Q: "How to make Bob C. soup by broiling???  Anyone know???" Lisette
 
A: Do I come canned or as a dry mix?  I can just see it now....Campbells'
Bob C Soup.  Hum hum Good!  I don't think I can help much here....I don't
care if I'm flamed, but broiling?  I sunburn....
 
Q: "Have you seen [the FML thread] on ferret body styles?  ....Which body
style is most like the polecat?"
 
A. I would guess the 1998 Mustelid Ferret-100; with four on the floor, a
swept-back tail and pointed nose, that baby can really make the fur fly!
 
Well, I admit have seen a lot of mustelid bones and study skins, but,
excepting mink and weasels, my work with living wild polecats is rather
sparce, so maybe my experience to too limited to be of much value.  From
what I've seen, I would say the typical "standard" domesticated ferret
body style is the most like the wild counterpart.  However, I would like
to point out that ALL body styles are actually found in nature because
polecats are animals with a large amount of variation.  WEll, not
black-footed ferrets, but certainly the others.
 
Forget club crappola on body styles for a minute.  Line up, say, 500
ferrets according to body style, with those with the most bulldog-like
characteristics in the front and those with the most whippet-like
characters in the back.  Most of those in the the big fat middle will be
the so-called "standard" ferrets.  Polecats line up the same way, except
for fewer bulldog and whippet types.  If doesn't matter if you are talking
about shades of gray, body size, or even hair color, what you are looking
at is termed a "continuum."  Ferret body styles fall along a continuum; so,
to be quite precise, there is actually only one "ferret body style;" those
so-called variations are in reality only the ends of one "type."
 
I called a few reputable breeders on this question.  I asked what you got
if you bred a "whippet" ferret with a "bulldog" ferret.  I was told by all
three you get "standards," which is what I would expect when looking at a
continuum.  Now, I don't breed and I trust the people I asked, but 3 people
is an admittedly small sample.  So, up front, the data could be wrong and
it might be nice for other breeders to either confirm or deny what I have
been told.  But I don't think they are wrong, which is why true "bulldog"
and "whippet" ferrets are somewhat rare compared to the rest.  I personally
don't believe either the "whippet" or the "bulldog" body style is an actual
"breed" any more than my short stocky body style is a breed compared to a
tall thin man.  How do I know?  Because if you breed two "bulldog" ferrets,
you are not guaranteed to get only bulldog-like offspring.  Same with
whippets.  That is not to say you end up with a lot of bulldogs, BUT, you
can always have some standards thrown in as well.  In other words, the body
styles do not breed true.
 
To have a "breed" that is different from the rest of the group, you have to
eliminate specific genes, such as for height or fur quality.  In essence,
what you have done is compress the continuum so it no longer includes
specific types.  Since "breeds" are required to breed true, about the only
way this can be effectively done is by inbreeding to "set" the character.
The danger in inbreeding is that while manipulating one specific continuum,
you can accidentally effect another.  So, while breeding for a specific
color, you might accidently breed in hip problems or extra toes.  Any vet
can tell you that mongrels generally have far fewer genetic problems
compared to pure-breeds, some of which are plagued by serious and
dibilitating diseases exacerbated from inbreeding.
 
Every pure-bred dog or cat is the direct result of extensive inbreeding.
Ooops, so are all domesticated animals, including our beloved domesticated
ferrets.  They had to be inbreed to increase those traits which are now
seen to be what defines them as domesticated, especially such traits as
albinism, lack of fear towards humans and body sizes.  So, compared to wild
polecats, ALL FERRETS are inbred.  Now here's the kicker.  Inbreeding, of
and by itself, is not particularly bad if done carefully.  WHat we lack
in the ferret community is the knowledge of specific linkages to specific
breeding programs.  Ok, we know about deafness correlating to specific coat
patterns, but what about the incidence of adrenal or pancreatic disease, or
the number of hip problems?
 
Those are the questions which must be answered in order to eliminate or
decrease inbreeding faults.  It isn't inbreeding that is the problem; the
problem is a lack of general knowledge about the links between specific
ferret characteristics.  Without such knowledge, inbreeding is risky, even
perhaps irresponsible.  I would hate to discover inbreeding for passive and
sweet behavior was linked to an increase in cancer, or a desire to have a
carrot red sable would lead to vison problems.  Posting such info here is
a waste of time.  What is needed is a national registry of breeders, who
report birth defects and long term illnesses without fear of being run out
of business.  What burns me up is the propensity to destroy a breeder for
a breeding mistake, when such information might be useful to helping
ferretkind if honestly and accurately reported.  All attacks and hate mail
does is drive the mistake underground; they are never reported but hushed
up, allowing the mistakes to be made over and over again.  Sure, perhaps
you can exact revenge on a specific breeder, but you have also lost a
knowledge base that could prevent such mistakes in the future.  In terms
of helping ferrets, I personally believe the later is preferable.
 
Bob C and 18 MO' Inbreed Midwest Carpet Monkeys
[Posted in FML issue 2807]