Would you breed a pet store chin?

[lauralynne]

Very simple. Yes or No. No maybe...if such and such and blah and blah.

Feel free to post explaining your view on this.

 

[cindyv3737]

No way. I love my petstore chin but I know nothing regarding her history. Her age is even a mystery to me. A petstore tells you what they want to get you to buy the animal. As much as I would love a clone of Shelly breeding her would be a BAD idea. I'm not a breeder nor do I intend to be. When I get my next chin it will be a rescue.

 

[Essentia]

Absolutely not.

 

[AZChins]

What's the point in breeding petstore chins? They usually cost more than one from a good breeder and why spend more? It really makes no sense to me. I've heard of people calling up all the petstores looking for a male or a female....why? It seems pointless and a little ignorant to do it. And, then all the health problems and so forth...

 

[ticklechin]

No, nor would I breed a rescue but from what I am hearing if it looks good its good to breed.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I bred a pet store chin when I started out. Her babies came out with genetic defects, so no I would never breed a pet store chinchilla. She ended up dying from malo at 8 years old.

Don't put too much stock in what one person says, Dawn. Many ranchers practice breeding that we would consider unethical but I have yet to hear of one that goes to pet stores to buy their breeding stock or scours the pet stores in the area to "get a good find".

 

[ticklechin]

But if those ranchers are buying from someone who IS scouring pet stores or rescues or backyard breeders to "get the good find" how is the different? We as pet owners are told buy your chin from a breeder, but if that breeder is using pet store chins etc. as breeding stock and selling to ranchers then the whole point of buying from a breeder is moot. Get a rescue, at least THAT chin is not misrepresented.

 

[aznmexaggie]

As I said in the other thread, nope, I wouldn't. Not even my Class Champion mosaic girl who I bought from the petstore.

 

[JennyBug]

This is why I have seven girls and no boys - I don't even want the TEMPTATION. I don't know the backrounds of five of my girls, and the other two came from Arlington. Without knowing about their pedigree, you can't really breed to improve the species.

 

[starleomach]

No but I know a few breeders who do and despite what they say I don't think they will stop....ever

 

[Siylvat]

No. I have been looking into breeding for the last year and a half. (And not looking to start for at least another few years). That is one of the first things that people have always told me, and I have always read. You just do not know genetic backgrounds. I know it happens, but I would not want to do it. Especially first starting out. There are a lot of reasons not to...and not very many reasons in favor of it. no point.

 

[Olallie]

I wouldn't breed a pet store chin if i didn't know where it came from, but a weird story: my sister bought her chin from a breeder who was thinking of breeding that chin, took that chin to a field day in CA, and she was literally laughed off the table, we were also thinking of breeding her to my Rosco. But once we were at a show we figured out how thin her fur was and realized we shouldnt breed her, but she was also a little devil girl...

 

[Jenn]

Not knowing the history of the chin, I wouldn't breed a petstore chin.

 

[ABBY W.]

Absolutely not. There is way too much risk of genetic issues, in my opinion.

 

[Spoof]

I have on a couple occasions, though I have not seen anything worthwhile in the last five years.

In my opinion, after I whoop your butt on the show table with the chin, it's offspring, and it's offspring's offspring, I've then got a 3-5 (in the chin below's case, 8) year history on the animal, and every generation it produces.

We'll use Studly for example, she's got a great story. Studly was the local area stud for the Lewiston pet shop. People brought their chins in and he impregnated them - they told me they'd had him for three years and he was a great breeder. I met him while he was tinkling on my leg at the cash register. Err yea. So I go back a few days later and there's a sign "bites" and make them a lowball offer of $60 for their exceptional breeding male that is tinkling on my kneecap and upper thigh from the floor.

The good news was I know for a fact they never got any babies out of "him"

You get a good eye by exercising it. By challenging yourself to be better. By taking nothing and in a generation making it something. I've only had one case of malocclusion in my herd and it was from a chin I shipped in from a "big" breeder back east. That's not to say I'll never get it, just haven't gotten it from lines with no history.

At some point there will be no "big breeders" - they'll be overseas or here on this forum. They're an aging lot and we're losing one or two every year. I just hope enough people get into chins to keep it going.

Edited to add that this is really a pointless thread, all it does is create witch hunts. You know **** well nobody is going to openly admit to it... except me, and I think we've already established that.

 

[ABBY W.]

I don't see this as pointless at all. I think establishing the "norms", the standards adhered to by most breeders is, at the least, helpful to newbies. A new breeder comes in to the community and hears fifteen different opinions on nearly every issue. Polls like this provide a better picture of what the majority of the breeding community does. What they do with that info is up to them.

I differ from some of the others on here in the way I do some things, but for the most part I follow the practices of the majority because it works. Frankly, I don't understand, Spoof, why you are so defensive about this. You choose to breed petstore animals. That's your choice. I don't agree with it, and would not do it. I give raisins as treats occasionally. I know there are other breeders who disagree, and I respect that. But I'm not going to get bent out of shape about it.

 

[lauralynne]

I'm not out to witch hunt, and find it odd yet interesting that you'd jump to that conclusion. This is not a pontless thread either, unless you feel that you're better than everyone and your ways are the only right way.

Many new members ask the very question this thread addresses when they join. Now when they search "breed" and pet store chinchilla" this thread will come up and give them the opinions of different members and an explantion of WHY the vast majority of people feel it should not be done.

You're entitled your own opinion, Tara. My own opinion is that if you didn't get the chin from a reputable breeder and don't know the background then it shouldn't be bred. I also don't believe that breeding to improve can be ethically done w/ chins whose pasts are unknown.

Breeding a petstore chin isn't just about how the animal looks. You don't know if a chin has been neglected or abused and those animals imo shouldn't be put in breeding either.

 

[saphire]

My concious would not allow me for one reason, I have chosen to breed to keep and improve health and quality, and by breeding pet store animals I certainly would have no idea of their possible issues and especially where they come from.
Maybe they are from great breeders, but maybe not and I am not willing to take that risk.

 

[MMMTDF]

No, most pet store chins carry diseases ex. Malocclusion. And since it's hereditary their kids will have it too.

 

[ticklechin]

Above post, that is not true that most pet store chins carry malo-malo can pop up in even award winning ranchers herds that have pedigrees up the wazoo! It can show up in any breeders herd and its also not true all the kits will get it. You hedge your bets when you get a breeders animal, better chance of no issue but no guarantee.