Stacia? I´ve Got a Question.

pinta

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2002 9:38 pm


Well, at least Dixon ended up as a member of a family with a permanent home.

cea2001

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2002 9:43 pm


I agree, Pinta.

When breeding for looks (and incidentally, I hate the whole idea of something being ´better quality´ because it conforms to a set of visual standards set by one person, or a group of people. Who are we to say one animal is ´better´ than another because it´s a certain colour considered nicer than another by a few people? Like when breeders talk about ´coat faults´ - faults? Says who? That´s the way the animal is! And drawing a long bow, this is exactly the sort of attitude shown by people when they judge other people´s bodies. Too fat? Too thin? Nose too big? Why - what´s the universal perfect size? Etc. etc. Sorry - rant, rant....climbing off soapbox)

ANYWAY (getting back on track) - breeding for looks often entails line and in breeding, both of which reduce the genetic variance needed for healthy animals. Cross bred animals tend to have hybrid vigour which stands them in good stead for genetic health.

Incidentally, I read an article on pedigree dogs recently, in which the writer (a vet) suggested that anyone considering a pedigree (ie. pure bred animal) should automatically take out pet insurance, because the likelyhood of health problems was much higher than for ´mutts´.

Peter

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2002 9:43 pm


I don´t think I could treat my pigs any other way but as pets, no matter if they are breeding, showing, or just living with me as a pet.

cea2001

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2002 9:46 pm


PS. Peter, I love your pigs by the way - I would love a Peruvian (I have a Silkie and a Texel) but they´re pretty rare in South Australia from what I can tell.

pinta

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2002 9:51 pm


It´s how the ones that leave your care get treated that brings up concern.

I have a pet store pig offspring, Shiraz, who could never make a show table. Chocolate satin with a white blaze and such a long snout, she looks more horse than pig. Due to the quality of the satin hair shaft her snout hairs stand straight up giving her a permanent pink nose a la W.C. Fields. Plus mild pea eye in both eyes. She´s quite the "looker".

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2002 9:56 pm


They are cute, bright eye-ed little guys. I´m sure you´ll take good care of them. I must say, I judge pigs on personality and petability. Give me a soft, snuggly pig and that´s all I need!

Peter

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2002 10:04 pm


Shiraz is probably sweet, which makes up for her looks, right?

Thanks for the complements on them! Lynx, if you like petability then you´d love Scarlett. If she sees me take anyone else out before she came out that day, she´ll squeak until someone takes her out! She distracted my mom from work earlier...

Peter

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2002 10:09 pm


My mom found out that I was posting pictures of Mikado and Eldorado, and she insisted that I just post a picture of "Her Gizzy," or Gizmo, our rescue Peruvian.

Image

Stacia

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2002 11:06 pm


Hi Peter. Wow, that´s pretty neat that you have an offspring of my boy - small world. I really miss him so much. He was such a sweet pig as well as being beautiful. I wish he´d had more time with me. Just not fair.

Anyway, your pig´s are very pretty. I think I have a soft spot for Mikado though. How old is he?



Here´s a picture of Dix....a one of a kind I tell ya.
Last edited by Stacia on Wed Jan 23, 2002 11:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Stacia

Post   » Wed Jan 23, 2002 11:08 pm


He was the most photogenic pig I´ve ever seen.

Sorry, not trying to bring you down here. Where do you live, Peter?
Last edited by Stacia on Wed Jan 23, 2002 11:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Peter

Post   » Thu Jan 24, 2002 12:58 am


I live in NYC. Are you anywhere close?

Mikado was just born on December 9th, so he´s about six weeks old.

Dix was beautiful. I hope Mikado looks like him when he grows up! So far he has a nice personality, but he´s still settling in. He´s getting better, I´ll keep you posted on his development.

pigpal

Post   » Thu Jan 24, 2002 12:53 pm


Gosh, I love those Peruvians!

Before I adopted mine, I´d never even seen one and didn´t even recognize the little mops that were brought into the shelter as guinea pigs. Dixon was such a beautiful pig and yours are too, Peter.

I grew up in the world of pedigree dogs, German Shepherds and Bearded Collies. My mother bred and showed them, both in conformation classes, obedience and agility trials. I find it ironic that originally conformation classes were intended to improve the breeds, in terms of making them better able to perform the work the breed was developed to do. The true purpose has been so distorted that now the emphasis is almost exclusively on esthetics. In many breeds soundness, health and disposition have been disregarded, resulting in exaggerated parodies of the original breed. Many top show dogs would be totally useless for their original jobs, not to mention the vast number of pups with faults of one kind or another that were rejected as being "not show quality".

There are exceptions, some breeders have made it a priority to produce dogs that not only excel in the show ring but also at field trials or herding competitions.

Of course cavies have no "job" to do, other than be good companions. As a pet owner I would have to say that for me health and disposition take precedence over esthetics in a companion animal, although I sure do appreciate a beautiful pig.

Good luck with your pigs, Peter. I hope they will be healthy, sound pigs that bring you much pleasure. I commend you for the amount of time and effort you´re putting into learning about cavies. Many young people don´t take it as seriously as you do.

Post Reply