Tere Salazar
Just Me
JimD said:Ladies Ladies Ladies!
Ive never had so mush attention.
Jim
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
JimD said:Ladies Ladies Ladies!
Ive never had so mush attention.
Jim
Saladragon said:I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Drache613 said:Hello,
I have been looking over this a few days & had seen the first few posts awhile back so I checked around about them, etc.
I was not in the least bit surprised when a few of the so-called experts as they are calling themselves, started raising a ruckus because people were not in agreement with this new "mutation" as it is being called.
Valley Dragons said:Okay, there is so much concern over the skin of the silkback just "ripping open". Yes, it is soft and delicate when compared to the tough, spikey scales of a normal dragon. But so is mine, and I don't usually find myself rupturing an arm as I walk through my house! Isn't it the nature of skin to develop toughness in places where it frequently comes in contact with foreign objects? Don't you think that it is a possibility that the dragon's body would make the neccesary adjustments? I know that people and other hairless animals develop callouses where they are needed. Nobody here has stopped to consider any possibilities because they are so hell-bent on this being a definite wrong.
The issue of the genetics of this animal has been resolved. Massive inbreeding is not needed to create this animal. You don't need two silkbacks to create a silkback...but if you DID want to mate two silkbacks, isn't there other ways to get around their actual making contact with each other? Think outside the box, people!
Why? Why is there so much hatred for the people that are creating this new morph? Did I miss something? Why are you calling all of us who would like to see more research done on this morph "brainwashed"? Brainwashed by whom?
Why am I considered "brainwashed" or a "spokesperson", as other have called me, if I don't go along with the opinion of the mob? (By the way, I prefer the term "spokesmodel" if you are going to call names, lol).
I'd like some answers as well.
Jamie
Drache613 said:Hello,
I have been looking over this a few days & had seen the first few posts awhile back so I checked around about them, etc.
I was not in the least bit surprised when a few of the so-called experts as they are calling themselves, started raising a ruckus because people were not in agreement with this new "mutation" as it is being called.
Good grief people, what is wrong with everyone anyway? I am so sick of everyone fighting about how to increase profits by exploiting any animal that they feel like exploiting.
As brought up, yes, we could go on & on about "other" animals that have been trashed, but this thread is not about other animals, it is about the future of bearded dragons. Livestock has been around for a very long time, thus, there is a plentiful supply of it around. Dogs & cats have been pets in captivity for a long time, & look what humans have done to them in for the sake of fame & fortune. Do you think that some of those animals WANT to look like they do? If they could talk, I highly doubt that they would.
Take a look at where everything is going. Why would we want to ruin a perfectly good looking species & take it to the brink of extinction? What was or what is wrong with what they look like now?
Sure, I agree, maybe more so called research needs to happen before making a decision. However, I have a question, how does anyone know that they cannot take higher temperatures, & need lower UVB as well as shorter basking times? Someone had to "test" those waters to know that information so I feel that some dragons were probably harmed in gathering that bit of information. No one learns by doing things correctly.
What kind of life is that for a sun worshipping & basking bearded dragon? I feel that part of their majestic, proud & noble look is their spikes that they display. They are georgeous just as they are, no need to change their DNA.
This I fear is coming dangerously close to intermixing an undesired trait & if it gets into the wrong hands, it will change the course of the DNA & breeding forever. I would be heartbroken to see that happen.
In nature, as it has already been brought up, I highly doubt you would see this type of species out in the wild. It sounds mean, but nature simply does not select for the weakest, as it is called Survival of the Fittest, so, why in the world would we breed & select the weakest & wreak havoc on the future breeding projects?
I am all for breeding to improve the species. However, I think that nature does that by itself, & they were doing fine, if not better by themselves before humans got their hands on them.
Everyone knows that I highly admire Steve Irwin, well, people who I talk to on the boards, & they know who they are, & I have to say, he is probably crying right now, shaking his heads at us in embarrassment & shame. Really people, they are HIS NATIVE animals. LOOK at what we are doing to them!! We are supposed to be making him proud & representing them to the best of our ability. We are not by doing this.
Funny, people in Australia probably think that we are complete idiots over here. They have no problems with Adeno & certainly not this either. Why don't some of you join & post over on the Australian forums, it might just do you some good for once!!
Please have pity & some heart for these dragons! Oh & Jim, you really need to learn to have some manners.
Tracie
This is sad, sad, sad. In people, scientists, researchers and physicians spend billions of dollars every year, and countless research hours, trying to reverse or negate the effects of genetic disorders. They do this because we all realize it effects our quality of life. No one is going out and specifically trying to conceive a child with Downs syndrome because they think its cute, and when it happens naturally, while most parents would love the child regardless, the rest of us recognize that it is also a tragedy. If scientists were creating Downs babies in labs to experiment with them, knowing full well the implications of doing so, people would be having a fit.JimD said:As far as I know, no one is pushing this new morph at anyone. I agree that a lot of people dont like it and think its wrong. A lot like it too.
Its like with Ball pythons. There are many problems with them but people still love them and want to be the first one to create a "new morph".
A lot is brought up about how these would never survive in the wild. They would never see the wild so why bring that up. We have albino everything now and that for sure would not make it in the wild. You need to be carefull with how much UV albinos get also.
I'm not pushing the silks to anyone. Those who want one will search for themselves. You like it or you dont.Easy. I do think its cool that it has been proven that we now have co-dom and super forms of dragons.
