I was just wondering everyones opinons on the manx rat (tailless rat)
As you may well know its a genetic mutation and it comes with plenty of health risks. Many are severely deformed, but not all. It can also greatly impair a rats balance. Personally I dont deem it ethical to attempt to breed these certain rats, many of the females have difficulty birthing due to the improper bone structure so its only ideal to breed a manx male with a female and the 'gene' is recessive so thats why you dont see them around much.
Im aware there are other mutations within rat genetics such as the hairless, who also have lots of health risks but as a whole I think they can be very happy and well adjusted. Maybe the tailless too, but I dont think people should aim to produce Manx at all - the negatives outweigh the positives.
At this point where the Manx are, anyone breeding them are setting themselves up for lots of potentially unhealthy rats, only to pick the healthy ones to breed from in hope of creating a healthier line eventually. But isnt this unethical when considering all the unhealthy deformed ones they will surely produce?
Let me know your thoughts and imput. :
As you may well know its a genetic mutation and it comes with plenty of health risks. Many are severely deformed, but not all. It can also greatly impair a rats balance. Personally I dont deem it ethical to attempt to breed these certain rats, many of the females have difficulty birthing due to the improper bone structure so its only ideal to breed a manx male with a female and the 'gene' is recessive so thats why you dont see them around much.
Im aware there are other mutations within rat genetics such as the hairless, who also have lots of health risks but as a whole I think they can be very happy and well adjusted. Maybe the tailless too, but I dont think people should aim to produce Manx at all - the negatives outweigh the positives.
At this point where the Manx are, anyone breeding them are setting themselves up for lots of potentially unhealthy rats, only to pick the healthy ones to breed from in hope of creating a healthier line eventually. But isnt this unethical when considering all the unhealthy deformed ones they will surely produce?
Let me know your thoughts and imput. :