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Color variations and lifespan. #929894
04/13/10 03:43 AM
04/13/10 03:43 AM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,294
NY
WintersSong Offline OP
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WintersSong  Offline OP
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NY
One thing that I have wondered about since hearing of the different color variations is if they experienced any more health problems than the standard gray.. Or if their lifespan was quite as long.



So, I guess what I am asking is -- what has been the oldest known leu, whiteface, lion, mosaic, etc... ? What age?

And for those with gliders other than standard grays, have you experienced any health issues?


~*Sara*~

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~Anais Nin
Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: WintersSong] #929902
04/13/10 05:18 AM
04/13/10 05:18 AM

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HeatherB
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HeatherB
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I have wondered this myself (I have a wfb), and just recently started to research it. Studies claim that animals, specifically albino or albino variations, do in fact have more health issues. Albinism is a lack of melanin pigment which causes white skin/fur. It is believed that this causes a defect in other parts of the organism aside from the skin and hair, such as the brain. That lack of pigmentation makes an organism more prone to neurological problems. Not only that, but they are also prone to: sunburn, deafness, blindness, and have immunity issues. In a book I read for school (I wish I could remember the title), it is suggested that albino or near albino animals make bad pets and life stock because of this lack of pigmentation. Studies are still ongoing but for the most part the findings and suspected findings are not so good. BUT all things considered even the common household dog is prone to more health issues in this day and age then they were thousands of years ago. Why? Humans have bred them to have specific characteristics altering color, size, facial features and so much more. The result: we have dogs with short muzzles which causes breathing issues, we have dogs with long bodies and back problems, we have large dogs with long legs and Hip Dysplasia and the list is endless. Conclusion: yes, animals specifically bred for altered or desired characteristics are more prone to health issues. Sadly, at this point most domestic animals have already been altered the extreme, so my guess would be that while a albino glider may have many health problems, so can a purebred puppy.

Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: ] #929943
04/13/10 09:30 AM
04/13/10 09:30 AM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,305
Florida, USA
oakley Offline
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I'm not too sure that color variation has any effect on lifespan.


Obviously, inbred lines of ANY color (even standard gray) will have health issues (which is one of the reasons that (PPP) Perfect Pocket Pets's gliders have so many problems) but as for WF, MO, Cremeino, etc... I honestly think there shouldn't be any negative effects on lifespan.

If you look at another animal that has been bred for color (mice for instance) you can see that if the lines are kept clean, and if the animals are properly cared for, the lifespans of the color varieties do not differ from the normal colors.

Albinism does have it's own specific issues, but Albinism is much more than a color variance.


So I would have to say that unless the line has been inbred (as in the sterile MO line) I wouldn't expect to see a shortened lifespan in WF, MO, Leu etc.

Heather B:
You mentioned dog breeds and this is a good point... but if you do a little research you will find that most purebred dogs today started out by HEAVILY inbreeding to get the desired characteristics. I think that the glider community is doing a good job of staying away from inbreeding.


Meghan

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Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: oakley] #929985
04/13/10 11:39 AM
04/13/10 11:39 AM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,294
NY
WintersSong Offline OP
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WintersSong  Offline OP
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NY
Meghan -- hopefully you're right. I just get curious when I see things like, WF's being more prone to being overweight (though there is a chance that my reading material is wrong, but assuming it's not:). I mean -- why is that??


~*Sara*~

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~Anais Nin
Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: WintersSong] #930069
04/13/10 02:14 PM
04/13/10 02:14 PM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22,749
80 acres of paradise in KS
Dancing Offline
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Dancing  Offline
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80 acres of paradise in KS
I have 13 wfbs. (some of the males are neutered some not) None of them are over weight. None of them are underweight either.

There may be some wf lines that tend to be large but when you look at our Australian counterparts, the "wild" gliders tend to be quite a bit larger than our "domestic" gliders.

So perhaps, the gliders we see as overweight are just more "in tune" with their "wild side"? You have to consider environment as well as diet too. Saying wfbs tend to be overweight doesn't allow for the variations of environment, diet, treats given, exersize etc.

The only heavy (borderline on overweight) gliders I have are all greys.


