>Also introducing the TUXEDO ring.  In the past couple shows, we noted
>that there are several ferrets that are not quite mitts because they
>have toes, and so we are adding this ring which is similiar to Mitt
>but they can have toes in the front, a white bib, knee patches
>(preferred) and toes in the back are also preferred.  The body and
>nose can be any color.
 
Please, remember that these are neural crest variant markings, and as
such are connected to handicaps, health considerations, and very possibly
to reduced life span.  Please, make sure to discourage the intended
breeding of such markings.
 
As geneticist, Dr. Brett Middleton said in
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG3069
(which was also brought to the FML with author's permission)
in reply to the question:
>>What is your personal opinion with regard to the breeding of these
>>individuals?
 
>I, myself, would not.  As I see it, there are only two other choices:
>breed them without regard for health (not very ethical), or embark on a
>full-scale program to develop healthy strains of marked ferrets (which
>would involve large amounts of inbreeding and ruthless culling, with all
>the attendant heartbreak).  All for the sake of a characteristic that
>is of no particular benefit to the animals or the species.  Look at all
>the horrible things that have been done to so many breeds of dog, cat
>and livestock -- all resulting from breeding programs that treat animals
>as some kind of artwork to be molded according to some abstract esthetic
>standard divorced from any concept of biological reality.
>
>The responsibility of breeders to consider the well-being of the animal
>in their selection programs is an aspect of animal welfare that is too
>often neglected.  Too many people who would never consider beating or
>starving their animals suddenly seem to lose all sense of ethical limits
>when it comes to breeding them.  Temple Grandin at Colorado State
>University has written quite a bit on this subject, and her articles
>are well worth the time to read.  I recommend the following two for
>starters:
>
> http://www.grandin.com/welfare/genetics.animal.welfare.html
> http://www.grandin.com/references/horse.genetics.html
 
-- Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List co-moderator
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives fan
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
replacing
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
International Ferret Congress advisor
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5125]