Message Number: SG3483 | New FHL Archives SearchFrom: "Harold Kraus"
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 09:49:01 -0800
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] ferrets with no tails!!!
Message-ID: <BAY3-DAV10wlSe9F6EB00011f82@hotmail.com>
hferretluv@msn.com & Lady Ferret, Smokey Princess, Cottonball, Lil' Darlin',
Pixie & Dixie I love Ferrets...& Kitty Cats, too..... Our Friends in Fur.
Author wrote:
> causing no tales at all, perhaps you should start breeding Manx ferrets.
Please don't start breeding "Manx Ferrets". Let them ALL look like ferrets
are supposed to look.
I have seen rabbits bred to a certain type, so that unless you look at the
feet, you would almost swear they are cats.
Let's leave well enough alone on that. Ferrets are fine, just as they are.
I have been in Europe, I have seen, held, and played with the original
"European Polecat". Our ferrets here in the states, at least still look
like them.
And now, let's put in health concerns. Breeding for a "bob tail", ferret
can also bring in a whole plethora of other genetic health problems. And
poor ferrets have enough health problems to worry about, without us going
out of our way to develop more problems for them. Every day, I read about
all of the health problems that poor ferrets have now. That type of
breeding would introduce more bad alleles. Genetic drift can cause new and
sometimes startling new looks. The look may even be pleasing to the HUMAN
EYE. That does not mean that this new look is good.
Sorry about sounding off so snippy. That is just one of my pet peeves,
about ferret breeders and ferret breeding.
Harold Kraus
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