Inconsiderate people.

[WinnieTheHam]

Thank you all for your replies, it does make sense to me now but i still don't think i agree with it. I just really can't see how it'd be good for the mother apart from just giving her comfort. I just find it really hard to trust people with animals and believe what they say online, i'd have to see it for myself to be able to do so.

Souffle, all i have said is hamster group, dwarf breeder, and that they said they were responsible. I don't think what i said is very clear to who i am talking about unless you have come across something similar to what i have stated. I felt the need to say something and it feels great that people agree with me, otherwise i'd feel that i'm going mad. Also it's nice to have people correct me in a pleasant manner, not horribly like those people did on the group.

[WinnieTheHam]

Originally Posted by herbi7

This is an interesting thread. I always take on board what I hear from experienced members like kryll and souffle, I must admit that if I had heard of a male being left in with the female I would have been surprised and concerned like Winnie because of what I ahev read elsewhere on the forum... It's very interesting to hear there are other equally valid and obviously responsible views. I wonder if its worth making sure when we give advice to New members that we mention there may be other ways of doing something, otherwise we will end up with people who might judge others unnecessarily or become upset or concerned about welfare when there is no need. Glad u posted, Winnie just so we can read this thread and get the bigger picture!

Thank you! Everything you have said is what i have been thinking. I have read many times on this forum that leaving the father in is bad. So i thought ''oh no! bad bad! not responsible!'' Because i had read on here, where there is very experience hamster owners and breeders. So i thought what was on this forum was correct and felt i had to say something to the breeder and on here.

[racinghamster]

I have no idea about hamster breeding or what the correct protocol is but I`m sure there are many who are not politically correct when breeding their animals while some will go out of their way to be the best. The mouse breeding world (show mice that is) I don`t particularly like as most focus on how big they can make the ears or how long the tail should be or whether the coat markings are `good enough`. No thought as to whether those mice that don`t quite `meet the standard` are seen as expendable. That`s why I always kept rag-tag pet shop mice or little rescue mice. I did keep a few show type mice but they were rescues and none of them lived beyond 12/14 months, while the smaller pet shop types outlived them all.

The hamster world seem to be far more relaxed about these things although pedigree breeders come into their own really as they uphold the species without diluting the gene pool, or try not to. While hybrids will always have their place as pets, potential breeders should consider the ideology of their actions. x

[katmick]

Hi , I am not breeder and I have no intention to breed hammies, I just thought that it is interesting that in the wild it is both mother and father that participate with raising the young in Russian dwarf pairs ( this includes Winter Whites and Campbels ).

Perhaps some breeders may find this is more natural to them. Friend of a friend had once degus and they had accidental litter as they were sexed wrong in a Petstore and I saw both parents taking care of the little ones. It was very cute. They separated them as soon as mother could be bred of course and never had any accidental litters again.

[kyrilliondaemon]

Originally Posted by WinnieTheHam

Thank you! Everything you have said is what i have been thinking. I have read many times on this forum that leaving the father in is bad. So i thought ''oh no! bad bad! not responsible!'' Because i had read on here, where there is very experience hamster owners and breeders. So i thought what was on this forum was correct and felt i had to say something to the breeder and on here.

I used to be the same about things, especially cage size. Hence saying about me learning that things aren't always as black and white as they can seem on forums. Its a trap I think a lot of people fall in to, just means we get to learn otherwise later lol

[herbi7]

Ah well, I suppose we all need general guidelines to go on esp if we are new to hamsters. I would worry about people making up their own 'rules' if they hadn't kept one before, for instance. I guess we just have to keep sharing our experience and stories and keep learning from each other!