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Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: oakley] #930136
04/13/10 04:35 PM
04/13/10 04:35 PM

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HeatherB
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Originally Posted By: oakley

Heather B:
You mentioned dog breeds and this is a good point... but if you do a little research you will find that most purebred dogs today started out by HEAVILY inbreeding to get the desired characteristics. I think that the glider community is doing a good job of staying away from inbreeding.


I absolutely agree. I was just pointing out that seeking desired characteristics in dogs: shorter muzzles, longer ears, ect. did have an affect on today's domestic dog. It drove people of earlier generations to inbreed dogs and even breed dogs with mutations. I was just saying that hundreds of years ago dogs were likely faced with less gene related health problems when they were first introduced to humans, and today that is evident by every breed being linked to common health problems; some even due to the characteristics they have been given. For example, a dog with larger ears having ear infections. Overall, I do agree that the glider community does an excellent job avoiding inbreeding. I just hope it remains that way before we have teacup gliders, or large ear gliders (that'd be kinda cute though). laugh

Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: ] #930162
04/13/10 05:22 PM
04/13/10 05:22 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,294
NY
WintersSong Offline OP
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WintersSong  Offline OP
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NY
Okay -- and the original question (well one of them) --

"what has been the oldest known leu, whiteface, lion, mosaic, etc... ?"


~*Sara*~

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~Anais Nin
Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: WintersSong] #930689
04/14/10 07:21 PM
04/14/10 07:21 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,294
NY
WintersSong Offline OP
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WintersSong  Offline OP
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Posts: 2,294
NY
Bumping..still looking for an answer to the last question.


~*Sara*~

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~Anais Nin
Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: WintersSong] #930790
04/15/10 04:33 AM
04/15/10 04:33 AM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 243
Illinois
tlc_in_chitown Offline
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Posts: 243
Illinois
We were talking about the oldest known gliders at the SGGA last year. I heard fifteen, sixteen, and one seventeen year old. I am not not sure if they were all standard greys or not, but most likely they were. I am sorry I don't remember everyone that owned these gliders. I was still putting faces with names. I think Bourbon may have had a long lived glider or was around for that conversation? Hopefully a breeder or owner that has been around since the begining will see your post.

In general albinos tend to have a shorter lifespan, but that is for any albino species. There have been random early deaths and health problems in other colored gliders, not just sterile line mosaics.. A NON-sterile line mo 100% leu het died at 2 1/2 and had liver cancer. A leu glider died suddenly at four years old. These are the one we usually hear about, unfortunately.

I also own wfb, 3 different lines of mosaics, and standards. The only one that had a health issue with me was a standard grey glider that I got as an adult with no inbreeding in his lineage. Poor babe is neutered, just to be sure he didnt pass anything on. He didn't have any offspring when he was with me. Sometimes things pop up randomly and can't be blamed on any one thing.

Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: tlc_in_chitown] #931990
04/17/10 08:18 PM
04/17/10 08:18 PM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,113
Michigan
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sugeebaby Offline
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Michigan
I've got a wf that is 180g and 4 yrs old. his parents that were wf were around the same size and if it wasn't for the stress of moving 5x in 2yrs would still be alive at 6yrs. My Rei is very healthy for his size.


Karen
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Have you educated someone today?


Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: sugeebaby] #932012
04/17/10 09:40 PM
04/17/10 09:40 PM
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,511
Texas
Jackie_Chans_Mom Offline
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Texas
I have a 7 year old female mosaic. heart heart


~~ Val B ~~ 806-803-0318
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Re: Color variations and lifespan. [Re: sugeebaby] #932015
04/17/10 09:48 PM
04/17/10 09:48 PM
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,402
Michigan
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gliderma Offline
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Michigan
My oldest gliders are 4 yrs. old and they are greys. Just so happens, the male is my biggest glider too. I do also have WF, WFB's, leu's & a mosaic with no known health issues but they are all still young yet. As was previously stated, you would have to take into consideration the diet & care of the gliders and not just the colors. To really get an answer you would have to have a controlled group of various colors that are all raised the exact same way with the same diet & environment.


Lynn Martel
616-272-4374
989-400-5686

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