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Old 02-22-2018, 08:10 PM   #1
quisp65
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Default Why are petshot WW hybrids?

I've read many times pet shop Winter Whites are hybrids but I have yet to hear WHY?... especially since I've heard of health issues with hybrids.

There must be some benefit or otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. What are the benefits that they chose hybrid? What positive does a hybrid have over a thoroughbred WW?

Last edited by quisp65; 02-22-2018 at 08:27 PM.
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Old 02-22-2018, 10:33 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Why are petshot WW hybrids?

There are no benefits resulting from breeding hybrids & they should never be bred at home as there are a lot of potential problems related to hybrid breeding.
Campbell's Russian & WW are two very similar species which means they can produce fertile offspring, whether the first hybrids were bred intentionally or by chance I have nod idea but their offspring have continued to be bred so that all pet shop stock is now hybrid with no pure bred hams, it may be that those who breed stock & the shops that sell them don't see a need to sell two very similar pure species or it may just be easier to continue breeding the hybrid stock.
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Old 02-23-2018, 05:20 AM   #3
Lilac_Dreams
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Default Re: Why are petshot WW hybrids?

In order to understand why, you need to know their history.

Back in the 1980s and before they were actually scientifically classified as the same species, it wasn't until 1990 that they were classified as separate species.

By the 1990s the Campbell was very temperamental and aggressive and, just like now, prone to genetically inherited Diabetes.

The winter whites, however, had a nicer temperament, no diabetes and were less colourful.

In 1993 in Germany an exhibitor decided to breed them both to cancel out the bad traits of each species, this however back fired in more ways than one.

The Hybrids are more prone to Diabetes, more prone to aggression and neurological issues and more prone to birthing complications. It's also almost impossible to distinguish between a Hybrid and Purebred now, hence why it's always assumed they're hybrids; it's impossible to know either way and it's detrimental to add a hybrid into the purebred population, not based on "blood purity" but rather genetic health.

Even trained NHC Judges with many years experience have seen Hybrids with the body type of a Winter White and the Argente Colouring of a Campbell and Campbell typed Animals that went into winter moult.

Because of this hybrid fiasco it's also now very difficult to distinguish whether new mutations that crop up in seemingly purebred gene pools are, indeed, a new mutations or a colour coming from the crossing of Winter White and Campbell, a good example of this is the colouration "Mandarin" which was found in a German Hamsteries purebred Winter White line and eventually went into the German Exhibition circles and was subsequently bred into Hybrids and the Purebred Mandarin Mutation has now been lost and is a completely Hybrid mutation now.

Even purebred lines with Pedigree's have had Hybrids crop up. There was a Purebred Campbell who won 2 Certificates of Merit from a well established and known Hamstery who then went on to have a Winter Moult that proved he was a hybrid.

It's actually been talked about in the NHC Circles of the possibility of a ban on exhibiting Campbells and Winter Whites for a few years while they try to sort out the issue of Hybrids and remove it from the gene pool.

The only benefit Hybrids have over Pure WW is that they're easier to buy and you travel less and in the USA, it's the only option you have seeing as no Pure WW and Campbell are in the USA. They're easier for Pet Stores to get ahold of from Rodent Farms, easier for Rodent Farms to get a hold of a breed... It's literally just convenience.
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Old 02-23-2018, 05:23 AM   #4
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Why are petshot WW hybrids?

As Cypher said, it isn't that pet shops choose to sell hybrids (in fact many pet shops are ignorant of the fact that the winter whites and campbells they sell actually are hybrids) - it is the fact that the only dwarf hamsters provided to pet shops are hybrids, because it is only really breeders that still have pure lines of all winter white or all campbells. A hamster may look like a winter white or look like a Campbells,within the same litter, because they have genes from both,but are actually a hybrid of the two species.

They still make adorable pets and companions but are prone to diabetes and possibly other health issues, but many live happy healthy lives. You just need to be aware of the diabetes issue with their diet.

Last edited by Pebbles82; 02-23-2018 at 05:25 AM. Reason: Posted at same time as Lilac Dreams! Who knows more :-)
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