I love gerbils. I have two young pups that sit on my
desk each day to keep me company while I work. Spending sometimes in
excess of 14 hours a day at the computer working it is a joy to have the
companionship of my "fuzzy face people".
With this said, I have sat back an listened to all the
nastiness and condemnation for the past day of Lisa. I in the past have
expressed my concerns when breeders have use, what can only be termed,
unsafe and unethical breeding practices. I do however feel that the extent
of the comments focused that Lisa have been excessive. I have never been
in Lisa's home, and have no idea what conditions her animals are kept in.
How many of you are familiar with chickens? A large
flock of chickens have a nasty little thing called "pecking order". They
will actually, occasionally, select one chicken that is deemed the
weakest. It is not unusual for this chicken to be pecked to
death, since all the other chickens have to prove that they are superior
to "the weakest" chicken.
What started out as an expression of concern by a member
of two has turned into a feeding frenzy.
A year ago I lost five gerbils in a matter of
days. A new breeding pair that I had purchased had a litter of
nine. One by one the pups died. There was nothing that I could do to
save them. In the end there were four pups left. The pups were too
small, and the mother inexperienced. I spent weeks feeling guilt ridden by
the loss. This is only one example of how a breeder can lose a large
number of gerbils in a short period of time.
I do not know why Lisa has lost so many of her pets in the
past few weeks. I did have concerns about her breeding practices at one
time, and I wrote to her privately about my concerns.
Please let us stop this series of attacks. They are
undermining our community. Perhaps the appropriate way to handle this
type of situation would be for one of our "experts" to work with the person in
question. Finding out what their daily routine is, and then to give them
guidance in areas that are lacking. This might have a positive impact on
the breeder, and their animals.
These comments reflect my personal opinion, and are not
a reflection of the entire AGS committee.
Janet Morrow
President
American Gerbil
Society
