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Old 02-21-2020, 08:18 AM  
AmityvilleHams
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 4,545
Default Re: Hybrids vs purebreds

Purebred hamsters of one species only should have longer lifespans, give birth easier, be a more reliable weight and size, and be prone to far less health problems. It's not just diabetes in hybrids, there are neurological problems to be aware of as well as a multitude of potential very real issues even if we don't necessarily consider the ethics behind hybrid breeding.

I won't bash anyone for having hybrids or choosing to get them over any other hamster though. There are lots of happy and reasonably healthy hybrid hamsters who are able to live decent lifespans! Just getting a pure species hamster isn't a guarantee of perfect health though - especially when it comes to pet shop hamsters even with Syrians, robos, and Chinese hamsters.

Being aware of the potential issues is important though. It helps you to make important choices in terms of care that can influence the severity of some things - not prevent in terms of diabetes, which is not caused by diet itself although blood sugar can obviously be impacted by certain foods(not just fruit). It also makes you be more vigilant and as such you can keep a closer eye out for any signs of neurological problems which is much better than just seeing something out of nowhere and having no idea what it is!

Personally, I'd still be willing to take in a hybrid. It is a bit scary hearing of all the potential problems you may or may not encounter! However you have to make the choice yourself based on how willing you are to face those problems if you end up encountering them and how capable you are to handle them as well.

It's not the exact same situation, but I personally struggled for quite a while debating how willing and able I would be to handle the reality of very large dogs and certain other pets having shorter lifespans in general. I ultimately decided that however long they're with me is worth it, short or long, and no matter what the struggle ends up being I would rather go through however long making memories and then deal with the heartbreak than to never go through it at all and always wonder "what if"!
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