Freya Lorelei ([info]freyalorelei) wrote,
@ 2009-05-24 23:47:00
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Current mood: cheerful

Hamstercula.
I seem to have acquired another hamster.

Not the sapphire Winter White I was eyeballing a few days ago (although she is pretty). A female Campbell's bit one of Shade's co-workers hard enough to draw blood, and was deemed too vicious to be sellable. Since I am the unofficial Hamster Whisperer and can tame the meanest hamster, Shade called me to ask if I wanted her.

I expected to find a huge, fat bully; what I saw was a teeny baby girl who didn't so much as nip when I picked her up (although she did a few exploratory nibbles). She's a little nervous, but she didn't bite, wriggle, or try to jump out of my hand. And later, when I carried her around in a small modular console, she sat and ate contentedly, followed by some relaxed grooming (not the quick, hurried grooming animals do to calm themselves when stressed).

Because she was surrendered for drawing blood, I have decided to name her Carmilla. :D She even looks kind of like a little vampire, with red eyes and a mottled "cape."


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Sorry Freya, but I feel the need to mention some things here.
[info]rantingmule
2009-05-25 09:16 pm UTC (link)
I asked because it seems to me like "mutts" would be less of a pain because of what I mentioned earlier, but if you're willing to deal with animals that have more genetic problems for the sake of knowing ahead of time what's coming, then that makes sense.

I call bullshit. :P Buying a purebred dog from a reputable breeder means the dog is less likely to have supprise problems. Here's a thought...buying, say...a Lab puppy from a breeder who tests all their dogs for hip dysplasia means that the puppy is almost totally guaranteed NOT to be dysplastic.

One of the most HEINOUSLY dysplastic dogs I've ever known is a mixed-breed rescue. He was two when I saw him last and so crippled he can barely walk. Mixing breeds doesn't always rule out problems...this mix in particular is a Lab, Shepherd mix, and both breeds are prone to dysplasia. Since he's a mutt-rescue, no conscientious breeder screened his parents for the disorder, cursing him to a lifetime of pain and multiple surgeries.

My own dog is a mixed-breed rescue, a tiny Chihuahua, Dachshund mix. She has broken both of her forelegs, has luxating patellas in both back legs, has a MASSIVE open molera/fontanel (basically a HOLE IN HER SKULL) and has hypoglycemia issues as well as jaw problems and dental problems. She's basically ALL FUCKED UP, genetically...tiny brittle bones, bad jaws, bad legs, and her poor head.

A co-worker has two purebred Chihuahas, both are show-quality and neither has a SINGLE THING WRONG WITH THEM.

Shitty breeders breed shitty dogs. Good breeders breed good dogs. Mutts and rescue dogs are a total roll of the die. I don't get where you get off saying mixed breed dogs have less problems...in my experience (and I work with dogs, I work in a grooming salon, we have to inquire about health problems on all our clients...I see literally hundreds of dogs each month, do you have such wide experience with purebreds versus mixes???) MUTTS often have just as many health and certainly a higher instance of behavioural issues than their purebred counterparts...the ONLY difference is that purebreds? Are as Freya said, more predictable.

This is me being unimpressed, btw. Broad sweeping generalizations about mutts versus purebreds pisses me off.

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