie's gerbils will be sought after for their unique kinked tails and
> wonderful personalities.
>
> I would take your criticism more seriously if I thought a kinked tail
> implied discomfort for the gerbil. Please show me if I'm wrong.
My thoughts on kinked tails are that they (or at least the ones I've
seen) aren't genetic. Because they seem to show up randomly, and most
pairs seem to have at least 1. I had one I know for a FACT was just an
accident, when the pup was young I accidentally put the little house
down on top of his little tail, and surprise surprise he ended up with a
kink in his tail. So I think most are birth or early life injuries. I
had one pair that had never had any kinked tails after many litters and
then all of the sudden they had a litter of 3 where I think 2 or 3 of
them had kinks. But they never had any more. SOMETIMES it's a sign of
inbreeding, but it seems often it's just an accident. (I have had
totally unrelated pairs throw one or two). I think that may be the case
with fixed wrists too. I've only had 2 in my entire time breeding (4
years) and they were littermates from an outcrossed pair that had 7
other litters without incident.
Elizabeth
--
Secretary of the American Gerbil Society
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Shores/8181/AGS/
Breeder of healthy, colorful gerbils * Devoted Earth2 Fan
* Visit http://www.voicenet.com/~heckercw/elsewhere/ *
for more information about Earth2, my gerbils, Pomeranian & graphics
Specializing in: grey agouti and polar fox gerbils - wide range of
others too
Proud Member of E2:EA, GCM, & AGS - Proud Pom-Mom to Foxy!
