RE: Hello I m italian and I see one of them in real from the breeder!..it lookwesome it's really like a pinkie skin..There ' s a lot of discussion above the helth of an Agame without spines but Ale (the breeder) just told me that it just need to be spraied one more time a day that other BD..
RE: Re: RE: italian silk back dragons? There is really no reason to bring up old threads about this topic, when you already put your opinion in the active thread. I'm just going to merge all this into one thread to avoid further confusion. I don't think people should be breeding silkbacks at all. Besides all the inbreeding and "linebreeding" as they like to call it, which isn't going to make the animals stronger that's for sure, it's a genetic mutation that would not survive in the wild and hasn't been in captivity long enough to learn just how hardy (or not) it can be. And of course the breeder is going to tell people that it's okay. Someone who would create and exploit something like this isn't going to admit that it may be wrong. That's my 2 cents.
The side affects that come from the inbreeding is terrible. Unfortunately us as the online community will have little effect on stopping them. 99% of people who own dragons are not online to know about what is going on. Also Most of the people who are online don't even pay attention to any of this; 1. Some sites want to ignore it so they dont see it. 2. They ignore the problems. 3. They dont understand. All they see is a "Rare" dragon that they think looks cool so they will purchase. That is the sad truth. All we can do is try to inform all that we can. Robert
I don't know a whole lot about genetics or mutations within beardies but I can safely say that is one of the most revolting things I have seen. It truly does look as though the entire beardie has been burnt and has now been left without any of the natural defenses against predators it once had. I'd mostly be concerned about how to care for one like that... as mentioned in the above posts (all 5 pages of them) what kind of precautions would you have to take to ensure there is no risk to the beardies, either by burns by heating or UVB, bugs or any other factors that play a role in a healthy beardies life? I think that some of the breeds or morphs that are out there are really quite beautiful but I would like to see proof that this genetic manipulation is not causing a real problem in the beardie population. I've always felt very strongly about other "pure bred" animals.. I much prefer to have the regular old heinz variety creatures - dogs, cats or any other creature that has not been genetically altered to suit the needs and wants of a society that wants to have everything that's different.
Hello Hello, While I have exhausted myself on the fauna boards over this, I will fill people in who haven't read that entire long long thread!! Basically, what Alessandro has done was bring out a "mutation" by closely linebreeding. Call it what you want, it is still inbreeding to bring out a "desirable" trait, but it depends on what you consider desirable. A breeder will say anything to push his morph or product on you as the consumer. What he DID not tell you is that this dragon lacks the keratinization of his skin, which means the first couple of layers are lacking the protective keratin which protect the skin from UVB's. This animal would not have much chance to make it in the wild, because of it's skin. While it could withstand some UVB's, not enough or long enough to do it the good that it needs. Even if the skin is a bit tougher than it might look as Alessandro claims it to be, we will need to look at the facts that it cannot bask at the optimal temps & cannot stay under UVB's for extended amounts of time. So, it more than likely will not get enough D3 synthesized by UVB absorption. It cannot bask at optimal temps so, it could end up having some digestive issues. Dachiu claims that she has been keeping them with no problems. Well, my fears are that there are alot of conventional bearded dragons that have problems due to inbreeding & are not properly cared for so what makes them think that these specialized morphs or mutations will be any differently cared for by the public? I am outraged because everyone seems to want to exploit animals in general without any regard to the animals' wellbeing or feelings. These dragons have no say about what is being done to them. I do feel though, with enough effort, that we can minimize the impact, & hopefully, they will NOT go mainstream. Sorry as my intention is not to turn this into a faunaboard discussion! :lol: Tracie
RE: Hello Maybe it won't survive in the wild but i think that a lot of Bd selected for their brilliant colors won't survive in the wild too cause they can't mimic..I just suppose this!
Personally I think (if anyone else is up for it) making a website of somesort warning about this "silkback" would be a good idea. Link to it as much as possible and hopefully get it spread round.... for all the good it will do, I think it may be a good idea. Thats if there isn't a site up about it already. I know im up for it if a few other guys/gals are willing to join forces :lol:
Re: RE: Hello Actually, dragons in the wild do come in many variations of browns, yellows, oranges, and reds. The terrain in Australia varies from grey rocks to red dirt to yellow sand, and so do the dragons. You think we did that? No, we just selectively bred them so that there's more of it.
Hello Hello, I agree, dragons do learn to adapt to their surroundings in the wild. They may not be quite as brilliantly colored as what we breed into them, but they are not as inbred in the wild either. We get our brilliant colors by inbreeding most of the time. The fauna discussion boards has done a good job of covering the pros what little there is of them & the cons of it. I am always for honest people trying to educate & help to spread the word about dishonest breeders. I am hoping that this simply will not become mainstream at all. Tracie
RE: Re: RE: Hello There is a difference between selective breeding and inbreeding. You can get the same results from both but it just takes alot longer with selective compared to inbreeding. People dont have the patience to take the time so they risk the lives of many dragons and make them weaker for $$ I dont trust breeders that make their living from only dragon sales. When you are strapped by the sales of an animal you will do what it takes to get a "rare" animal to get publicity. I find that breeders who do it as a hobby for the love of dragons is the best way to go. Robert
