Yeah, I agree with Neelie. It's like with crossbred cats and dogs, they are usually more healthy than the "pure bloods" with pedigree. They usually are more clever also.
Ehh, mixed dogs have their own problems, and sometimes if bred to two very unhealthy breeds they can inherit problems of both. My friend had a dog who was half boxer and half dalmation... he had the boxer's seizure problems and was as sick as most people's dalmations! Got all the cons of both breeds
Healthy dogs with healthy dogs make healthy dogs. Just saying it's a mix does not make a healthy dog! :) Although most dog health problems can be avoided with the right diet and care!
That's not completely true... hehe... the German Sheppard for instance has a LOTS of genetics problem within the race. And many other breeds have the same problems.
Not to get off topic but if you do your research and go with a breeder who tiltes and health tests their dogs through OFA and PennHip (etc) you can drastically reduce the liklihood of getting genetic issues in buying a purebred puppy. Most people do not know what to look for in a reputable breeder and then end up getting dogs from breeders who don't do the necessary health testing. A reputable breeder will not breed dogs with a chance of developing hip displaysia (to stick with the GSD) in an effort to reduce the liklihood of that occuring.
As far as fish. VT are actually MORE prone to developing fin rot and tail biting because there are so many of them being cared for improperly. VT also tend to have more health problems because of the mistreatment they receive while at the pet store and due to the fact that they are bred willy nilly. Any long fin, regardelss of tail type has a higher chance of developing fin issues than short fins.
I think the reason long fin HM and DeT have a bad rep for fin issues is because many breeders don't pay enough attention to the thickness of the fins, everyone is so held up on ray counts that many breeders are putting out fish with wimpy fins. A well bred LF should be able to carry his fins without issue AND his fins should not tatter easily if they are thick enough.
Not to get off topic but if you do your research and go with a breeder who tiltes and health tests their dogs through OFA and PennHip (etc) you can drastically reduce the liklihood of getting genetic issues in buying a purebred puppy. Most people do not know what to look for in a reputable breeder and then end up getting dogs from breeders who don't do the necessary health testing. A reputable breeder will not breed dogs with a chance of developing hip displaysia (to stick with the GSD) in an effort to reduce the liklihood of that occuring.
As far as fish. VT are actually MORE prone to developing fin rot and tail biting because there are so many of them being cared for improperly. VT also tend to have more health problems because of the mistreatment they receive while at the pet store and due to the fact that they are bred willy nilly. Any long fin, regardelss of tail type has a higher chance of developing fin issues than short fins.
I think the reason long fin HM and DeT have a bad rep for fin issues is because many breeders don't pay enough attention to the thickness of the fins, everyone is so held up on ray counts that many breeders are putting out fish with wimpy fins. A well bred LF should be able to carry his fins without issue AND his fins should not tatter easily if they are thick enough.
I agree that VT breeders should be more careful. Since VTs are so unliked, how about instead of breeding them then letting them rot away in the store only breed them if you can findsuitable homes? And it would probably help if less were bred.
I love them, I especially love their flowy tail. My first two Betta's were VT's who bit off their tail's so seeing one now with the flowy tail and all is impressive to me.
The VT I have now may be neurotic and a mutt (Hello! A solid red king Betta that is a VT, sorry but all the research I did on king Betta's showed that they were Plakats, so Jet is this freak of nature and he may have mood swings and threaten to bite off his tail any minute now (I worry about that everyday) but he's still my most active and hardy fish I own. Oh and my pride and joy!!)
I've been enjoying looking at the pictures of all the "fancy" Bettas here on the discussion boards. I didn't realize Bettas came in so many different colors with so many different fin shapes! I love Dobby, I really do, his coloring is really unusual I think, pink w/blue fins. But I think if I had bought a Betta instead of adopting Dobby, I would have gone for one with more frilly fins than what Dobby has. Although, if I had more room, I would collect Bettas, and get one of each fin type, including Dobby. Bettas are so beautiful...
I've been enjoying looking at the pictures of all the "fancy" Bettas here on the discussion boards. I didn't realize Bettas came in so many different colors with so many different fin shapes! I love Dobby, I really do, his coloring is really unusual I think, pink w/blue fins. But I think if I had bought a Betta instead of adopting Dobby, I would have gone for one with more frilly fins than what Dobby has. Although, if I had more room, I would collect Bettas, and get one of each fin type, including Dobby. Bettas are so beautiful...
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