Jim
Denisebme said:Well, I haven't called you brainwashed or a spokesperson, but then I don't consider myself part of a "mob" either.
Since I do know something about genetics, particularly genetic disorders, I'll confine my answer to what I know.
I was born missing thumbnails. Not a huge thing, right? My mom didn't have thumbnails, neither did my sisters. Since my family was undiagnosed at the time, we just thought it was a weird family thing.
As we grew up, we noticed other small things, like our kneecaps were not like other peoples, and our arms didn't straighten all the way. Again, not a big deal, but more bothersome than a simple lack of a couple nails.
Then we grew up and started having kids, and our kids had it too, some born with more serious issues. Then we finally got diagnosed as having a genetic issue. Not one that was created by someone trying to create a new kind of person, it was naturally occurring, but it was a problem.
Now, it turns out that this genetic disorder causes problems everywhere, Missing nails, badly formed joints, missing or misplaced connective tissue, early onset osteoarthritis, open angle glaucoma, and kidney disease, all because our bodies don't process collagen correctly during development. My mother was 56 when the kidney disease took her life.
Its never as simple as breeding OUT scales. What are scales made of and what happens during development when you inhibit their growth? The scales themselves are made of Keratin, fairly essential to a well working bone and connective tissue system. What else does this effect besides scales?
I don't think that experimentation just for the sake of experimentation is always a good idea, not in an industry that has no controls to protect the animals from unethical types of it. This particular genetic experiment is less than a year old, so who knows what problems besides the thin, fragile skin are going to pop up.
Also, at this time, artificial insemination techniques with reptiles is very rare even in real laboratory settings. These people creating this morph are NOT scientists, so what experience do they have with a technique that is only being attempted by veterinary researchers?
Oh Jim, back to genetics. What makes this a "super form" of dragon? There is nothing unusual genetically about co-dominant traits. Two parents with curly hair that have a curly haired child is a natural expression of co-dominance and us curly haired folks aren't super forms of the human race.JimD said:As far as I know, no one is pushing this new morph at anyone. I agree that a lot of people dont like it and think its wrong. A lot like it too.
Its like with Ball pythons. There are many problems with them but people still love them and want to be the first one to create a "new morph".
A lot is brought up about how these would never survive in the wild. They would never see the wild so why bring that up. We have albino everything now and that for sure would not make it in the wild. You need to be carefull with how much UV albinos get also.
I'm not pushing the silks to anyone. Those who want one will search for themselves. You like it or you dont.Easy. I do think its cool that it has been proven that we now have co-dom and super forms of dragons.
Jim
Valley Dragons said:Denise, I'm sorry to hear about your genetic disorder. Trust me, I understand the wrath of genes gone bad. Two out of three of my children inherited a life-threatening allergy from their paternal grandfather. They can't and don't live what would be considered a normal life for a child. They will go into anaphylactic shock and possibly die if they eat, touch, or breath too much of anything containing peanuts. They require special care and serious precautions, and cannot participate in all of the same activites as normal children. Along with the peanut allergy comes the eczema and asthma. It is all linked together, and we have to make changes in their enviromnent for them to be at optimum health. But even with their genetic "flaws" they are happy, healthy children.
Trust me, I too wonder if other problems could be tied in with the "no more scales" gene. Maybe there is something terrible, and maybe there is not. Maybe there is something minor that could be fixed with small changes in husbandry. Maybe there is something terrible that would justify never breeding to create silkbacks again. I don't know - you don't know - and I doubt if the people that bred this animal really know at this time. But I ask this - why not give it a chance and see what happens? If there have not been problems with the animal so far (as I have been told) then why not go forward with breeding?
And pulling the "Steve card" is not fair. He is not here to voice his opinion, so let's not think for him.
Jamie
Drache613 said:Hello,
Oh pulling the "Steve" card is more than fair. We did get our original ancestors from his native country. This is how we are treating them? I would actually hate to hear what he would have to say to us here in America. Someone has to be advocates for animals, he sure was. He expects no less from all of us. That is what his hopes & dreams were of all of us, were to preserve & take care of animals, just as he did. His work needs to continue on there as well as here & over the world.
Tracie
Valley Dragons said:You know what Tracie? Why don't we ALL just stop breeding, selling, and buying dragons then. Because I guarantee you that there are FAR worse things out there than creating a new morph of dragon. Like all the people out there that take crappy care of their animals. I personally think that forcing a dragon to live with starvation, wrong food choices, wrong temperatures, and various other mistreatments that I am sure THOUSANDS of dragons across the U.S. are subjected to daily is MUCH worse. I am growing tired of this argument. Why don't we spend our time helping others to better care for their dragons than spending time bitching at each other. I'm done for now. I'm going to go help some dragons!![]()
Jamie
Its like with Ball pythons. There are many problems with them but people still love them and want to be the first one to create a "new morph".
Jim, I'm well aware of how albinos are created, spiders and pastels also. What you seemed to be saying in your previous post is that this Beardie cross resulted in a super FORM of animal, and that simply means a lack of understanding of basic genetics.JimD said:I'm not sure what you dont understand Denise but here goes. Ill use Ball Pythons to show you.
Albinos are created by both parents having the Recessive gene
Spiders are dominant, breeding them to a normal should result in a 50/50 of babies. When you breed a spider to a spider, all babies are spiders, no "super form"
Pastels are Co-dominant, breeding a pastel to a normal results are 50/50 of babies. Breeding a pastel to a pastel results in a "super Pastel'
That is what i was saying.
Did I answer your question?
Jim