Health issues with the sapphire mutation?

[Whimsy]

Hello everyone, I recently heard an interesting statement regarding the sapphire mutation. I was told that they tend to develop diabetes and go blind at around 8 years old. Has anyone else come across this with their sapphires or is it perhaps a regional thing?

 

[ABBY W.]

I have not experienced this with sapphires, but they do tend to be more prone to health and behavioral issues. Every sapphire I have owned has been much more high strung and less friendly than my other chins. They also are prone to eye infections, and other health problems. They just seem to be more problematic as a group than other mutations.

 

[Whimsy]

At this point I have only a single sapphire. She's still very young, but compared to the other girls she is the only one who has shown any unusual issues. Her personality is lovely, but she developed a strange "wetness" in her nether regions. When I took her to the local exotics vet, he simply said she was in heat. I have NEVER seen a chin so obviously in heat and with a strange smell to it, but that's a different story for a different thread. I wonder if, since this is a newer mutation, it just simply needs more good breeding to enhance the health. I'm willing to take on that task.

Still interested to learn whether anyone else has direct experience in dealing with sapphire health issues.

 

[hkkjstwcl]

About my sapphire girl (AKA Baby-real name Franses-like "Dirty Dancing"

My sapphire baby girl (shown above) is friendly and cute. But, come to think about it, she does not recognize treats (apple twigs or dry treat) that I put in front of her face. Other chins get them out of my hands right away. Maybe she has weak eye sights? But, chins should be smelling food more than looking at them and recognizing them though, right?
She is healthy and fine, but her fur around her butt is a bit dirty with her poop most of the time. It’s not a complete mess and her poops are dry and fine, but do you think that it’s got something to do with the sapphire gene?

 

[mishalaa]

Sapphires have been around almost 50 years, they're not exactly a new mutation. They have been very resistant to improvement, however, and I'm currently looking into why that may be. I have a theory, but I need access to some equipment to see if what I think the gene is doing is what it is actually doing. Improvement in them may just be not possible beyond a certain point.

In my experience with them though... I have had 10 different sapphires here. I've had two that had a permanently leaking eye with no other related health issue (like malo or infection). One urinates up his belly instead of out and away from his body. One had a huge abscess but that was from an injury, not inherent health. One has had a high mortality rate in his kits. Most have topped out size-wise between 500 and 550g. One was pretty aggressive, one is high strung, but the rest of mine have been total sweethearts that sit in my arms and tolerate being petted, but that's on par with the chin population on the whole so I do not equate a sapphire's personality with its color. There is one that refuses treats (will take supplement, but nothing else), though.

I have not had any reach age 8 or older yet, the oldest one I've had here is now approaching 5.

 

[starleomach]

Other than being much smaller than the other animals in my herd I have not had any special problems with my sapphires. Not many people are truly working with them to improve though IMPO I find many people breeding sapphires have a pair or two and just want more sapphires. I have a male over 8 he has been fine. I don't want to jinx myself but I have not notice special health issues here right now I have 14 sapphires here but most are with great standards not other carriers

 

[ABBY W.]

hkkjstwcl, you should not give that little girl treats. She is too young. She is only a few months old, and her digestive system isn't fully developed yet. No treats at all until she is at least six months old.

 

[Brightstarchins]

I have fourteen sapphires right now and 12 carriers, but have not noticed any health issues with them at all.
Although I have to say that my oldest is only four years old, I hope I will not have any problems with them later.

Claudia

 

[lilchinchilla]

My first sapphire, his father(a sapphire) was actually 18 years old when he was born.
As for health issues, the only thing I have thought, just based on experience with those I have, is that it seems if anything goes wrong with my herd(bad hay for example), the sapphires and sc's were the first ones to come down with a problem before the others.

Touch wood, but I've had no other health problems, no eye issues, no peeing issues, nothing with them. I did hear all the time from one breeder of sapphires that "they suck" (in his words). He constantly complained of them being too weak. :hmm: I haven't heard of troubles from others who have bred sapphires, some having had theirs straight from the Larsen's themselves back in the 60's - and they never had a problem with them healthwise.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I think the main problem is poor breeding with the mutation. I'm watching a herd of sapphires right now that has been in the making for 2-3 years with nothing but standard and sapphires in the herd. One of the kits that's growing out here is out of two sapphire carriers and he's a very VERY blue and dense sapphire that weighs about 580g at 6.5 months old. I strongly believe it has to do with the breeding and the base animals the sapphires are paired to. Too often I see pairs of "white ebony s/c to sapphire eb/c" or some combination like that rather than making nice sapphire carriers out of standards.

 

[starleomach]

I think the main problem is poor breeding with the mutation. I'm watching a herd of sapphires right now that has been in the making for 2-3 years with nothing but standard and sapphires in the herd. One of the kits that's growing out here is out of two sapphire carriers and he's a very VERY blue and dense sapphire that weighs about 580g at 6.5 months old. I strongly believe it has to do with the breeding and the base animals the sapphires are paired to. Too often I see pairs of "white ebony s/c to sapphire eb/c" or some combination like that rather than making nice sapphire carriers out of standards.

I agree with this 100% it seems too many people want to get sapphires, not necessarily good sapphires. They want to rush the process undoing any good done to the line quickly. It takes a lot longer to improve the ruined lines than it takes to ruin good lines