From: "Bill Cole" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Let's say that there IS a genetic propensity for kinked tails, that
the
> kinks are not all due to baby accidents (and I can see where the
accidents
> would produce a lot of kinks also).
They are not all due to baby accidents. As I said in another post,
there was a breeder that bred her lilacs so far that 1/3 to 1/2 of all
the pups were born with the kinked tail. I inspected several of them
(in fact, I had a couple as pets) and there was no break. The tail
bones twisted around quite cleanly.
> How do we know that a kinked tail is related to anything that might be
> harmful to the animal? Do we just GUESS that the tail might be
related to
> some harmful gene that will show up in later generations?
Yes, but it's an educated guess. We have seen severe deformities in
other animals that resulted from this same type of fault.
> I don't agree that "genetic purity" is something to be sought, for
either
> animals or humans. I'm from a pretty limited WASP gene pool, but I
don't
> think that's especially good for the future of my species.
This isn't about "genetic purity". That's going a bit overboard. But
the goal of an ethical breeder should be to produce intelligent,
well-mannered, good personalities, and a good, healthy body with proper
conformation. I personally have no interest in seeing a curly-tailed
gerbil breed developed, and I'm sure there are others who agree with me.
Would Ann-Marie cause the problem? Maybe not. But might someone who
owns her gerbils down the line? Good chance of it.
> So if a kinked tail does not harm the gerbil, what is the harm
otherwise?
The potential harm is quite a bit. It may seem utterly harmless now,
but I'm sure Persian cat breeders though a slightly flatter nose would
be a problem either. Or those wrinkly-skinned dogs who's name I can
never remember. Instead we have cats with serious eye and breathing
problems, and dogs with serious skin problems.
And to respond to a point Ann-Marie made about quarter-horse breeders
breeding horses with faults to carefully breed them out -- yes, that
happens and I'm familar with it (my stepmother is a breeder of dogs, a
certified show judge, and a veternarian). However, it's usually MINOR
flaws that you do this with. A kinked tailed gerbil is a major fault on
conformation and body type.
Michelle
Flutist
