Been so very behind on my FMLs - shame on me!
>From:    "Jennifer D. Ellis" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Animal Breeding...  and HIV.  Not connected!
 
>While I tend to agree with your ideas here, I have SERIOUS problems with
>the idea of "improving the breed" by breeding only animals that "conform
>to the standard."
 
>These are essentially arbitrary decisions made by a group of individuals
>who decided what looked best.  ... They're the reason Maine Coons are
>ending up with hip dysplasia--someone decided that they should be really
>big.  These are not decisions being made by "bad" breeders--it's the
>animals being turned out by the "responsible" breeders that are developing
>these problems.  Purebred cats have shorter lifespans on average--
>sometimes even a decade shorter-- than crossbreeds, and some breeds have
>definitely had intelligence sacrificed in the search for the perfect
>appearance.  This all applies to dogs, too, and I have a funny feeling
>we'll discover that it applies to ferrets.
 
While I agree on with what you are saying, I still think a stantard needs
to be maintained to a point.  Since I have been breeding I have seen many
things.  When looking at new stock for myself I look at several thing ...
The first thing I look for in jills is hip width - are they wide enough
to allow kits tthough?  Then I look at the ribs - are they round and wide
enough to hold all the organs inside?  Then Iook at the spine - is it
straight and untwisted so the animal is balanced?  Then I look at the head -
is it straight so the teeth and jaw are aligned for proper chewing?  Is
there a good distance from the eye to nose to prevent any possible sinus
problems?  Are the eyes and ears straight - if not then I will look closer
at the head for straightness.  And before all of the conformation looking -
I look at temperament - do I want to breed this?  Do I want to have kits
that act this way?
 
I have seen quite a few ferrets with heads so crooked that their teeth were
getting in the way of each other.  I have seen ferrets that have had teeth
so off that they teeth were poking into th egums and the molars didn't even
line up - this hob was a breeder!
 
I *do* understand what you are saying - I really do, but I will still
continue to look for conformation flaws in ferrets that will obstruct the
health of the animal.  In the uropean polecat in the wild, the survival of
the fittest controls this - with the domesticated ferret - we do!
 
Amy Flemming
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Flemming Farms - Michigan, USA
Breeding for Quality Ferrets
American, Australian, German, and New Zealand bloodlines
Come see us at http://www.geocities.com/heartland/ranch/9521
 
Weasel Watchers Ferret Rescue - Michigan, USA
Helping Needy Weasels
Come see us at http://www.geocities.com/petsburgh/zoo/2690
 
"For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism"
[Posted in FML issue 2720]