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Post by jozette on Jul 5, 2013 20:09:01 GMT
When I got Milo and Milly I honestly didnt even think about them having babies so the first litter was an accident. But as soon as I realized that she was pregnant I was looking forward to little bald babies... that never came. So I looked up how likely it was that she could have bald kids and found out that she probably couldnt. The websites all said the same thing: The sow and boar either both have to be bald or at least carry the trait.
I know that dogs can be inbred with little to no problems for the offspring.
Would that be the case with Guineas as well? Like could I breed Mason and Milo(daughter father) or Mocha and Mason(brother sister)?
I know that Mason is a carrier of the gene and breeding her with Milo would for sure give bald kids but I dont want to put her in danger.
When I talked to my vet he said that inbreeding is used all the time to get desirable traits but there are ups and downs.
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Post by wiggypiggys on Jul 5, 2013 21:04:37 GMT
Yes the vet is right inbreeding is used to gain a particular trait but if possible you should want to avoid son to mother and daughter to father as well as sister to brother as there can be rear deformities and complications with babies. And when breeders do, do this they are very selective and tend to do it for a trait that they can't afford to lose or really need. I think it really depends on the reason you would want to breed them, is it for improving your breeding stock/show stock? Or just breeding because you want to? Me personally I would only breed that way if I wanted a particular trait for my breeding/show stock otherwise it is just too risky in my opinion to put them through that for the reason of just wanting to breed. It is your decision at the end of the day but you need to ask yourself the question is it worth this just because I want skinny babies? And are you helping the breed? I wouldn't judge anyone for their decisions but it is a big question to ask yourself I know how it feels to love the babies popcorning about but still we need to ask ourselves are we doing the right things for our Guineas or are we doing it for our own satisfaction? Let us know what you are thinking about we may be able to help in other ways I hope I haven't come across rude just it is hard to put it in a kind way as it can be quite serious to some degree. I know kayleigh is great in this area and she may be able to shed some light on the situation and guide you a bit better but this is just my opinion. Keep us update
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Post by jozette on Jul 6, 2013 4:12:58 GMT
Well this was originally brought up because my girlfriend bought a Baldwin boar and was planning on showing him but he wasnt in great condition so she decided he would be a pet. She loves his marking and his temperament. When she found out I have Milo she freaked and asked if I was planning on breeding him to which I replied hes got a litter on the way. At that point in time I didnt think Milly would give bald kids but then my friend begged me to give/sell her a bald female so she could breed them for show. SO thats why I got all excited about bald babies. Anyway when she came over to see the kids she said that it was pretty clear that Milly didnt carry the trait because "Baldwins" are born bald they dont lose their hair like Skinny's do. So she asked if she could talk to me about breeding one of Milo's daughters with him because she likes his temperament as well. Now I know this looks like a no brainer with the obvious being why not just give her one of my girls. Well shes allergic to furred guineas which is why she bought Jackson in the first place. I was super skeptical at first to even think about inbreeding because I only ever knew it as a bad thing that was bad for the animals. Now that I know its not a terrible thing I kind of want to do this for her but I would never forgive myself if it ended up hurting Mason.
And no you definitely didnt come off as rude, I was honestly hoping for answers like this. I'm really torn and dont want to do something that can hurt her but at the same time my vet didnt seem opposed he was supportive but he didnt tell me absolutely not either.
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Post by wiggypiggys on Jul 6, 2013 14:54:12 GMT
I see, it is a hard decision see my opinion is if it was for show/breeding then possibly yes as it could possibly improve your lines etc. But if it is not for them purposes I wouldn't want to for the risk that things could go wrong, and you may even be unlucky to not get anyone from your next litter inherit the gene which has been known to happen. I think you understand the seriousness of the decision and so neither I or anyone else here can make that decision for you; i'm sure all of us will support you but like I said it carries more risks than the risks already from breeding.
And also about the vet; most vets don't have great knowledge on breeding so do really not have a realistic idea of how things can work out when inbreeding and most of the time with Guineas you are the one telling the Vet what is wrong with your guinea Pig unless you have an exsotics vet that deals with small animals all the time. As I said inbreeding is a method used for keeping a trait within the lines but I wouldn't have thought it is ever a first option neither a second but more of a last result as it carries more risks than linebreeding.
Have you considered finding a breeder who will stud a boar to you with the known gene and breed that way? This would definitely be a safer route and then from the litter you could also breed back to the grandfather (milo) without them being too closely related. And from knowing the breeder that studed to you, you would be able to improve your lines if you was going into breeding or if you don't want to show/breed the person wanting to buy from you would be able to keep in contact with that breeder and it would help her in the long run. This could be a possible solution without taking the risk of inbreeding. And also another point could be that if that breeder is a regular/good breeder of Baldwins her lines should be more pure and allow a better percentage that the babies will be born with the gene, I personally would look into this before inbreeding.
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Post by jozette on Jul 6, 2013 18:51:14 GMT
I didnt even think of that as an option, I would much rather do that. Thank you so much for that point. I dont think it registered that I could do that since their guineas.
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Post by wiggypiggys on Jul 6, 2013 19:02:12 GMT
No problem sometimes you don't think of all the options when you are focused on something that's why it is great to have advice from people on the subject. Let us know how you get on though I would love to know what you decide etc.
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