a warning about line breeding / inbreeding ?

[Matty Day]

I was just browsing through some stuff and came across this article about dog breeding found it quite intresting but I thought it could also affect the hamster world in some way as I know line breeding is praticed by some breeders

http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/20 ... nking.html

[Basia]

Its an interesting article Matty. I have always kept pedigree dogs and had very few health problems. The only exception was a little terrier type mongrel who had the worst health problems of any dog I have ever owned.
I did line breed my rabbits - too much out-crossing would lose type. Carefully done it can be successful. I did have health problems with one line which I stopped breeding from but most of my netherlands lived into double figures.

[Spuds Mum]

From what I've read in many books about hamster breeding, hamsters are fairly resistant to some of the problems encountered with line/inbreeding.
As Basia says, line breeding can help to fix the good points of a variety but can also increase the chance of bad points occurring.
If undertaken at all, it needs to be done responsibly by people who will be aware of the risks and pitfalls and will be on the lookout for problems as soon as they arise. Regular outcrossing is also recommended in most of the books I have read.

[Mollz]

I understand that if done properly then it can be ok, however I wouldn't be brave enough to do it myself.
I also believe that all syrian hamsters are decended from just one wild family of mother and children - so it can't have done them too much harm!

[Spuds Mum]

I know what you mean Mollz. I would want to get it checked out by someone more experienced than me before I attempted it.
For example, one of the matings I am possibly considering soon is our LH REC Butterbean to our LH sating BEC Dubaku. Her father is his grandfather, but no other relatives in common. I checked and was told this is perfectly fine.
But I still wanted to check first!

[Basia]

Originally Posted by Spud's Mum

I know what you mean Mollz. I would want to get it checked out by someone more experienced than me before I attempted it.
For example, one of the matings I am possibly considering soon is our LH REC Butterbean to our LH sating BEC Dubaku. Her father is his grandfather, but no other relatives in common. I checked and was told this is perfectly fine.
But I still wanted to check first!

I would do that Spud's Mum. In fact I will be doing something similar because Balou's great-grandfather is Truffle's grandfather. I would expect good, even type of litter from a mating like that, very much like their parents.

[Holly]

Well Toby is a really nice type (he's from BVH and he's had a 2nd and a 3rd in his first 2 shows - though it's too young to say if he'll have any health probs I guess) and his Grandad on one side is also his Great-Grandad on his other side!

I've no doubt I'll be line breeding in the future, I just think it's important to be as sure as you can be that any faults on one side aren't on the other as well.

Hamsters are actually incredibly disease free and healthy when you consider that all those in captivity are decendents of those first ones caught in Syria.