----- Original Message -----
From: "Michelle Haines" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2000 1:59 PM
Subject: Re: inbreeding/ was right bend tail
> From: "Bill Cole" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
> > Isn't that a pretty violent leap?
>
> Not really, no. It is a policy of ethical breeders in general to not
> breed animals with genetic defects. Ann-Marie did say that this is
> inherited.
>
No, I did not say that this was inherited. Rebecca A. is the one that said
this was inherited. I thought it was possibly a fluke.
> > 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 just want to make it clear that I'm not trying to breed to get more kinked
tails. Nor have I gotten anymore since the orignal two pups.
>
> Well, it's easy to say "so what for pets." However, she obviously can't
> keep all these gerbils. She has to pass them on to new homes. Those
> new homes may decide to breed them, thus perpetuating the defect.
The pups that this breeding pair produce are sold as pets only. As a matter
of fact, I've never sold any that were going to be used for breeding. Since
I do not ship, my gerbils stay in the area. It would make no sense to me to
let people breed gerbils bought from me, I would be creating my own
competition?
>
> And, when it is out of Ann-Marie's hands, the kinked tail might become a
> "sought after" trait.
I would be more concerned about people who buy gerbils from petshops,
hoping the pet shop sexed them right. From my experiences with pet shops,
usually when gerbils are in the same tank, that means they are from the same
litter. (siblings). If it's up to the pet shop worker to sex the gerbils for
a customer, then more than likely, a person will end up with a male and
female without realizing it. (That's what happened to me.)
And too much inbreeding of that fault and you're
> like to get gerbils with serious spinal problems and deformities.
I have not let the inbreeding continue, Salty, my pied black kinked tail
gerbil is not breeding with a sibling. He is with a female that is not
related to him. Again I really don't know for sure if his tail was
inherited. His parents do not have kinked tails.
>
> I'm not trying to condemn you, Ann-Marie, but IMO you should rethink
> breeding from any animals you know carry this trait.
But was it inherited, or just a fluke, I don't know. I can't even positively
say that his parents are siblings. I'm just assuming that because they were
in the same tank when I bought them. Since I had bought three gerbils, all
of whom were suppose to be males. It is possible that the two pups with
kinked tails have different fathers, I don't know? Since one of the males
passed away last April, I have not had anymore pups with this tail.
Ann-Marie
