#breeding ethics

Literally if the demand for them stops, so does the supply. But because people are so interested in the 'aesthetic' of their animal over their wellbeing, people continue to buy animals with purposefully bred docked tails, flat brachycephalic faces, and short legs. Munchkin cats are literally being force bred with DWARFISM, just as Corgis are. Dwarfism comes with so many health complications, whether it's an animal or a person who has it. There's less study into how Munchkin cats suffer as they're a newer breed and most of the studying went into identifying their specific types of dwarfism first.

If the mutation happened randomly, as it does sometimes, that's one thing. But people are purposefully breeding these poor animals knowing that they can't breathe, they have spinal problems, and they will end up with arthritis and in a ton of pain the older they get because they're literally missing proper joint strength by shortening their legs on purpose. People are essentially making these animals suffer in some form for their entire lives because they want their pet to be cute. What human beings have done to the Pug since the 60s should be considered a crime.

And do not even get me started on the breeds that are mixed with literal wild cats like Savannahs and Bengals and Wolf Dogs. Do NOT get those animals.

ADOPT. DON'T SHOP.

I think that being up front with potential buyers is the most important thing for breeders to do.

There is a LOT of shady crap in the world of pigeon breeding, and it is very common for dealers known as “Pigeon Jockeys” to buy a breeder’s culls cheap and sell them at full show bird price to people unfamiliar with the breed.

The breeders who kill their culls are, in part, trying to dry up this even shadier aspect of the fancy.

They are just going about it in a very cruel way.

The actual definition of the term “Cull” is “to remove from the breeding population" or " to prevent from reproducing".

Not every individual produced should be bred, so differentiating culls from breeding stock is a VERY important part of responsible animal husbandry.

It's understandable for a person who payed for a show quality bird to feel cheated by being sold one that should not even be allowed to reproduce.

But there are better ways to prevent animals who should not reproduce from breeding and stop people from being cheated than to kill a healthy animal for the crime of being mismarked or disinclined to pose.

I do that by selling birds who can’t be shown and shouldn’t be bred exclusively to people who do not want to breed or show: as house pets.

All pigeons hatched here, regardless of being show, breeding, or pet “quality” are the same price. (I honestly couldn’t keep up with a sliding scale for pricing by “quality”) In order to make sure that every client gets what they need and none feel cheated, it's important to communicate with each individual about their needs and goals before hand.

If a person comes to me wanting a show or stock bird, I won't suggest or show them any bird that did not at least make the Stock cut.

Online, that's as simple as just not showing them any photos of available “pet only” birds.

People who want potential show birds are directed to the birds with the fewest faults and the greatest combination of assets. If there are no show quality birds available at the moment, I will say so immediately so that none of the client’s time or funds are wasted on a bird who is not what they want and who they will not be happy with.

If a buyer wants a stock bird, I ask them about the faults and assets of their stock in general, and then ask them about the faults and assets of the specific birds they want mates for. The same stock bird can improve the breed with one mate, but be detrimental with another, so it's important that I know what is good and what needs improving so that I can provide the client with the mate most likely to be beneficial to their gene pool. And if I do not have a bird that has good improvement potential for my client, I will tell them so as soon as I have gone over the birds I have available and determined that I have no good matches for them.

Most of my sales are online, but I prefer that people be able to get the bird in their hands and get a really good look at it before they actually decide on it for sure.

If a visitor to my aviary who has requested a show or stock quality bird happens to see a cull that they like during their visit, my policy is to immediately show them every single one of its faults and tell them exactly why they *don't* want that specific one if they want to show or breed.

People whose only criteria are that it be friendly don't care how many show faults a bird has. Many especially like pets with what they consider to be "quirks".

I raise the breeds I do because they can make every one happy. 

Enigma Syndrome is linked to the Enigma gene, so it only shows up in Enigma morphs. Neurological problems have shown up in other morphs (not necessarily morph-linked), but they are a different cause and symptoms vary.

Symptoms of Enigma Syndrome include circling, star-gazing (looking up), and head tilting; more severe symptoms can include seizures and flailing (death rolls).

That being said about super snow leopard geckos, I don’t think it’s entirely appropriate to call tumblr breeders working with them “torture breeders” or that it’s okay to start a witch hunt about it. Super snow is not like enigma, not ALL super snows have issues. I’ve seen no evidence that a neuro issue is linked to super snow in the same way as it is in other genes. (I honestly think the neuro symptoms are caused by the weird skull deformities that ss sometimes have)

The worst case was a 6 week old frenchie abandoned in a park. The nares were beautiful and open. I don't know about the soft palate, we were too busy dealing with their severe respiratory distress because the trachea was too small to sustain life

And now looking at it, that may be the most normal thoracic spine I've ever seen on a French bulldog.